Question 1

__________'s widely accepted calculation of the earth's age as just 6,000 years old lent support to the theory of __________.

Accepted Answer

James Ussher's calculation of the earth's age as just 6,000 years old supported the theory of catastrophism, which posits that the earth's geological features were primarily formed by catastrophic events such as floods and earthquakes. This contrasted with the theory of uniformitarianism, which posits that the earth's features were formed slowly over long periods of time. Charles Lyell, on the other hand, was a proponent of uniformitarianism.

Question 2

While on his Beagle voyage,Darwin made important observations,which eventually helped lead to his evolutionary theory.These include all the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Darwin did not make observations of a species of short-necked giraffes in Brazil during his Beagle voyage.

Question 3

Adam Sedgwick and John Stevens Henslow influenced young Darwin in which of the following ways?

Accepted Answer

Adam Sedgwick and John Stevens Henslow taught Darwin botany and geology at Cambridge, which greatly influenced his scientific interests and later his evolutionary ideas.

Question 4

Prior to becoming a naturalist,Darwin seriously contemplated careers in which of the following fields?

Accepted Answer

Darwin initially considered a career in medicine or the clergy, but ultimately chose to study natural history and pursue a career as a naturalist.

Question 5

According to Darwin,during his time as a student at Cambridge University the extracurricular activity that gave him the most pleasure was

Accepted Answer

According to Darwin's autobiography, his most enjoyable extracurricular activity at Cambridge was collecting beetles. He is said to have developed a passionate interest in beetles, which eventually led him to embark on his scientific career.

Question 6

Which of the following provided a crucial insight that helped Darwin develop his theory of evolution by natural selection following his reading of it "for amusement"?

Accepted Answer

Thomas Malthus' essay on population provided Darwin with the insight that populations have the potential to increase at a faster rate than their resources can support, leading to competition and natural selection for survival. This helped Darwin develop his theory of evolution by natural selection.

Question 7

According to philosopher and theologian __________,studying the structure of an eye was "a cure for atheism."

Accepted Answer

William Paley argued in his book "Natural Theology, or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity, Collected from the Appearances of Nature" that studying the intricacies and complexity of natural phenomena, such as the structure of an eye, provided evidence of the existence of a divine creator.

Question 8

A British political economist and demographer whose writings on population growth influenced Charles Darwin's development of the theory of evolution by natural selection was

Accepted Answer

Thomas Malthus was the British political economist and demographer whose writings on population growth and limited resources influenced Charles Darwin's development of the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Question 9

During his time aboard the Beagle Darwin's nickname was

Accepted Answer

Darwin was nicknamed "Philosopher" aboard the HMS Beagle due to his keen interest in natural history and the philosophical implications of his observations and findings.

Question 10

What was the most revolutionary aspect of Darwin's theory as published in his 1859 The Origin of Species?

Accepted Answer

The most revolutionary aspect of Darwin's theory was the notion of natural selection as the mechanism for evolution. While the idea of the evolution of species was not a new one, Darwin's proposal that natural selection acted on random variations within a population to favor those individuals best adapted to their environment was a major departure from previous theories of evolution. This concept revolutionized our understanding of how species evolve over time and has since become a cornerstone of modern biology.

Question 11

While on his Beagle voyage,Darwin's biological discoveries led him to adopt two general lines of thinking that would prove important to the development of his theory of evolution.These two lines of thinking emphasized the geographical distributions of species and the

Accepted Answer

The first line of thinking, which emphasized the geographical distributions of species, led Darwin to consider how different species might have adapted to their environments. This consideration led him to the second line of thinking, which focused on the adaptive functions of animals' distinctive characteristics. Together, these two lines of thinking would form the basis of his theory of evolution through natural selection.

Question 12

Zoologist __________ proposed that species evolve as a result of the inheritance of physical characteristics acquired during an organism's lifetime,such as through the use or disuse of specific body parts.

Accepted Answer

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics.

Question 13

The philosopher and theologian William Paley is best remembered for promoting which idea?

Accepted Answer

William Paley is best remembered for his teleological argument for the existence of God, which is also known as the argument from design. He argued that just as a watch must have had a maker, the complexity and order of the natural world must have had a designer. This argument became an influential concept in the philosophy of religion.

Question 14

Uniformitarianism and catastrophism were opposing theories from the nineteenth century concerning

Accepted Answer

Uniformitarianism and catastrophism were opposing theories about the processes that shaped the earth's natural features. Uniformitarianism held that gradual, ongoing processes like erosion and sedimentation were responsible for shaping the earth's surface, while catastrophism suggested that sudden and catastrophic events like floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions were responsible. These theories were eventually reconciled with the understanding that both gradual and catastrophic events have played a role in shaping the earth over its history. The other choices are not relevant to this particular historical debate.

Question 15

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection,as presented in his The Origin of Species,presupposed the existence of

Accepted Answer

Darwin's theory presupposed the presence of small individual differences that could be passed down from one generation to the next through heredity. These differences could then be accentuated or reduced by the selective pressures of the external environment. Darwin did not have knowledge of genes as we understand them today, but he did recognize the importance of heredity in the transmission of traits from one generation to the next.

Question 16

Although Darwin is best known for his theory of evolution by natural selection and his biological expertise,he also made important contributions to which field?

Accepted Answer

In addition to his work in biology, Darwin was also an accomplished geologist. He spent five years on the HMS Beagle, during which he made important geological observations and collected fossils. He later wrote several geological works, including "The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs" and "Geological Observations on South America."

Question 17

What was a major factor that converted Darwin to the uniformitarian viewpoint during his Beagle voyage?

Accepted Answer

During his Beagle voyage, Darwin discovered fossilized seashells high in the mountains, which provided evidence for the idea of uniformitarianism, as it meant that the rocks had been slowly uplifted over a long period of time, rather than suddenly created in their current location.

Question 18

Robert FitzRoy became an important figure in Darwin's life because he

Accepted Answer

Robert FitzRoy was the captain of the HMS Beagle and took Darwin on as his dining companion and ship naturalist during the Beagle's five-year journey. FitzRoy and Darwin became close friends and had extensive conversations about the observations Darwin made during their voyage, sparking some of the ideas that would lead to Darwin's theory of evolution.

Question 19

Both __________ and __________ helped bring the idea of evolved species to scientific awareness,but without suggesting a plausible mechanism by which evolution could occur.

Accepted Answer

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Erasmus Darwin both proposed the idea of evolution, but they did not suggest a plausible mechanism by which it could occur. Lamarck argued that organisms could increase or decrease the size or complexity of their organs based on their use or disuse, while Erasmus Darwin speculated that all life forms originated from a single common ancestor. It was Charles Darwin, who later proposed the theory of natural selection, which explained how evolution could occur.

Question 20

The English geologist Charles Lyell promoted and supported which geological theory?

Accepted Answer

Charles Lyell promoted and supported the geological theory of uniformitarianism, which proposed that the earth's geological processes have operated in the same way throughout history and at the same rates, without the need for catastrophic events to explain past geological features. This theory helped establish the geological timescale and the idea of deep time.

Quiz 7: The Evolving Mind: Darwin and His Psychological Legacy

's widely accepted calculation of the earth's age as just 6,000 years old lent support to the theory of .