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Module 13 History of Life & Module 14 Natural Selection Test v1

Multiple Choice

For Q1-3, match the description to the type of fossils:

A. Trace
B. Amber
C. Molds/Casts
D. Petrified
E. Mummification

  1. Provides indirect evidence of the organism. A
  2. Allows for best analysis of form and structure of the organisms including large animals. E
  3. Sedimentation provides an imprint of the organism that once existed. C

  4. Which of the following are evidence of the endosymbiont theory? (Select two best choices)

    1. prokaryotes having a nucleus
    2. presence of double-membrane organelles
    3. photosynthesizing ability of organelles containing enzymes
    4. organelles consisting of their unique DNA
    5. cellular respiration ability of organelles

  5. When an archeologist provides an estimate age for a fossil using the layer of rocks and sedimentation above and below the fossil, this is known as

    1. Rock dating
    2. Radiometric dating
    3. Time scaling
    4. Relative dating

  6. When archeologists and biologists look at the collection of fossils, they found that most of the ancestors of all current living species arose during the.

    1. Devonian
    2. Pangea
    3. K-T boundary
    4. Cambrian explosion
    5. Precambrian

  7. The finches on the Galapagos Island were similar in form except for variations of their beaks. Darwin observed that these variations were useful for:

    1. random mutations
    2. attracting a mate
    3. defending territory
    4. building nests
    5. gathering food

    For the next two questions, match the perspectives of how life began to the correct choice provided.

    A. abiotic; biotic
    B. abiotic; abiotic
    C. biotic; abiotic
    D. biotic; biotic

  8. In Miller & Urey's experiment and the spontaneous generation hypothesis, they suggest that __ arose from __. C

  9. The theory of biogenesis suggests that_ arose from_. D

  10. According to Darwin, the species found on earth today:

    1. interspecies breeding
    2. were created in their current forms about 6000 years ago
    3. evolved from a few common ancestors
    4. originated from another planet
    5. are no longer evolving

  11. Which of the following is true regarding Darwin's theory of evolution?

    1. Pure chance determines which species evolve.
    2. Species change over long periods of time, giving rise to new species
    3. Characteristics acquired during an individual's life are always passed on to future generations.
    4. Darwin's views are no longer accepted by the scientific community.
    5. A member of a species becomes adapted to its environment over its lifetime and passes its genes to its offspring, resulting in evolution.

  12. Which of the following statements about comparative anatomy being evidence for evolution is FALSE?

    1. Bird wings and reptile forelimbs are similar in shape and construction.
    2. Both whales and mammals have placentas, are warm-blooded and breathe air with two lungs.
    3. Fish and amphibians have the bone pattern of one bone, two bones, and many bones.
    4. Whales have bones inside their front flippers that resemble the fins of some ancestral fish species.
    5. Whales have a pair of tiny bones where hind legs are in land mammals.

  13. Which of the following would best determine whether two plant species share a recent common ancestor?

    1. Habitat distribution
    2. Flowering times
    3. Stem lengths
    4. DNA sequences.

  14. Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding the whale evolution?

    1. Molecular biologists and paleontologists have always agreed that the extinct group of animals, mesonychids, gave rise to whales.
    2. The ankle bones of Pakicetus are more similar to those of dogs than those of pigs and deers.
    3. The fossil record of whales shows that the hind (back) limbs got larger as you go further back in the geological timescale.
    4. The evolution of whales was more linear than like a tree, as one species gave rise to the next one like rungs on a ladder.
    5. Dorudon and Basilasaurus are ancient whales that existed between 60 and 50 million years ago.

  15. Why are there plenty of fossils even though fossilization is an extremely rare event?

    1. The soil contains a good amount of minerals that allows body tissues and bones to become hardened.
    2. Most fossils found are often covered in volcanic ash following volcanic activity.
    3. The existence of life over 3.7 billion years allows for many creatures across time to be fossilized.
    4. Younger fossils are found in upper layers of soil, while older fossils are found in lower layers of soil.
    5. Mass extinction events allow for many organisms to be buried and generate an abundance of fossils.

  16. What is significant about the K-T boundary?

    1. It's a layer of pure white sedimentation due to ancient intense global warming event that melted silica, chemical used to make glass.
    2. The sedimentation contains Iridium, which are from extraterrestrial rocks, supporting the perspective that there was a significant meteorite impact on earth.
    3. Around the K-T boundary, paleontologist have found many mammals to have died due to a previous mass extinction event.
    4. It's a thick layer of black sedimentation suggesting an event of multiple super volcanoes erupting and depositing huge amounts of volcanic ash around the world.
    5. It stands for Kenneth Tong boundary.

  17. (Extra Credit) The evolution of whales from terrestrial mammals are not supported by: (Select all possible choices)

    1. The blowholes of early ancestral whales were situated in the front before it migrated towards the top of the head.
    2. Discovery of fossils of ancestral sharks that shared anatomical features with whales.
    3. Whales have bones for hind appendages.
    4. Discovery of fossils of whale-like organisms that pre-date the fossils of the earliest mammals.
    5. Intermediate fossils of whale reveals that their neck-vertebrate continually shortened from the longer neck vertebrate of initial terrestrial mammals.

True or False

Circle A for True, and B for False.

  1. Natural selection always results in bigger, stronger and fitter individuals. B
  2. Transitional fossils provide detailed patterns of evolutionary change for the ancestors of many modern animals, including whales, horses, and humans. A
  3. Cheetahs have come close to extinction due to hunting, drought, and disease. This causes genetic variation in their populations to increase. B
  4. Natural selection can cause an individual to become better adapted over its lifetime. B
  5. Fossils can form easily and can happen in any environment. If there's no fossil for a probable organism, it is most likely that the organism never existed. B
  6. Tiktaalik was a fossil discovered to have both fish-like and tetrapod-like features. A
  7. Though the word "theory" means "guess", the theory of evolution is a perspective that is supported by evidence showing the transitions and diversity of life arising from common ancestors. A