Question

‘Peking man’ is also known as
a) Australopithecus
b) Sinanthropus
c) Pithecanthropus
d) Homo sapiens

Answer 1

Hint: The evolution of humans was a very slow process. The humans evolved from what is known as Dryopithecus to the modern- day homo sapiens. Homo erectus was the first upright human being.

Complete answer:
Peking man was formerly known as the Sinanthropus pekinensis. They belong to the homo erectus. They are considered to be the ancestors of the Chinese people. Their age is estimated to be 750,000 and 300,000 years old.

Additional information:
- Australopithecus is known to be a common ancestor of humans and apes. They were found in the southern African regions. They lived 4.4 million years ago. They were very human- like as they walked on the lower limbs and they had small brains which is a feature similar to the ape. Their teeth were similar to the ape and their cheeks were larger than the modern human indicating a larger jaw.

- Pithecanthropus is usually known as the java man as they were discovered on the island of java. They lived 1,000,000 years ago. They were the transitional form between the ape and human. They walked erect and were also involved in running. They had human- like teeth. They were meat eaters as tools to cut meat was found. Their cranial capacity was smaller than the Homo erectus.
- Homo sapiens belong to the modern human. It has a primitive feature and has some modern features like reduced brow ridge and small facial features. Modern humans have large brains and jaws are well developed and teeth are small in size.
So the answer is ‘b) Sinanthropus’.

Note: Evolution is human is the outcome of mutation, genetic recombination, chromosomal abnormalities, reproductive isolation, and natural selection. The stages involved in human evolution are Dryopithecus, Ramapithecus, Australopithecus, Homo erectus, Homo sapiens, and Homo sapiens sapiens.