[Campbell Biology P.593] According to Figure 25.24 and its accompanying text, which of the f... | Practice Question
According to Figure 25.24 and its accompanying text, which of the following statements accurately describes the differential skull growth between humans and chimpanzees?
A: In the human lineage, mutations accelerated the growth of the jaw relative to other skull parts, making adult human skulls less similar to infant skulls than chimpanzees.
B: In chimpanzees, the jaw grows slower relative to other skull parts, resulting in an adult chimpanzee skull that more closely resembles its infant form.
C: The human adult skull retains features more similar to a human infant's skull primarily because the growth of the jaw was slowed relative to other parts of the skull.
D: Both human and chimpanzee skulls undergo similar relative growth rates, but humans have a larger overall skull size at maturity.
Explanation
Figure 25.24's text states: 'In the human evolutionary lineage, mutations slowed the growth of the jaw relative to other parts of the skull. As a result, in humans the skull of an adult is more similar to the skull of an infant than is the case for chimpanzees.' This directly supports option C.