Question 1

There are several sources of scientific evidence to support the theory of evolution. Match each of the following to its description.
-study of the early development of organisms

Accepted Answer

Comparative embryology is the study of the early development of organisms, examining the similarities and differences in embryos of different species to understand evolutionary relationships.

Question 2

Match each stage in the evolution of humans to its description.
-decline in sexual dimorphism; formation of hunting and gathering groups that shared food; first in the human line to move from Africa to Europe and Asia

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus was the first in the human line to move from Africa to Europe and Asia, and they formed hunting and gathering groups that shared food, which is associated with a decline in sexual dimorphism.

Question 3

The largest mass extinction in the history of Earth occurred during the Triassic period; the extinction was largely due to global warming and a period of high carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

The largest mass extinction in the history of Earth occurred during the Permian period, not the Triassic period.

Question 4

Homo habilis is considered to be the first of our human ancestors to make tools.

Accepted Answer

Homo habilis is often credited as the first of our ancestors to make and use stone tools, a significant step in human evolution.

Question 5

Extinction occurs when all individuals of a population die out.

Accepted Answer

Extinction is defined as the complete disappearance of a species from Earth, which occurs when the last individual of that species dies.

Question 6

Homo neanderthalensis is believed to be a direct ancestor of Homo sapiens.

Accepted Answer

Homo neanderthalensis, or Neanderthals, are not considered direct ancestors of Homo sapiens but rather a separate species that coexisted and interbred with early modern humans.

Question 7

RNA is believed to have evolved before DNA and proteins.

Accepted Answer

RNA is thought to have been one of the first molecules to store genetic information and catalyze chemical reactions, leading to the hypothesis of the "RNA world" where RNA preceded DNA and proteins in evolutionary history.

Question 8

With the advent of photosynthesis and the subsequent production of oxygen by photosynthetic organisms, most of the anaerobic organisms present on Earth became extinct because oxygen was actually toxic to these organisms.

Accepted Answer

The rise of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere due to photosynthesis led to the Great Oxidation Event, which was toxic to many anaerobic organisms, causing mass extinctions.

Question 9

Geographical barriers, such as large bodies of water and mountains, can result in a founder effect.

Accepted Answer

Geographical barriers can isolate a small group of individuals from a larger population, leading to a founder effect where the genetic diversity of the new population is limited to that of the initial members.

Question 10

As oceans began to form on Earth billions of years ago, they were small, warm, and not very salty.

Accepted Answer

The early oceans were formed from volcanic outgassing and comet impacts, leading to warm, shallow bodies of water with low salinity compared to modern oceans.

Question 11

Match each stage in the evolution of humans to its description.
-first in the lineage in the development of humans; ape-like anatomy; sexual dimorphism; walked upright

Accepted Answer

Australopithecus afarensis is known for its ape-like anatomy, sexual dimorphism, and was one of the first in the lineage to walk upright.

Question 12

Primitive photosynthetic organisms were responsible for producing oxygen gas in the atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

Primitive photosynthetic organisms, such as cyanobacteria, were among the first to perform photosynthesis, releasing oxygen as a byproduct and significantly contributing to the oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere.

Question 13

Random changes in the frequency of alleles of a population because of chance events is known as natural selection.

Accepted Answer

Natural selection is the process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. Random changes in allele frequencies due to chance events are known as genetic drift.

Question 14

Periods of adaptive radiation are most likely to occur after a change in the environment causes new habitats to form.

Accepted Answer

Adaptive radiation often occurs when new habitats or ecological niches become available, allowing species to diversify and adapt to the new conditions.

Question 15

There are several sources of scientific evidence to support the theory of evolution. Match each of the following to its description.
-study of homologous and analogous structures

Accepted Answer

Comparative anatomy is the study of homologous and analogous structures, which provides evidence for evolution by showing how different species have similar structures with different functions, indicating a common ancestry.

Question 16

Dinosaurs and modern humans coexisted for about a million years.

Accepted Answer

Dinosaurs went extinct about 65 million years ago, while modern humans (Homo sapiens) have only been around for about 300,000 years.

Question 17

Comparative biochemistry is the science that examines similarities between molecules; the greater the difference between molecules that have the same function in two different species, the more distantly related the two species likely are.

Accepted Answer

Comparative biochemistry studies molecular similarities and differences to infer evolutionary relationships; greater molecular differences suggest more distant common ancestry.

Question 18

There are several sources of scientific evidence to support the theory of evolution. Match each of the following to its description.
-study of the structure of molecules to infer evolutionary relatedness of organisms

Accepted Answer

Comparative biochemistry involves studying the structure of molecules, such as DNA and proteins, to infer the evolutionary relatedness of organisms.

Question 19

There are several sources of scientific evidence to support the theory of evolution. Match each of the following to its description.
-preserved remains of organisms

Accepted Answer

The fossil record consists of preserved remains or traces of organisms from the past, providing evidence for the theory of evolution.

Question 20

There are several sources of scientific evidence to support the theory of evolution. Match each of the following to its description.
-branch of science that focuses on classifying and naming life-forms

Accepted Answer

Taxonomy is the branch of science concerned with the classification and naming of organisms.

Quiz 22: Evolution and the Origins of Life

There are several sources of scientific evidence to support the theory of evolution. Match each of the following to its description. -study of the early development of organisms

Match each stage in the evolution of humans to its description. -decline in sexual dimorphism; formation of hunting and gathering groups that shared food; first in the human line to move from Africa to Europe and Asia