Final answer:
Higher primates most likely evolved from anthropoids. The anthropoids include groups like monkeys and apes that share a closer common ancestry with humans compared to other early primate groups like omomyids and adapids.
Step-by-step explanation:
Evolution of Higher Primates
The evolution of higher primates likely occurred from the anthropoids, making option (a) the correct choice. Anthropoids include monkeys, lesser apes, such as the gibbon and great apes such as the chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, and orangutan. These groups are part of the primate family and share a common ancestry with humans. The omomyids and adapids are early primate groups, but they are more distant relatives to the higher primates when compared to anthropoids.
The earliest member of the genus Homo is likely Homo habilis, not Homo sapiens. Regarding the relationship between chimpanzees and humans, option (c) is correct: chimpanzees and humans evolved from a common ancestor. Humans did not evolve directly from chimpanzees, nor did chimpanzees evolve from humans.
As for the human lineage, several species have evolved since the split from the common hominoid ancestor. The term hominin refers to species that are more closely related to humans than to chimpanzees. This lineage includes Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and eventually our species, Homo sapiens. Note that Australopithecus is an important part of our ancestral history and is known to be an early hominid species, from which other hominid species evolved.