Question 1

Explain how the leaves in the image below were formed.

Accepted Answer

The leaves died and fell off the plant and were buried by layers of sediment;the organic material decayed and left a thin film of carbon in the shape of the original leaves.

Question 2

When the last member of a species dies,this is called ________.

Accepted Answer

A) fossilization 
B) natural selection 
C) extinction 
D) preservation 
A) fossilization 
B) natural selection 
C) extinction 
D) preservation C

Question 3

Darwin believed that the finches on the Galapagos Islands were once a single species but had ________ into several different species that could each eat different types of food.

Accepted Answer

A) regressed 
B) reverted 
C) evolved 
D) relapsed 
A) regressed 
B) reverted 
C) evolved 
D) relapsed C

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A) birds that evolve a new beak shape in order to exploit a different food source 
B) the extinction of the mammoths due to hunting by a new predator 
C) fossils of trilobites that have the same morphology but are separated by millions of years 
D) the mass extinction of the dinosaurs due to a meteorite's impact 65 million years ago 
A) birds that evolve a new beak shape in order to exploit a different food source 
B) the extinction of the mammoths due to hunting by a new predator 
C) fossils of trilobites that have the same morphology but are separated by millions of years 
D) the mass extinction of the dinosaurs due to a meteorite's impact 65 million years ago

Question 5

The following is an example of what type of fossil?

Accepted Answer

A) trace fossil 
B) permineralized organism 
C) carbonized impression 
D) mold or cast fossil 
A) trace fossil 
B) permineralized organism 
C) carbonized impression 
D) mold or cast fossil

Question 6

Explain why the fossil record is incomplete.

Accepted Answer

The fossil record is incomplete because

Question 7

Which of the following statements regarding the fossil record is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A) Only some of Earth's history is recorded in the rock record. 
B) The fossil record does not contain any fossil remains of plants,only animals. 
C) Many organisms have a low preservation potential. 
D) Paleontologists have not yet found all the fossils that are in rocks. 
A) Only some of Earth's history is recorded in the rock record. 
B) The fossil record does not contain any fossil remains of plants,only animals. 
C) Many organisms have a low preservation potential. 
D) Paleontologists have not yet found all the fossils that are in rocks.

Question 8

If a volcanic eruption occurs that blocks out some of the sunlight long enough for many plants to die,what (if anything)will happen to the carnivorous animal species?

Accepted Answer

A) They will eventually die along with many other species in the food chain. 
B) The carnivorous animals will need to adapt to eat other plant species. 
C) They will die from the drop in temperature before the plant deaths affect them. 
D) Nothing will happen;carnivorous animals will not be affected by plant death. 
A) They will eventually die along with many other species in the food chain. 
B) The carnivorous animals will need to adapt to eat other plant species. 
C) They will die from the drop in temperature before the plant deaths affect them. 
D) Nothing will happen;carnivorous animals will not be affected by plant death.

Question 9

What is natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A) the theory that all life began in shallow coastal pools of protein-rich water 
B) the theory that all life on Earth has evolved from single-celled organisms 
C) the idea that animals who share specialized characteristics are part of a genus 
D) the passing on of beneficial characteristics so that the most adaptable survive 
A) the theory that all life began in shallow coastal pools of protein-rich water 
B) the theory that all life on Earth has evolved from single-celled organisms 
C) the idea that animals who share specialized characteristics are part of a genus 
D) the passing on of beneficial characteristics so that the most adaptable survive

Question 10

What type of fossil is composed of footprints or burrows?

Accepted Answer

A) mold or cast 
B) chemical fossil 
C) trace fossil 
D) body fossil 
A) mold or cast 
B) chemical fossil 
C) trace fossil 
D) body fossil

Question 11

Isolating a breeding population of animals can lead to evolution by ________.

Accepted Answer

A) gradualism 
B) punctuated equilibrium 
C) survivability 
D) natural equilibrium 
A) gradualism 
B) punctuated equilibrium 
C) survivability 
D) natural equilibrium

Question 12

To which major kingdom would a bivalve belong?

Accepted Answer

A) Protista 
B) Animalia 
C) Plantae 
D) Fungi 
A) Protista 
B) Animalia 
C) Plantae 
D) Fungi

Question 13

Explain how evolution by natural selection occurs.

Accepted Answer

Organisms that are best adapted to survi

Question 14

Organisms buried in ________ environments are more likely to be preserved because they will not undergo decay.

Accepted Answer

A) anoxic 
B) antioxidant 
C) oxygenated 
D) vegetated 
A) anoxic 
B) antioxidant 
C) oxygenated 
D) vegetated

Question 15

According to the figure below,which mass extinction was the most devastating?

Accepted Answer

A) Permian/Triassic 
B) Ordovician/Silurian 
C) Cretaceous/Tertiary 
D) Late Devonian 
A) Permian/Triassic 
B) Ordovician/Silurian 
C) Cretaceous/Tertiary 
D) Late Devonian

Question 16

Which of the following would NOT be considered a fossil?

Accepted Answer

A) Figure 1 
B) Figure 2 
C) Figure 3 
D) Figure 4 
A) Figure 1 
B) Figure 2 
C) Figure 3 
D) Figure 4

Question 17

Label each fossil in the image below with the common fossil name.

Accepted Answer

See image

Question 18

Imagine that a layer of leaves is scattered along a forest floor;what must happen in order to preserve these leaves as fossils?

Accepted Answer

A) The leaves must be picked up by wind or animals and carried to a desert. 
B) The leaves must be buried slowly so that the leaves can begin to rot. 
C) The leaves must be buried rapidly in order to keep out oxygen. 
D) The leaves will never be preserved,as they do not contain hard parts. 
A) The leaves must be picked up by wind or animals and carried to a desert. 
B) The leaves must be buried slowly so that the leaves can begin to rot. 
C) The leaves must be buried rapidly in order to keep out oxygen. 
D) The leaves will never be preserved,as they do not contain hard parts.

Question 19

Why is the preservation potential of feathers so low?

Accepted Answer

A) because birds usually die in dry environments 
B) because feathers do not contain hard parts 
C) because feathers are very small and thus are not well preserved 
D) because birds die in forests,areas with high oxygen levels 
A) because birds usually die in dry environments 
B) because feathers do not contain hard parts 
C) because feathers are very small and thus are not well preserved 
D) because birds die in forests,areas with high oxygen levels

Question 20

A change in ________ can often cause mass extinctions of animals that are adapted to warm,tropical waters.

Accepted Answer

A) global climate 
B) tectonic activity 
C) biodiversity 
D) food sources 
A) global climate 
B) tectonic activity 
C) biodiversity 
D) food sources

Exam 24: Interlude E: Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Explain how the leaves in the image below were formed.

When the last member of a species dies,this is called ________.

Darwin believed that the finches on the Galapagos Islands were once a single species but had ________ into several different species that could each eat different types of food.

Which of the following is an example of natural selection?

The following is an example of what type of fossil?

Explain why the fossil record is incomplete.

Which of the following statements regarding the fossil record is FALSE?

If a volcanic eruption occurs that blocks out some of the sunlight long enough for many plants to die,what (if anything)will happen to the carnivorous animal species?

What is natural selection?

What type of fossil is composed of footprints or burrows?

Isolating a breeding population of animals can lead to evolution by ________.

To which major kingdom would a bivalve belong?

Explain how evolution by natural selection occurs.

Organisms buried in ________ environments are more likely to be preserved because they will not undergo decay.

According to the figure below,which mass extinction was the most devastating?

Which of the following would NOT be considered a fossil?

Label each fossil in the image below with the common fossil name.

Imagine that a layer of leaves is scattered along a forest floor;what must happen in order to preserve these leaves as fossils?

Why is the preservation potential of feathers so low?

A change in ________ can often cause mass extinctions of animals that are adapted to warm,tropical waters.

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of Earth S Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: A Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags, cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: The Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Interlude A: Rock Groups

Interlude B: A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

Interlude C: The Rock Cycle

Interlude D: The Earth S Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

Interlude F: An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

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