Deck 17: The Macroevolutionary Puzzle

Question 1

Cuvier, an anatomist and paleontologist, proposed that

A)all present-day organisms have descended, with adaptations, from one-or possibly a few-original organisms.
B)the earth's history has been marked by several periods when destruction of populations was widespread and that, after each such period, the earth was repopulated.
C)evolutionary changes in organisms are caused by use and disuse.
D)although evolution is responsible for all the changes that happen to species, one center of creation resulted in the original members of each species.
E)none of these are true.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Lamarck's contribution to the theory of evolution is the concept of

A)natural selection.
B)catastrophism.
C)inheritance of acquired characteristics.
D)mutation.
E)geographic distribution of organisms.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to Lamarck, the characteristics of organisms change because of

A)chance.
B)an innate drive for perfection.
C)extinction of competitors.
D)special acts of creation.
E)genetic mutation.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The study of the distribution of animals and plants around the world is

A)diversity.
B)biogeography.
C)ecology.
D)natural history.
E)environmentalism.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is NOT true about asteroids?

A)They have had little influence on the history of life.
B)They do not emit light and are difficult to see.
C)Their impacts have produced craters visible in satellite images.
D)One asteroid impacted our planet just prior to the mass extinctions at the K-T boundary.
E)An asteroid impact releases an enormous quantity of energy.

Question 6

__________ is the study of body plans and structures among groups of organisms.

A)Embryology
B)Molecular archeology
C)Evolution
D)Comparative morphology
E)Composition

Question 7

The distribution of different organisms over the surface of the earth

A)offers evidence for evolution.
B)provides evidence for a single center of evolution.
C)appears to be simply a matter of chance.
D)is not affected by biogeographical features.
E)is primarily the result of human activities.

Question 8

Scientists began to question the perfection of the Chain of Being because of

A)the discovery of new organisms in new parts of the world.
B)the presence of body parts with no apparent function in some organisms.
C)the existence of fossil forms.
D)similarities in the structures found in different forms of life.
E)all of these.

Question 9

Fossils found in the lowest geological strata are generally the most

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

Question 10

The oldest fossils

A)demonstrate the widest distribution.
B)represent the most highly evolved organisms.
C)are found buried deeper in the ground than more modern forms.
D)are found in Africa.
E)are primitive marine vertebrates.

Question 11

Large, flightless, long-necked birds

A)are native to three continents.
B)inhabit flat, open grasslands.
C)closely resemble each other in morphology and behavior.
D)occur at about the same distance from the equator.
E)fit all of these descriptions.

Question 12

The theory of catastrophism

A)was proposed by Lyell.
B)indicates that a series of disasters necessitated separate acts of creation to replace species that became extinct.
C)states that one worldwide disaster led to massive extinction and subsequent replacement by a new creation.
D)held that after geologic events caused extinctions, the world was repopulated by the surviving species.
E)has absolutely no basis in fact because extinctions just happen with no apparent patterns.

Question 13

People embracing the idea of the great Chain of Being did NOT believe in which of the following?

A)Spiritual beings were a part of the Chain.
B)All life forms were created at one time.
C)Organisms could appear, disappear, or move up and down the Chain.
D)Each species was "fixed" at creation.
E)Once every link was discovered, the meaning of life would be known.

Question 14

In the nineteenth century, prevailing beliefs came into conflict with findings from all of these EXCEPT

A)biogeography.
B)comparative morphology.
C)the fossil record.
D)plate tectonics.
E)global exploration.

Question 15

The great Chain of Being developed from ideas written many centuries earlier by

A)Aristotle.
B)Darwin.
C)Linnaeus.
D)Cuvier.
E)Wallace.

Question 16

The word "evolution" as used in biology literally means

A)natural selection.
B)genetic drift.
C)divergence.
D)change.
E)mutation.

Question 17

Barringer Crater in Arizona was formed when a 300,000-ton asteroid slammed into Earth 50,000 years ago.Which of the following is true about this event?

A)It hit so early that it had little influence on the history of life.
B)This one produced about 150 times the energy of the bomb that hit Hiroshima.
C)Its impact produced a minor crater.
D)Scientists recently disproved that an asteroid impacted our planet just prior to the mass extinctions at the K-T boundary.
E)An asteroid impact releases only minor amounts of energy.

Question 18

There is NO convincing fossil evidence for which of the following?

A)evolution
B)extinction
C)change
D)catastrophism
E)uniformitarianism

Question 19

Which of the following statements is true?

A)The fossil record supports Cuvier's theory of catastrophism.
B)According to the theory of catastrophism, more species were alive at the beginning of the world than are now present.
C)According to the theory of catastrophism, new species developed out of the survivors of the catastrophes.
D)The theory of catastrophism was based upon observable responses that organisms made to catastrophes.
E)According to catastrophism there were several distinct periods of creation following each catastrophe.

Question 20

Fossils

A)are found in underground layers of rock.
B)are distributed underground, with the oldest forms near the top.
C)have more complex structures the deeper they are buried.
D)are the same throughout the world no matter where they are found.
E)that are most like living organisms are found deepest in the ground.

Question 21

The place Darwin visited on his trip around the world that had the greatest impact on his thinking was

A)the Canary Islands.
B)Africa.
C)the Hawaiian Islands.
D)the Galápagos Islands.
E)Brazil.

Question 22

Darwin's finches are found on the __________ Islands.

A)Galápagos
B)Canary
C)Philippine
D)Hawaiian
E)Aleutian

Question 23

The operation of natural selection depends upon the fact that

A)the strong always survive, whereas the weak always die.
B)some individuals have a better chance to produce more offspring.
C)mutations are always harmful.
D)acquired characteristics are inherited.
E)reproduction of all members of a species is virtually the same.

Question 24

Darwin pondered which of the following questions most heavily after his return to England?

A)What could explain the great numbers of species?
B)Does fossil evidence support the theory of uniformity?
C)Are the extinct and living armadillos the same species?
D)Did Galápagos finches have a common mainland ancestor?
E)Will natural selection work in England?

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a factor involved in the theory of evolution?

A)Organisms reproduce beyond the limits of the environment that supports them.
B)Food supplies keep pace with the growth of populations feeding upon them.
C)Traits have a heritable basis.
D)There is much variation in the characteristics of organisms making up a population.
E)Some traits are more adaptive than others.

Question 26

Glyptodonts are fossil forms that resemble

A)ostriches.
B)armadillos.
C)kangaroos.
D)turtles.
E)sloths.

Question 27

Which of the following has no part in today's concept of natural selection?

A)inheritance of acquired characteristics
B)competition for limited resources
C)inherited variation
D)overproduction of offspring
E)survival of the best adapted

Question 28

Darwin's mentor, who obtained a position on H.M.S.Beagle for Darwin, was

A)Alfred Wallace.
B)John Henslow.
C)Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.
D)Georges Cuvier.
E)Charles Lyell.

Question 29

Thomas Malthus proposed that

A)the food supply increased faster than the population.
B)the population increased faster than the food supply.
C)the food supply and population increased at the same rate.
D)artificial selection was the key to evolution.
E)natural selection was the key to evolution.

Question 30

Charles Darwin

A)studied to be a physician.
B)studied to become a clergyman.
C)pursued his interests in natural history.
D)did all of these.
E)did none of these.

Question 31

Natural selection operates to produce changes in

A)individuals.
B)populations.
C)kingdoms.
D)phyla.
E)animals only.

Question 32

Which theory was helpful to Darwin in the formulation of his theory of evolution?

A)catastrophism
B)inheritance of acquired characteristics
C)uniformitarianism
D)continental drift
E)special creationism

Question 33

The most important evidence that Darwin used to develop his theory of natural selection came from

A)the Argentine pampas.
B)his boyhood neighborhood in England.
C)the Galápagos Islands.
D)Australia and New Zealand.
E)South America.

Question 34

The value to Darwin of Lyell's ideas on the geologic history of the earth was the

A)evidence from fossils.
B)record of catastrophic changes that encouraged evolution.
C)confirmation of Lamarck's theories.
D)enormous lengths of time required for geologic events.
E)proof of several sites of creation.

Question 35

Which of the following was NOT one of Darwin's observations?

A)Most individuals have an equal chance to survive and reproduce.
B)Changes in populations are gradual and take place over long periods of time.
C)Members of the same species may exhibit considerable variation.
D)Some characteristics are heritable and passed on to offspring.
E)Some characteristics afford their possessor a better chance of survival.

Question 36

Which of the following evolve?

A)populations
B)genera
C)kingdoms
D)both populations and genera
E)populations, genera, and kingdoms

Question 37

Lamarck believed

A)that a substance called fluida moved through the nerves to areas of the body in need of change.
B)in the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
C)that giraffes' necks elongated in response to stretching.
D)that environmental pressures bring about changes in organisms.
E)all of these were true.

Question 38

Which of the following would be a modern example of Lamarckianism?

A)A strain of houseflies resistant to insecticides emerges.
B)Squirrels separated by a river are found to be unable to interbreed.
C)A son is born with a portion of his right index finger missing-the same portion that was severed from his father's hand in an accident.
D)A strain of houseflies resistant to insecticides emerges, and squirrels separated by a river are found to be unable to interbreed.
E)A strain of houseflies resistant to insecticides emerges; squirrels separated by a river are found to be unable to interbreed, and a son is born with a portion of his right index finger missing-the same portion that was cut off from his father's hand in an accident.

Question 39

One part of Darwin's theory is that individuals with certain traits have an increased competitive edge.The source of these traits is

A)adaptation to stress.
B)development over a lifetime.
C)inheritance.
D)mutation after birth.
E)all of these.

Question 40

The feature of Darwin's finches that shows variation is

A)feet.
B)beaks.
C)feathers.
D)structure of eggs.
E)all of these.

Question 41

Alfred Wallace

A)conducted extensive fieldwork in the Amazon River Basin.
B)wrote letters to Darwin and Lyell about patterns in the geographic distribution of species.
C)is known as the "father of biogeography."
D)independently formulated a theory of natural selection.
E)did all of these.

Question 42

Which of the following habitats is most likely to be rich in fossils?

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

Question 43

Which of the following organisms would you expect to find preserved as a fossil?

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

Question 44

The person credited with being the co-discoverer of evolution by natural selection was

A)Alfred Wallace.
B)Charles Lyell.
C)Thomas Malthus.
D)James Hutton.
E)John Henslow.

Question 45

Which of the following statements is false?

A)Many fossils have not been discovered, whereas others may have been destroyed.
B)Some types of organisms are more likely to be preserved than others.
C)Pressure and mineralization lead to fossil formation.
D)Aerobic environments favor fossilization.
E)Most fossils form in sedimentary rock.

Question 46

Fossils include

A)skeletons.
B)shells.
C)seeds.
D)tracks.
E)all of these.

Question 47

The fossil record is incomplete because

A)very few organisms were preserved as fossils.
B)organisms tend to decay before becoming a fossil.
C)animals with hard parts are preserved more easily.
D)geologic processes may destroy fossils.
E)all of these are true.