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Exam questions · Biology · Evolution and Natural Selection

Stone Tools and Human Evolution

  • 6 exam questions
  • 21 marks
  • 9 quick checks
  1. 1 State [2 marks]

    State two ways in which stone tools changed over time.

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    Model answer

    Any two from: they became more complex; they became more symmetrical and finely shaped; they were made for specific purposes; they were made of more materials, such as bone.

    Mark scheme

    • First change — 1 mark
    • Second change — 1 mark
  2. 2 Explain [3 marks]

    Explain what a hand axe shows about the person who made it.

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    Model answer

    It had to be shaped on both sides to a symmetrical design, so the maker had to plan the shape in advance and carry out many steps. This suggests skill, a larger brain and the ability to learn from others.

    Mark scheme

    • Had to plan the shape — 1 mark
    • Skill / dexterity — 1 mark
    • Larger brain / learning — 1 mark
  3. 3 Describe [3 marks]

    Describe how a stone tool found between two layers of volcanic ash can be dated.

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    Model answer

    The age of each layer of ash is found, using radioactive dating. The tool is younger than the lower layer and older than the upper layer. So its age lies between the ages of the two layers.

    Mark scheme

    • Ash layers are dated — 1 mark
    • Tool is younger than the layer below — 1 mark
    • And older than the layer above — 1 mark
  4. 4 Calculate [3 marks]

    Sediment builds up at 1 cm every 500 years. A stone tool is found 60 cm below a layer that is 2.0 million years old. Calculate the age of the tool.

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    Model answer

    60 cm × 500 years = 30 000 years. The age is 2 000 000 + 30 000 = 2 030 000 years.

    Mark scheme

    • 60 × 500 = 30 000 — 1 mark
    • Adds to 2 000 000 — 1 mark
    • 2 030 000 years — 1 mark
  5. 5 Explain [4 marks]

    Explain how stone tools provide evidence that humans evolved over a long period of time.

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    Model answer

    The oldest tools are simple choppers, and later tools such as hand axes are more complex and symmetrical. Later still there are finely made blades and tools of bone. This gradual increase in complexity matches the increase in brain size seen in fossils, suggesting that the skills and intelligence of our ancestors developed over millions of years.

    Mark scheme

    • Simple tools are oldest — 1 mark
    • Tools became more complex — 1 mark
    • Matches increase in brain size — 1 mark
    • Gradual change over millions of years — 1 mark
  6. 6 Evaluate [6 marks]

    Evaluate the use of stone tools as evidence for human evolution, compared with fossil bones.

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    Model answer

    Stone tools last much longer than bones and are more common, so they give a more continuous record. They show the skills, behaviour and planning of the maker, which bones cannot. However, the tools do not show what the maker looked like, and they may be found without fossils, so it can be unclear which species made them. Tools made from wood or bone rot away, so the record is biased, and layers can be disturbed so that dating is wrong. Fossils show the structure, such as brain size and body shape, but they are rare and incomplete. Used together, they give much better evidence than either alone.

    Mark scheme

    • Tools last and are common — 1 mark
    • Show behaviour and skills — 1 mark
    • Do not show structure, maker unknown — 1 mark
    • Perishable tools / disturbed layers — 1 mark
    • Fossils show structure but are rare — 1 mark
    • Together they give better evidence — 1 mark

Quick check

  1. 1

    Which are the oldest well-known stone tools?

    1. AOldowan choppers
    2. BHand axes
    3. CBlades
    4. DSpear points
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    A: Oldowan choppers

    Oldowan tools, made about 2.6 million years ago, are the oldest well-known stone tools.

  2. 2

    Which hominid made hand axes?

    1. AArdi
    2. BLucy
    3. CHomo erectus
    4. DModern humans only
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    C: Homo erectus

    Homo erectus made symmetrical hand axes.

  3. 3

    What do more complex tools suggest?

    1. AA smaller brain
    2. BA change in diet only
    3. CThat tools were not used
    4. DGreater skill, planning and a larger brain
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    D: Greater skill, planning and a larger brain

    Complex tools need planning and skill, which suggest a larger brain.

  4. 4

    In undisturbed rock layers, which layer is the oldest?

    1. AThe top layer
    2. BThe bottom layer
    3. CThe middle layer
    4. DThey are all the same age
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    B: The bottom layer

    Sediments build up on top of each other, so the lowest layers are the oldest.

  5. 5

    A tool is found between two ash layers dated 1.0 and 1.8 million years. How old is the tool?

    1. A1.0 million years exactly
    2. BMore than 1.8 million years
    3. CBetween 1.0 and 1.8 million years
    4. DLess than 1.0 million years
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    C: Between 1.0 and 1.8 million years

    It is younger than the lower layer and older than the upper layer, so its age is between 1.0 and 1.8 million years.

  6. 6

    What can be dated by radiocarbon dating?

    1. ACharcoal younger than about 50 000 years
    2. BVolcanic ash that is 2 million years old
    3. CStone itself
    4. DFossils that are 3 million years old
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    A: Charcoal younger than about 50 000 years

    Carbon-14 can be used to date organic material, such as charcoal or bone, up to about 50 000 years old.

  7. 7

    Which is a limitation of stone tools as evidence?

    1. AThey are too rare
    2. BThey decay quickly
    3. CThey show what the maker looked like
    4. DThe maker is often unknown
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    D: The maker is often unknown

    The maker is often unknown, and tools made of wood rot away.

  8. 8

    Why do scientists use several different dating methods?

    1. ATo make dating quicker
    2. BTo make the result more reliable
    3. CBecause one method does not work
    4. DTo make the tool older
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    B: To make the result more reliable

    Cross-checking the results makes the age more reliable.

  9. 9

    The Lomekwi tools are older than any known Homo fossils. What does this suggest?

    1. ATool making began earlier than thought, perhaps before Homo
    2. BHomo habilis made them
    3. CThe tools are not real
    4. DTools do not show evolution
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    A: Tool making began earlier than thought, perhaps before Homo

    It suggests that tool making began earlier than the genus Homo, perhaps by an earlier hominid.