Q.Name the ancestor of human beings which is described as 'man with ape brain'.
🔒You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.
🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Human Evolution
Human evolution traces a sequence of hominid fossils showing progressive change in brain size, posture, dentition and behaviour. Dryopithecus and the derived Ramapithecus/Sivapithecus (~14 mya) were hairy, ape-like, and moved like modern gorillas/chimpanzees. Australopithecus (~5 mya, East Africa) was bipedal, omnivorous, about 1.5 m tall, with a brain capacity of only 350–450 cc. Homo habilis (~2 mya) had a larger brain (650–800 cc), was largely vegetarian, and used chipped-stone tools. Homo erectus (~1.7 mya) was markedly more human-like, with a brain capacity of ~900 cc, and was among the first hominids to leave Africa. Neanderthal man (34,000–100,000 years ago, Germany) had a brain capacity of 1400 cc but a distinctly different build (semi-erect posture, heavy brow ridges …
Australopithecus is the ancestor described as having 'a man's body with an ape's …
Australopithecus is the ancestor described as having 'a man's body with an ape's brain'.
Step 1. The human-evolution table traces cranial capacity rising steadily through the lineage, from an ape-like start toward the modern human value. …
Recall which hominin fossil form is specifically described this way …
- Confusing Australopithecus with Homo habilis, the next stage, which is instead nicknam …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The cranial capacity of Neanderthal man was ______ C.C.(a) 650(b) 900(c) 1400(d) 1450
›Reveal solutionSolution
Correct answer: (c) 1400 c.c.
Neanderthal man had a cranial capacity of about 1400 c.c., comparable to (even slightly larger than) modern humans.
In the study of human evolution, cranial capacity is an important indicator of brain size and evolutionary advancement. Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthal man), which lived during the Pleistocene and became extinct roughly 40,000 years ago, had a notably large cranial capacity of about 1400 c.c. — comparable to, or in some estimates even exceeding, that of modern Homo sapiens (about 1450 c.c., per option d in some classifications, though the standard figure attr …
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The Neanderthal man had the brain capacity of :(a) 900 cc(b) 650-800 cc(c) 1400 cc(d) 1200 cc
›Reveal solutionSolution
Neanderthals had a brain capacity of about 1400 cc, similar in size to (and by some estimates even larger than) that of modern Homo sapiens.
Neanderthal man lived in Europe and parts of Asia from roughly 1,00,000 to 40,000 years ago and is considered a close relative/subspecies of modern humans. Measurements of Neanderthal skulls indicate an average cranial capacity of about 1400 cc, comparable to modern humans (whose average is roughly 1350-1400 cc), reflecting their advanced tool-making culture and complex social behaviour, even though they were physically more robust and had a somewhat different skull shape than Homo sapiens sapiens. T …
- CBSE 2023Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.________ was the first human like being.(a) Ramapithecus(b) Homo erectus(c) Hominids(d) Australopithecus
›Reveal solutionSolution
Ramapithecus is described in the standard evolution narrative as the first ape-like form to show distinctly man-like (human-like) features.
The textbook account of primate evolution describes Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus as fossil apes from about 15 million years ago, probable ancestors of modern apes and humans; of the two, Dryopithecus was more ape-like while Ramapithecus was more man-like, making Ramapithecus the earliest form credited with human-like characteristics in this lineage. Option (b) Homo erectus appears much later (about 1.5 million years ago), already an early member of genus Homo using stone tools — well past the 'first human-like being' stage. Option (c) 'Hominids' is a broad taxonomic category (the family that …
- CBSE 2020Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Where were the bones of jaws and teeth of Ramapithecus found?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Fossil jaw and teeth remains of Ramapithecus were discovered in the Siwalik Hills of India (and comparable finds later in East Africa/Turkey).
Ramapithecus fossils, an important early hominid ancestor, were found in the Siwalik Hills.
Ramapithecus is regarded as an early ape-like ancestor in the human evolutionary lineage, dated to roughly 14 million years ago. Fossilised jaw fragments and teeth showing a rounder dental arcade and reduced canines (more human-like than ape-like) were discovered in the Siwalik Hills region of India (Himachal Pradesh/Punjab fo …
- CBSE 2018Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Mention any 'one' skeletal difference between ape and man.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Humans have a sigmoid (S-shaped) vertebral column adapted for erect, bipedal posture, whereas apes have a C-shaped/curved vertebral column suited to quadrupedal or knuckle-walking locomotion.
The human vertebral column is S-shaped (for bipedalism); the ape's is C-shaped.
Among the many skeletal differences distinguishing humans from apes, the shape of the vertebral (spinal) column is a classic one. In humans, the spine has an S-shaped (sigmoid) curvature — with distinct cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral curves — which balances the body's weight directly over the pelvis and legs, making sustained, energy-efficient upright bipedal walking possible. In apes, the vertebral column is more simply C-shaped (a single continuous curve), which is suited to their predominantly quadrupeda …
🎓Unlock everything free for 14 days
- ✓Full step-by-step solutions
- ✓Concept-first explanations
- ✓Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
- ✓PYQ mapping + timed mock tests
Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.