Question 1

Which fact best supports the hypothesis of one common ancestor for all life?

Accepted Answer

A)  DNA sequences from bacteria can be transferred to plants and other organisms. 
B)  Species in some groups have homologous anatomical structures. 
C)  Embryonic development is similar for all chordates. 
D)  Species in similar geographic locations show structural similarities. 
A)  DNA sequences from bacteria can be transferred to plants and other organisms. 
B)  Species in some groups have homologous anatomical structures. 
C)  Embryonic development is similar for all chordates. 
D)  Species in similar geographic locations show structural similarities.

Question 2

Which statement best describes the now-discredited theories of Lamarck?

Accepted Answer

A)  All life was created in the form we see today. 
B)  Modern life forms are the descendants of past individuals who were the most fit. 
C)  Organisms acquire traits during their lifetime and pass those traits on to their offspring. 
D)  Earth is extremely old and has undergone many changes. 
A)  All life was created in the form we see today. 
B)  Modern life forms are the descendants of past individuals who were the most fit. 
C)  Organisms acquire traits during their lifetime and pass those traits on to their offspring. 
D)  Earth is extremely old and has undergone many changes.

Question 3

What is the main mechanism that results in evolution?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the main mechanism that results...

Question 4

What do the fossil records tell us about hominins?

Accepted Answer

A)  Hominins were a series of species, with one set of branches that eventually led to modern humans. 
B)  Hominins were related to chimpanzees but not to humans. 
C)  Hominins were a diverse group of human ancestors not related to other primates. 
D)  Hominins were a diverse group of primate species with modern humans as the only surviving group. 
A)  Hominins were a series of species, with one set of branches that eventually led to modern humans. 
B)  Hominins were related to chimpanzees but not to humans. 
C)  Hominins were a diverse group of human ancestors not related to other primates. 
D)  Hominins were a diverse group of primate species with modern humans as the only surviving group.

Question 5

True or false: Evolution is a very controversial idea among scientists.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

When a biologist is looking for a suitable organism in which she can study the process of evolution in a laboratory setting, what would be an important consideration?

Accepted Answer

A)  The organism should be large. 
B)  The organism should have a short generation time. 
C)  The organism should produce relatively few offspring. 
D)  The organism should have a complete fossil record of its ancestry. 
A)  The organism should be large. 
B)  The organism should have a short generation time. 
C)  The organism should produce relatively few offspring. 
D)  The organism should have a complete fossil record of its ancestry.

Question 7

Which species is most likely to share the greatest percentage of DNA with humans?

Accepted Answer

A)  blue jay 
B)  beaver 
C)  leopard frog 
D)  dragonfly 
A)  blue jay 
B)  beaver 
C)  leopard frog 
D)  dragonfly

Question 8

What order of events would show how natural selection occurred in a population of lice that could originally be controlled by the chemical permethrin?

Accepted Answer

A)  A louse population evolves resistance to permethrin; permethrin is used to kill lice; lice become more common in schoolchildren. 
B)  Some lice are resistant to permethrin; permethrin is used to kill lice; lice resistant to permethrin become the most common type. 
C)  Permethrin resistance is common in lice; permethrin is used to kill lice; most lice become sensitive to permethrin. 
D)  Permethrin is used to kill lice; individual lice change in order to survive exposure to permethrin; most lice become resistant to permethrin. 
A)  A louse population evolves resistance to permethrin; permethrin is used to kill lice; lice become more common in schoolchildren. 
B)  Some lice are resistant to permethrin; permethrin is used to kill lice; lice resistant to permethrin become the most common type. 
C)  Permethrin resistance is common in lice; permethrin is used to kill lice; most lice become sensitive to permethrin. 
D)  Permethrin is used to kill lice; individual lice change in order to survive exposure to permethrin; most lice become resistant to permethrin.

Question 9

Which statement is true about predictions made from the theory of common descent?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are almost always supported when they can be tested. 
B)  They cannot be tested and thus we cannot know if they are correct. 
C)  They are supported and not supported by experimental evidence with equal frequency. 
D)  They are supported by experimental evidence for all organisms except humans. 
A)  They are almost always supported when they can be tested. 
B)  They cannot be tested and thus we cannot know if they are correct. 
C)  They are supported and not supported by experimental evidence with equal frequency. 
D)  They are supported by experimental evidence for all organisms except humans.

Question 10

What does the presence of a tail in early human embryos and other chordates suggest about all chordates?

Accepted Answer

A)  Chordates may eventually develop a tail when fully mature. 
B)  Chordate embryos have greater mutation rates than other organisms. 
C)  Chordates develop in a very different manner compared to other life forms. 
D)  Chordates were derived from a common ancestor with this developmental pathway. 
A)  Chordates may eventually develop a tail when fully mature. 
B)  Chordate embryos have greater mutation rates than other organisms. 
C)  Chordates develop in a very different manner compared to other life forms. 
D)  Chordates were derived from a common ancestor with this developmental pathway.

Question 11

Why is the separate types hypothesis considered so unlikely by most biologists?

Accepted Answer

A)  If different types of life evolved independently, it would be obvious in the fossil record. 
B)  There are multiple similarities in all life at the cellular level that strongly suggest a common origin for all living things. 
C)  The separate types model hypothesizes many changes in living things over time, while the fossil record suggests that few of these changes have occurred. 
D)  The similarity in appearance in many living things suggests that there must have been only one common ancestor. 
A)  If different types of life evolved independently, it would be obvious in the fossil record. 
B)  There are multiple similarities in all life at the cellular level that strongly suggest a common origin for all living things. 
C)  The separate types model hypothesizes many changes in living things over time, while the fossil record suggests that few of these changes have occurred. 
D)  The similarity in appearance in many living things suggests that there must have been only one common ancestor.

Question 12

Which example shows nonevolutionary change in a population?

Accepted Answer

A)  an increase in mosquitoes that are resistant to insecticide 
B)  plants in a dry climate that have faster-growing roots than plants found there 20 years ago 
C)  after decreases in airborne soot, a change in the most common color of moths 
D)  an increase in the number of people diagnosed with colon cancer 
A)  an increase in mosquitoes that are resistant to insecticide 
B)  plants in a dry climate that have faster-growing roots than plants found there 20 years ago 
C)  after decreases in airborne soot, a change in the most common color of moths 
D)  an increase in the number of people diagnosed with colon cancer

Question 13

-You're examining fossils from a variety of hominin species. Which fossils would show the greatest amount of radioactive material in relation to daughter products?

Accepted Answer

A)  Paranthropus aethiopicus 
B)  Homo habilis 
C)  Ardepithecus ramidus 
D)  Australopithecus garhi 
A)  Paranthropus aethiopicus 
B)  Homo habilis 
C)  Ardepithecus ramidus 
D)  Australopithecus garhi

Question 14

Which example describes biological evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)  You are vaccinated against polio and are protected against the disease. 
B)  A tree branch is broken off and another grows in its place. 
C)  Over time, a caterpillar species becomes as green as the leaves it eats. 
D)  The average woman's dress size has increased over the last 50 years. 
A)  You are vaccinated against polio and are protected against the disease. 
B)  A tree branch is broken off and another grows in its place. 
C)  Over time, a caterpillar species becomes as green as the leaves it eats. 
D)  The average woman's dress size has increased over the last 50 years.

Question 15

What is the role of fossils in supporting the theory of common descent?

Accepted Answer

A)  Fossils of dinosaurs show that other types of life existed, but there is no evidence of relationships between them. 
B)  There have been many fossils of intermediate types discovered that provide strong support for the theory of common descent. 
C)  There are plenty of fossils to show that animals have evolved, but there are not enough fossils of human ancestors to suggest that humans are related to other animals. 
D)  Fossil evidence has been found to support the relationship between humans and other primates but only in Europe. 
A)  Fossils of dinosaurs show that other types of life existed, but there is no evidence of relationships between them. 
B)  There have been many fossils of intermediate types discovered that provide strong support for the theory of common descent. 
C)  There are plenty of fossils to show that animals have evolved, but there are not enough fossils of human ancestors to suggest that humans are related to other animals. 
D)  Fossil evidence has been found to support the relationship between humans and other primates but only in Europe.

Question 16

Which scientist also proposed a mechanism for evolution similar to natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A)  Charles Lyell 
B)  Jean-Baptiste Lamarck 
C)  Alfred Russel Wallace 
D)  Robert FitzRoy 
A)  Charles Lyell 
B)  Jean-Baptiste Lamarck 
C)  Alfred Russel Wallace 
D)  Robert FitzRoy

Question 17

-From the perspective of an evolutionary biologist, what significant information can be inferred from this figure?

Accepted Answer

A)  All vertebrates have bones. 
B)  All vertebrates have limbs. 
C)  The relative arrangement of bones is similar. 
D)  Finger bones are usually thin. 
A)  All vertebrates have bones. 
B)  All vertebrates have limbs. 
C)  The relative arrangement of bones is similar. 
D)  Finger bones are usually thin.

Question 18

Which description would be considered a scientific theory like the theory of evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)  a theory about why an apple falls to the ground when dropped 
B)  a theory about why your neighbor has the nicest car in the neighborhood 
C)  a theory about which of your classmates is the source of your cold 
D)  a theory about why blue is your favorite color 
A)  a theory about why an apple falls to the ground when dropped 
B)  a theory about why your neighbor has the nicest car in the neighborhood 
C)  a theory about which of your classmates is the source of your cold 
D)  a theory about why blue is your favorite color

Question 19

Of the four hypotheses that explain the origin of modern organisms, which hypothesis has the least scientific support?

Accepted Answer

A)  the static hypothesis 
B)  the transformation hypothesis 
C)  the separate type hypothesis 
D)  the common descent hypothesis 
A)  the static hypothesis 
B)  the transformation hypothesis 
C)  the separate type hypothesis 
D)  the common descent hypothesis

Question 20

True or false: Almost as much evidence exists to support the hypothesis of transformation as the theory of common descent.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 10: Where Did We Come From the Evidence for Evolution

Which fact best supports the hypothesis of one common ancestor for all life?

Which statement best describes the now-discredited theories of Lamarck?

What is the main mechanism that results in evolution?

What do the fossil records tell us about hominins?

True or false: Evolution is a very controversial idea among scientists.

When a biologist is looking for a suitable organism in which she can study the process of evolution in a laboratory setting, what would be an important consideration?

Which species is most likely to share the greatest percentage of DNA with humans?

What order of events would show how natural selection occurred in a population of lice that could originally be controlled by the chemical permethrin?

Which statement is true about predictions made from the theory of common descent?

What does the presence of a tail in early human embryos and other chordates suggest about all chordates?

Why is the separate types hypothesis considered so unlikely by most biologists?

Which example shows nonevolutionary change in a population?

-You're examining fossils from a variety of hominin species. Which fossils would show the greatest amount of radioactive material in relation to daughter products?

Which example describes biological evolution?

What is the role of fossils in supporting the theory of common descent?

Which scientist also proposed a mechanism for evolution similar to natural selection?

-From the perspective of an evolutionary biologist, what significant information can be inferred from this figure?

Which description would be considered a scientific theory like the theory of evolution?

Of the four hypotheses that explain the origin of modern organisms, which hypothesis has the least scientific support?

True or false: Almost as much evidence exists to support the hypothesis of transformation as the theory of common descent.

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Cancer: DNA Synthesis, Mitosis, and Meiosis

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DNA Detective: Complex Patterns of Inheritance and Dna Profiling

Genetically Modified Organisms: Gene Expression, Mutation,

An Evolving Enemy: Natural Selection

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The Greatest Species on Earth Biodiversity and Classification

Is the Human Population Too Large Population Ecology

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Binge Drinking: the Digestive and Urinary Systems

Clearing the Air: Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems

Vaccination: Protection and Prevention or Peril Immune System,

Human Sex Differences: Endocrine, Skeletal, and Muscular Systems

Is There Something in the Water Reproductive and Developmental Biology

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Feeding the World: Plant Structure and Growth

Growing a Green Thumb: Plant Physiology

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