Deck 16: Evidence of Evolution

Question 1

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

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

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The result of natural selection is changes in

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

Answer 2

B

Question 3

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 3

B

Question 4

Glyptodonts are fossil forms that resemble

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

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

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 7

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 8

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 9

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 10

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 11

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 12

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 13

The tailbone of humans is an example of:

A) a developing feature.
B) an accidental feature.
C) a vestigial feature.
D) an example of the great chain of being.
E) none of these.

Question 14

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 15

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 16

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 17

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 18

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 19

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

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

Question 20

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 21

The geologic time scale is subdivided on the basis of

A) the appearance of different radioactive isotopes in different strata.
B) levels of background extinction.
C) periods of mass extinction.
D) the appearance of different radioactive isotopes in different strata and levels of background extinction.
E) the appearance of different radioactive isotopes in different strata, levels of background extinction, and periods of mass extinction.

Question 22

This illustration shows that after two half-lives, ____ percent of the parent radioisotope has decayed.

A) 100
B) 75
C) 50
D) 25
E) 0

Question 23

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

A) eroding hillsides
B) deserts
C) polar ice caps
D) shallow seas
E) rocky plateau

Question 24

Which of the following evolve?

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

Question 25

Radiometric dating

A) is based on the premise that each isotope decays at a constant rate.
B) is unpredictable because changes in temperature and pressure alter the results.
C) can be used to date sedimentary rock.
D) has a large error factor.
E) is used for dating only recent fossils.

Question 26

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
Cuvier

Question 27

The time it takes for half of a radioisotope's atoms to decay

A) cannot be calculated.
B) is used to construct the geologic time scale.
C) is its half-life.
D) is the same for uranium 238 and carbon 14.
E) is all of these.

Question 28

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.

Question 29

Fossils include

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

Question 30

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
Aristotle

Question 31

Which period is the most recent?

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

Question 32

Plate tectonic theory is based on

A) a thermal convection model in which cool material in the earth's mantle rises and spreads laterally beneath the crustal plates.
B) the idea that the earth's crust is fragmented into rigid crusts that are sinking slowly beneath crustal plates.
C) the idea that coacervate formation causes continents to drift apart slowly on their crustal plates.
D) observations that the sea floor is slowly spreading away from oceanic ridges due to thermal convection in the mantle.
E) all of these.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT one of the four major intervals in the geologic time scale?

A) Mesozoic
B) Proterozoic
C) Carboniferozoic
D) Cenozoic
E) Paleozoic

Question 34

The large, ancient land mass that contained all the continents is called

A) Laurasia.
B) Pangea.
C) Gondwana.
D) Atlantis.
E) Europa.

Question 35

Fossils from which would be the oldest from the Grand Canyon?

A) hermit shale.
B) redwall limestone.
C) temple butte formation.
D) bright angel shale.
E) vishnu basement rocks.

Question 36

Plate tectonics theory is supported by evidence from

A) the worldwide fossil record.
B) global distribution of existing species.
C) the sea-floor spreading.
D) all of these.
E) none of these.

Question 37

Which statement about the geologic time scale is incorrect?

A) Mammals originated early in the Mesozoic era.
B) Adaptive radiation of flowering plants, insects, and birds took place during the Mesozoic era.
C) Mass extinction of the dinosaurs occurred about 65 million years ago.
D) Reptiles originated during the Paleozoic era.
E) Eukaryotes originated during the Proterozoic eon.

Question 38

The distribution of living organisms would be increased by

A) continental drift.
B) the formation of Pangea.
C) the sea-floor spreading.
D) the movement of Gondwana.
E) all but "the formation of Pangea."

Question 39

The idea that geologic processes have formed the earth's surface by repeating the same actions over and over is known as

A) the theory of catastrophism.
B) plate tectonics.
C) continental drift.
D) the theory of uniformity.
E) the theory of relativity.

Question 40

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 41

Which fossil would be the oldest in a given strata and why?

Question 42

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
Several times in Earth's history, land masses have converged as supercontinents._________and __________ are examples.

Question 43

Why are fossils older than 60 000 years hard to date using C¹⁴?

Question 44

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
How old was the world thought to be when Darwin began his voyage? How old is it thought to be now?

Question 45

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
Differential survival and reproduction of individuals of a population that vary in the details of shared traits is called __________.

Question 46

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
Darwin

Question 47

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
Lyell

Question 48

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
__________ are evidence of life in the distant past.

Question 49

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
The characteristic ____________of a radioisotope allows us to determine the age of rocks and fossils using a technique called __________.

Question 50

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
Malthus

Question 51

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
Based on what we know today, what is the best explanation for why the emu, ostrich, and rhea are so similar despite being geographically separated?

Question 52

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
__________ that impart greater __________ to an individual become more common in a population over generations, compared with less competitive forms.

Question 53

MATCHING
Matching.Select the most appropriate choice for each person.
a.wrote Principles of Geology
b.developed the theory of catastrophism
c.believed that giraffes have long necks because their short-necked ancestors stretched their necks and passed this change on to their offspring
d.was a naturalist who sailed on the Beagle and studied finches
e.wrote an essay relating population size to competition for limited resources
f.natural historian and author; early ideas of Chain of Being
Lamarck