Deck 19: Life's Origin and Early Evolution

Question 1

Which step in the evolution of life is the most complex and probably occurred last?  

A) Formation of amino acids
B) Formation of protein-RNA systems
C) Formation of membrane-bound protocells
D) Spontaneous formation of organic compounds under abiotic conditions
E) Formation of ATP

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Four of the following were likely in Earth's earliest atmosphere.Which one was not?  

A) Hydrogen
B) Nitrogen
C) Oxygen
D) Carbon dioxide
E) Water vapor

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A hypothesis currently getting a lot of attention concerning the origin of biological molecules is that they originated ____.  

A) in hot springs
B) under ice sheets in Antarctica
C) near hydrothermal oceanic vents
D) in salt lakes
E) in tidal pools

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The first eukaryotic fossils are dated to about ____.  

A) 2.7 billion years ago
B) 1.8 billion years ago
C) 1.5 billion years ago
D) 750 million years ago
E) 201 million years ago

Question 5

The "big bang" refers to  

A) an event marking the beginning of the universe.
B) the extinction of the dinosaurs.
C) the inevitable end of the universe.
D) the collision of the first galaxies forming the universe as it is today.
E) the inevitable death of large stars.

Question 6

The apparatus in the accompanying figure was used in the primitive Earth atmosphere simulation experiments performed by  

A) Stanley Miller and Harold Urey.
B) Günter Wächtershäuser.
C) Australian researchers.
D) Kwang Jeon.
E) Francis Crick and James Watson.

Question 7

The ozone layer is valuable because it blocks  

A) heat.
B) UV radiation.
C) radio waves.
D) asteroids.
E) X-rays.

Question 8

The accumulation of free oxygen in the atmosphere ____.  

A) was a result of the accumulation of a by-product of a type of photosynthesis
B) caused the further spontaneous generation of life
C) provided the opportunity to extract more energy through anaerobic respiration
D) occurred immediately after the earth was formed
E) allowed for DNA to replace RNA as the primary data storage molecule

Question 9

The first cells were ____.  

A) autotrophic
B) parasitic
C) anaerobic
D) aerobic
E) necrotic

Question 10

The by-product of the metabolism of cyanobacteria that had the most effect on the further evolution of life is ____.  

A) oxygen gas
B) carbon dioxide
C) water
D) nitrogen gas
E) hydrogen gas

Question 11

Four of the following statement about protocells are true.Which statement is false?  

A) They are simple membrane-bound sacs.
B) They contain DNA.
C) They are able to engage in metabolism.
D) They are able to reproduce.
E) They are able to capture energy.

Question 12

Analysis of genomes of modern species indicates that the first cells were similar to existing ____.  

A) viruses
B) fungi
C) prokaryotes
D) eukaryotes
E) algae

Question 13

The evolution of biochemical molecules started on Earth ____.  

A) after the appearance of prokaryotic cells
B) long before any cells emerged
C) after the appearance of eukaryotic cells
D) after the appearance of eukaryotic cells but before the appearance of multicellular organisms
E) after the appearance of multicellular organisms

Question 14

The spark discharge in the accompanying figure represents ____.  

A) sunlight energy in the environment.
B) heat energy in the environment.
C) electrical energy in the environment.
D) ionizing radiation in the environment.
E) the explosion of the hydrogen gas to release energy for the reactions.

Question 15

A membranous sac that contains interacting organic molecules,hypothesized to have formed prior to the earliest life-forms:  

A) protocell.
B) archaea.
C) ribozyme.
D) chemotroph.
E) protist.

Question 16

RNA is believed to have preceded DNA because _____.  

A) DNA contains thymine and RNA does not.
B) DNA is double stranded and requires more components.
C) DNA can store more protein-building instructions in less space.
D) RNA can also function as an enzyme.
E) RNA cannot replicate itself.

Question 17

Life probably would never have emerged on Earth if the ancient atmosphere had been the same as the present one in regard to the content of ____.  

A) carbon dioxide
B) hydrogen
C) oxygen
D) nitrogen
E) carbon monoxide

Question 18

Aerobic respiration became established as a result of the evolution of ____.  

A) the first protocells
B) the first true cells
C) metabolism
D) the nuclear envelope
E) the oxygen-producing pathway of photosynthesis

Question 19

The area labeled "spark discharge" in the accompanying figure contained all of the following gases found in the ancient Earth atmosphere except:  

A) carbon dioxide.
B) methane.
C) ammonia.
D) water vapor.
E) hydrogen gas.

Question 20

The formation of amino acids under abiotic conditions was important because they serve as ____.  

A) a supply of structural units for proteins
B) enzymes to catalyze reactions
C) subunits in the formation of DNA
D) subunits in the formation of RNA
E) subunits for the formation of lipids

Question 21

The hypothesis that RNA served as the genetic information of early life is called _________________.  

A) ribozyme evolution hypothesis
B) RNA world hypothesis
C) central dogma of molecular biology
D) hydrothermal synthesis
E) DNA transcription hypothesis

Question 22

Chloroplasts are thought to have originated as endosymbiotic associations when aerobic bacteria engulfed photosynthetic cells.This relationship was favored by the production of ____ by the endosymbiont.  

A) glucose
B) hydrogen ions
C) ATP
D) oxygen
E) water

Question 23

What is the strongest evidence for the idea that present-day eukaryotic aerobes are the descendants of the successful symbiotic association of anaerobes and aerobes?  

A) Mitochondria can produce ATP.
B) A mitochondrion can survive indefinitely when removed from a eukaryotic cell.
C) A mitochondrion has its own set of DNA molecules.
D) Fossilized mitochondria are older than the oldest fossilized eukaryotes.
E) All eukaryotic cells have mitochondria.

Question 24

Which process is NOT associated with structures that are formed from the extensive infolding of eukaryotic membranes?  

A) Concentration of nutrients
B) Cell division
C) Transport of proteins
D) Protection of metabolic machinery
E) Greater surface area for metabolism

Question 25

The ____ hypothesis states that mitochondria and chloroplasts evolved from bacteria.  

A) invagination
B) exosymbiont
C) membrane folding
D) captured bacteria
E) endosymbiont

Question 26

Chloroplasts ____.  

A) resemble photosynthetic bacteria
B) utilize the same pigments regardless of what organism they are in
C) apparently evolved from mitochondria
D) utilize DNA derived from the nucleus
E) are found in prokaryotes

Question 27

Four the following statements are true about the mitochondrion.Which statement is false?  

A) It has its own DNA.
B) It has internal membranes.
C) It evolved from chloroplasts.
D) It resembles bacteria in structure.
E) It resembles bacteria in size.

Question 28

Which of the following posits that the metabolic reactions that led to the first cells took place on the porous surface of iron-sulfide-rich rocks at hydrothermal vents?  

A) Hydrothermal vent hypothesis
B) Iron-sulfur world hypothesis
C) RNA world hypothesis
D) Ribozyme hypothesis
E) Protoevolutionary hypothesis

Question 29

Which of the following is an underwater opening from which mineral-rich water heated by geothermal energy streams out?  

A) Hydrothermal vent
B) Iron-sulfur plume
C) Geothermal geysers
D) Continental shelf
E) Undersea volcano

Question 30

Which is the first eon for which there is evidence of life?  

A) Archean eon
B) Proterozoic eon
C) Stromatolite eon
D) Hadean eon
E) Phanerozoic eon

Question 31

During the first emergence of life,the atmosphere was ____.  

A) high in oxygen, high in carbon dioxide
B) high in hydrogen, low in oxygen
C) changing from anaerobic to aerobic
D) aerobic
E) high in oxygen, low in carbon dioxide

Question 32

The oldest proposed cell microfossils come from structures called _____.  

A) stromatolites
B) crystal filaments
C) hydrothermal vents
D) pyrite
E) tectonic plates

Question 33

The upper atmospheric region rich in ozone (O3)that screens out incoming ultraviolet (UV)radiation is called

A) proterozoic region.
B) stratosphere.
C) ozone layer.
D) troposphere.
E) radiosphere.

Question 34

Choose the most appropriate statement that matches each term.

-bacteria

A)a substance that occurs only or predominantly in cells of a specific type
B)simple transitional forms between early organic compounds and the first living cells
C)have similar genes for energy metabolism to eukaryotes
D)first organisms with the noncyclic pathway of photosynthesis
E)store DNA wrapped around histones, like eukaryotes
F)in eukaryotes, indicated by a mix of bacterial and archaeal traits
G)dome-shaped fossil remains of photoautotrophic bacteria (some nonfossil structures also form).
H)RNAs that function as enzymes
I)earliest known organism that can be assigned to a modern group

Question 35

To learn more about the last common ancestor of all living things,scientists studied the genes that bacteria and ________ share.  

A) archaea
B) alga
C) protista
D) animals
E) plants

Question 36

The folding inward of the plasma membrane of an ancestral prokaryote likely evolved into ____.  

A) the Golgi apparatus
B) protists
C) DNA
D) the nucleus
E) mitochondria

Question 37

What is the most probable basis for the evolution of mitochondria and chloroplasts?  

A) Bacteria can be taken up by host cells.
B) Light is an energy source.
C) ATP can carry energy.
D) Oxygen is a by-product of photosynthesis.
E) Energy can be transformed from one form to another.

Question 38

The earliest type of eukaryotic organism currently known is a type of ____.  

A) virus
B) bacterium
C) Alga
D) animal-like protist
E) fungus

Question 39

Choose the most appropriate statement that matches each term.

-archaea

A)a substance that occurs only or predominantly in cells of a specific type
B)simple transitional forms between early organic compounds and the first living cells
C)have similar genes for energy metabolism to eukaryotes
D)first organisms with the noncyclic pathway of photosynthesis
E)store DNA wrapped around histones, like eukaryotes
F)in eukaryotes, indicated by a mix of bacterial and archaeal traits
G)dome-shaped fossil remains of photoautotrophic bacteria (some nonfossil structures also form).
H)RNAs that function as enzymes
I)earliest known organism that can be assigned to a modern group

Question 40

According to the endosymbiont hypothesis,eukaryotic cells evolved as a consequence of ____.  

A) the cyclic pathway of photosynthesis
B) anaerobic respiration
C) cell division
D) mutual dependency
E) chemosynthesis

Question 41

Choose the proper item below for the following statements.
a.David Deamer
b.Stanley Miller
c.Kwang Jeon
d.Leslie Orgel
e.Oliver Hardy
He/she provided experimental evidence for endosymbiosis.

Question 42

Choose the most appropriate statement that matches each term.

-cyanobacteria

A)energy source of the first living organisms
B)simple transitional forms between early organic compounds and the first living cells
C)have similar genes for energy metabolism to eukaryotes
D)first organisms with the noncyclic pathway of photosynthesis
E)store DNA wrapped around histones, like eukaryotes
F)in eukaryotes, indicated by a mix of bacterial and archaeal traits
G)rocky structures containing fossil remains of photoautotrophic bacteria
H)RNAs that function as enzymes
I)all living organisms descended from this prokaryotic, anaerobic ancestral species

Question 43

According to the __________,the universe formed about 13.7 billion years ago in an instant,with all matter and energy exploding outward.

Question 44

__________ is a field of study concerned with the origins,evolution,and persistence of life on Earth as it relates to life in the universe.

Question 45

What do the genetic comparisons among modern organisms indicate?  

A) All modern life descended from the same cellular ancestor.
B) The evolution of DNA-based systems was preceded by an interval during which RNA was the genetic material.
C) All modern life descended from multiple differing unicellular ancestors.
D) Genes governing information processing are most like those of archaea, and genes related to metabolism are most like those of bacteria.
E) Chemoheterotrophs gave rise to all modern organisms.

Question 46

_________ and __________suggested that RNA may have been the first molecule to encode genetic information.

Question 47

Choose the most appropriate statement that matches each term.
a.energy source of the first living organisms
b.simple transitional forms between early organic compounds and the first living cells
c.have similar genes for energy metabolism to eukaryotes
d.first organisms with the noncyclic pathway of photosynthesis
e.store DNA wrapped around histones, like eukaryotes
f.in eukaryotes, indicated by a mix of bacterial and archaeal traits
g.rocky structures containing fossil remains of photoautotrophic bacteria
h.RNAs that function as enzymes
i.all living organisms descended from this prokaryotic, anaerobic ancestral species
ribozymes

Question 48

Choose the most appropriate statement that matches each term.

-hydrogen

A)energy source of the first living organisms
B)simple transitional forms between early organic compounds and the first living cells
C)have similar genes for energy metabolism to eukaryotes
D)first organisms with the noncyclic pathway of photosynthesis
E)store DNA wrapped around histones, like eukaryotes
F)in eukaryotes, indicated by a mix of bacterial and archaeal traits
G)rocky structures containing fossil remains of photoautotrophic bacteria
H)RNAs that function as enzymes
I)all living organisms descended from this prokaryotic, anaerobic ancestral species

Question 49

Choose the most appropriate statement that matches each term.

-stromatolites

A)energy source of the first living organisms
B)simple transitional forms between early organic compounds and the first living cells
C)have similar genes for energy metabolism to eukaryotes
D)first organisms with the noncyclic pathway of photosynthesis
E)store DNA wrapped around histones, like eukaryotes
F)in eukaryotes, indicated by a mix of bacterial and archaeal traits
G)rocky structures containing fossil remains of photoautotrophic bacteria
H)RNAs that function as enzymes
I)all living organisms descended from this prokaryotic, anaerobic ancestral species

Question 50

The hypothesis that mitochondria and chloroplasts evolved from bacteria is called  

A) endosymbiont hypothesis.
B) RNA world hypothesis.
C) ribozyme engulfment hypothesis.
D) exosymbiont hypothesis.
E) organellization hypothesis.

Question 51

Laboratory simulations provide indirect evidence that organic compounds such as __________ and __________ self-assemble spontaneously under conditions like those thought to have prevailed on the early Earth.

Question 52

Choose the most appropriate statement that matches each term.
a.energy source of the first living organisms
b.simple transitional forms between early organic compounds and the first living cells
c.have similar genes for energy metabolism to eukaryotes
d.first organisms with the noncyclic pathway of photosynthesis
e.store DNA wrapped around histones, like eukaryotes
f.in eukaryotes, indicated by a mix of bacterial and archaeal traits
g.rocky structures containing fossil remains of photoautotrophic bacteria
h.RNAs that function as enzymes
i.all living organisms descended from this prokaryotic, anaerobic ancestral species
protocells

Question 53

Choose the most appropriate statement that matches each term.
a.energy source of the first living organisms
b.simple transitional forms between early organic compounds and the first living cells
c.have similar genes for energy metabolism to eukaryotes
d.first organisms with the noncyclic pathway of photosynthesis
e.store DNA wrapped around histones, like eukaryotes
f.in eukaryotes, indicated by a mix of bacterial and archaeal traits
g.rocky structures containing fossil remains of photoautotrophic bacteria
h.RNAs that function as enzymes
i.all living organisms descended from this prokaryotic, anaerobic ancestral species
LUCA

Question 54

Which of the following is a rocky,layered structure that forms over time as a mat of aquatic prokaryotic cells traps sediments?  

A) Ozone layer
B) Stromatolite
C) Petroglyphs
D) Stalactites
E) Foraminifera

Question 55

Choose the proper item below for the following statements.
a.Jack Szostak
b.Stanley Miller
c.Kwang Jeon
d.Leslie Orgel
e.Oliver Hardy
He/she conducted the first primitive atmosphere simulation experiment.

Question 56

Choose the most appropriate statement that matches each term.

-composite heritage

A)a substance that occurs only or predominantly in cells of a specific type
B)simple transitional forms between early organic compounds and the first living cells
C)have similar genes for energy metabolism to eukaryotes
D)first organisms with the noncyclic pathway of photosynthesis
E)store DNA wrapped around histones, like eukaryotes
F)in eukaryotes, indicated by a mix of bacterial and archaeal traits
G)dome-shaped fossil remains of photoautotrophic bacteria (some nonfossil structures also form).
H)RNAs that function as enzymes
I)earliest known organism that can be assigned to a modern group

Question 57

Membrane-like structures form when proteins or lipids are mixed with water.They serve as a model for __________,which may have preceded cells.

Question 58

Proteins that speed metabolic reactions might have first formed when reactants began interacting inside tiny holes in rocks near deep-sea __________.

Question 59

Which of the following is the only bacteria to photosynthesize by a pathway that produces oxygen as a by-product?  

A) Eukaryotic bacteria
B) Aerobic bacteria
C) Cyanobacteria
D) Protocells
E) Archeans

Question 60

Choose the proper item below for the following statements.
a.Jack Szostak
b.Stanley Miller
c.Kwang Jeon
d.Leslie Orgel
e.Oliver Hardy
He/she created a laboratory-produced protocell consisting of a fatty acid membrane enclosing a clay particle that has RNA bound to its surface.