The Dating Game - Prehistoric Edition!
"The Dating Game" was a popular TV show from the 1960s and 70s. (To really put you in the spirit of things, be sure to listen to the theme song linked to that Web site!) The concept of the game show was for three bachelors to sit behind a wall while a female guest (who could not see the bachelors) asked each bachelor a series of questions to see who she would choose as a date. Below you are provided with a transcript from their prehistoric dating episode! It is your job to figure out which Bachelor would make the best "match" for our contestant, Lucy.
You will find a form in the Lesson 2 ANGEL folder called SUBMIT RESPONSES HERE: The Dating Game - Prehistoric Edition. This is where you will submit your responses to the questions listed below.
Suggestions for tackling this assignment:
- Read the transcript that follows the assignment directions and grading information.
- Copy the questions below to a Microsoft Word file and work there on developing your responses. This is a safeguard against any Internet and/or ANGEL glitches that might occur while you are drafting your work.
- When finished, submit your paper to the Turnitin.com Inbox for "The Dating Game" to confirm you have no accidental occurrences of plagiarism.
- After you have your report back from Turnitin.com, copy the sections from your MS Word document and paste under the appropriate questions in the online submission form for this assignment. The online submission form is titled "The Dating Game - Prehistoric Edition!" Submission Form; it is included in the Lesson 02 folder of ANGEL. You must submit this form by the due date mentioned on the Course Calendar in ANGEL.
Keep in mind... I am going to assume that everyone knows nothing about African hominids! So your job in this course is to prove to me that you are learning something! I will look for details and evidence that you have thought about the material. And trust me, I can see through "fluff" that is copied directly from the Internet!
Deadline
All responses must be uploaded in to ANGEL no later than 11:00 PM on the due date (see Calendar tab in ANGEL). Note that is 11:00 PM by ANGEL's clock, not by the clock on your computer! The submission form will disappear at 11:00 PM, and this assignment will not be accepted late under any circumstances. I have no problems giving students a zero for an assignment if they do not take the responsibility to submit by the deadline, so don't even think about trying to submit this late!
Assignment Questions:
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Who (or what) is Bachelor #1? What is your evidence to support this?
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Who (or what) is Bachelor #2? What is your evidence to support this?
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Who (or what) is Bachelor #3? What is your evidence to support this?
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Who would make the best mate for Lucy, and why?
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What are some of the benefits involved in a bigger brain, bipedalism, increased gestation/longer childhood and a more omnivorous diet? (*address each of these in your answer)
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What are some of the trade-offs (or drawbacks) of a bigger brain, bipedalism, increased gestation/longer childhood and a more omnivorous diet? (*again, address each of these in your answer)
- Which references did you use to complete this assignment? (List your references in APA format)
Grading criteria
Here is how the assignment will be graded.
Each question is graded on a scale of 1-5. You will start with a grade of 3, and I will adjust up or down. The total score is out of 30 points. As for your references, I am looking for correct format in APA style. If you do not have the correct style, then I reserve the right to deduct 15 points off of your final assignment grade (once it is scaled to 100%) for inaccurate documentation. If there is an academic integrity violation, I will puruse the procedures outlined in Lesson 0.
Your final assignement score will be scaled out of 100%.
How do you find out your assignment grade?
One week after the assignment is due, the submission form will become "active" again. You need to go back into the form and click on your responses to see your score and my comments. Again, I will be recording in my gradebook your score based out of 100%.
If you have any questions...
...on this assignment, on Africa, on anything! Don't hesitate to get in touch with me via phone or email ASAP. I would not recommend waiting until the last minute to contact me, as I cannot guarantee a response before the assignment deadline.
The Dating Game Transcript
"Lights....cameras....action!"
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to 'The Dating Game,' the only game show that uses carbon-14 to date its contestants! But, seriously folks, thanks to a generous grant from the Time Travel Emporium we have searched all of human evolution for the best and brightest contestants. And now let's meet our lucky bachelorette!"
A short slender woman in light blue steps into the spotlight and waves to the audience before taking her seat on stage.
"Meet Lucy Simmins, an accountant from West Haven, Connecticut, and a graduate of Bowling Green University. Lucy enjoys reading, sky diving, and anthropology."
(Drumroll)
"And now lets bring out our lucky bachelors! A Homo sapiens, Australopithecus africanus, and Homo erectus. Now, as you know, our bachelorette gets to ask the bachelors 10 questions in order to determine what type of hominid each of them is and which would make the best mate. In order to make this process more difficult, Lucy will be unable to see the bachelors, but will have to rely on their answers and her understanding of human evolution to make her decision. Now let's meet our lucky bachelors!"
"Bachelor number 1 is a vegetarian from Southern Africa. He enjoys nature and sleeping under the stars. He says his goal in life is to become the dominant male. Bachelor number 2 is a hunter-gatherer from the savannas of South East Africa. He enjoys hanging out with his friends and relaxing by the fire. His goal in life is to master flint knapping and meet the right woman. Bachelor number 3 is a chief from Kadur Israel who likes to paint caves in his spare time. He enjoys the finer things in life and the occasional barbecued mountain goat. His goal in life is to have as many children as possible. And, now, let's begin!"
Lucy takes out her notebook and begins by asking her first question:
"Bachelor number one, you invite me over for a romantic dinner under the stars, what would you serve?"
"Well, I might start off with a nice green salad and some juicy roots--whatever is in season. Then, I'd top it off with lots of soft ripe fruit!"
"Bachelor number two?"
"Soft fruit and leaves isn't bad--for a start, but when I really want to impress a woman, I tempt her with nuts, plants, small game, and rich marrow."
"Bachelor number three?"
"I can make a roast fish that will knock your socks off!"
"Bachelor number two, it's a cold September night and I'm getting the chills, how would you keep us warm?"
"I'd build us a nice cozy fire."
"Bachelor number one?"
"Who needs a fire when you live in Africa? Besides, that's what we have fur for."
"Bachelor number three?"
"We would be living in a beautiful wind-proof cave, snuggled under blankets around a warm cozy fire."
"Bachelor number three, I like a man that's not afraid to express his feelings. How would you tell me you love me?"
"Honey, I'd live with you and care for our kids and sing love songs to you every morning."
"Bachelor number one?"
"Well, I'd probably bring you tasty morsels of anything I found scavenging and grunt in a masculine, yet sensitive, way."
"Bachelor number two?"
"I would call you 'my flower' because you are as beautiful as a summer flower."
"Bachelor number two, if you could invent anything, what would it be?"
"Hmmm. Invent? Like something different? I don't know, I'm a pretty conservative kind of guy."
"Bachelor number one?"
"Same here, I wouldn't even know where to start, although a leopard detector would be pretty handy."
"Bachelor number three?"
"Well, 'Invention' is my middle name!"
"I thought it was Francis...."
"Shut up or you'll be leopard food! Oh, um, sorry, uh, I would invent a better tool to make clothes, perhaps a thin blade with a hole for string...."
"Bachelor number one, we're out on a date when suddenly you get the scary feeling that something is watching you in the grass, what would you do?"
"I'd look around, smell the air. Luckily we'd probably be with a large group of hominids. If there were any trees we would probably run for them, but if not, shouting and throwing sticks as a group works--sometimes. That's why a leopard detector would be so handy."
"Bachelor number two?"
"Well, that depends.... Are we being stalked by an animal or a rival hominid? Either way, a good hand ax is a pretty effective equalizer."
"Bachelor number three?"
"It would have to be an animal, cause nobody messes with me! I'd call out the alarm and grab my spear and knife."
"Bachelor number one, what's your favorite movie?"
"Well, I would have to say 'Planet of the Apes....' Dr. Sayes is hot!"
"Bachelor number two?"
"Hmmm, 'Beavis and Butthead Do America.' I can definitely relate to their fascination with fire."
"Bachelor number three?"
"Oh, definitely 'Clan of the Cave Bear,' although they got a little carried away with those Neanderthals."
"Bachelor number one, how would you describe your looks?"
"Well, I'm short and lanky--almost 4 foot 5--with lots of curly black hair, and slim--almost 100 pounds--with a broad smiling face and strong shoulders and arms to hold you with."
"Bachelor number two?"
"I'm kind of on the tall side, 5 foot 5, with a modern-build strong face. I've got that kind of heavy brooding brow that women go for and strong jaws."
"Bachelor number three?"
"I'm tall and strong with a modern build, curly black hair and gorgeous blue-gray eyes. Put me in a suit and I'd fit right in on Fifth Avenue."
"I need someone I can relate to intellectually as well as physically. Bachelor number one, how big is your brain?"
"Well, um, not too big, about 420 to 500 cc but, hey, who needs intelligence when you have instincts like these!"
"Bachelor number two?"
"Who wants a monkey when you can have a brilliant intellectual like me? I've got twice the brain power and modesty to boot!"
"Hey that's not fair--you know bigger isn't always better! Brains are expensive things. Did you know that 20 percent of the modern diet feeds the brain alone! Not that it does you much good in a football game."
"Bachelor number one, be quiet, your turn is over. Bachelor number three?"
"Man cannot live on bread alone! Compared to these two buffoons, I'm an Einstein--1400 cc of sheer woman-wooing, catfish-catching, tool-training, bear-busting brain weight!"
"Bachelor number three, if I chose you, what time range would we live in?"
"Well, any time range from about 100,000 to the present, although we could go even further back to about 500,000 if you don't mind living with my distant ancestors in Africa. Personally, I like around 40,000 years ago Israel."
"Bachelor number two?"
"If you chose me we'd have a much bigger time range to choose from: 1.5 million to 200,000 years ago."
"Bachelor number one?"
"Who wants to hang around with these guys when you can see how it all started? Back when evolution was an adventure and men were real men! Not these stone-carrying wimps! We'd travel back to 3.3 to 2.5 million years ago and relive the glory days of human evolution!"
"Bachelor number two, I like a man that knows how to use his hands -- what tool-making skills do you have?"
"Funny you should ask, I've got quite a reputation around here for my hand axes and scrapers."
"Bachelor number one?"
"Uh...well, I like to use whatever is handy, a broken stick, bone or sharp rock, but at least you'll never have to worry about which fork to use at the dinner table!"
"Bachelor number three?"
"I've been trained in wood and bone working in addition to stone, and I like to use a lot of innovation when I create my spearheads, knives and tools."
(Cue music)
"Well, it's time for our commercial break, but don't go away! When we come back, our lovely bachelorette will attempt to name each bachelor's hominid type before choosing her lucky mate! Can you guess the hominids? Who would you choose? Stay tuned for the dramatic ending of The Dating Game!"
