Deck 11: Evidence for Evolution

Question 1

Neanderthal fossils

A) are likely to be found in layers above human fossils.
B) are likely to be found in layers below human fossils.
C) provide evidence of artificial selection during ancient times.
D) disprove evolutionary theory because they are not ancestors of humans.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Breeding programs for farm-raised chickens result in a variety of unusual colors and feathers.Is this an example of evolution?

A) No; domesticated animals do not undergo evolution.
B) No; evolution occurs over long periods of time and cannot be observed.
C) Yes; chickens that are better adapted to the environment will survive and breed.
D) Yes; the change in chicken coloration is a genetic change in the population over time.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Natural selection

A) is the principle cause of extinctions.
B) is the principle cause of evolutionary change.
C) occurs only in gametes.
D) cannot occur without genetic drift.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following statements about evolution is true?

A) Evolution only results in the addition of traits to existing organisms.
B) Evolution only results in the loss of traits from existing organisms.
C) Evolution can result in the addition or loss of traits in existing organisms.
D) Evolution has nothing to do with the addition or loss of traits.

Question 5

What is biological evolution?

A) the process of direct observation of the fossil record
B) adaptations to common descent over time
C) the unchanging nature of life on Earth
D) change in the inherited characteristics of a group of organisms over generations

Question 6

Cultivation of corn over thousands of years has resulted in a modern corncob that looks very different from the tiny ancestral cob.Does this support the concept of evolution?

A) No; the change in corn was accidental and does not demonstrate the process of evolution.
B) Yes; the change in corn is an example of natural selection and demonstrates the process of evolution.
C) No; artificial selection is driven by humans rather than natural selection and does not demonstrate what occurs in the wild.
D) Yes; artificial selection demonstrates that evolution can occur,even though the driving force was humans rather than natural selection.

Question 7

Two fossils are found in a hillside.Fossil A was found in an upper layer and fossil B was found in a lower layer.Which of the following statements is true?

A) A likely evolved from B.
B) B likely evolved from A.
C) A is likely the oldest of these fossils.
D) B is likely the oldest of these fossils.

Question 8

Which of the following statements regarding the evolutionary history of an organism is FALSE?

A) Predictions of evolutionary relatedness based on fossil records often agree with predictions based on continental drift.
B) Predictions of evolutionary relatedness based on fossil evidence often agree with those based on protein sequences.
C) Predictions of evolutionary relatedness based on DNA usually contradict those based on anatomical evidence.
D) Predictions based on DNA sequences provide the strongest evidence that two organisms are related.

Question 9

Humans simulate the process of natural selection when they use ________ to develop new varieties of crop plants that better meet the needs of farmers.

A) artificial selection
B) gene flow
C) habitat changes
D) continental drift

Question 10

Natural selection tends to

A) increase the commonality of characteristics that enhance survival and reproduction.
B) decrease the number of individuals in any given population.
C) lead to an increase in genetic drift.
D) decrease the likelihood of adaptation.

Question 11

The result of ________ over evolutionary time spans is that alleles that allow organisms to survive and reproduce at a higher rate than other individuals become more common in the population.

A) natural selection
B) artificial selection
C) homology
D) gene flow

Question 12

A group of scientists proposed that mammals with fur that contrasts with their background are hunted more by predators than mammals with fur that blends in with their background.After running several experiments,the scientists found that dark mice were attacked 25 percent of the time in a dark habitat and 75 percent of the time in a light habitat.The light-colored mice were attacked 25 percent of the time in a light habitat and 75 percent of the time in a dark habitat.These data

A) support the hypothesis because dark-colored mice are attacked more often in both light and dark environments.
B) support the hypothesis because dark-colored mice were attacked more in light environments and light-colored mice were attacked more in dark environments.
C) do not support the hypothesis because although dark-colored mice are captured more often in light environments,they are also captured more often in dark environments.
D) do not support the hypothesis because light-colored mice are attacked more often in both light and dark environments.

Question 13

Peppered moths are generally light in color and blend into the trunks of the trees on which they live.Populations of peppered moths found in areas where soot has blackened the tree trunks are dark in color.This example demonstrates

A) artificial selection.
B) natural selection.
C) genetic drift.
D) vestigial coloration.

Question 14

One of the reasons scientists have had so much difficulty finding a cure for HIV/AIDS is that the HIV virus is quick to evolve resistance to the drugs used to treat it.What is the most likely mechanism for this type of evolution?

A) Certain versions of the virus persist longer in the presence of a drug than others.Those viruses may survive drug treatment and pass their genes to their offspring.
B) Every time an HIV drug is taken,it randomly kills off most but not all virus particles.Those that survive repopulate the body of their host.
C) Although all copies of a particular strain of the HIV virus are identical,some are better at "hiding" in regions of the body that drugs cannot reach,and those viruses "teach" their offspring where to hide.
D) Some versions of the HIV virus produce chemicals that break down the drugs before they can harm the virus.

Question 15

Bears have thinner bones than whales.Hippopotami have intermediate bone thickness.What hypothesis does this support?

A) Hippopotami live in dense,murky waterways.
B) Whales and bears both evolved from hippopotami.
C) Hippopotami spend part of their time living in water and part living on land.
D) Hippopotami are an intermediate species in the evolutionary lineage between whales and bears.

Question 16

Fossils found in deeper layers are ________ than fossils found in more shallow layers.

A) older
B) younger
C) more informative
D) less informative

Question 17

Equus (horses)have a single toe on their hoof,while Hyracotherium (the ancestor to horses)had four toes.Which of the following evidence would support this conclusion?

A) a transition fossil that has one toe
B) an Equus fossil that has four toes
C) a transition fossil that has three toes
D) a Hyracotherium fossil that has one toe

Question 18

The fossils of Pakicetus,Ambulocetus,Rodhocetus,and Dorudon are examples of ________,demonstrating the fifteen million years of evolution between Indohyus and Balaena (modern baleen whale).

A) adaptive traits
B) transitional fossils
C) homologous traits
D) analogous traits

Question 19

The fossil record

A) proves that all known species of organisms appeared at the same time.
B) contains strong evidence that major new groups of organisms arose from previously existing organisms.
C) indicates that humans date back as far as the first indications of life.
D) has often been artificially created by evolutionary biologists.

Question 20

Evolution is

A) not supported by scientific evidence.
B) strongly supported by scientific evidence.
C) not supported by the fossil record.
D) too obscure to study.

Question 21

The following image shows genetic comparisons of human,chicken,mouse,and chimpanzee.The shaded regions show nucleotide differences.This data supports that ________ are more closely related to ________ than to ________.

A) humans; mice; chickens
B) humans; mice; chimpanzees
C) chickens; mice; chimpanzees
D) chickens; chimpanzees; mice

Question 22

The proteins and DNA of organisms that share a recent common ancestor are ________ the proteins and DNA of organisms that do not share a recent common ancestor.

A) more similar than
B) less similar than
C) identical to
D) homologous to

Question 23

Although snakes and dogs are different species,they both have a bony vertebral column surrounding and protecting the nerve cord running down the center of their back.This column of bone is an example of a ________ trait and evidence of snakes and dogs sharing a common ________.

A) analogous; descent
B) vestigial; ancestor
C) homologous; ancestor
D) vestigial; descent

Question 24

Whale DNA is more similar to hippo DNA than to the DNA of any other mammal.This indicates that

A) whales descended from hippos.
B) hippos descended from whales.
C) hippos are whales' closest living relatives.
D) whales and hippos may be the same species.

Question 25

Pangaea is

A) the process of continental drift.
B) the combined fossil record of ancient species.
C) an ancient,giant continent.
D) the result of natural selection.

Question 26

The fact that small,nonfunctioning hind legs are found in the skeletons of many snakes suggests that snakes

A) are in the process of evolving legs.
B) evolved from organisms with legs.
C) are really populations of lizards with severe mutation in limb development.
D) evolved from eels (snakelike fish).

Question 27

The hands of a human and the hands of a chimpanzee are similar in structure because humans

A) and chimpanzees share a recent common ancestor.
B) evolved from chimpanzees.
C) and chimpanzees evolved from different organisms that lived in similar environments.
D) artificially selected for chimpanzees with hands during domestication.

Question 28

Fossils of organisms that lived on Pangaea are likely found

A) mainly in Africa.
B) mainly in Eurasia.
C) mainly in South America.
D) widely dispersed throughout the world.

Question 29

In the figure below,the region at the lower right indicated by the arrow is the only modern-day location of the freshwater lungfish.Fossils of the ancestors of the lungfish,however,have been found all over the world (dots throughout the map).What does the distribution of these fossils indicate?

A) When Pangaea separated to form smaller continents,the living ancestors of the lungfish were separated.When they died,some of them formed fossils in their new lands.
B) The same species of lungfish evolved on all of Earth's major landmasses after continental drift had stopped.
C) The ancestors of the lungfish existed on Pangaea.After they died,some were fossilized.Their fossils were separated by continental drift.
D) Lungfish were much more successful in the climates of North America than they were in the climates of South America.

Question 30

The diagram below shows the bone structure of a whale flipper and a bat wing.Which of the following suggests that these two structures are homologous rather than analogous?

A) Both the flipper and the wing contain five fingerlike bone projections.
B) The flipper is formed from the entire front appendage of the whale,but the wing is only formed from the hand part of the front appendage of the bat.
C) The bones that form the five fingerlike projections in the flipper have much thicker bones than the bones that form these projections in the bat.
D) The flipper of the whale contains more bones than the wing of the bat.

Question 31

Two fossils of the same species are found in both Africa and South America.What does this indicate?

A) This organism evolved after the separation of Pangaea.
B) This organism evolved before the separation of Pangaea.
C) The fossil from South America evolved from the organism from Africa.
D) The fossil from Africa evolved from the organism from South America.

Question 32

How closely related two DNA molecules,and the organisms from which they came,are is measured through

A) vestigial traits.
B) DNA sequence similarity.
C) homologous traits.
D) amino acids.

Question 33

Two different species may have similar features because of

A) continental drift.
B) the fossil record.
C) artificial selection.
D) descent from a common ancestor.

Question 34

Whales and Indohyus share a more recent common ancestor than whales and fish.Which of the following is true?

A) Whales,fish,and Indohyus will all have the same amount of genetic similarities.
B) Whales and Indohyus will have more similarities in their DNA than whales and fish.
C) Whales and fish will have more similarities in their DNA than whales and Indohyus.
D) Fish and Indohyus will have more similarities in their DNA than fish and whales.

Question 35

Examine the figure below.According to this figure,which two breeds have the LEAST similar DNA?

A) Gun dog and Borzoi
B) Gun dog and Spaniels
C) Gun dogs and Scent hounds
D) Sight hounds and Scent hounds

Question 36

A species of cave beetle that lives in total darkness is blind but has remnants of what looks like eyes.These "eyes" are

A) vestigial.
B) homologous.
C) analogous.
D) convergent.

Question 37

When comparing certain amino acid sequences in the protein hemoglobin of humans to those of other animals,scientists found that baboons had seven amino acids that were different than the human protein,dogs had 10 amino acids that were different than the human protein,gorillas had one amino acid that was different than the human protein,and lemurs had eight amino acids that were different than the human protein.Which of these animals is most closely related to humans?

A) baboon
B) dog
C) lemur
D) gorilla

Question 38

Both humans and whales evolved from a common ancestor.Although our forelimbs are quite different,they are made of the same bones.This is an example of a(n)

A) artificial selection.
B) homologous structure.
C) transition fossil.
D) vestigial structure.

Question 39

Kangaroos are found only in Australia; these organisms

A) have few adaptive qualities.
B) have a narrow biogeography.
C) evolved few vestigial structures.
D) evolved before the separation of Pangaea.

Question 40

Whales have tiny thighbones embedded in the skin next to their pelvis.This is an example of

A) fossilization.
B) genetic drift.
C) a vestigial structure.
D) an analogous structure.

Question 41

The increase in antibiotic resistance in E.coli as a result of treating healthy animals with antibiotics is an example of ________ driving evolution.

Question 42

The human appendix is an example of a(n)________ structure.

Question 43

The ________ would have DNA most similar to the Borzoi.

Question 44

The fossils of organisms that existed when the continents were connected are distributed across ________ continents than the fossils of organisms that evolved after the continents separated.

A) more
B) fewer
C) older
D) younger

Question 45

The evolution of new organs usually builds on preexisting structures that are modified in form and sometimes function.The embryos of fish,amphibians,reptiles,birds,and mammals all have pharyngeal pouches or gill slits.These pouches develop into gills in adult fish and they are used to absorb oxygen from their watery environment.These same pouches become parts of the ________ in humans.

A) lungs and heart
B) eyes and nose
C) ear and throat
D) eyes and lungs

Question 46

The genus Lycopodium includes plants that evolved before the breakup of Pangaea.The genus Sequoiadendron (Sequoia trees)evolved after Pangaea split into separate landmasses.Which genus would you expect to have the widest distribution of living representatives across the modern continents?

A) Lycopodium
B) Sequoiadendron
C) Both should be equally distributed.
D) Both should be extinct.

Question 47

Grasshopper mice prey on venomous scorpions.Though the mice have some level of resistance to the scorpion venom,scorpions with more potent venom are better able to fend off attack by a grasshopper mouse.Over time,the population of scorpions all produce more potent venom.This is an example of ________ selection.

Question 48

Tails are found

A) in all embryos.
B) only in adults and begin forming late in development.
C) only in embryos of organisms that will have a tail as adults.
D) in embryos of a wide variety of organisms,some of which have a tail as adults and others do not.

Question 49

Consider the experimental design presented in the infographic below.What is the significance of growing the populations at 42.2^oC? The increased growth temperature serves as a method of

A) natural selection.
B) common ancestry.
C) direct mutation of DNA.
D) artificial selection.

Question 50

By 200 million years ago,parts of the supercontinent of Pangaea had begun to drift away from each other.Laurasia (North America and Eurasia)separated from Gondwanaland (South America,Africa,Antarctica,Australia,and India).Which of the following would you expect to find?

A) Plants and animals (and fossils)in North America and Europe and Asia would be dramatically similar.
B) There would be little resemblance between the fossils of plants and animals found in South America and Africa.
C) There would be greater similarity between the plants and animals of Asia and Antarctica than between those of Asia and Europe.
D) There would be less similarity between the plants and animal of North America and Europe than those between North America and India.

Question 51

Which of the following embryos will look similar to human embryos for the longest?

A) bird
B) cat
C) fish
D) reptile

Question 52

The preserved remains of formerly living organisms are called ________.

Question 53

Dolphin embryos develop hind limb buds,but these buds disappear after a short time.What is one mechanism to explain how this change occurs in the embryo?

A) The hind limbs are not used and atrophy.
B) The dolphin does not have the gene for the production of hind limbs.
C) The hind limbs are not adaptive,and dolphins with hind limbs do not survive as well.
D) Genes that control the development of the embryo turn off the development of the hind limb.

Question 54

Some whales have teeth as embryos but do not as adults.What is the most likely explanation of this phenomenon?

A) Whales are in the process of evolving teeth.
B) Whale teeth appear as the result of a frequently occurring mutation.
C) Whales evolved from organisms that have teeth.
D) The allele for teeth is unusually common in some whale populations.

Question 55

The evolutionary process by which a population becomes better suited to its environment over time because advantageous traits are passed from one generation to the next is called ________.

Question 56

Indohyus's thick bones made it easier for this animal to wade and dive in water to evade predators and find plants to eat on the river bottom.This is an example of a(n)________,a feature that gives an individual improved function in a competitive environment.

Question 57

Human and fish embryos share a number of features.Why is this?

A) Humans and fish share a common ancestor.
B) Embryos of all organisms,plant and animal,look alike.
C) Mutations in human and fish embryos have caused them to look alike.
D) Humans and fish have exactly the same genes,but as they develop,different genes are turned on in fish than in humans.

Question 58

An organism from which more than one species has evolved is referred to as a(n)________.The group of organisms arising from it have a common descent.

Question 59

Humans bred cows specialized for milk production by allowing female cows that produce large quantities of milk to mate only with male cows with mothers that also produced large quantities of milk.This is an example of ________ selection.

Question 60

Why do human embryos develop gill slits?

A) The gill slits become the lungs.
B) The ancestor of humans had gills.
C) This helps the embryo breathe in the womb.
D) This is an unexplained mutation in humans that does not exist in other animals.

Question 61

A population of grasshoppers,ranging in color from bright green to greenish-tan,live in a lush green grassland; their coloring helps to camouflage them in their environment and helps them hide from predators.Over the course of several years,a severe drought kills off the grasses,leaving mostly dry,tan-colored sand and topsoil with sparse green vegetation.Predict what the surviving population of grasshoppers will look like in the changed environment.Explain your answer and indicate which evolutionary process has occurred.

Question 62

Placing a human gene into a plant produces the same protein as would be produced in a human.Some of the genes in plants are similar to human genes; others are very different.What does this information indicate about the relationship between humans and plants?

Question 63

Dana finds a plant on the southeastern coast of North America and a very similar plant on the northwestern coast of Africa.Upon evaluating their DNA sequence similarity,she determines they had a common ancestor.How long ago should Dana predict that the common ancestor existed,and where should she expect to find fossil evidence of it or transitional forms? Support this prediction.

Question 64

The study of organisms prior to birth or hatching is called ________.

Question 65

Briefly propose how it could be possible that the cultivated vegetables Kohlrabi,Brussels sprouts,cabbage,cauliflower,broccoli,and kale are all the same species,Brassica oleracea (common wild mustard).

Question 66

Dolphin embryos have both forelimbs,which will become the flippers,and hind limbs,which will not develop.Explain how this supports the conclusion that dolphins are related to humans.

Question 67

The E.coli populations that survived the selective pressure of growing at the warmer temperatures did so because of ________ present in their DNA.

Question 68

A friend states that "evolution is just a theory because it does not have supporting evidence." Evaluate this statement,including a list of the types of evidence used in drawing your conclusion.

Question 69

Continental drift is the ________ of Earth's landmasses through geologic time.

Question 70

Fish typically have eyes on the sides of their heads.The embryos of amphibians,birds,and mammals begin with their eyes on the sides of their heads,but the eyes move toward the center of the head during development.What does this suggest about the common ancestor of these diverse animals? Provide additional supporting evidence from your reading.

Question 71

Oxygen in the molecules that make up teeth comes from the water and food that an animal ingests.Additionally,carbon isotopes incorporated into the teeth and the shape of teeth can indicate what type of food an animal consumes.What "tooth evidence" would support the hypothesis that Indohyus spent a great deal of its life near or in the water and grazed on plants? Briefly explain your answer.

Question 72

DNA is the genetic (hereditary)material found in all living things on planet Earth.The genetic code is the same for everything from bacteria to plants and humans; this is evidence that the great diversity of life evolved from a ________.

Question 73

The geographic locations where an organism (or its fossils)can be found are described as the species' ________.

Question 74

Dogs have vestigial digits called dewclaws.Describe the most likely origin of these structures.

Question 75

Although they are protected in many countries,humans still hunt elephants for their ivory tusks.A mutation that results in tuskless elephants is increasing in frequency in some elephant populations.Is this an example of artificial or natural selection? Support your answer.

Question 76

Evaluate the DNA sequences presented below to determine which of the organisms (B,C,or D)shares the most closely related ancestor to organism A.Which organism shares the least closely related ancestor to A? Support your answer with DNA sequence similarity evidence from the figure that represents the DNA sequence for a single protein found in all four organisms.

Question 77

Explain how an intermediate fossil can provide evidence for the lineage of current species.

Question 78

Human embryos have webbing between their fingers and toes,but genes turn on during development that cause this webbing to dissolve before birth.Tiktaalik and other early amphibians had lobed fins or limbs.This evidence supports the hypothesis that humans and amphibians had a ________ in fish.

Question 79

A fossil is found in Africa and South America but nowhere else in the world.What does this tell us about this organism?

Question 80

Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when the median nerve in a person's hand is compressed or squeezed,causing pain in the fingers.When the condition is severe enough,a surgeon can correct it by cutting through the transverse carpal ligament that is putting pressure on the nerve; this cutting of the ligament does not adversely affect the person's ability to use his or her hand or fingers.What does this suggest about the trait of having a transverse carpal ligament? Briefly explain your answer.