Deck 15: Evidence for Evolution

Question 1

Shubin and Daeschler specifically traveled to Ellesmere Island to hunt for fossils because _____.

A) the rocks on this island were of the right type to contain fossils.
B) the rocks on the island were of the right age to contain transitional vertebrate fossils.
C) other paleontologists had searched for fossils on that island but Shubin and Daeschler thought they had missed something.
D) they were just guessing that something interesting might be there.
E) Ellesmere Island is one of the coldest places on Earth.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which sequence places Tiktaalik in the correct evolutionary order?

A) ray-finned fish,tetrapods,Tiktaalik
B) lobe-finned fish,Tiktaalik,tetrapods
C) tetrapods,ray-finned fish,Tiktaalik
D) lobe-finned fish,tetrapods,Tiktaalik
E) tetrapods,lobe-finned fish,Tiktaalik

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Animal fossils usually have these structures.

A) legs
B) bony skeletons or hard shells
C) tails
D) scales
E) teeth

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Organism XYZ has a DNA sequence of GGTATAGAGT.By examining the sequence of nucleotides below,determine which organism is most closely related to organism XYZ.

A) GGTTGAGAGT
B) GGTATATAGG
C) GGTATAGAGG
D) GTTATAAGGT
E) It is impossible to tell which organism is most closely related based on this evidence.

Question 5

The variation in shape and function of the forelimb in tetrapods is a result of _____.

A) different environments leading to the evolution of different types of limbs
B) different ancestors passing on different genes to their offspring
C) individual organisms adapting to different environments
D) genetic drift causing the random development of different types of limbs
E) toxins in the terrestrial environment leading to mutations in the limbs

Question 6

Which change in the evolutionary history of horses is documented by the fossil record?

A) a gradual decrease in body size
B) a gradual increase in the number of toes
C) a gradual decrease in the number of toes
D) a direct evolutionary path to modern-day horses
E) transition from an aquatic habitat to land

Question 7

Which statement regarding the dating of fossils is false?

A) Fossils can be dated using a method called radiometric dating.
B) Fossils can be dated relative to other fossils found in layers of rock.
C) Fossils can be dated using a microscope to examine tissue.
D) Fossils can be dated by dating the rock in which they are discovered.
E) Fossils can be dated by dating the rock layers directly above and below the fossil.

Question 8

A transitional fossil should _____.

A) be completely different from any other species.
B) have some similarity to species that lived before it.
C) have some similarity to species that lived after it.
D) be exactly the same as a modern species.
E) share some similarity with species that lived before it and some similarity with species that lived after it.

Question 9

What can we learn about vertebrate evolution from Tiktaalik that we did not know before?

A) how vertebrates evolved vertebrae
B) how vertebrates evolved jaws
C) how vertebrates evolved lungs
D) how vertebrates evolved tetrapod limbs
E) how vertebrates evolved gills

Question 10

The forelimb of a chicken and a primate contain many of the same bones arranged in the same order.This is an example of _____.

A) tetrapodology
B) similarity
C) comparable limbs
D) limb sharing
E) homology

Question 11

What inhibits fossilization of a dead organism?

A) lack of oxygen
B) having a silicon protective shell
C) having a calcified skeleton
D) mineralization
E) the presence of microbes

Question 12

Which feature did Tiktaalik possess that were not possessed by earlier vertebrates?

A) fingers and toes
B) a flexible wrist
C) fins
D) lungs
E) gills

Question 13

Which of these is NOT used by scientists to understand evolution?

A) molecular data
B) the study of anatomy
C) developmental homology
D) fossil records
E) religion

Question 14

Which statement is NOT a reason why homologous structures may look very different when comparing two different species?

A) Those two species may have been exposed to different environments during their evolution.
B) Those two species may use the structures for very different purposes.
C) Those two species may be separated by millions of years of evolutionary history.
D) Anatomical structures reflect evolutionary changes that have occurred in the two species.
E) The homologous structures may have arisen independently in the two species that are closely related.

Question 15

Why is Tiktaalik considered a transitional fossil?

A) It is now extinct.
B) It was found between land and water.
C) It is a mixture of an aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate.
D) It is a hybrid of an aquatic and terrestrial vertebrate.
E) It has two eyes and fins.

Question 16

Some portions of DNA function as a kind of evolutionary clock when comparing two different species because _____.

A) portions of the DNA have no function
B) mutations accumulate at a known rate
C) changes to DNA always occur quickly and easily
D) organisms change their anatomy at a constant rate
E) no mechanism is available for removing mutations that are harmful

Question 17

Which scenario would be LEAST likely to result in a fossil?

A) a beetle that becomes trapped in tree sap
B) a snake that dies and is quickly covered in soft mud
C) humans who are quickly buried in volcanic ash
D) a jellyfish that dies and slowly floats to the ocean floor
E) a boar that is trapped in a tar pit and sinks quickly

Question 18

The Tiktaalik fossil,which dates back 375 million years,is considered a transitional fossil because _____.

A) the species lived while Earth was still forming.
B) it was discovered half in the water and half on land.
C) the organism was swimming when it was crushed by falling rock.
D) it shows the transition between two- and four-legged organisms.
E) it displays features found on both aquatic and land-dwelling species.

Question 19

Fossils are generally going to be more useful for studying animals that lived in or near water (e.g. ,streams,lakes,oceans,etc. )because _____.

A) all animals need water
B) water is where most rocks form
C) dead animals that fall into water are more likely to be in conditions that allow fossilization
D) no decomposers are living in water
E) the water prevents the organisms from being eaten by scavengers

Question 20

Although all organisms share the same four nucleotides,it is the _____ of these nucleotides that makes each species unique.

A) quantity
B) shape
C) sequence
D) distance
E) growth

Question 21

Every night when you put on your pajamas,you put that day's pants in the laundry basket first,then that day's shirt.You wash all your laundry on Sunday.After undressing on Friday,you realize you left your driver's license in your pants pocket on Wednesday.
If each shirt is one layer and each pair of pants is also one layer,how many layers do you have to remove from the laundry basket to find Wednesday's pants?

A) Remove 2 layers,and the pants are layer 3.
B) Remove 3 layers,and the pants are layer 4.
C) Remove 4 layers,and the pants are layer 5.
D) Remove 5 layers,and the pants are layer 6.
E) Remove 6 layers,and the pants are layer 7.

Question 22

Hardened tree sap that often contains fossilized organisms is called

A) amber.
B) copazol.
C) gum.
D) latex.
E) pitch.

Question 23

All of the following provide conditions in which a fossil may form,EXCEPT

A) desiccation.
B) slow freezing.
C) burial in tree sap.
D) burial in a volcanic eruption.
E) burial in a mudslide.

Question 24

Which would least likely become fossilized?

A) a fly caught in amber
B) a plant leaf in sedimentary rock
C) a vertebrate buried by volcanic ash
D) an invertebrate on the sea floor
E) a snail caught in a mudslide

Question 25

Rocks formed from _____ can be directly dated using radiometric dating.

A) sedimentation
B) ossification
C) volcanic eruptions
D) mineral deposition
E) microbial activity

Question 26

The oldest ancestor of modern day horses had how many toes?

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

Question 27

All of the following statements about fossil dating are true EXCEPT

A) radiometric dating is the most accurate way to age a fossil.
B) relative dating of fossils involves radiometrically dating rocks above and below the fossil.
C) fossils found deeper in the Earth are generally older than fossils found higher.
D) both relative and radiometric dating may be used in combination to determine the age of a fossil.
E) sedimentary rock can be radiometrically dated whereas volcanic rock cannot

Question 28

Evolutionarily speaking,which in each of the following pairs came first?

A) eukaryotes or prokaryotes
B) aquatic animals or terrestrial animals
C) multicellular organisms or cellular organisms
D) amphibians or fish
E) reptiles or birds

Question 29

Which would most likely become fossilized under the appropriate conditions?

A) squid
B) shrimp
C) snail
D) seastar
E) sponge

Question 30

Which of the following correctly describes a type of fossil and the way in which it is formed?

A) A spider imprint can be created when the spider is trapped in amber.
B) A fish fossil can be created when the fish is rapidly buried in sediment,then desiccated.
C) A dinosaur may leave a mineralized fossil if it is rapidly buried in sediment and slowly compressed over millions of years.
D) A plant fossil may take the form of a leaf imprint,created when the leaf was rapidly buried in soft mud,which hardened around it.
E) Rapid freezing or desiccation may leave a fossil imprint if the organism is rapidly buried in sediment.

Question 31

Which data would be most reliable?

A) Relative dating of a fossil.
B) Radiometric dating of a fossil.
C) Relative and radiometric dating of a fossil.
D) Radiometric data of three fossils from the same depth.
E) Relative data of three fossils from different depths.

Question 32

Relative dating uses

A) indirect dating of fossils based on their surroundings.
B) ¹⁴C data of the surroundings.
C) radiometric data.
D) ¹⁴C data of the object being examined.
E) ages of known fossils.

Question 33

Mineralization is the

A) replacement of organs with tree sap.
B) replacement of the skin with hard minerals.
C) replacement of the bones and teeth with minerals.
D) process of making all fossils.
E) process of making gemstones.

Question 34

Fossils found in sedimentary rocks

A) are youngest at the bottom.
B) get older at the top.
C) get younger the deeper they are found.
D) get older the deeper they are found.
E) are all the same age.

Question 35

Use the lettered phrases below to correctly compare and contrast relative and radiometric dating by selecting the answer choice that correctly identifies the characteristics of each.
Can be used to arrange fossils in the correct sequence from oldest to youngest.
Can provide an estimate of the absolute age of the fossils.
Can be used on all fossils,regardless of the type of rock in which they are found.

A) Only I applies to relative dating;only II and III apply to radiometric dating.
B) Only I and III apply to relative dating;only II and III apply to radiometric dating.
C) Only I and III apply to relative dating;only I and II apply to radiometric dating.
D) Only I applies to relative dating;only II applies to radiometric dating.
E) All three characteristics apply to both relative and radiometric dating.

Question 36

If a fossil is found beneath two layers of rock with relative dates of 570 mya and 530 mya,what is its approximate age?

A) 560 mya.
B) 530 mya.
C) 570 mya.
D) 550 mya.
E) 540 mya.

Question 37

A paleontologist studies

A) sedimentary rocks.
B) invertebrates.
C) relative dating.
D) radiocarbon dating.
E) fossils.

Question 38

If a fossil is found on top of two layers of rock with relative dates of 570 mya and 530 mya,what is its approximate age?

A) 570 mya.
B) 530 mya.
C) 560 mya.
D) 550 mya.
E) 540 mya.

Question 39

Which of these is in the correct order based on the fossil record and our understanding of evolution?

A) Birds,prokaryotes,reptiles,amphibians,fish,colonial protists,single-celled protists.
B) Prokaryotes,single-celled protists,colonial protists,fish,amphibians,reptiles,birds
C) Single-celled protists,colonial protists,prokaryotes,reptiles,amphibians,fish,birds.
D) Prokaryotes,single-celled protists,colonial protists,fish,amphibians,birds,reptiles.
E) Prokaryotes,single-celled protists,colonial protists,amphibians,fish,birds,reptiles.

Question 40

Which of the following is TRUE of fossil formation?

A) Fossils may only form when an animal is buried in sediment.
B) Fossils may only form when an animal dries out.
C) Fossils may only form if the organism is preserved quickly.
D) Fossils may only form if the hard parts of the body mineralize.
E) Fossils may only form if soft tissue remains intact.

Question 41

The most ancient horses had

A) five toes.
B) one toe.
C) four toes.
D) two toes.
E) three toes.

Question 42

Which does NOT describe the body structure of Tiktaalik?

A) It had a long,flat head.
B) Gills were present.
C) It had sturdy ribs to support the body on land.
D) It had jointed fingers and toes.
E) Its neck was mobile.

Question 43

All of the following are tetrapods,EXCEPT

A) ray-finned fishes.
B) amphibians.
C) reptiles.
D) birds.
E) mammals.

Question 44

Changes in species over time are well documented by ______ fossils.

A) cat
B) fish
C) horse
D) dog
E) chimpanzee

Question 45

You have four similar,apparently related fossils.Which one of these would be considered a tetrapod?

A) Fossil 1 is similar to a lobe-finned fish,with a neck,flexible wrists,finger bones,and thick ribs.
B) Fossil 2 is similar to a lobe-finned fish,with a neck and flexible wrists.
C) Fossil 3 is similar to a lobe-finned fish,with a neck.
D) Fossil 4 appears to be an amphibian lacking scales,with a neck,flexible wrists,finger bones,and thick ribs.

Question 46

A tetrapod is

A) an animal with two fins.
B) an animal with four fins.
C) an animal with two limbs.
D) an animal with four limbs.
E) an animal with four appendages intermediate between fins and limbs.

Question 47

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Prokaryotes and eukaryotes evolved at the same time.
B) Tiktaalik is a species that is intermediate between a fish and a reptile.
C) Evolution has been only poorly supported by the fossil record.
D) Animals with hard parts such as bones or shells are more likely to fossilize.
E) Thanks to extensive excavations,the fossil record is now nearly complete.

Question 48

The driving force behind the evolution of horses is

A) diet.
B) climate.
C) floods.
D) catastrophes.
E) natural selection.

Question 49

The four-toed ancestor of the modern horse would have been well suited to life in the

A) open grasslands.
B) desert.
C) savannah.
D) forest.
E) tropics.

Question 50

The fossil record could be improved with more of these.

A) whole animal fossils
B) transitional fossils
C) mold fossils
D) mineralized fossils
E) trace fossils

Question 51

Which statement about Tiktaalik is FALSE?

A) It was a tetrapod.
B) It is a transitional fossil.
C) It did not have jointed fingers.
D) It was a fish with useful terrestrial adaptations.
E) Its neck was mobile.

Question 52

The discovery of a transitional fossil is important because

A) it supports the geologic timescale.
B) it supports relative dating.
C) it supports evolution and natural selection.
D) it supports relative and radiometric dating.
E) it supports paleontology.

Question 53

Velociraptor,of Jurassic Park fame,was one of many genera in the group of animals called dromeosaurs.The organisms in this group share characteristics of both dinosaurs that lived before they did and of birds,which evolved later.As such,they are

A) excellent examples of vestigial species that have gone extinct because their wings were insufficiently well developed to fly.
B) excellent examples of fossil intermediates that both support the predictions of descent with modification and help us understand the evolution of birds from their dinosaur ancestors.
C) excellent examples of fossil intermediates that both support the predictions of descent with modification and help us understand the evolution of dinosaurs from their bird ancestors.
D) excellent examples of how using DNA to study similarities and differences among organisms can help us infer evolutionary relationships among them.
E) excellent examples of evolutionary puzzles that cannot be explained by our current understanding of descent with modification.

Question 54

Which of the following statements is TRUE about Tiktaalik?

A) Tiktaalik represents the very first true amphibian.
B) Tiktaalik was an animal that thrived in deep waters.
C) Tiktaalik developed their specialized fins for the purpose of walking on land.
D) Tiktaalik was able to raise its head above water but could not travel on land.
E) Tiktaalik was a predator.

Question 55

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) The greatest evidence in support of the theory of evolution comes from fossils.
B) The fossil record is incomplete,even for vertebrates.
C) The fossil record provides great detail about the ancestors of animals such as jellyfish.
D) The fossil record shows that prokaryotes evolved before eukaryotes.
E) The fossil record contains intermediate organisms that have some ancestral traits as well as newer,more evolved traits.

Question 56

All of the following are TRUE about the evolution of the horse,EXCEPT

A) the earliest horselike ancestors appeared 2 million years ago.
B) horses evolved from ancestors that had four toes.
C) modern horses walk on the central toe.
D) the fossil record of the horse is fairly well studied.
E) some ancestral species evolved into two different species,one of which became an ancestor of the horse while the other became extinct.

Question 57

Modern day horses have

A) five toes.
B) one toe.
C) four toes.
D) two toes.
E) three toes.

Question 58

All of the following are features of a tetrapod,EXCEPT

A) two true limbs.
B) limbs made of bone.
C) limbs with jointed wrists.
D) limbs with jointed ankles.
E) limbs with digits.

Question 59

The ____ -finned fish gave rise to tetrapods.

A) four
B) splay
C) ray
D) lobe
E) boney

Question 60

Tiktaalik is an important fossil because it is a(n)

A) intermediate fossil.
B) transitional fossil.
C) link between fish and tetrapods.
D) fish with useful terrestrial adaptations.
E) All of the above.

Question 61

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Homologous forelimbs are a result of common ancestry.
B) The forelimbs of tetrapods have the same common ancestor.
C) The human wrist is a structure that evolved in fish 375 million years ago.
D) Comparative anatomy is the study of bone structure in all organisms.
E) Variations in forelimb bone shape and function are evolutionary adaptations.

Question 62

Comparative anatomy ultimately links organisms to

A) a family tree.
B) one another.
C) a relative.
D) a common descendent.
E) a common ancestor.

Question 63

Early in development,vertebrate embryos develop a characteristic series of pouches in the "throat" region;these pouches are called pharyngeal arches.In the early 1800s,an embryologist named Karl Reichert determined that two of the three mammalian inner ear bones (the "hammer" and the "anvil")arose from one of the pharyngeal arches.The same part of the same arch gives rise to the bones that form the jaw joint in reptiles.Which of the following best describes this finding?

A) This is an example of a fossil intermediate demonstrating how a series of complex traits evolved through time.
B) This is an example of how genetic similarities and differences can be used to determine how organisms are evolutionarily related.
C) This is an example of a developmental homology from which we can infer that reptiles and mammals are evolutionarily related.
D) This is an example of how a vestigial structure-the reptilian jaw joint-can be used to demonstrate that reptiles and mammals are evolutionarily related.
E) This is an example of how DNA mutations create fossil intermediates.

Question 64

If you looked at the mouthparts of a grasshopper,a butterfly,and a mosquito,you would see that they are very different.Grasshopper mouthparts are adapted for cutting and grinding up tough plant food;butterflies have a single,long,curled sucking tube for drinking nectar;and mosquitoes have both a sucking tube and needlelike structures for piercing skin.In spite of their differences,though,all three insects (indeed,all 900,000 species of insects!)have mouthparts composed of the same anatomical structures in the same positions.These facts tell you that

A) insect mouthparts are homologous and demonstrate that all insects inherited the same basic anatomical structures from a single common ancestor.
B) insect mouthparts are vestigial structures inherited from a common ancestor in which they were useful.
C) insect mouthparts are developmental homologies that demonstrate common ancestry for all insects.
D) DNA sequence homology among insects is very strong.
E) insects are unrelated;their mouthparts represent adaptations to their different ecological requirements.

Question 65

The dissimilarities of the physical appearance of vertebrate adults can be explained by

A) species variation.
B) analogous structures.
C) vestigial structures.
D) descent from a common ancestor.
E) differential gene expression.

Question 66

The long bones of a bat wing are homologous to

A) the feathers of a bird.
B) the wings of an insect.
C) the humerus of a human.
D) the fingers of a frog.
E) the ulnare of a wombat

Question 67

Which organism would have the most similar DNA to humans?

A) chimp
B) reptile
C) amphibian
D) bird
E) fish

Question 68

The similarity between the forearm of a human and an alligator suggests that

A) humans are reptiles (crocodilians).
B) humans once laid eggs.
C) alligators descended from mammals.
D) mammals descended from reptiles.
E) alligators and humans share a common ancestor.

Question 69

Which of the following may NOT indicate forelimb homology?

A) a similar structure of bones
B) the order of bones
C) the number of bones
D) the relative position of the bones
E) the function of the bones

Question 70

The wrist evolved in which organism 375 million years ago?

A) reptiles
B) fish
C) amphibians
D) birds
E) humans

Question 71

Some snakes have small remnants of legs that they now use for clasping during mating.These leg remnants are

A) vestigial characteristics.
B) primitive arms.
C) faulty genitals.
D) homologous legs.
E) embryonic wings.

Question 72

Homology in comparative anatomy refers to

A) a similar shape and size.
B) similarity in size and function.
C) similarity of structure and a common ancestor.
D) similarity and no common ancestor.
E) similarity of structure but not function.

Question 73

A few birds,such as ostriches,have wings but cannot fly.Which of the following best explains this?

A) Ostriches are not true birds.
B) Ostriches evolved from an amphibian ancestor that had winglike arms and glided among trees.
C) When reptiles evolved into birds,some birds developed wings for flight,but others developed wings incapable of flight.
D) Ostriches evolved from a bird ancestor that flew.
E) Ostriches evolved first,then all other flying birds evolved from ostriches.

Question 74

A structure inherited from an ancestor that no longer serves a clear purpose in an organism is called a

A) heterologous structure.
B) homologous structure.
C) rudimentary structure.
D) symbiotic structure.
E) vestigial structure.

Question 75

The ____ were the intermediates between ray-finned fish and tetrapods.

A) amphibians
B) caecilians
C) lobe-finned fish
D) reptiles
E) decapods

Question 76

Which of the following statements about homology is TRUE?

A) It demonstrates how the same environment can lead to different physical structures.
B) It demonstrates how different environments can lead to the same physical structures.
C) It demonstrates that similarity of structures is due to descent from a common ancestor.
D) It demonstrates that similarity of structures can occur,even in the absence of common ancestors.
E) It demonstrates that similarity of structures is due to random chance.

Question 77

The similarities of vertebrate embryos can be explained by

A) species homology.
B) analogous structures.
C) vestigial structures.
D) descent from a common ancestor.
E) All of the above.

Question 78

A structure inherited from an ancestor that no longer serves a function is a _______ structure.

A) homologous
B) primitive
C) faulty
D) vestigial
E) embryonic

Question 79

The middle ear bones in humans is homologous to

A) the middle ear bones in fish.
B) the limb buds of a snake.
C) jaw bones of reptiles.
D) the notochord of fish.
E) a postanal tail in reptiles.

Question 80

Where have similarities in vertebrate embryological development been shown?

A) pharyngeal pouches
B) limb buds
C) a postanal tail
D) pharyngeal slits (or position of eyes on head)
E) All of the above.