NCEA Level 3 Biology 91606 Human Evolution: past papers, practice and marking
- NCEA Level 3
- Biology
- AS91606
- 4 credits
- External exam
About 91606
AS91606, Demonstrate understanding of trends in human evolution. Bipedalism, the skull, the hand and cultural evolution. A standard where the anatomical trends are the marks.
What 91606 covers
- BipedalismSelection pressures, skeletal changes compared with a chimpanzee, energy efficiency, advantages and disadvantages
- Skull and dentitionEndocranial capacity, named brain regions, face, jaw, teeth and crests
- Hand and tool useThe opposable thumb, power and precision grips, Oldowan, Acheulean and Mousterian tools, food gathering
- Reading trendsDispersal out of Africa, mtDNA and nDNA evidence, Neanderthals, Denisovans and H. floresiensis
- Cultural evolutionFire, clothing, shelter, abstract thought, caring, food gathering and domestication
- Answer structureLinking each trend to survival, the feedback loop, answering the bullets asked
91606 past papers
Open a 91606 past paper beside your own Ako page, then get it marked, part by part.
Work through a past paper All NCEA Level 3 Biology past papers
Practice questions
Question 1: Bipedalism
Many modern humans suffer from lower back pain. The human spine is S-shaped, with a forward curve in the lower back, while the spine of a chimpanzee is C-shaped.
- Describe how the shape of the human spine differs from that of a chimpanzee.(up to Achieved)
- Explain how the S-shaped spine helps humans walk upright, and why it can lead to lower back pain.(up to Merit)
Check your answer
Part a: what gets the marks
- The human spine is S-shaped, curving forward at the neck and lower back, while the chimpanzee spine is a single C-shaped curve.
A full answer: The human spine is S-shaped, with forward curves at the neck and lower back; the chimpanzee spine is a single C-shaped curve.
Part b: what gets the marks
- The lower curve concentrates the weight of the upper body on the lower back, which can cause lower back pain.
- The S-shape brings the weight of the head and trunk directly over the hips and feet, so little muscle effort is needed to stay upright, and the curves flex like a spring to absorb the shock of each step.
A full answer: The S-shape places the weight of the head and trunk over the hips and feet, so the body balances upright with little muscle effort, and the curves act like a spring that absorbs shock with each step. The forward curve in the lower back, however, puts a heavy load on the lower vertebrae and discs, which can lead to lower back pain.
What gets each grade
Question 2: Bipedalism
Fossil footprints about 1.5 million years old, thought to be from *Homo erectus*, are compared with the prints a chimpanzee makes when it walks upright for a few steps. | Feature | Chimpanzee print | Fossil print | |---|---|---| | Big toe | Set apart, angled out to the side | In line with the other toes | | Arch | None, the whole sole presses down | Arch present, the middle of the sole barely presses down | | Heel | Shallow impression | Deep impression |
- Describe two differences between the chimpanzee print and the fossil print.(up to Achieved)
- Explain what the deep heel impression shows about how the fossil hominin walked.(up to Merit)
Check your answer
Part a: what gets the marks
- The chimpanzee's big toe sticks out to the side like a thumb, while the fossil print's big toe is in line with the other toes.
- The chimpanzee foot is flat and the whole sole presses into the ground, while the fossil foot has an arch, so the middle of the sole barely presses in.
A full answer: In the chimpanzee print the big toe is set apart and angled out, like a thumb, while in the fossil print it is in line with the other toes. The chimpanzee foot is flat, but the fossil foot has an arch, so the middle of the sole leaves only a faint mark.
Part b: what gets the marks
- The deep heel mark shows the heel struck the ground first and took the whole body's weight through a straight leg at each stride, so the hominin had a large, robust heel bone and walked with a striding gait, unlike the bent-knee, flat-footed walk of a chimpanzee.
A full answer: A deep heel impression shows a heel strike: the heel hit the ground first and carried the full body weight through a straight leg, so the hominin had a large, strong heel bone and walked with a long, striding gait, unlike a chimpanzee's bent-knee, flat-footed shuffle.
What gets each grade
Question 3: Bipedalism
An australopithecine skeleton about 3.2 million years old is compared with a chimpanzee skeleton. The australopithecine has a short, broad, bowl-shaped pelvis and femurs that angle inwards from the hips to the knees. The chimpanzee has a long, narrow pelvis and femurs that run straight down from the hips.
- Define the term habitually bipedal.(up to Achieved)
- Describe how the pelvis and the femur of the australopithecine differ from those of the chimpanzee.(up to Achieved)
- Explain how the inward angle of the femur helps the australopithecine walk on two legs.(up to Merit)
Check your answer
Part a: what gets the marks
- Habitually bipedal means walking upright on the two hind legs as the normal, main way of moving, not just now and then.
A full answer: Habitually bipedal means walking upright on two legs as the usual, everyday way of moving, rather than only occasionally.
Part b: what gets the marks
- The australopithecine pelvis is short, broad and bowl-shaped, while the chimpanzee pelvis is long and narrow.
- The australopithecine femur angles inwards from the hip to the knee (a valgus angle), while the chimpanzee femur runs straight down, so its knees are wide apart.
A full answer: The australopithecine pelvis is short, broad and bowl-shaped; the chimpanzee pelvis is long and narrow. The australopithecine femur slopes inwards to the knee (a valgus angle), so the knees sit close together, while the chimpanzee femur runs straight down and the knees are far apart.
Part c: what gets the marks
- The valgus angle brings the knees and feet in under the body's centre of gravity, so when the australopithecine stands on one leg mid-stride the body does not have to lurch sideways over that hip, and less energy is wasted on each step.
A full answer: The valgus angle places the knees and feet under the body's centre of gravity. When one foot is off the ground, the weight is already over the supporting leg, so the body does not sway from side to side as a chimpanzee's does, and less energy is used per step.