Deck 18: The History of Life on Earth

Question 1

Humans and chimpanzees diverged from each other about 6 million years ago.Therefore,of the total time that life has been on Earth,humans and chimpanzees have been separate species for about _______ percent of the time.

A) 0.15
B) 0.75
C) 1.5
D) 3
E) 7.5

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which finding was not known to nineteenth-century geologists?

A) Fossil organisms found in more recent strata resemble modern organisms more than those found in more ancient strata.
B) Fossils of similar organisms are found in widely separated places on Earth.
C) Radioactivity can be used to determine the age of rocks.
D) Certain fossils are always found in younger strata,and certain other fossils are always found in older strata.
E) Nineteenth-century geologists knew all of these findings.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,700 years.If 10 percent of the original carbon-14 is left in a structure,that structure is _______ years old.

A) less than 2,850
B) about 5,700
C) between 11,400 and 17,100
D) between 17,100 and 22,800
E) about 57,000

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which geological period is the most recent (closest to the present)?

A) Devonian
B) Cambrian
C) Jurassic
D) Silurian
E) Cretaceous

Question 5

In undisturbed sedimentary rock,strata from the _______ are immediately above rocks from the Permian.

A) Devonian
B) Cambrian
C) Jurassic
D) Triassic
E) Cretaceous

Question 6

Suppose the half-life of a radioactive isotope is 30,000 years.Of the total amount of that element assimilated by living organisms into their tissues,0.004 percent consists of the radioactive isotope.If you were to find a skeleton of an organism that had 0.0005 percent of the element as the radioactive isotope,it would be estimated to be _______ years old.

A) 10,000
B) 60,000
C) 90,000
D) 120,000
E) 240,000

Question 7

The first person to propose that the relative ages of rocks can be determined by examining strata was

A) Charles Darwin.
B) Alfred Russel Wallace.
C) Stephen Jay Gould.
D) Nicolaus Steno.
E) Alfred Wegener.

Question 8

Fossils that are one hundred million years old date from the _______ period.

A) Devonian
B) Cambrian
C) Jurassic
D) Silurian
E) Cretaceous

Question 9

In the upper atmosphere,the bombardment of neutrons with nitrogen-14 varies somewhat over time.If in the past this rate had been higher,objects dated by _______ dating would now appear _______ than they really are.

A) carbon;younger
B) potassium;older
C) potassium;younger
D) carbon;older
E) uranium;younger

Question 10

When geologists determine the relative ages of rocks according to the principles of stratigraphy,a key assumption is that

A) radioactive isotopes decay at a constant rate.
B) the rocks are more than 20 million years old.
C) the rocks are less than 100 million years old.
D) the rocks have been disturbed only infrequently.
E) the rocks have not been disturbed.

Question 11

Which of the following is the longest period of time?

A) The length of the entire Mesozoic era
B) The half-life of ⁴⁰K
C) Five million years
D) Five half-lives of ¹⁴C
E) The time since the Cambrian explosion

Question 12

Which sequence represents a correct chronological ordering of Earth's geological history,from the most ancient to the most recent period?

A) Cambrian,Devonian,Permian,Cretaceous
B) Cretaceous,Devonian,Permian,Cambrian
C) Cambrian,Cretaceous,Devonian,Permian
D) Permian,Cambrian,Cretaceous,Devonian
E) Cretaceous,Permian,Devonian,Cambrian

Question 13

Rocks that are formed when grains accumulate at the bottom of bodies of water are called _______ rocks

A) igneous
B) sedimentary
C) strata
D) tertiary
E) deep

Question 14

Which of the following could be dated by means of radioactive carbon?

A) A mastodon that is about 15,000 years old
B) Remains thought to be associated with King Tut (who lived 2,500 years ago)
C) A Homo erectus skeleton thought be around 800,000 years old
D) A dinosaur from the Jurassic
E) Both a and b

Question 15

The primary reason that dragonflies grew so much larger 300 million years ago than they do today is that

A) they lacked predators then.
B) they were able to exploit an aquatic niche that no longer exists.
C) there was more oxygen in the air then.
D) there was more nitrogen in the air then.
E) Earth was much colder then.

Question 16

In undisturbed sedimentary rock,strata from the _______ are immediately below rocks from the Ordovician.

A) Cambrian
B) Devonian
C) Jurassic
D) Silurian
E) Cretaceous

Question 17

If the half-life of a radioactive substance is 600 years,what fraction of the original material is left after 1,800 years?

A) One-half
B) One-fourth
C) One-eighth
D) One-sixteenth
E) None of the above

Question 18

Which statement about radiometric dating is true?

A) Radioactive decay of ¹⁴C is balanced by its production from neutrons reacting with ¹⁴N in the upper atmosphere.
B) Dead organisms continue to exchange carbon compounds with the environment.
C) Carbon dating can be used to date organisms more than a million years old.
D) The half-life of ¹⁴C is less than 1,000 years.
E) Radiometric dating can only provide relative,and not absolute,ages of rocks.

Question 19

The half-life of a particular radioactive isotope of element X is 100 years.If you know that 400 years ago a fossil contained 10 mg of this isotope,you would expect to find about _______ mg in that fossil today.

A) 0.15
B) 0.3
C) 0.6
D) 2.5
E) 5

Question 20

Which of these geological periods is the most ancient?

A) Devonian
B) Cambrian
C) Jurassic
D) Silurian
E) Cretaceous

Question 21

After the eruption of a major volcano,the concentration of _______ is likely to increase greatly,and the temperature is likely to _______.

A) sulfur dioxide;drop
B) oxygen;rise
C) oxygen;drop
D) sulfur dioxide;rise
E) carbon dioxide;rise

Question 22

There was no life during the

A) Precambrian.
B) Phanerozoic.
C) Archean.
D) Hadean.
E) Proterozoic.

Question 23

The most appropriate way to determine the absolute ages of sedimentary rocks thought to be a few million years old would be to use

A) stratigraphy.
B) carbon-14 dating.
C) uranium-235 dating.
D) potassium-40 dating.
E) paleomagnetic dating.

Question 24

Which statement about the geological time scale is false?

A) Geological eras are divided into periods.
B) Observations of differences in fossil assemblages in successive strata allowed scientists to estimate boundaries between divisions of time.
C) The geological time scale has been modified as new dating methods have been developed.
D) The divisions in the geological time scale were initially defined before the ages of rocks or fossils were known.
E) We are currently in the Proterozoic eon.

Question 25

Which process led to the formation of coastal mountain ranges?

A) The mantle pushing against a tectonic plate
B) Tectonic plates moving sideways past one another
C) Magma pushing plates apart
D) One tectonic plate sliding under another
E) A single tectonic plate folding upon itself

Question 26

With respect to changes in climate over the course of life on Earth,we are currently living in a _______ period,and the average temperature has _______ over the last 100 years.

A) warm;increased
B) cool;increased
C) warm;decreased
D) cool;decreased
E) warm;been relatively constant

Question 27

Suppose you were to drill a hole toward the center of Earth.Which of the following is the correct order of the layers you would encounter?

A) Magma,mantle,tectonic plate
B) Mantle,magma,tectonic plate
C) Tectonic plate,magma,mantle
D) Tectonic plate,mantle,magma
E) Mantle,tectonic plate,magma

Question 28

On the morning weather forecast,the meteorologist makes the following two statements: "The temperature in Amherst,Massachusetts,is currently ‒4°C," and "The average temperature of Amherst,Massachusetts,on this day is 7°C." Which interpretation of these statements is correct?

A) Statement 1 describes climate and statement 2 describes weather.
B) Statement 1 describes weather and statement 2 describes climate.
C) Both statements describe weather,but not climate.
D) Both statements describe climate,but not weather.
E) Both statements describe weather and climate.

Question 29

Which statement about geological dating is false?

A) The isotopes in sedimentary rocks contain reliable information about the dates of their formation.
B) Igneous rocks are formed when molten material cools.
C) The decay of potassium-40 to argon-40 has been used to date the most ancient events in the evolution of life.
D) Paleomagnetic dating relates the ages of rocks to patterns in Earth's magnetism.
E) Sedimentary rocks are formed by the accumulation of sediments.

Question 30

Which process or event is not considered a plausible hypothesis for the causes of mass extinctions?

A) Extraterrestrial events,such as meteorite or asteroid collisions
B) Glaciations
C) Massive volcanic activity
D) Competition between organisms
E) Climate shifts

Question 31

Most mass extinctions are associated with _______ in sea level corresponding with ______ glaciation.

A) rapid increases;increased
B) rapid increases;decreased
C) fluctuations;fluctuating
D) rapid decreases;decreased
E) rapid decreases;increased

Question 32

Which statement about continental drift is true?

A) When it was proposed,the idea received almost immediate acceptance.
B) Continents move because rising magma exerts tremendous pressure on the plates that float on top of it.
C) Deep rift valleys have been generated by processes unrelated to those that cause continental drift.
D) The heat that drives continental drift is generated by the sun.
E) The heat that drives continental drift is generated by Earth's crust.

Question 33

Which planet would most likely experience more continental drift than Earth?

A) A planet that is closer to its sun than Earth is to our sun
B) A planet that has more radioactive material in its core
C) A planet that is further away from its sun than Earth is to our sun
D) A planet that has less radioactive material in its core
E) A planet that has more oxygen in its atmosphere

Question 34

The Great Rift Valley formed due to

A) subduction of a continental plate under an oceanic plate.
B) subduction of an oceanic plate under a continental plate.
C) the collision of two continental plates.
D) divergence of continental plates.
E) forces unrelated to plate tectonics.

Question 35

Paleontologists are investigating gradual climate shifts that took place over the course of a few thousand years 13 million years ago.What was the most likely cause of this shift?

A) Changes in Earth's orbit around the sun
B) Increased atmospheric nitrogen from nitrogen fixation
C) Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels
D) Changes in oceanic currents
E) An asteroid hitting Earth

Question 36

The first person to put forth the idea that Earth's continents are in continual but slow motion was

A) Charles Darwin.
B) Alfred Russel Wallace.
C) Stephen Jay Gould.
D) Nicolaus Steno.
E) Alfred Wegener.

Question 37

Which gases have opposite effects on Earth's climate?

A) Nitrogen and oxygen
B) Nitrogen and carbon dioxide
C) Carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide
D) Carbon dioxide and oxygen
E) Nitrogen and sulfur dioxide.

Question 38

Which atmospheric gas has substantially increased in concentration in the last 200 years?

A) Oxygen
B) Nitrogen
C) Carbon dioxide
D) Argon
E) Hydrogen

Question 39

The heat that drives plate tectonics is driven by

A) radiant energy from the sun.
B) chemical energy from bacteria.
C) chemical energy from inorganic enzymatic cycles.
D) radioactive decay inside Earth's core.
E) kinetic energy from meteorite collisions.

Question 40

Why are assemblages of fossils seen in successive geological periods so different?

A) Rapid continental drift has altered the positions of continents such that the strata represent different locations on Earth.
B) Rapid bursts of evolution have occurred due to changes in oxygen concentrations.
C) Mass extinctions and the subsequent rebound of biological diversity have brought about sudden changes in the assemblages.
D) Organisms continue to evolve during periods when fossilization does not occur.
E) Fossil assemblages across successive strata blend into one another,and there are no sharp breaks.

Question 41

Suppose twenty million years from now there are very large flying insects inhabiting Earth.What is the most likely atmospheric change that has occurred?

A) An increase in the oxygen concentration
B) A decrease in the carbon dioxide concentration
C) An increase in the carbon dioxide concentration
D) A decrease in the oxygen concentration
E) A decrease in the argon concentration

Question 42

Which condition would increase the likelihood of an animal's being fossilized?

A) Living in an oxygen-rich environment
B) Having an exoskeleton
C) Living in an area where geological processes often transform rocks
D) Living in an area where decomposition occurs rapidly
E) Having an internal digestive system

Question 43

A fossil assemblage has 24 plant species,35 insect species,and 17 crustacean species.How many species are in the flora?

A) 17
B) 24
C) 41
D) 52
E) 76

Question 44

The only major decline in atmospheric oxygen levels occurred

A) when eukaryotes first appeared.
B) when chordates first appeared.
C) at the start of the Cambrian period.
D) at the end of the Permian period.
E) at the end of the Cretaceous period.

Question 45

According to experimental evidence,Drosophila exposed to higher than normal oxygen concentrations increase their body mass by about 2 percent each generation.Suppose that the concentration of oxygen were to increase again,but this time the average size increase is only 0.1 percent (0.001)per generation.Suppose that these flies have five generations per year,and their average body mass is now 1 mg.How large would the flies be after 1,000 years? [Use the formula W = S(1 + R)N,where W is the final mass,S is the starting mass,R is the rate of increase (0.001),and N is the number of generations.]

A) 2.1 mg
B) 2.7 mg
C) 5.0 mg
D) 38 mg
E) 148 mg

Question 46

Which statement about oxygen and ancient Earth is true?

A) The atmosphere of early Earth contained almost as much free oxygen as present-day Earth,but most of this oxygen was lost in the Cambrian.
B) Early bacteria generated free oxygen as a by-product of the chemical splitting of water.
C) The oxygen-generating cyanobacteria have gone extinct.
D) Oxygen concentration increased from near zero to near present-day levels in a nearly straight line upwards.
E) Early bacteria generated free oxygen as a by-product of the chemical splitting of carbohydrates.

Question 47

The period of time between life's first appearance on Earth and the definite appearance of multicellular life was about _______ years.

A) 200 million
B) 500 million
C) 1 billion
D) 2.5 billion
E) 4.5 billion

Question 48

Based on the experiment in which Drosophila flies were raised in a higher than normal oxygen concentration,which statement is most likely true?

A) Fly body size is constrained because there are not enough alleles that increase body size.
B) Fly body size is constrained because alleles that increase body size are selected against at normal oxygen levels.
C) At normal oxygen concentration levels,fly body size is under strong directional selection.
D) Fly body size would likely increase if flies were raised at lower than normal oxygen concentrations.
E) Increased oxygen levels appear to have little effect on fly body size,even after many generations.

Question 49

Rocklike structures formed by the oxygen-generating cyanobacteria are known as

A) strata.
B) stromatolites.
C) igneous rocks.
D) lithospheres.
E) rift valleys.

Question 50

Observations from Krakatau and Mt.Pinatubo

A) provide evidence for mass extinctions caused by extraterrestrial events.
B) challenge the notion that extraterrestrial events can cause mass extinctions.
C) demonstrate that volcanic activity can increase global temperatures.
D) demonstrate that volcanic activity can decrease global temperatures.
E) demonstrate that volcanic activity is the major cause of mass extinctions.

Question 51

The possible collision of a large meteorite with Earth 65 million years ago may explain

A) the existence of Gondwana.
B) continental drift,according to Alfred Wegener.
C) the mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs.
D) contemporary atmospheric conditions on Earth.
E) the breaking apart of Gondwana.

Question 52

The appearance of multicellular organisms coincided with increased levels of _______ in Earth's atmosphere.

A) sulfur
B) hydrogen
C) nitrogen
D) carbon
E) oxygen

Question 53

What would be the most convincing evidence that an extraterrestrial event had led to a climatic change that resulted in extinction of a group of organisms?

A) Evidence that climate change was gradual,taking place over the course of a few thousand years
B) An increase in oxygen levels during the event
C) A decrease in oxygen levels during the event
D) High iridium concentrations found in a thin layer separating rocks from before and after the event
E) High sulfur concentrations found in a thin layer separating rocks from before and after the event

Question 54

Which continent was likely affected the most by the meteor strike that led to the demise of non-avian dinosaurs?

A) Asia
B) Europe
C) Africa
D) Australia
E) North America

Question 55

Approximately _______ fossil species have been described.

A) 3,000
B) 30,000
C) 300,000
D) 1.7 million
E) 10 million

Question 56

Larger single-celled organisms require a higher oxygen concentration than smaller ones do because the large cells

A) have a faster metabolic rate per unit mass.
B) have a slower metabolic rate per unit mass.
C) have a lower surface area-to-volume ratio.
D) have a greater surface area-to-volume ratio.
E) divide more quickly than small cells do.

Question 57

Supporting the claim that a meteorite caused the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period,abnormally high concentrations of _______ have been found in rocks dating from that time.

A) iridium
B) lithium
C) mercury
D) nickel
E) tungsten

Question 58

Which series represents the correct sequence of events,from earliest to latest?

A) Permian mass extinction,decline in oxygen levels,drying of lowland swamps
B) Permian mass extinction,drying of lowland swamps,decline in oxygen levels
C) Decline in oxygen levels,Permian mass extinction,drying of lowland swamps
D) Drying of lowland swamps,Permian mass extinction,decline in oxygen levels
E) Drying of lowland swamps,decline in oxygen levels,Permian mass extinction

Question 59

All of the animals living at a particular time or place are called its

A) biota.
B) flora.
C) Gondwana.
D) igneous species.
E) fauna.

Question 60

At normal levels of oxygen,selection is _______ for body size in Drosophila.At higher levels of oxygen,the flies experience _______ selection.

A) stabilizing;directional
B) stabilizing;disruptive
C) directional;stabilizing
D) directional;disruptive
E) disruptive;stabilizing

Question 61

Which statement about the Cambrian is false?

A) Arthropods were abundant and diverse during this period.
B) There was abundant multicellular terrestrial life.
C) Large continents had already formed.
D) Oxygen concentrations were approaching current levels.
E) It came before the Ordovician.

Question 62

Which of the following represents the correct chronological order of events,from earliest to latest?

A) 100 million years ago,first mammals appear,dinosaurs go extinct
B) 100 million years ago,dinosaurs go extinct,first mammals appear
C) Dinosaurs go extinct,first mammals appear,100 million years ago
D) First mammals appear,100 million years ago,dinosaurs go extinct
E) First mammals appear,dinosaurs go extinct,100 million years ago

Question 63

You are investigating a Triassic fossil bed.What would you not expect to find?

A) Pterosaurs
B) Frogs
C) Turtles
D) Seed ferns
E) Conifers

Question 64

In the late Precambrian,the first _______ evolved.

A) vascular plants
B) multicellular eukaryotes
C) jawed fish
D) photosynthetic bacteria
E) insects

Question 65

Vascular plants first appeared during the

A) Silurian.
B) Ordovician.
C) Cambrian.
D) Carboniferous.
E) Permian.

Question 66

The first flying animals were _______,which first appeared in the _______ period.

A) insects;Carboniferous
B) birds;Cretaceous
C) bats;Jurassic
D) birds;Carboniferous
E) insects;Permian

Question 67

The Cenozoic era began about _______ years ago.

A) 2 million
B) 15 million
C) 65 million
D) 225 million
E) 1 billion

Question 68

The current geological period is the

A) Tertiary.
B) Quaternary.
C) Triassic.
D) Devonian.
E) Pleistocene.

Question 69

Which statement about the Cambrian is true?

A) The Burgess Shale is a Cambrian fossil bed.
B) The first multicellular life occurred during the Cambrian.
C) It marks the end of the Paleozoic era.
D) Oxygen concentrations were much lower during the Cambrian than they are today.
E) It came after the Ordovician.

Question 70

The most dramatic mass extinction in Earth's history,which destroyed about 96 percent of the species,

A) killed off the dinosaurs.
B) occurred at the end of the Cretaceous.
C) occurred at the end of the Permian.
D) happened less than 100 million years ago.
E) happened more than 400 million years ago.

Question 71

The Cambrian explosion started _______ the Cambrian and lasted for _______ of years.

A) before;tens of thousands
B) before;millions
C) during;hundreds
D) during;tens of thousands
E) during;millions

Question 72

You are investigating a Devonian fossil bed.What would you not expect to find there?

A) Vascular plants
B) Flying insects
C) Terrestrial fishlike amphibians
D) Large tree ferns
E) Seed-producing plants

Question 73

Which statement about the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous is false?

A) A meteorite was involved.
B) Many marine invertebrates and insect species died out.
C) Almost all land animals larger than about 25 kilograms,including dinosaurs,became extinct.
D) It was the largest mass extinction in Earth's history.
E) It happened immediately before the Tertiary period.

Question 74

During which period did the following events occur: recovery of the biota after a major mass extinction,increase in the species richness of invertebrate groups,appearance of the first turtles and frogs,and beginnings of a large radiation of reptiles?

A) Permian
B) Cambrian
C) Jurassic
D) Cretaceous
E) Triassic

Question 75

You are investigating an Ordovician fossil bed.What would you not expect to find there?

A) Arthropods
B) Brachiopods
C) Vascular plants
D) Mollusks
E) All of these would be expected in an Ordovician fossil bed.

Question 76

Vertebrates whose well-protected eggs can withstand a dry environment are known as

A) trilobites.
B) ediacaran.
C) crinoides.
D) amniotes.
E) dinosaurs.

Question 77

Which statement about the Ordovician is false?

A) In an undisturbed formation,fossils from this period will be located directly above those from the Cambrian.
B) There was a major extinction at the end of this period.
C) This was a period of great diversification of marine life.
D) The end of this period occurred less than 300 million years ago.
E) It is the period immediately before the Silurian.

Question 78

Which statement about the Mesozoic era is true?

A) Atmospheric levels of oxygen fell dramatically.
B) The same groups of animals that were dominant during the Permian were also dominant throughout this period.
C) Pangaea came together.
D) Giant amphibians and flying insects were abundant.
E) Mammals and flowering plants appeared.

Question 79

During the Permian period,all of the continents came together to form one supercontinent known as

A) Pangaea.
B) Gondwana.
C) Laurasia.
D) Crinoid.
E) Ork.

Question 80

Fishlike amphibians began to occupy land during the

A) Cretaceous.
B) Cambrian.
C) Holocene.
D) Silurian.
E) Devonian.