Deck 15: The Origin and History of Life

Question 1

Ediacaran organisms lived during the _____ period.

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

Answer 1

A

Question 2

It is thought that the first multicellular organisms arose about _____ years ago.

A) 500 million
B) 1.2 billion
C) six billion
D) 3.5 billion
E) three billion

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Evidence supporting the idea that mitochondria and chloroplasts in present-day cells originated as independent organisms includes

A) similarities in size and shape between mitochondria and some bacteria.
B) similarity between photosynthetic pigments in chloroplasts and cyanobacteria.
C) similarities in DNA sequences between mitochondrial and bacterial genomes.
D) similarity in the way mitochondria, chloroplasts, and bacteria reproduce.
E) All of the answer choices are correct.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

The endosymbiont theory proposes that

A) species of engulfed cells, by another species, survived many generations, and then specialized as mitochondria or chloroplasts.
B) cell membranes of ancestral cells folded into complex networks, eventually regulated by the DNA to form cell organelles.
C) liposome lipid bubbles structures responded to progenote molecules, forming functional cell membranes to contain them.
D) None of the answer choices are correct.
E) progenotes collectively organized into metabolically sustaining and reproducing structures resembling modern cells.

Question 5

The last shared ancestor for today's cell types is thought to have arisen about _____ years ago.

A) 3 million
B) 6 billion
C) 4 billion
D) 4 million
E) 3 billion

Question 6

Stanley Miller's first prebiotic simulation experiment showed that,under the right conditions,Oparin's ancient atmosphere could allow for the formation of

A) living cells.
B) liposomes.
C) amino acids.
D) plants.
E) DNA molecules.

Question 7

The Cambrian explosion refers to Earth's life history benchmark of

A) development of the first multicellular organisms.
B) mass extinction of the nonavian dinosaurs.
C) origination of life, when the progenotes formed the first cells.
D) All of the answer choices are correct.
E) appearance of fossils for all major phyla of animals.

Question 8

Clues from geology and paleontology suggest that simple cells,or their precursors,arose about _____ years ago.

A) six billion
B) six million
C) one million
D) four billion
E) four million

Question 9

The Soviet chemist Oparin suggested that for organic molecules to form on Earth,the atmosphere was probably rich in

A) hydrogen.
B) argon.
C) oxygen and water.
D) oxygen.
E) helium.

Question 10

According to Miller and other researchers,the most difficult condition to have been met in an "RNA world" was to

A) produce specialized molecules, such as enzymes, lipids, and carbohydrates that supported life functions.
B) produce chemical reactions that would produce large molecules.
C) have converted clay particles into organic molecules.
D) synthesize molecules that would coalesce into the correct shape and structure of cells.
E) have established molecules that reproduce themselves.

Question 11

The major Canadian geological deposit that contains numerous Cambrian animals is the

A) Gondwana formation.
B) hydrothermal clays.
C) Stomatolite formation.
D) Ordovician coast.
E) Burgess shale.

Question 12

Ediacaran organisms

A) lived during the Precambrian period.
B) have been thought to be ferns, worms, or fungi.
C) All of the answer choices are correct.
D) did not leave any modern day descendants.
E) lived from about 600 million years ago to about 540 million years ago.

Question 13

During the _____ period,jawless fishes were the first vertebrates to leave fossil evidence.

A) Ordovician
B) Carboniferous
C) Devonian
D) Silurian
E) Cambrian

Question 14

Carl Woese named an ancient aggregate of DNA,RNA,proteins,and lipids a

A) progenote.
B) liposome.
C) molecule.
D) domain.
E) cell.

Question 15

Which of the following was (were)found in the Cambrian seas?

A) trilobites and nautiloids
B) All of the answer choices are correct.
C) mollusks and worms
D) red and green algae
E) sponges and jellyfish

Question 16

Which of the following did not occur during Precambrian time?

A) photosynthesis evolved
B) eukaryotes arose
C) O₂ accumulated in the Earth's atmosphere
D) life originated
E) ancestors of all modern animals appeared

Question 17

It is thought that eukaryotes probably originated about _____ years ago.

A) four billion
B) three million
C) four million
D) three billion
E) two billion

Question 18

It is thought that the first cells probably arose about _____ years ago.

A) two billion
B) 1.2 billion
C) six billion
D) 500 million
E) 3.5 billion

Question 19

Photosynthesis probably originated during the __________ eon,and most likely used _____________ as an electron donor.

A) Paleozoic; water
B) Proterozoic; hydrogen sulfide
C) Archean; hydrogen sulfide
D) Proterozoic; water
E) Archean; water

Question 20

Which scientist is given credit for proposing the endosymbiont theory?

A) Lynn Margulis
B) Stanley Miller
C) Charles Darwin
D) Svante Arrenhius
E) Louis Pasteur

Question 21

The "Age of Fishes" was the _____ period.

A) Ordovician
B) Devonian
C) Carboniferous
D) Silurian
E) Permian

Question 22

For a span of some 300 million years,the Paleozoic Era,in which vascular plants,fishes,and other diverse life appeared,lasted approximately ___ of the geologic timescale.

A) None of the answer choices are correct.
B) 7%
C) 15%
D) 50%
E) 85%

Question 23

The first amphibians appeared during the _____ period.

A) Cambrian
B) Silurian
C) Carboniferous
D) Ordovician
E) Devonian

Question 24

The three periods of the Mesozoic era in sequence from most ancient to most recent are

A) Cambrian, Ordovician, and Silurian.
B) Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic.
C) Silurian, Ordovician, and Cambrian.
D) Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic.
E) Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous.

Question 25

The first flowering plants,first true mammals,and first true frogs appeared during the _____ period.

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

Question 26

Place the labeled traits in this list in the interpreted sequence in which they developed through the Paleozoic era. A = lobe-finned fishes and amphibians could survive in water and on land
B = winged insects,resembling today's,thrived in varying land habitats
C = vascular tissues allowed larger plants to diversify land habitats
D = the amniote egg protected and nourished eggs away from water
E = jawless fishes appeared in the oceans

A) B, C, A, D, E
B) D, A, E, C, B
C) A, B, E, C, D
D) E, C, A, B, D
E) A, B, C, D, E

Question 27

Primitive reptiles first appeared during the _____ period.

A) Silurian
B) Carboniferous
C) Ordovician
D) Devonian
E) Cambrian

Question 28

A mass extinction,perhaps caused by a large asteroid hitting Earth near the Yucatan peninsula in the Cretaceous period,would have

A) activated tectonic plate movements that rapidly repositioned continental plates in different regions of Earth.
B) produced massive volumes of soot, and triggered major climate changes that species could not survive.
C) All of the answer choices are correct.
D) produced a geological reaction to the impact, resulting in large numbers of volcanic eruptions for millions of years.
E) triggered forest and range fires over hundreds of years, destroying habitats and killing plant, animal, and other species.

Question 29

The mass extinctions of the Permian period

A) was caused by a drop in sea level.
B) paved the way for the age of dinosaurs.
C) All of the answer choices are correct.
D) was caused by a rise in global temperature.
E) was caused by a long series of volcanic eruptions.

Question 30

The Cenozoic era consists of the _____ periods.

A) Triassic and Jurassic
B) Permian and Triassic
C) Jurassic and Cretaceous
D) Tertiary and Quaternary
E) Cretaceous and Tertiary

Question 31

The Mesozoic era lasted from about

A) 500 million years ago to 250 million years ago.
B) 540 million years ago to 250 million years ago.
C) 65 million years ago to two million years ago.
D) 250 million years ago to 65 million years ago.
E) one billion years ago to 500 million years ago.

Question 32

The amniote egg in which an embryo could develop completely on dry land arose during the _____ period.

A) Devonian
B) Permian
C) Ordovician
D) Cambrian
E) Silurian

Question 33

Archosaurs and small therapsid reptiles survived the Permian,paving the way for

A) evolution of the largest numbers of reptile groups that dominated during the Mesozoic.
B) None of the answer choices are correct.
C) natural selection favoring mammals and dinosaurs.
D) development of the angiosperm flowering plants that needed to be pollinated by animals.
E) extensive growth of carboniferous forests, due to the absence of larger foragers and grazers, leading to modern coal beds.

Question 34

The period in which modern continents were essentially all separated,from an original Pangaea supercontinent,was the

A) Jurassic.
B) Quaternary.
C) Permian.
D) Cretaceous.
E) Carboniferous.

Question 35

Placental mammals appeared during the _____ period.

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

Question 36

The Precambrian supereon,in which life first appeared,and diversified to multicellular eukaryotes,lasted approximately ___ of the geologic timescale.

A) 30%
B) 50%
C) 85%
D) None of the answer choices are correct.
E) 15%

Question 37

The first vascular plants evolved during the _____ period.

A) Cambrian
B) Devonian
C) Silurian
D) Carboniferous
E) Ordovician

Question 38

The plate tectonics that acted on separating Gondwana and Laurasia would have had the environmental (climate)impacts of

A) moving more landmasses and coastlines towards the poles, producing colder climates.
B) Both answers, in which the landmasses generally transitioned to cooler climates, and more coastal habitats were opened, are correct.
C) opened more coastal habitats available for adaptive radiation of coastal marine species.
D) moving more landmasses and coastlines towards the equator, producing warmer climates.
E) confused migrating organisms and entire populations, as the geographic positions changed due to the tectonic shifts.

Question 39

The "Age of Dinosaurs" lasted about 120 million years and included the _____ periods.

A) Jurassic and Cretaceous
B) Cambrian and Ordovician
C) Triassic and Jurassic
D) Carboniferous and Permian
E) Cretaceous and Tertiary

Question 40

The "Age of Amphibians" was the _____ period.

A) Carboniferous
B) Devonian
C) Ordovician
D) Silurian
E) Permian

Question 41

The Cenozoic Era,during which the diversity of animals living today arose,has extended from 65 mya to the present.This is approximately ___ of the geologic timescale.

A) 4%
B) 7%
C) 15%
D) 1.5%
E) None of the answer choices are correct.

Question 42

Chloroplasts are proposed to have arisen after archaea cells engulfed ___,in endosymbiosis,allowing the engulfed cell to remain,with specialized function.

A) aerobic archaea
B) photosynthetic archaea
C) anaerobic bacteria
D) aerobic bacteria
E) photosynthetic bacteria

Question 43

Homo sapiens first appeared during the

A) Mesozoic era.
B) Tertiary period.
C) Quaternary period.
D) Cretaceous period.
E) Permian period.

Question 44

During the first 5-600 million years on Earth,temperatures ranged from 500-1000°C,atmospheric pressure was 10 times current levels,and the planet was bombarded with meteorites.How would these conditions favor the formation of biological molecules?

A) Oxygen in this high temperature and pressure atmosphere would have been chemically less reactive.
B) Water and meteorite dust would have provided the chemical reactions necessary for formation of biological molecules.
C) Many chemical reactions are inhibited by high temperature and pressure.
D) Oxygen will break down many organic molecules by reduction.
E) High temperature and pressure are the best conditions for enzyme function, needed to support life.

Question 45

Hominines include

A) All of the answer choices are correct.
B) humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas.
C) chimpanzees and gorillas.
D) humans.
E) gibbons and orangutans.

Question 46

The three groups in the primate lineage are

A) monkeys, gibbons, and orangutans.
B) hominines, hominids, and hominoids.
C) chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans.
D) prosimians, monkeys, and hominoids.
E) gorillas, bonobos, and chimpanzees.

Question 47

The Primate order arose about ____ years ago,in the ___ period.

A) 100 million; Cretaceous
B) 150 million; Jurassic
C) one million; Quaternary
D) 10 million; Tertiary
E) 60 million; Tertiary

Question 48

The swinging from one arm to the other with the body dangling below is

A) "knuckle walking."
B) bipedalism.
C) quatrapedalism.
D) brachiation.
E) All of the answer choices are correct.

Question 49

In geologic locations,such as southeastern Kansas,coal deposits can be found in layers called seams.Within these seams,there are also formations called coal balls,which may be the size of melons.When sawn apart carefully,fossils of tree-sized ferns and similar non-vascular plants can be found.The scaly leaves of these tropical plants originally led many paleobiologists to misidentify the trees as fish.Part of tropical coastal forests,the coal and fossil plants are estimated to have been living in

A) None of the answer choices are correct.
B) the Precambrian supereon, following development of plants.
C) the Cambrian period, following the "explosion" of diverse life.
D) both the Mesozoic era and the Cretaceous period.
E) the Carboniferous period.

Question 50

Why do scientists hypothesize that RNA was the first form of genetic material?

A) RNA can catalyze reactions and store genetic information.
B) RNA can catalyze reactions and form membranes.
C) RNA can catalyze reactions.
D) RNA can store genetic information and form membranes.
E) RNA can store genetic information.

Question 51

Mitochondria are proposed to have evolved before chloroplasts based on which observation?

A) Mitochondria produced the oxygen found in the atmosphere.
B) Mitochondria are larger, with more complex structure than chloroplasts.
C) All eukaryotes have mitochondria, but not all eukaryotes have chloroplasts.
D) All organisms have mitochondria and conduct cell respiration.
E) All prokaryotes have mitochondria, but not all prokaryotes have chloroplasts.

Question 52

During the first 5-600 million years on Earth the atmosphere was primarily methane,ammonia,and hydrogen,much like other planets in our solar system.How would these conditions favor the formation of biological molecules?

A) Oxygen will break down many organic molecules by reduction.
B) Oxygen will break down many organic molecules by oxidation.
C) Oxygen is necessary to produce many organic molecules.
D) Many chemical reactions are inhibited by high temperature and pressure.
E) Many chemical reactions are favored by high temperature and pressure.

Question 53

Clays often have charged surfaces.How may this have been important in the formation of organic macromolecules?

A) They are a source of ATP to run chemical reactions.
B) They can form templates by binding organic building blocks.
C) They are formed from meteorites that carried organic molecules to Earth.
D) They form covalent bonds with organic building blocks.
E) They are a source of oxygen to break down organic building blocks.

Question 54

Hominids include

A) gorillas.
B) humans.
C) chimpanzees.
D) orangutans.
E) All of the answer choices are correct.

Question 55

A buried skeletal find of a specimen has the foramen magnum tucked beneath the skull; this indicates that the skeletal remains are of a

A) lesser ape.
B) chimpanzee.
C) All of the answer choices are correct.
D) human.
E) gorilla.

Question 56

For a span of 248 mya to 65 mya,the Mesozoic Era,in which dinosaurs appeared,dominated and became extinct,lasted approximately ___ of the geologic timescale.

A) 50%
B) 7%
C) 20%
D) 15%
E) 4%

Question 57

How is the ability of phospholipids to spontaneously form membranes when placed in water important in the origin of life on Earth?

A) Membranes are used by cells to isolate their contents from the environment.
B) Membranes protect a cell from gases in the atmosphere.
C) Membranes protect a cell from high temperatures and pressures in the environment.
D) Membranes are used by cells to catalyze reactions.
E) Membranes are used by cells to store genetic information.

Question 58

Our closest living relatives on the evolutionary tree are

A) orangutans and gibbons.
B) bonobos and common chimpanzees.
C) Homo erectus.
D) Homo neanderthalensis.
E) gorillas.

Question 59

Characteristics shared by primates include

A) large brain size in comparison to body size.
B) binocular vision and excellent depth perception.
C) flat nails instead of claws.
D) All of the answer choices are correct.
E) grasping hands with opposable thumbs.

Question 60

According to endosymbiosis theory,host archaea engulfed ___,which then allowed both popopulations to survive together.

A) anaerobic bacteria
B) aerobic archaea
C) photosynthetic archaea
D) aerobic bacteria
E) photosynthetic bacteria

Question 61

A time of great adaptive radiation for mammals occurred during the Tertiary period.

Question 62

Why did Li and other University of Chicago scientists choose to conduct DNA sequencing on sections of DNA not encoding proteins?

A) Segments not encoding proteins would show less variability, due to relatively slow and consistent mutation rates.
B) The biotechnology necessary to sequence genes would be technologically much less reliable than for the non-encoding sequences.
C) They would have expected to find only two alleles for each gene, which would have been insufficient for testing the hypothesis.
D) Segments not encoding proteins would show more variability, due to adaptations associated with different habitats.
E) Segments not encoding proteins are common to many more species, so a type of experimental control was established.

Question 63

Humans and chimps are both able to

A) communicate.
B) use tools and communicate.
C) walk upright.
D) walk upright and use tools.
E) use tools.

Question 64

Prior to the work of Li and others,scientists had estimated that Homo sapiens had lived in a limited African range at about 40,000 years ago.Migration took subpopulations away from this original area.Although speciation did not occur in this time,

A) DNA sequence data indicated that Homo sapiens subpopulations showed little natural selection of genotypes and phenotypes.
B) None of the answer choices are correct.
C) DNA sequence data indicated that gradualism dominated the evolutionary history of humans in the last 40,000 years.
D) DNA sequence data showed that people from Africa, Asia, and Europe actively interbred and maintained a constant gene pool.
E) DNA sequence data indicated a rapid adaptive radiation, leading to microevolution of the gene pools.

Question 65

Scientists use mitochondrial DNA to track the migration of humans across the planet.After a group migrates away from their ancestral homeland,any mutations that occur are not mixed with those left in the ancestral population.Based on this,mitochondrial DNA samples taken from ____ would have the fewest unique mutations,representing the original and oldest DNA sequences.

A) Asia
B) the Americas
C) Africa
D) Australia
E) Europe

Question 66

Natural selection would have favored progenotes that could use more diverse food sources.

Question 67

The endoplasmic reticulum,Golgi apparatus,and other membranous organelles of cells might have formed by numerous infoldings of the cell's outer membrane.

Question 68

The endosymbiont theory states that eukaryotic cells work together to form a multicellular organism.

Question 69

What was one of the predictions tested by Li and ten other scientists,in examination of the genetics of people from African,Asian,and European descent?

A) DNA analysis would show that humans further from central Africa would have many more genes to identify.
B) Gene pools of people outside of Africa should be less similar to each other, than they are to people within Africa.
C) The genetic diversity of people within Africa should be greater than people on other continents.
D) Australopithecus did not interbreed with humans as strongly as Neanderthals.
E) The genetic diversity in Africa decreased about 100,000 years ago when humans began immigrating.

Question 70

The earliest cells probably originated about 3.5 billion years ago.

Question 71

Advantage (advantages)of bipedalism include

A) All of the answer choices are correct.
B) increased brain size.
C) freeing of hands to carry objects and use tools.
D) ability to run faster.
E) movement through the treetops and clinging to vines.

Question 72

The geologic timescale is divided into eons,eras,periods,and epochs defined by major geological or biological events.

Question 73

The theory that organisms could arise suddenly from the nonliving component chemicals was called the theory of spontaneous generation.

Question 74

A buried skeletal find has the foramen magnum near but not at the rear of the skull; this indicates the skeletal remains may be those of a

A) human.
B) a lesser ape, like a gibbon.
C) gorilla or a human.
D) dog or a gorilla.
E) gorilla.

Question 75

The enzyme that copies RNA into complementary DNA is RNA polymerase.

Question 76

The three periods of the Mesozoic era are the Triassic,Jurassic,and Cretaceous.

Question 77

Humans,chimpanzees,and bonobos are both

A) hominids.
B) primates and Homo sapiens.
C) primates and hominids.
D) primates.
E) Homo sapiens.

Question 78

The early report that Stanley Miller had created "Life in a Test Tube" in his prebiotic simulations was correct.

Question 79

News stories each year note the increase in carbon dioxide,from combustion of coal in electrical generating plants,or from use of petroleum fuels in vehicles.Most states require emissions quality tests to limit automobile emissions.The fuels used in cars,and the carbon dioxide cars emit,were originally

A) carbon dioxide fixed by vascular and nonvascular plants during photosynthesis about 300 mya.
B) carbon in the tissues, decayed from dinosaurs after the Cretaceous mass extinction.
C) carbon dioxide trapped in the ocean and secreted into large coral reef structures, during the Mesozoic.
D) carbon dioxide released from volcanoes, and accumulating over centuries.
E) carbon dioxide trapped in rocks and compressed into oil and coal, during the Precambrian.

Question 80

The two major extinctions of living species occurred during the Mesozoic era.