Question 1

Identify three ways in which the evolution of photosynthetic autotrophs affected either the atmosphere or other organisms.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify three ways in which the evolution...

Question 2

The greatest mass extinction of all time occurred at the end of the ____ era, in which more than 90% of all existing marine organisms became extinct.

Accepted Answer

The greatest mass extinction of all time occurred at the end of the Paleozoic era, also known as the Permian-Triassic extinction event, in which more than 90% of all existing marine organisms became extinct.

Question 3

Briefly explain the iron-sulfur world hypothesis and identify two pieces of evidence that support this hypothesis.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Briefly explain the iron-sulfur world hypothesis and...

Question 4

The prebiotic soup hypothesis proposes that organic molecules formed from cracks in the ocean floor. 
______________

Accepted Answer

The prebiotic soup hypothesis proposes that organic molecules formed in the early Earth's atmosphere, not from cracks in the ocean floor.

Question 5

Fossil stromatolites are evidence that cells exited 3.5 million years ago. 
_____________

Accepted Answer

The answer of Fossil stromatolites are evidence that cells exited...

Question 6

The "Age of Fishes" is an informal name for which time period?

Accepted Answer

The "Age of Fishes" is an informal name for the Devonian period, which lasted from approximately 419.2 to 358.9 million years ago. This is because it was during this time that the first jawed fishes appeared and diversified, paving the way for other aquatic life forms to evolve.

Question 7

What was the dominant life form of the Mesozoic era?

Accepted Answer

Reptiles, specifically dinosaurs, were the dominant life form of the Mesozoic era.

Question 8

Amphibians evolved directly from which ancestral organisms?

Accepted Answer

Amphibians evolved directly from fishes. The earliest amphibians evolved from lobe-finned fishes during the Devonian period, about 370 million years ago.

Question 9

The incorporation of DNA into the information transfer system was advantageous because DNA is a(n) catalytic molecule. 
______________

Accepted Answer

DNA is not a catalytic molecule. It functions as a storage molecule for genetic information and its primary function is to transfer this information from one generation to the next. Ribozymes, on the other hand, are catalytic RNA molecules.

Question 10

The serial endosymbiosis hypothesis states that the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts was the result of a mutually advantageous symbiotic relationship between two eukaryotic organisms. 
______________

Accepted Answer

The serial endosymbiosis hypothesis suggests that mitochondria and chloroplasts originated from a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship between a eukaryotic host cell and prokaryotic organisms (not two eukaryotic organisms).

Question 11

Protobionts are vesicle-like assemblages of abiotically-produced organic polymers. 
______________

Accepted Answer

Protobionts are indeed vesicle-like assemblages of organic polymers that were produced abiotically.

Question 12

Which type of organisms were likely the first land animals?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which type of organisms were likely the...

Question 13

During which time period did shallow seas cover much of the land and another burst of evolutionary diversification occur?

Accepted Answer

The answer of During which time period did shallow seas...

Question 14

Mammal-like reptiles arose during which time period?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mammal-like reptiles arose during which time period?
...

Question 15

Clay is considered a possible site for early polymerization because it binds organic monomers and contains zinc and iron ions that may have functioned as ATP . 
______________

Accepted Answer

Clay is considered a possible site for early polymerization because it can bind organic monomers, but the statement that clay contains zinc and iron ions that may have functioned as ATP is incorrect. ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is a molecule used by living organisms to store and transfer energy, not a function of zinc and iron ions.

Question 16

Place the following organisms in order of appearance in the fossil record, beginning with the earliest. 
A. ferns, algae, flowering plants, gymnosperms 
B. amphibians, reptiles, fish, mammals

Accepted Answer

The answer of Place the following organisms in order of...

Question 17

A ____ forest included low swamps with giant ferns, horsetails, club mosses, seed ferns, and early gymnosperm s

Accepted Answer

The forest described includes plant species that thrived during the Carboniferous period (approximately 359 million to 299 million years ago). This period is also known as the Coal Age, as the dense vegetation in these forests contributed to the formation of vast coal deposits.

Question 18

Which time period of Earth represents when evolution was progressing at the most rapid rate, as evidenced by fossils such as those of the Burgess Shale?

Accepted Answer

The Burgess Shale fossils are from the Cambrian period, which is widely considered the time when the rate of evolution was at its most rapid. This period saw the emergence of a diverse array of animal phyla, including many that have no modern descendants.

Question 19

The first photosynthetic autotrophs used the energy of the sun to split H ₂O because it is not very electronegative. ______________

Accepted Answer

The first photosynthetic autotrophs used the energy of the sun to split water (H2O) because it is readily available and contains hydrogen, which is a good source of electrons for photosynthesis.

Question 20

Vascular plants and air-breathing animals first appeared during which time period?

Accepted Answer

Vascular plants and air-breathing animals first appeared during the Silurian period.

Quiz 21: The Origin and Evolutionary History of Life

Identify three ways in which the evolution of photosynthetic autotrophs affected either the atmosphere or other organisms.

The greatest mass extinction of all time occurred at the end of the ____ era, in which more than 90% of all existing marine organisms became extinct.

Briefly explain the iron-sulfur world hypothesis and identify two pieces of evidence that support this hypothesis.

The prebiotic soup hypothesis proposes that organic molecules formed from cracks in the ocean floor. ______________

Fossil stromatolites are evidence that cells exited 3.5 million years ago. _____________

The "Age of Fishes" is an informal name for which time period?

What was the dominant life form of the Mesozoic era?

Amphibians evolved directly from which ancestral organisms?

The incorporation of DNA into the information transfer system was advantageous because DNA is a(n) catalytic molecule. ______________

The serial endosymbiosis hypothesis states that the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts was the result of a mutually advantageous symbiotic relationship between two eukaryotic organisms. ______________

Protobionts are vesicle-like assemblages of abiotically-produced organic polymers. ______________