In 1887, Eugene Dubois began his search in Sumatra for the “missing link”—the being that would fill the evolutionary gap between ape and man. He discovered a fossilized human-like thighbone and a section of skull. He confirmed that these fossils were of significant age by examining other fossils in the same area. The thighbone’s shape indicated that it belonged to a creature that walked upright. Dubois estimated the size of the creature’s skull from the skull fragment and concluded that this creature’s brain volume was between that of the higher primates and that of current humans. Although the concept of “missing link” has changed dramatically and a recent analysis showed Dubois’s fossils to be far too recent for humans to have evolved from this “missing link,” the value of his discovery and the debate it generated is unquestionable.

The passage supplies information to answer which of the following questions?

❑ What was the approximate age of the fossils found by Dubois?
❑ Does Dubois’s find meet current definitions of the “missing link”?
❑ Do the flaws in Dubois’s conclusions invalidate his work?



Select a sentence in which the author reaches a conclusion.