Question 1

Which of the following is FALSE regarding absolute dating techniques?

Accepted Answer

A) They give geologic age in the form of a number ± some error. 
B) They often rely on the decay of radioactive isotopes. 
C) Each can work with any type of material. 
D) 14C and 40K/40Ar are two main methods.

Question 2

In a 1 ??1-meter excavation you find the remains of two human skeletons along with the antler of an antelope.How can you attempt to date these skeletons?

Accepted Answer

A) You can take soil samples and analyze the microscopic organisms present to determine a time period. 
B) You can assume the humans ate the antelope and find out when humans in this area began to eat meat. 
C) Since they are all found in a single layer you can use stratigraphy. 
D) You can research the antler bone to find out which species it belongs to and then use faunal dating.

Question 3

The chemical signature of volcanic ash layers can be used to correlate sites across vast regions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The time it takes for 50% of an unstable isotope to decay to a stable form is called the:

Accepted Answer

A) semichron. 
B) middlemorph. 
C) demi-dose. 
D) half-life.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT one of the eras within the Phanerozoic eon?

Accepted Answer

A) Mesozoic 
B) Cenozoic 
C) Protozoic 
D) Paleozoic

Question 6

How might living organisms' evolution have been affected by the movement of landmasses over time (plate tectonics)?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How might living organisms' evolution have been...

Question 7

The dating technique in which proteins are examined under high magnification using polarized light is:

Accepted Answer

A) luminescence dating. 
B) electron spin resonance dating. 
C) fission track dating. 
D) amino acid dating.

Question 8

Which dating method would be most appropriate for establishing the age of a volcanic ash layer from an early hominid site in eastern Africa?

Accepted Answer

A) 14C dating 
B) amino acid dating 
C) 40K/40Ar dating 
D) electron spin resonance dating

Question 9

Now-fossilized foraminifera with shells enriched in 18O lived during relatively warm periods.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Phylogeny is important to the study of human evolution because:

Accepted Answer

A) in order to understand modern human anatomy and behavior we must understand our evolutionary relationships to other extinct and living organisms. 
B) in order to account for changes in our species over time,we need to know what processes drove natural selection. 
C) it allows us to study our closest living relative in order to better understand how natural selection acted in previous environments. 
D) all of the above

Question 11

How has the "molecular clock" aided paleontologists in testing theories about the timing of significant evolutionary events?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How has the "molecular clock" aided paleontologists...

Question 12

Based on the molecular clock,it is estimated that the hominid lineage diverged from that of the chimpanzee about:

Accepted Answer

A) 1-2 mya. 
B) 3-4 mya. 
C) 6-8 mya. 
D) 10-12 mya.

Question 13

Fossils are typically recovered within igneous rock exposures.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Darwin had very few fossils to support his theory of evolution by means of natural selection when he published On the Origin of Species (1859).Why are fossils considered essential for the study of biological evolution?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Darwin had very few fossils to support...

Question 15

As recently as a few hundred years ago,most Westerners thought the earth was about how many years old?

Accepted Answer

A) 60,000,000 
B) 6,000,000 
C) 60,000 
D) 6,000

Question 16

The theory that species persist for long periods and then undergo rapid spurts of evolutionary change is:

Accepted Answer

A) phyletic gradualism. 
B) punctuated equilibrium. 
C) parallel evolution. 
D) convergent evolution.

Question 17

The absolute dating method that involves counting the annual rings visible in the cross-section of a tree is called:

Accepted Answer

A) fission track dating. 
B) arborchronology. 
C) luminescence dating. 
D) dendrochronology.

Question 18

Ocean-dwelling microorganisms called foraminifera are important in evolutionary studies mainly because:

Accepted Answer

A) the chemical composition of their shells records past temperatures. 
B) they can be dated using uranium series methods. 
C) primates use them as a key food source. 
D) they are strong indicators of past changes in the earth's magnetic polarity.

Question 19

Prior to the invention of absolute dating techniques,one of the chemical dating methods useful for establishing the relative age of fossils from a single site was:

Accepted Answer

A) fission track dating. 
B) thermoluminescence dating. 
C) electron spin resonance dating. 
D) fluorine dating.

Question 20

Differentiate between absolute and relative dating techniques,giving one example of each.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Differentiate between absolute and relative dating techniques,giving...

Exam 8: Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature

Which of the following is FALSE regarding absolute dating techniques?

In a 1 ??1-meter excavation you find the remains of two human skeletons along with the antler of an antelope.How can you attempt to date these skeletons?

The chemical signature of volcanic ash layers can be used to correlate sites across vast regions.

The time it takes for 50% of an unstable isotope to decay to a stable form is called the:

Which of the following is NOT one of the eras within the Phanerozoic eon?

How might living organisms' evolution have been affected by the movement of landmasses over time (plate tectonics)?

The dating technique in which proteins are examined under high magnification using polarized light is:

Which dating method would be most appropriate for establishing the age of a volcanic ash layer from an early hominid site in eastern Africa?

Now-fossilized foraminifera with shells enriched in 18O lived during relatively warm periods.

Phylogeny is important to the study of human evolution because:

How has the "molecular clock" aided paleontologists in testing theories about the timing of significant evolutionary events?

Based on the molecular clock,it is estimated that the hominid lineage diverged from that of the chimpanzee about:

Fossils are typically recovered within igneous rock exposures.

Darwin had very few fossils to support his theory of evolution by means of natural selection when he published On the Origin of Species (1859).Why are fossils considered essential for the study of biological evolution?

As recently as a few hundred years ago,most Westerners thought the earth was about how many years old?

The theory that species persist for long periods and then undergo rapid spurts of evolutionary change is:

The absolute dating method that involves counting the annual rings visible in the cross-section of a tree is called:

Ocean-dwelling microorganisms called foraminifera are important in evolutionary studies mainly because:

Prior to the invention of absolute dating techniques,one of the chemical dating methods useful for establishing the relative age of fossils from a single site was:

Differentiate between absolute and relative dating techniques,giving one example of each.