Deck 15: A Brief History of Life on Earth

Question 1

In order for mammalian life to succeed,oxygen levels as shown in the graph of at least ______ percent are required.

A)2
B)50
C)25
D)20
E)10

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which of the following did NOT lead to conditions that were hostile to life on the early Earth,before 3.8 billion years ago?

A)meteorite impacts
B)constant volcanic eruptions
C)boiling oceans
D)noxious gases
E)none of the above

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The characteristic animals of the Cambrian Period,as shown below,which left some of the oldest skeletal fossils,were _____.

A)insects
B)trilobites
C)worms
D)dinosaurs
E)sponges

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The 20 carbon-based compounds that are the essential building blocks of all proteinsare _____.

A)polymerases
B)amino acids
C)polyesters
D)macromolecules
E)DNA

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT one of the three Domains of Life recognized by biologists?

A)Paramecium
B)Eukaryotes
C)Bacteria
D)Archaea
E)All of these are domains

Question 6

The Earth's secondary atmosphere most likely developed from _____.

A)animal life
B)ocean water
C)volcanic gases
D)meteorite impacts
E)photosynthesis

Question 7

Eukaryotes are recognizableas distinct from prokaryotes because they all have _____,_____,and ____.

A)cell walls: nuclei: DNA
B)DNA: stromatolites;cell walls
C)DNA: organelles: prokaryotes
D)nuclei: organelles: multiple chromosomes made of DNA and protein
E)archea: organelles: nuclei

Question 8

Primitive,single-celled life forms without organized nuclei are termed _____.

A)eukaryotic
B)metastases
C)metazoans
D)prokaryotes
E)colonial

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a critical need for life on land?

A)internal aquatic environment
B)sexual reproduction
C)structural support
D)protective camouflage
E)gas exchange mechanism

Question 10

DNA is critical to life as a mechanism of _____.

A)metabolism
B)combination
C)heredity
D)propagation
E)petrification

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a credible hypothesis for the rapid diversification of Cambrian life?

A)sexual reproduction
B)shells evolved to repel predators
C)higher oxygen levels
D)development of the ozone layer
E)first toothed sharks

Question 12

Molecular oxygen in the atmosphere originated mostly from plants,as shown below,as a by-product of _____.

A)volcanic gases
B)photosynthesis
C)forest fires
D)meteorite impacts
E)mammal life

Question 13

In contrast to Gould's and others mechanism of Punctuated Equilibrium evolutionary change,Darwin's original concept of continuous evolutionary changes is called _____.

A)gradualism
B)minimalism
C)modification
D)exaptation
E)adptation

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a mode of fossilization?

A)mummification
B)mineralization
C)optimization
D)petrification
E)carbonization

Question 15

Stromatolites,as seen in cross section below,are formed by _____.

A)cyanobacterial calcite
B)coral reefs
C)mounds of bay sharks
D)sedimentary wedges
E)eukaryotic cells

Question 16

The most ancient fossils are found in sediments that are _____ billion years old:

A)1)5
B)2)5
C)3)5
D)4)5
E)0)5

Question 17

Which of the following gases was NOT likely contained in Earth's primary atmosphere?

A)argon
B)nitrogen
C)helium
D)oxygen
E)hydrogen

Question 18

The concept of a "species" is a population of genetically related individuals that can _____.

A)evolve
B)succeed
C)undergo selection
D)go extinct
E)interbreed

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a way in which organisms obtain energy _____.

A)anaerobic metabolism
B)fermentation
C)aerobic metabolism
D)chemosynthesis
E)cryogenesis

Question 20

Fossilized feces are termed _____.

A)molds
B)amber
C)petrifactions
D)coprolites
E)vertebrates

Question 21

All fossils are altered as they are preserved.

Question 22

Dinosaurs included the largest land animals that ever lived.

Question 23

Few mammal species can survive in less than a 10% oxygen atmosphere.

Question 24

The Burgess Shale in British Columbia is famous for containing _____.

A)signs of a mass extinction
B)earliest life forms
C)soft-bodied fossils
D)volcanic ash deposits
E)the last dinosaur fossils

Question 25

During the Cretaceous Period,mammals out-competed dinosaurs.

Question 26

The most successful early flying vertebrates were winged reptiles called _____.

A)archosaurs
B)dinosaurs
C)pterosaurs
D)mosasaurs
E)ichthyosaurs

Question 27

The most probable cause of the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T)mass extinction resulting in the effects as shown,was _____.

A)loss of dinosaurs
B)sea level change
C)volcanoes
D)plate tectonics
E)meteorite impact

Question 28

Mammals evolved most directly from the _____ vertebrate group.

A)bony fish
B)reptiles
C)birds
D)dinosaurs
E)amphibians

Question 29

The first terrestrial vertebrates,which never became completely free from water habitat,were _____.

A)reptiles
B)birds
C)insects
D)mammals
E)amphibians

Question 30

The Burgess shale and Chengjiang Biota are famous for their preservation of soft-bodied animals (alternatively,nonmineralized or nonskeletonized).

Question 31

The first fish venturing onto land belonged to the group called _____.

A)sharks and rays
B)jawless fish
C)lampreys
D)crossopterygii
E)notochords

Question 32

The "Cambrian Explosion" refers to _____.

A)disappearance of life in the Cambrian
B)volcanic eruption of animals
C)the first eukaryotes
D)rapid diversification of animal groups
E)the end of the Cambrian Period

Question 33

After the Neandertals disappeared,the oldest group of Homo sapiens appeared in Europe approximately _____ years ago.

A)300,000
B)500,000
C)10,000
D)30,000
E)1 million

Question 34

Natural Selection,in modern understanding,is always a process of slow changes.

Question 35

The basic difference between gymnosperm and angiosperm plants (as shown below),is the development of _____in the latter.

A)flowers
B)pollen
C)seeds
D)insects
E)leave

Question 36

Charles Darwin studied to become a clergyman before he formulated evolutionary theory.

Question 37

The environment of Earth was hostile to life before 3.8 billion years ago.

Question 38

The oldest hominids that were definitely bipedal were in the genus _____.

A)Australopithecus
B)Homo
C)Pongo
D)Pan
E)Gorilla

Question 39

Arthropods do not have any form of blood or heart.

Question 40

Many experts believe DNA must have appeared before RNA in early life forms.

Question 41

Both fish and human beings belong to the phylum _____.

Question 42

A modern view of evolution,involving persistence of species for long times without change followed by rapid change,is called ______.

Question 43

Organisms that live in harsh environments,such as the edges of black smokers on the seafloor,are ______.

Question 44

The essential evolutionary development that allowed reptiles to be free of the water was the _____ egg.

Question 45

The most devastating of all mass extinction events occurred at the end of the Paleozoic Era (Permian Period)around _____ million years ago.

Question 46

The detailed impressions of feathers in this fossil identify it as a dinosaur.

Question 47

A shrew-sized 125-million-year-old mammal from China,seen below,is the oldest-known _____ mammal.

Question 48

The earliest eukaryotic multicellular life is found near the end of the _____ Eon.

Question 49

The oldest known bird,illustrated below,featuring many dinosaur characteristics,is called _____.

Question 50

A type of sedimentary rock formed during the transition from a reducing to an oxidizing atmosphere is known asbanded ______ formation.

Question 51

Recent DNA studies suggest that Homo sapiens is not a direct descendant of _____.

Question 52

Our own species,along with the Neandertals,belong to the genus _____.

Question 53

Throughout Earth's history,_____ has been a main source of the addition of water and gases in the atmosphere and oceans.

Question 54

The process in which sunlight breaks down water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen is called _____.

Question 55

The family that includes humans is the _____.

Question 56

Vascular plants exchange gases through adjustable leaf openings called _____.

Question 57

Flying insects,such as this dragonfly,were abundant by the _____ Period.

Question 58

The K-T (Cretaceous-Tertiary)extinction boundary is marked in many sites by a thin,distinctive _____ layer containing soot and large amounts of iridium.

Question 59

The fossil called "Lucy," as reconstructed below,is a specimen of the early hominid genus _____.

Question 60

Animals with jointed legs are referred to as _____.

Question 61

What were the oldest multicellular fossils,such as the Dickinsoniashown below,and where were they found?

Question 62

How does the early history of atmospheric oxygen track with the history of life?

Question 63

When did free oxygen appear on Earth and how did it become part of the atmosphere?

Question 64

The mass extinction event at the end of the Mesozoic Era (the K-T extinction)is hypothesized as the result of extraterrestrial impact.Discuss the evidences and consequences of such an impact.

Question 65

What is a trace fossil?

Question 66

Why was Miller's experiment in early life synthesis,using the apparatus shown,interesting but invalid?

Question 67

What is evolution?

Question 68

Summarize what we know about stages of human evolution

Question 69

Mass extinctions in geologic history are attributed to many possible causes.What are some of these proposed causes?

Question 70

What are the basic assumptions of Darwin's theory of evolution?

Question 71

What is volcanic outgassing and why is it important?

Question 72

The Burgess Shale contains many unique Cambrian animals,including many soft-bodied arthropods such as Waptia,shown here,and other creatures.How did it form?

Question 73

The earliest skeletal animals were arthropods in the Cambrian Period.What are arthropods and which creatures are typical examples?

Question 74

How does the scientific use of the term "theory" differ from everyday use?

Question 75

How do eukaryotes,as seen on left,differ from bacteria and Archaea (i.e.prokaryotes),such as the one pictured at right?