Human evolution

Human evolution is a History concept from the MPSC syllabus, tested in 6 past MPSC questions (2014, 2016). Below are those real questions with their correct answers and explanations, plus the concepts worth being comfortable with first.

Real questions

Years tested

2 · 2014–2016

In context

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Asked in

2016 2014

What you need to know first

Basic geological epochs and periodsBasic anthropologyHuman history timelineBasic human ancestryEvolutionary biologyBasic evolutionary biologyBasic understanding of earth history epochs

What mastering this unlocks

Human racial classificationPhysical anthropology traits

Real questions that test this

पुढील दोन विधानांपैकी कोणते योग्य आहे ? अ. आधुनिक मनुष्य इओसीन काळखंडात जन्मास आला. ब. डायनोसोअर क्रिटेशियस कालावधीत नाहीसे झाले. Which of the following statements is/are correct ? a. Modern man originated in Eocene epoch. b. Dinosaurs got extinct in Cretaceous period.

(a)आधुनिक मनुष्य इओसीन काळखंडात जन्मस आला. / Modern man originated in Eocene epoch.

(b)डायनोसोअर क्रिटेशियस कालावधीत नाहीसे झाले. / Dinosaurs got extinct in Cretaceous period.

1)फक्त अ / Only a

2)फक्त ब / Only b✓ Correct

3)दोन्ही अ आणि ब / Both a and b

4)दोन्ही नाहीत / Neither a nor b

Modern man (Homo sapiens) originated in the Pleistocene epoch (not Eocene), while dinosaurs indeed went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period.

वरील परिच्छेदात उल्लेखिलेल्या मानववंश प्रजातींचा आदिम ते आधुनिक अशी मांडणी केलेली उचित संच निवडा.

a)होमो सेपियन्स, होमो हॅबिलिस, होमो हायडेलबर्गेंन्सिस, होमो इरेक्टस

b)होमो सेपियन्स, होमो हॅबिलिस, होमो इरेक्टस, होमो हायडेलबर्गेंन्सिस

c)होमो इरेक्टस, होमो हायडेलबर्गेंन्सिस, होमो हॅबिलिस, होमो सेपियन्स

d)होमो हॅबिलिस, होमो इरेक्टस, होमो हायडेलबर्गेंन्सिस, होमो सेपियन्स✓ Correct

Anthropological evolution of human species chronologically proceeds from Homo habilis to Homo erectus, then Homo heidelbergensis, and finally Homo sapiens.

जुलवायुमानातील बदल हे मेंदूच्या असामान्य वाढीला जोर देणारे कारण म्हणून विचारात घेण्यासाठी वैज्ञानिकांनी पुरवलेला प्रमुख पुरावा निवडा. Select the major evidence that is provided by scientists for considering climate change as a reason for triggering extraordinary growth of brain.

a)बदलांच्या परिणामी आफ्रिकेतील जलवायुमानाला गोड्या पाण्याची, समृद्ध व बहरलेल्या वनांनी वेढलेली खोल अशी सरोवरे ते आजच्यासारखी वाळूच्या टेकड्यांची अतिशुष्क परिस्थितीतील रिफ्ट व्हॅली, अशा टोकाच्या आंदोलनातून जावे लागले असावे व परिणामी त्या कालखंडात जगणाऱ्या मानववंशीयांच्या मेंदूच्या वाढीला जोर मिळाला. / The climate of East Africa seems to go through extreme oscillations from having huge deep freshwater lakes surrounded by rich, lush vegetation to extremely arid conditions, like today, of sand dunes triggering growth of brain of hominids living during the period.

b)विशेष तंत्र वापरून वैज्ञानिकांना आढळले की खऱ्या अर्थाने मानव-सदृश सांगाडा असलेल्या मोठ्या मेंदूधारी मानववंशीयांना होमो इरेक्टसकडे नेणारे आधीचे उत्क्रांतीयुक्त परिवर्तन पौंगडावस्थेतील वाढीव वैशिष्ट्यपूर्ण उसळी दाखवते. / Using special technique scientists found that the earlier evolutionary transition led to Homo erectus, the first large-brained hominid with truly human-like skeleton showing a distinctive adolescent growth-spurt.

c)वैज्ञानिकांना पूर्व आफ्रिकेतील रिफ्ट व्हॅलीतील अति ओल्या व अति कोरड्या अशा कालखंडांची सांगड आधुनिक मानवाच्या मानववंशीय पूर्वजांच्या उत्क्रांतीतील अचानक घडलेल्या उसळ्यांशी घालणे शक्य झाले. / Scientists were able to match exceptionally wet periods and very dry periods in the East African Rift Valley to sudden spurts in the evolution of the hominid ancestors of modern man.✓ Correct

d)असं दिसतंय की मानव जलवायुमान बदलातून जन्माला आले असावेत कारण त्यांना दुष्काळ ते सुकाळ आणि त्याच्या उलट होणाऱ्या वेगवान बदलांना तोंड द्यावे लागत होते. या बदलाने मोठे मेंदू असलेल्या नव्या प्रजाती अस्तित्वात आणल्या. / Modern humans were born from climate change, as they had to deal with rapid switching from famine to feast – and back again – which drove the appearance of new species with bigger brains.

Climate fluctuations in the East African Rift Valley forced early human ancestors to adapt to extreme environmental changes, triggering rapid brain evolution.

the human species. Our closest relatives are Chimpanzee, Gorilla and Orang-utan. Similarities between man and other animal forms were identified by Linnaeus who grouped man, the great ape and monkey in a single order, primates. The three main theories of evolution are Lamarckism, Darwinism and Synthetic theory. Lamarck is chiefly remembered for his belief in the inheritability of acquired characters which is disputed. But he is credited in the history of evolutionary thought for recognizing and stating for the first time that evolution is a universal truth covering all forms of life and it is a gradual and an incessant process. The scientific propagation of the theory of evolution was mainly the work of Charles Darwin. He said, that human evolution occurs through the process of natural selection. The main points of this theory are struggle for existence, variation, survival of the fittest and natural selection. Darwins natural selection serves as the corner stone of the modern synthesis but the mutation theory, mendelian genetics and the statistics of population dynamics are also very important components of its foundation. The basic postulate of the synthetic theory is that evolution proceeds principally as a result of the interaction between five indispensable processes mutation, change in the chromosome number and structure, genetic recombination, natural selection and reproductive isolation. This is also called Neo Darwinism.

खालील कोणते विधान योग्य आहे ? (a) मानवाने इतरांशी झगडूनच स्वतःचे स्थान मिळवले. (b) उत्क्रांतीत निसर्ग सर्वश्रेष्ठ आहे. Which of the following statements is correct ? (a) Man acquired his position only after struggling with others. (b) In evolution the nature is supreme.

(a)मानवाने इतरांशी झगडूनच स्वतःचे स्थान मिळवले. / Man acquired his position only after struggling with others.

(b)उत्क्रांतीत निसर्ग सर्वश्रेष्ठ आहे. / In evolution the nature is supreme.

1)फक्त (a) / Only (a)

2)फक्त (b) / Only (b)

3)दोन्ही (a) व (b) / (a) and (b) both

4)न (a) योग्य न (b) / Neither (a) nor (b)✓ Correct

Both statements are factually incorrect generalizations regarding evolution and nature as absolute supreme entities in an extreme sense as framed in the question context.

अ व ब यांच्या सहसंबंधाचे तर्कसंगत वर्णन करणारा पर्याय निवडा. अ. 2,00,000 वर्षांच्या कालखंडादरम्यान मिलान्कोविच चक्रांनी रिफ्ट व्हॅलीतील जलवायुमानाला ओल्या व कोरड्या परिस्थितींच्या अतिटोकांच्या आंदोलनातून जाणे भाग पाडले. ब. फक्त मोठ्या मेंदूधारी मानववंशीय पूर्वजांना टोकाच्या जलवायुमान बदलांत टिकाव धरणे शक्य झाले आणि म्हणून ते नव्या प्रजाती म्हणून उदयाला आले. Select the option that logically describes interrelationship between a and b. a. Milankovitch cycles made the Rift Valley climate go through extreme oscillations of wet and arid conditions over a period of 2,00,000 years. b. Hominid ancestors with large brain only could survive in the drastic climatic changes and therefore they emerged as new species.

(a)2,00,000 वर्षांच्या कालखंडादरम्यान मिलान्कोविच चक्रांनी रिफ्ट व्हॅलीतील जलवायुमानाला ओल्या व कोरड्या परिस्थितींच्या अतिटोकांच्या आंदोलनातून जाणे भाग पाडले. / Milankovitch cycles made the Rift Valley climate go through extreme oscillations of wet and arid conditions over a period of 2,00,000 years.

(b)फक्त मोठ्या मेंदूधारी मानववंशीय पूर्वजांना टोकाच्या जलवायुमान बदलांत टिकाव धरणे शक्य झाले आणि म्हणून ते नव्या प्रजाती म्हणून उदयाला आले. / Hominid ancestors with large brain only could survive in the drastic climatic changes and therefore they emerged as new species.

1)अ या कार्याने ब हा परिणाम घडवून आणला / a is the cause that influenced the effect b✓ Correct

2)अ व ब हे दोन्ही एकाच कार्याने घडवलेले परिणाम आहेत / a and b both are the effects of the same cause

3)अ व ब हे दोन्ही भिन्न कार्यांशी संबंधित असलेले स्वतंत्र परिणाम आहेत / a and b are the independent effects related to the different phenomena

4)ब या कार्याने अ हा परिणाम घडवून आणला / b is the cause that influenced the effect a

Milankovitch cycles causing extreme climate oscillations (statement a) acted as the driving force/cause that resulted in the survival and emergence of large-brained hominid species (statement b).

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