Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumExplicit Detail Retrieval

Passage:

In November 1974, paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson and graduate student Tom Gray identified a partial hominin skeleton at the site of Hadar in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia. Cataloged as AL 288-1 and popularly dubbed 'Lucy,' the specimen comprised forty percent of a single female individual's skeletal structure, making it remarkably complete for an early hominin fossil. Geological analysis of the volcanic ash layers surrounding the stratum dated the specimen to approximately 3.2 million years ago. Anatomical examination of the pelvic structure and knee joint provided definitive evidence of habitual bipedalism, resolving a long-standing debate regarding whether upright locomotion preceded cerebral expansion in hominin evolution. Despite possessing a small cranial capacity comparable to modern chimpanzees, AL 288-1 exhibited clear postcranial adaptations for bipedal walking, demonstrating that erect posture was established well prior to the marked brain enlargement observed in later species of the genus Homo.

According to the passage, which of the following was directly established by the anatomical examination of AL 288-1's pelvic structure and knee joint?

  1. A
    It proved that cerebral expansion occurred concurrently with postcranial adaptations for upright walking.
  2. B
    It established that AL 288-1 was the earliest hominin species to manufacture stone tools in the Awash Valley.
  3. It provided definitive evidence that habitual bipedalism preceded substantial cerebral expansion in hominin evolution.Answer
  4. D
    It demonstrated that AL 288-1 possessed a cranial capacity significantly larger than that of modern chimpanzees.
  5. E
    It served as the primary scientific method for dating the volcanic ash strata surrounding the fossil stratum.

Answer

The anatomical examination of AL 288-1's pelvic structure and knee joint provided definitive evidence that habitual bipedalism preceded substantial cerebral expansion in hominin evolution.
The passage explicitly states that anatomical examination of AL 288-1's pelvic structure and knee joint provided definitive evidence of habitual bipedalism and resolved a debate by proving that upright locomotion preceded cerebral expansion. The correct choice directly paraphrases this fact.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the key terms in the passage stem
Identify the sentence discussing 'pelvic structure and knee joint'.
Explicit detail retrieval requires matching the exact structural context within the passage.
2
Analyze the explicit factual claim associated with those anatomical features
The text states that these features 'provided definitive evidence of habitual bipedalism, resolving a long-standing debate regarding whether upright locomotion preceded cerebral expansion'.
Understanding the direct assertion ensures precise alignment with the correct option.
3
Evaluate the choices against the passage text to select the accurate paraphrase
The option stating that habitual bipedalism occurred prior to substantial brain enlargement directly matches 'upright locomotion preceded cerebral expansion'.
Eliminate choices that misstate timing, introduce outside details, or confuse geological dating with anatomical analysis.

Key Concept

Explicit Detail Retrieval
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Explicit Detail Retrieval

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