First Steps Quiz
Anthropology Becoming Human • Part 1
Score:
/ 10
First Steps: Early Human Origins
Video Guide & Concept Mastery Assessment
Name:
Date:
Period:
Instructions: Carefully read each question and circle the letter of the correct answer.
Questions 1 – 5
1
On what continent do we believe humans first began to evolve?
A East Africa
B South Africa
C Asia
D Western Europe
2
What primitive pre-human species do we believe baby Salam is from?
A Homo habilis
B Homo erectus
C Australopithecus afarensis
D Sahelanthropus tchadensis
3
How did the scientists determine Salam's age at time of death?
A Scientists used carbon dating to determine how old she was.
B Scientists looked at her adult teeth growing inside her bone with a CT scan.
C Scientists measured her skeleton’s height.
D Scientists estimated her weight.
4
Who is Salam very similar to?
A Turkana Boy
B Toumai
C Homo Floresiensis
D Lucy
5
Why do scientists believe Australopithecus afarensis became Bipedal?
A To reach higher fruits in trees
B To save energy
C To be able to hunt better
D To be able to swim better
NOVA: Becoming Human • Part 1: First Steps Page 1 of 2
First Steps: Early Human Origins (Continued)
Questions 6 – 10 & Synthesis Prompt
6
About when do scientists believe early humans diverged from the apes?
A About 350,000 years ago
B About 1 million years ago
C About 6 million years ago
D 50 years ago
7
How did scientists determine that Toumai walked on two legs?
A By how its skull connects to its spine. His eyes pointed straight ahead.
B By looking at the shape of his pelvis.
C By observing that he had two legs.
D By examining his brain case size.
8
In modern humans, how long in years does it take for our brain to fully mature?
A 20 years
B 10 years
C 5 years
D 1 year
9
In comparison, how long does it take a chimp's brains to mature?
A 20 years
B 10 years
C 5 years
D 1 year
10
Who or what is thought to have made these first tools?
A Homo erectus
B Homo sapiens
C Homo neanderthalensis
D Homo habilis
Critical Thinking Reflection
Why was the discovery of baby Salam (Australopithecus afarensis) considered such a milestone in understanding how early hominins grew up compared to modern humans?
NOVA: Becoming Human • Part 1: First Steps Page 2 of 2
First Steps Answer Key
Teacher Resource Becoming Human • Part 1 Answer Key
10 Points Total
First Steps: Answer Key & Teaching Guide
Correct Answers, Paleoanthropological Evidence & Film Context
Standards: HS-LS4-1 • MS-LS4-2
Scoring Note: Each multiple-choice item is worth 1 point. Highlighted green badges denote correct answers.
Questions 1 – 5
1 On what continent do we believe humans first began to evolve?
A • East Africa
Paleo Context: Often called the "Cradle of Humankind," East Africa's Great Rift Valley (spanning Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania) exposed crucial sedimentary fossil layers due to tectonic rifting and volcanic ash beds.
2 What primitive pre-human species do we believe baby Salam is from?
C • Australopithecus afarensis
Paleo Context: Discovered in Dikika, Ethiopia by Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged, Selam (meaning "peace" in Amharic) is the remarkably preserved 3.3-million-year-old skeleton of a 3-year-old female A. afarensis.
3 How did the scientists determine Salam's age at time of death?
B • CT scan of teeth inside jaw
Paleo Context: Synchrotron / high-resolution CT imaging allowed researchers to count microscopic daily enamel growth lines inside the unerupted adult teeth, establishing that Selam died at approximately 3.0 years old.
4 Who is Salam very similar to?
D • Lucy
Paleo Context: Selam lived approximately 100,000 to 150,000 years before Lucy, but belongs to the exact same species (A. afarensis). Because of this relationship, the media frequently dubbed Selam "Lucy’s Baby."
5 Why do scientists believe A. afarensis became Bipedal?
B • To save energy
Paleo Context: Comparative biomechanical studies (highlighted in the documentary) showed that walking upright on two legs requires up to 75% less energy and calories than chimpanzee knuckle-walking when traversing open savannahs.
NOVA: Becoming Human • Part 1 Teacher Solutions Guide Page 1 of 2
First Steps: Answer Key (Questions 6 – 10 & Model Rubric)
Standards Pacing: 45–60 min viewing & debrief
6 About when do scientists believe early humans diverged from the apes?
C • About 6 million years ago
Paleo Context: Both molecular clock DNA analysis and fossil finds (such as Sahelanthropus and Orrorin) pinpoint the divergence between ancestral hominins and the chimpanzee lineage to ~6 to 7 Ma.
7 How did scientists determine that Toumai walked on two legs?
