Deck 16: Evidence of Evolution

Question 1

Fossils found in the lowest geological strata are generally the most ____.

A)advanced
B)complex
C)primitive
D)widespread
E)specialized

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Who is credited with being the codiscoverer of the theory of natural selection?

A)Alfred Wallace
B)Charles Lyell
C)Thomas Malthus
D)Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
E)Georges Cuvier

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Individuals that are better suited to their environment are likely to have more offspring and pass their genetic material onto future generations. This is referred to as ____.

A)evolutionary success
B)genetic strength
C)fitness
D)inheritance strength
E)survival

Answer 3

C

Question 4

On his voyage, Darwin observed similarities between fossils of the extinct armored glyptodonts and modern armadillos. This observation led him to reason that ____.

A)glyptodons became extinct at the same time as the dinosaurs
B)evolution occurred primarily by artificial selection
C)the current landscape of the Earth was sculpted over millions of years
D)glyptodons were ancient relatives of armadillos
E)acquired traits are passed from parents to offspring

Question 5

​When examining the fossil record, organisms most closely related to living species will be found ____.

A)​in the topmost layers
B)​in the lowest layers
C)​on the Earth's exposed surface
D)​as trace fossils only
E)​on shorelines

Question 6

Suppose that a dinosaur's footprints were preserved, but that its body was not fossilized upon its death. Evidence of the existence of this organism is provided by which type of fossil?

A)false
B)impression
C)indented
D)trace
E)print

Question 7

According to Darwin, natural selection is based on the ____ found in populations.

A)acquired characters
B)variations
C)weakest members
D)noncompetitors
E)similarities

Question 8

Through ____, a body part of an ancestor is modified differently in different lines of descent.

A)morphological divergence
B)adaptive divergence
C)morphological convergence
D)homologous evolution
E)natural selection

Question 9

Which habitat is most likely to be rich in fossils?

A)eroding hillsides
B)deserts
C)polar ice caps
D)bed of former shallow sea
E)rocky plateau

Question 10

Thomas Malthus proposed that ____.

A)species gradually improved over generations because of an inherent drive toward perfection
B)humans reproduce beyond the capacity of their environment to sustain them
C)the food supply and populations multiplied at the same rate
D)artificial selection was the key to evolution
E)natural selection was the key to evolution

Question 11

-Similarities between flightless birds such as the emu, rhea, and ostrich provide ____ support for evolution.?

A)morphological
B)biochemical
C)genetic
D)biogeographical
E)statistical

Question 12

We are currently in the ____.

A)Archaean eon
B)Proterozoic eon
C)Paleozoic era
D)Mesozoic era
E)Cenozoic era

Question 13

Possible evolutionary relationships, when determined solely by the study of comparative morphology, may be incorrect due to ____.

A)morphological divergence
B)morphological convergence
C)adaptive radiation
D)extinction
E)homology

Question 14

What popular belief of the time did Lyell's theory of uniformity challenge?

A)Fossils are not evidence of extinct species.
B)The Earth is only 6,000 years old.
C)The Earth does not change over time.
D)Species do not change over time.
E)All animals exist in perfect form.

Question 15

When nineteenth century scientists compared desert plants, differences in their ____ indicated that these plants could not be as closely related as might otherwise be thought.

A)​appearance
B)​spines
C)​stems
D)​specific habitats
E)​reproductive parts

Question 16

Which naturalist proposed that many species that once existed are now extinct?

A)Cuvier
B)Lamarck
C)Darwin
D)Malthus
E)Wallace

Question 17

Homologous structures share ____.​

A)​function
B)​all the same bones
C)​ancestry
D)​size
E)​shape

Question 18

​While the same genes direct development in all vertebrate lineages, the ____ is partially responsible for variations in the adult forms of vertebrates.

A)​timing of developmental steps
B)​selective deletion of Hox genes
C)​global duplication of Hox genes
D)​a specific environmental trigger
E)​mitochondrial gene expression

Question 19

Locations where molten rock ruptures a tectonic plate are called ____.

A)hot spots
B)faults
C)ridges
D)weak spots
E)trenches

Question 20

Which organism is most likely to be preserved as a fossil?

A)a jellyfish
B)a shelled arthropod
C)an earthworm
D)a nematode
E)a protistan such as an amoeba

Question 21

​Most major groups of animals had appeared on Earth by the ____ period.

A)​Triassic
B)​Carboniferous
C)​Cambrian
D)​Devonian
E)​Cretaceous

Question 22

Naturalists were puzzled when they observed body parts with no apparent function. This observation led them to question which traditional theory?

A)evolution by natural selection
B)environmental trait selection
C)the great chain of being
D)competition from limited resources
E)survival of the fittest

Question 23

Certain species have weaker fossil records because they ____.

A)persisted for a long time
B)had hard body parts
C)were concentrated in one geological area
D)lived in dense populations
E)had a widespread distribution

Question 24

​A(n) ____ forms from the movement of a tectonic plate over a hot spot.

A)​archipelago
B)​fault
C)​ridge
D)​trench
E)​volcano

Question 25

The fossil record is incomplete because ____.

A)only aquatic organisms were preserved as fossils
B)organisms tend to decay before becoming fossilized
C)invertebrates are preferentially preserved over vertebrates
D)geological processes help to preserve some, but not all, fossils
E)organisms that were widely distributed generated fewer fossils

Question 26

According to the theory of ____, molten rock emanates from the edge of a plate on the Earth's crust, pushing rock on the other side into a trench.

A)uniformity
B)plate tectonics
C)hot spots
D)fault line rupture
E)biogeography

Question 27

While in the Galapagos Islands, Darwin noticed that finches had developed unique traits that suited them to their particular island habitat. This is an example of a(n) ____.

A)artificially selected trait
B)acquired trait
C)analogous structure
D)adaptive trait
E)homologous structure

Question 28

While related species do share similar genomes, it is the diversity in genes that makes them phenotypically different. How do most genes change and lead to species diversity?

A)deletions only
B)additions only
C)translocations only
D)any type of mutation
E)substitutions only

Question 29

Darwin was influenced by a concept that is attributable to Charles Lyell. Which concept is this?

A)The geological history of Earth is a series of catastrophes.
B)Acquired characteristics can be inherited.
C)Natural selection operates on the tremendous variation found in nature.
D)All life forms are part of a great chain of being.
E)Gradual geologic forces formed Earth's current landscape.

Question 30

Which species would be considered more primitive based upon the structure of their limbs?

A)bats
B)stem reptiles
C)porpoises
D)penguins
E)birds

Question 31

​Carbon isotope dating is useful in studying the history of life because ____.

A)​the ratio of ¹⁴C to ¹²C in living organisms changed at key geological events
B)​12C decays at a set rate based on a set time scale
C)​14C is incorporated into fossil remains only
D)​carbon is only incorporated into living organisms
E)carbon is lost uniformly once an organism dies

Question 32

Which group of animals is an example of morphological convergence?

A)sharks, penguins, and porpoises
B)panthers and tigers
C)apes and monkeys
D)sharks, skates, and rays
E)mice, rats, and gerbils

Question 33

-The three birds in the accompanying figure look similar because of their ____.

A)shared ancestry only
B)morphological convergence only
C)analogous structures only
D)analogous structures and morphological convergence
E)shared ancestry and analogous structures

Question 34

The study of body plans and structures among groups of organisms is called ____.

A)homologous structures
B)analogous structures
C)comparative morphology
D)morphological convergence
E)morphological divergence

Question 35

Life probably originated during which geologic time?

A)Archaean
B)Cenozoic
C)Mesozoic
D)Carboniferous
E)Pennsylvanian

Question 36

Which naturalist believed that environmental pressures caused the development of heritable changes in an individual's body?​

A)​Cuvier
B)​Darwin
C)​Lamarck
D)​Wallace
E)​Lyell

Question 37

Which term refers to the study of the patterns in the distribution of plants and animals around the world?

A)natural selection
B)biogeography
C)ecology
D)archaeology
E)comparative morphology

Question 38

Radiometric dating of the most ancient fossils involves ____.

A)dating volcanic rocks above and below the fossil-containing layer of sedimentary rock
B)calculating the ratio of ¹⁴C to ¹²C in a sample of the fossil
C)counting the rings of trees found with the fossils
D)comparison of unknown fossils with fossils of known age
E)transmission of radio waves through the fossil

Question 39

A naturalist is studying morphological patterns that are shared between species in two temperate rainforests that are located on different continents. This is an example of which field of study?

A)biomorphology
B)comparative ecology
C)biological geology
D)comparative geography
E)biogeography

Question 40

In any population, some individuals have forms of traits that make them better suited to their environment than others. This is referred to as a(n) ____ trait.

A)selective
B)healthy
C)advantaged
D)adaptive
E)competitive

Question 41

Most scientists believe that the dinosaurs went extinct due to ____.

A)runaway global warming
B)competition from early mammals
C)a meteorite impact
D)a pandemic disease
E)unknown causes

Question 42

The large land mass that contained all the continents 240 million years ago was called ____.

A)Laurasia
B)Pangea
C)Gondwana
D)Atlantis
E)Africa

Question 43

Match the statements with one of the geologic times listed below.
a.Carboniferous
b.Cretaceous
c.Ordovician
d.Pleistocene
e.Triassic
first land plants appear

Question 44

The age of fossils can be determined by radiometric dating. Match the following terms with the best descriptions. Note that all options may not be used.
a.¹²C
b.¹⁴C
c.5730 years
d.¹⁴C to ¹²C ratio
e.half-life
f.decay
This isotope decays.

Question 45

The presence of iridium in the K-Pg boundary layer is evidence of ____.

A)a crater
B)a meteorite impact
C)a period of planetary cooling
D)dinosaur life
E)sedimentary rock

Question 46

The study of early life stages has revealed the conservation of the genes responsible for ____.

A)food procurement
B)reproductive behavior
C)embryonic development
D)size
E)intelligence

Question 47

Match the description with the correct term.
a.fault
b.trench
c.ridge
d.hot spot
e.plate tectonics
where molten rock ruptures a tectonic plate

Question 48

Match the statements with one of the geologic times listed below.
a.Carboniferous
b.Cretaceous
c.Ordovician
d.Pleistocene
e.Triassic
high O₂ levels promote the emergence of giant arthropods

Question 49

The age of fossils can be determined by radiometric dating. Match the following terms with the best descriptions. Note that all options may not be used.
a.¹²C
b.¹⁴C
c.5730 years
d.¹⁴C to ¹²C ratio
e.half-life
f.decay
This is the time it takes for half of a quantity of any radioisotope to decay.

Question 50

​The K-Pg boundary is found at the end of the_____ period.

A)​Triassic
B)​Carboniferous
C)​Cambrian
D)​Devonian
E)​Cretaceous

Question 51

Match the description with the correct term.
a.fault
b.trench
c.ridge
d.hot spot
e.plate tectonics
when molten rock wells up from Earth's interior and pushes tectonic plates

Question 52

Match the description with the correct term.
a.fault
b.trench
c.ridge
d.hot spot
e.plate tectonics
where the advancing edge of one plate plows under an adjacent plate and buckles it

Question 53

During which epoch did the first major extinction occur?

A)Eocene
B)Oligocene
C)Miocene
D)Pleistocene
E)Ordovician

Question 54

Radioactive decay is influenced solely by ____.

A)temperature
B)time
C)pressure
D)moisture
E)chemical bonding state

Question 55

Match the description with the correct term.
a.fault
b.trench
c.ridge
d.hot spot
e.plate tectonics
theory that Earth's outer layer of rock is cracked into plates that slowly move over time
​

Question 56

The age of fossils can be determined by radiometric dating. Match the following terms with the best descriptions. Note that all options may not be used.
a.¹²C
b.¹⁴C
c.5730 years
d.¹⁴C to ¹²C ratio
e.half-life
f.decay
This isotope remains stable.

Question 57

Match the description with the correct term.
a.fault
b.trench
c.ridge
d.hot spot
e.plate tectonics
ruptures in Earth's crust where plates meet

Question 58

The age of fossils can be determined by radiometric dating. Match the following terms with the best descriptions. Note that all options may not be used.
a.¹²C
b.¹⁴C
c.5730 years
d.¹⁴C to ¹²C ratio
e.half-life
f.decay
A decaying carbon isotope becomes this form of carbon.

Question 59

The age of fossils can be determined by radiometric dating. Match the following terms with the best descriptions. Note that all options may not be used.
a.¹²C
b.¹⁴C
c.5730 years
d.¹⁴C to ¹²C ratio
e.half-life
f.decay
This can be measured to determine the age of a fossil.

Question 60

The wings of a bird and the wings of a butterfly are ____ and show morphological ____.

A)homologous; convergence
B)analogous; convergence
C)homologous; divergence
D)analogous; divergence
E)similar; evolution

Question 61

Match the statements with one of the geologic times listed below.
a.Carboniferous
b.Cretaceous
c.Ordovician
d.Pleistocene
e.Triassic
mammals first appear

Question 62

Match the statements with one of the geologic times listed below.
a.Carboniferous
b.Cretaceous
c.Ordovician
d.Pleistocene
e.Triassic
flowering plants originate

Question 63

What is natural selection?

Question 64

Match the statements with one of the geologic times listed below.
a.Carboniferous
b.Cretaceous
c.Ordovician
d.Pleistocene
e.Triassic
dinosaurs and turtles first appear

Question 65

Match the statements with one of the geologic times listed below.
a.Carboniferous
b.Cretaceous
c.Ordovician
d.Pleistocene
e.Triassic
modern humans appear

Question 66

Match the statements with one of the geologic times listed below.
a.Carboniferous
b.Cretaceous
c.Ordovician
d.Pleistocene
e.Triassic
extinction event at end led to demise of dinosaurs

Question 67

How does carbon-14 dating work?

Question 68

Zircon crystals form from volcanic rock. The age of zircon crystals can be precisely measured. What, exactly, is measured in zircon crystals that allows dating of the volcanic rock?

Question 69

Why are the master genes of embryonic development so highly conserved?