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WAHuman BiologyQuick questions
Unit 4: Human Variation and Evolution
Quick questions on Primate characteristics and classification: WACE Year 12 Human Biology Unit 4
3short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are the defining primate characteristics?Show answer
Most primate features make sense as adaptations to life in trees, even though not all primates still live there. You should be able to list and explain them:
What are the classification of humans?Show answer
Classification groups organisms by shared features that reflect common ancestry. Humans are classified within the order Primates. Within the primates, humans, the great apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans) and their close relatives form a closely related group. Humans belong to the genus Homo and the species Homo sapiens.
What is shared features as evidence of common ancestry?Show answer
The fact that humans share so many features with other primates, the same limb plan, opposable thumbs, forward-facing eyes and a large brain, is strong evidence of common ancestry. These are homologous features: the same underlying structure inherited from a shared ancestor and modified for different ways of life. The molecular evidence agrees, with human and chimpanzee DNA being extremely similar, which is why primates are grouped together and humans are placed firmly within them.
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