Question 1

The similarities in function of hummingbird wings and the wings of a butterfly reflect

Accepted Answer

A) analogy and homology. 
B) homology but not analogy. 
C) analogy but not homology. 
D) homology through convergent evolution. 
A) analogy and homology. 
B) homology but not analogy. 
C) analogy but not homology. 
D) homology through convergent evolution. C

Question 2

It is estimated that the modern continents began to take shape

Accepted Answer

A) 650 million years ago. 
B) 65 million years ago. 
C) 1.3 million years ago. 
D) 6,000 years ago. 
A) 650 million years ago. 
B) 65 million years ago. 
C) 1.3 million years ago. 
D) 6,000 years ago. B

Question 3

Geologists have evidence that over the past 1.5 billion years,

Accepted Answer

A) Earth's land masses have been entirely submerged in water on three occasions. 
B) Earth's land masses have joined into a single continent and split back apart again on three occasions. 
C) Earth's land masses have moved about extensively but have remained separate. 
D) Earth's continents have remained essentially in their current shape and positions. 
A) Earth's land masses have been entirely submerged in water on three occasions. 
B) Earth's land masses have joined into a single continent and split back apart again on three occasions. 
C) Earth's land masses have moved about extensively but have remained separate. 
D) Earth's continents have remained essentially in their current shape and positions. B

Question 4

The findings of Pasteur and others have established that

Accepted Answer

A) living organisms do not arise from nonliving matter today,nor did they arise from nonlife in the past. 
B) advanced organisms cannot arise from nonliving matter,but simple microbial life often does arise from nonlife today. 
C) life does not arise from nonliving matter today,but in the conditions of early Earth,such an event could have occurred. 
D) living organisms regularly self- assemble (arise spontaneously)from nonliving matter. 
A) living organisms do not arise from nonliving matter today,nor did they arise from nonlife in the past. 
B) advanced organisms cannot arise from nonliving matter,but simple microbial life often does arise from nonlife today. 
C) life does not arise from nonliving matter today,but in the conditions of early Earth,such an event could have occurred. 
D) living organisms regularly self- assemble (arise spontaneously)from nonliving matter.

Question 5

Earth's continents and seafloors together form a thin outer layer of the planet called the

Accepted Answer

A) strata. 
B) Pangean supercontinent. 
C) crust. 
D) biosphere. 
A) strata. 
B) Pangean supercontinent. 
C) crust. 
D) biosphere.

Question 6

Cave- dwelling catfish and cave- dwelling salamanders share striking similarities: both organisms lack pigmentation and their eyes are reduced or absent.The most recent common ancestor to these organisms had normal pigmentation and fully developed eyes.The similarities between cave catfish and cave salamanders are an example of

Accepted Answer

A) analogy (convergent evolution). 
B) homology. 
C) exaptation. 
D) convergent homology. 
A) analogy (convergent evolution). 
B) homology. 
C) exaptation. 
D) convergent homology.

Question 7

Some RNA molecules can function like enzymes.These particular enzymatic RNA molecules are called

Accepted Answer

A) enzoRNA. 
B) renzymes. 
C) eRNA. 
D) ribozymes. 
A) enzoRNA. 
B) renzymes. 
C) eRNA. 
D) ribozymes.

Question 8

A current leading hypothesis about the first system of inheritance in the earliest life forms involves

Accepted Answer

A) self- replicating RNA molecules aided by ribozymes. 
B) proteins that served as templates for RNA molecules,leading to the formation of DNA. 
C) self- replicating DNA molecules (the "DNA world" hypothesis). 
D) self- replicating polypeptides aided by ribosomes. 
A) self- replicating RNA molecules aided by ribozymes. 
B) proteins that served as templates for RNA molecules,leading to the formation of DNA. 
C) self- replicating DNA molecules (the "DNA world" hypothesis). 
D) self- replicating polypeptides aided by ribosomes.

Question 9

and mean the same thing.

Accepted Answer

A) Clade ...parsimony 
B) Derived ...ancestral 
C) Parsimony ...analogy 
D) Clade ...monophyletic taxon 
A) Clade ...parsimony 
B) Derived ...ancestral 
C) Parsimony ...analogy 
D) Clade ...monophyletic taxon

Question 10

The "big bang" that produced the universe is thought to have occurred

Accepted Answer

A) 4 million years ago. 
B) 4.6 billion years ago. 
C) 40 to 50 billion years ago. 
D) 12 to 14 billion years ago. 
A) 4 million years ago. 
B) 4.6 billion years ago. 
C) 40 to 50 billion years ago. 
D) 12 to 14 billion years ago.

Question 11

The earliest known flowering plants date to the

Accepted Answer

A) Cretaceous (late Mesozoic era). 
B) Triassic (early Mesozoic era). 
C) Paleozoic. 
D) Cenozoic. 
A) Cretaceous (late Mesozoic era). 
B) Triassic (early Mesozoic era). 
C) Paleozoic. 
D) Cenozoic.

Question 12

One of the strongest lines of evidence of a meteor or comet impact in the late Cretaceous is

Accepted Answer

A) a thin layer of potassium- 40 in late Cretaceous fossil strata. 
B) a thin layer of iridium- enriched clay in late Cretaceous fossil strata. 
C) the extinction of the dinosaurs. 
D) the warming of Earth's climate in the late Cretaceous. 
A) a thin layer of potassium- 40 in late Cretaceous fossil strata. 
B) a thin layer of iridium- enriched clay in late Cretaceous fossil strata. 
C) the extinction of the dinosaurs. 
D) the warming of Earth's climate in the late Cretaceous.

Question 13

In accordance with the principle of parsimony,scientists prefer

Accepted Answer

A) the Linnaean system of nomenclature to the use of common names. 
B) phylogenetic trees with many small clades to those with a few major clades. 
C) phylogenetic trees that minimize the number of evolutionary changes. 
D) phylogenetic trees in which adaptations repeatedly arise,disappear,and reappear. 
A) the Linnaean system of nomenclature to the use of common names. 
B) phylogenetic trees with many small clades to those with a few major clades. 
C) phylogenetic trees that minimize the number of evolutionary changes. 
D) phylogenetic trees in which adaptations repeatedly arise,disappear,and reappear.

Question 14

Divergence time estimates based on molecular clocks are

Accepted Answer

A) likely to be correct plus or minus a few decades. 
B) more reliable than divergence dates that are based on analysis of the fossil record. 
C) best interpreted with caution,since they depend on assumptions that are difficult to test. 
D) usually worthless since we cannot directly observe divergence times unless we invent a time machine. 
A) likely to be correct plus or minus a few decades. 
B) more reliable than divergence dates that are based on analysis of the fossil record. 
C) best interpreted with caution,since they depend on assumptions that are difficult to test. 
D) usually worthless since we cannot directly observe divergence times unless we invent a time machine.

Question 15

The model of species selection is analogous to natural selection.In this analogy,are like individuals within a population,and is analogous to reproduction.

Accepted Answer

A) species ...speciation 
B) genes ...gene duplication 
C) families ...interbreeding 
D) major groups of organisms ...extinction 
A) species ...speciation 
B) genes ...gene duplication 
C) families ...interbreeding 
D) major groups of organisms ...extinction

Question 16

Scientists evaluating the Cretaceous mass extinction have concluded that

Accepted Answer

A) only an extraterrestrial impact could have caused such a big extinction event. 
B) climate change would not have been involved in producing the extinctions. 
C) ecological factors such as disease and competition probably caused the dinosaurs to go extinct. 
D) the asteroid impact was probably the triggering event for the extinction. 
A) only an extraterrestrial impact could have caused such a big extinction event. 
B) climate change would not have been involved in producing the extinctions. 
C) ecological factors such as disease and competition probably caused the dinosaurs to go extinct. 
D) the asteroid impact was probably the triggering event for the extinction.

Question 17

Over the past 500 million years,there have been mass extinctions and each time,at least of the species on Earth became extinct.

Accepted Answer

A) twelve ...96% 
B) five ...50% 
C) two ...25% 
D) five ...25% 
A) twelve ...96% 
B) five ...50% 
C) two ...25% 
D) five ...25%

Question 18

You compare homologous nucleotide sequences between several pairs of species with known divergence times.A pair of species that diverged 1 million years ago has two nucleotide differences,a pair that diverged 2 million years ago has four nucleotide differences,and a pair that diverged 3 million years ago has six nucleotide differences.You have sequence data for another pair of species where the divergence time is unknown.There are five nucleotide differences between them.Based on your clock,when did their line of ancestry diverge?

Accepted Answer

A) 3.5 million years ago 
B) 2 million years ago 
C) 2.5 million years ago 
D) 3 million years ago 
A) 3.5 million years ago 
B) 2 million years ago 
C) 2.5 million years ago 
D) 3 million years ago

Question 19

In mammals,the presence of four limbs is and hair is .

Accepted Answer

A) a shared derived character ...a shared ancestral character that places mammals in the tetrapod clade 
B) monophyletic ...parsimonious 
C) a homologous feature ...an analogous feature 
D) a shared ancestral character ...a shared derived character unique to mammals 
A) a shared derived character ...a shared ancestral character that places mammals in the tetrapod clade 
B) monophyletic ...parsimonious 
C) a homologous feature ...an analogous feature 
D) a shared ancestral character ...a shared derived character unique to mammals

Question 20

Ever since Darwin,systematics has tried to

Accepted Answer

A) organize species into groups based on logical categories. 
B) classify species in groups that reflect evolutionary relationships. 
C) keep classification and naming as a practical science,separate from controversies involving evolution. 
D) prove the existence of evolution using laboratory experiments. 
A) organize species into groups based on logical categories. 
B) classify species in groups that reflect evolutionary relationships. 
C) keep classification and naming as a practical science,separate from controversies involving evolution. 
D) prove the existence of evolution using laboratory experiments.

Exam 15: Tracing Evolutionary History

The similarities in function of hummingbird wings and the wings of a butterfly reflect

It is estimated that the modern continents began to take shape

Geologists have evidence that over the past 1.5 billion years,

The findings of Pasteur and others have established that

Earth's continents and seafloors together form a thin outer layer of the planet called the

Some RNA molecules can function like enzymes.These particular enzymatic RNA molecules are called

A current leading hypothesis about the first system of inheritance in the earliest life forms involves

and mean the same thing.

The "big bang" that produced the universe is thought to have occurred

The earliest known flowering plants date to the

One of the strongest lines of evidence of a meteor or comet impact in the late Cretaceous is

In accordance with the principle of parsimony,scientists prefer

Divergence time estimates based on molecular clocks are

The model of species selection is analogous to natural selection.In this analogy,are like individuals within a population,and is analogous to reproduction.

Scientists evaluating the Cretaceous mass extinction have concluded that

Over the past 500 million years,there have been mass extinctions and each time,at least of the species on Earth became extinct.

In mammals,the presence of four limbs is and hair is .

Ever since Darwin,systematics has tried to

Biology: Exploring Life

The Chemical Basis of Life

The Molecules of Cells

A Tour of the Cell

The Working Cell

How Cells Harvest Chemical Energy

Photosynthesis: Using Light to Make Food

The Cellular Basis of Reproduction and Inheritance

Patterns of Inheritance

Molecular Biology of the Gene

How Genes Are Controlled

Dna Technology and Genomics

How Populations Evolve

The Origin of Species

Microbial Life: Prokaryotes and Protists

The Evolution of Plant and Fungal Diversity

The Evolution of Invertebrate Diversity

The Evolution of Vertebrate Diversity

Unifying Concepts of Animal Structure and Function

Nutrition and Digestion

Gas Exchange

Circulation

The Immune System

Control of Body Temperature and Water Balance

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Reproduction and Embryonic Development

Nervous Systems

The Senses

How Animals Move

Plant Structure,growth,and Reproduction

Plant Nutrition and Transport

Control Systems in Plants

The Biosphere: an Introduction to Earths Diverse Environments

Behavioral Adaptations to the Environment

Population Ecology

Communities and Ecosystems

Conservation Biology

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