Threshold 6: Humans and Collective Learning

Modified Test Name:_________________________

Directions: Read each question or prompt carefully. Answer each question the best you
can. Take note of directions as following them will help your score.

1. Which of these statements best completes the sentence…

When a human passes down information to their child or another

human being, it is an example of ________________________.

A) a threshold moment
B) collective learning
C) evolution

2. Archaeologists dig for fossils and artifacts. Which of the pictures below
represents what archaeologist would most likely come across in their
work? (Circle your choice)

3. Louis and Mary Leakey did research that provided evidence that
humans first appeared in the Oldavi Gorge, Tanzania… in Africa. This
disproved an earlier belief that humans first appeared in
_____________.

A. Asia B. Africa C. Europe D. South America

4. Which of these is a picture of an early homo sapien? (circle)

5. GEOGRAPHY: Locate the continents of Africa AND Europe on the

world map below. Label the continent of Africa with a capital “A” and
the continent of Europe with a capital “E”.

6. It is believed that homo sapiens (humans) first appeared and came

from (originated from) the continent of _______________
a. Africa
b. Asia
c. Antarctica
d. America

7. One of the first and biggest pieces of evidence that early man began to
utilize collective learning, was the development of ____________.
a. Tools
b. Family groups
c. Homes
 8. Evidence has been found through archaeological digs and analyzed by
anthropologists that showed that early man was hunting and killing
animals for food about 80,000 years ago. Which of these artifacts that
was found at one of those digs would suggest that?

a. Dead animal bones near stone spearheads

b. Old fire pits with iron kettles
c. Animal skins that were used as rooftops

9. Dian Fossey was a primatologist. What is a primatologist?

a. Someone who comes ups with mathematical equations

b. Someone who tries to determine how ancient and modern peoples live
and their cultures
c. Someone who studies apes and other primates

10. Gorillas in the Mist was based on Dian Fossey’s life. Her study of a
species of animal helped to reveal that the animal was almost extinct.
Which of these animals below did she spend her life studying? (circle)

11. Which of these images below is an example of bipedalism? (circle)

12. Put these advances in early man in the correct order in which they most
likely happened, based on what we know… (use the letters in the boxes)

A. The ability to make fire and cook

B. Migration out of Africa
C. The ability to walk on two legs
D. The ability to speak using a symbolic language
E. The ability to make and use tools

13. GEOGRAPHY: Using the map…show the route that early man must have
taken to get from Africa to North America, during the migration period
from 50,000 years ago to when they reached North America about
15,000 years ago….Draw a line with an arrow, showing the route.
= starting point
= ending point
14. What does it mean to “migrate”?
a. To wake up each day hunting and searching for food
b. To settle down in one area, and establish a routine
c. To pick and move where the living conditions might be better

15. The main thing that has separated humans from the rest of the animal
kingdom, and has allowed us to dominate the planet is______________.
a. Our symbolic language
b. The ability to hunt for food
c. Our ability to make and use tools

16. The picture to the right is an interpretation of

Lucy, who lived about 3.5 million years ago.
Who was Lucy, and why was she such an
important discovery?
a. She was the first known upright walking “man”
b. She studied primates, especially chimps
c. She helped dig up bones in Africa that led the
Leakey’s to great scientific discoveries

17. “Culture” is the customs, traditions, values, and beliefs of a group of

people, as well as the activities they participate in.

A. True B. False

18. Which of the two pictures is a better representation of someone who

is “nomadic” (or a “nomad”)? Draw an “X” through your choice.
Short Answer: 4 Points

In a paragraph, describe why collective learning is such an important

thing that humans are able to do. Provide at least 3 examples to back
up your claim. Conclude the paragraph in an interesting way.