Question 1

How do we know that dinosaurs had lice?

Accepted Answer

Lice are found only in birds and mammals, indicating that their common ancestor, a dinosaur, must have also hosted lice. Fossil evidence may lend support, but it is not explicitly mentioned in the answer choices. DNA evidence may also be used, but the specific explanation given in choice D is not scientifically accurate.

Question 2

Human and fish embryos share a number of features. Why is this?

Accepted Answer

Humans and fish share a common ancestor, which means they inherited certain traits and features from their common ancestor. These shared features include similarities in embryonic development.

Question 3

Some finches on the Galápagos Islands eat insects, an unusual food for finches to eat. These finches

Accepted Answer

The finches on the Galápagos Islands have adapted to their environment by eating insects, which is not typical for finches. This suggests that they fill roles that birds other than finches would fill in other places, as in the Galápagos Islands there may not be other birds that fill the insect-eating niche. Additionally, if they were moved from their island, they may not be able to survive as their diet is unique to their environment.

Question 4

Genetic variation within a population is the result of the expression of the different ____________________ of a gene.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Genetic variation within a population is the...

Question 5

Which of the following statements regarding the evolutionary history of an organism is false?

Accepted Answer

Predictions of evolutionary relatedness based on DNA usually agree with those based on anatomical evidence, rather than contradicting them. Therefore, statement C is false.

Question 6

While mutation increases genetic variation by adding new alleles to a population, ____________________ during gamete formation increases variation by creating new combinations of already existing alleles.

Accepted Answer

The answer of While mutation increases genetic variation by adding...

Question 7

Continental drift is the ____________________ of Earth's landmasses through geologic time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Continental drift is the ____________________ of Earth's...

Question 8

Humans simulate the process of natural selection when they use _____ to develop new varieties of crop plants that better meet the needs of farmers.

Accepted Answer

Artificial selection involves humans choosing certain traits to breed for in plants or animals in order to create desired characteristics. This process mimics the natural selection process in which the environment selects for advantageous traits in wild populations. Cytochrome c, habitat changes, and continental drift do not relate to the process of artificially selecting crop plants for desired traits.

Question 9

Approximately 200 million years ago, ____________________, the giant land mass shown in the figure below, began to split up into the continents we know today.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Approximately 200 million years ago, ____________________, the...

Question 10

An example of evolution that has been readily observed is

Accepted Answer

Increased resistance of bacteria to an antibiotic that is used to kill them is a clear example of evolution that has been readily observed. As bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic, those with genetic mutations that provide resistance to the antibiotic are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on their resistant genes to their offspring. Over time, the population of bacteria will evolve to become more resistant to the antibiotic, making it less effective. This is a well-documented phenomenon in the field of microbiology.

Question 11

The result of ____________________ over evolutionary time spans is that alleles that allow organisms to survive and reproduce at a higher rate than other individuals become more common in the population.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The result of ____________________ over evolutionary time...

Question 12

Mutations occur ____________________ rather than in a predictable manner that ensures the survival of an individual.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mutations occur ____________________ rather than in a...

Question 13

When comparing certain amino acid sequences in the protein hemoglobin of humans to those of other animals, scientists found that baboons had 7 amino acids that were different than the human protein, dogs had 10 amino acids that were different than the human protein, gorillas had 1 amino acid that was different than the human protein, and lemurs had 8 amino acids that were different than the human protein. Which of these animals is most closely related to humans?

Accepted Answer

The gorilla has the smallest number of amino acid differences, indicating a closer evolutionary relationship to humans.

Question 14

The origin of numerous species of Galápagos finches from one original species is an example of

Accepted Answer

The origin of numerous species of Galápagos finches from one original species is an example of adaptation and speciation. This is because the finches adapted to different ecological niches on the different islands of the Galápagos over time, leading to the development of distinct species with unique traits suited to their specific environments.

Question 15

A(n)____________________ is a characteristic of an organism that improves the performance of that organism in its environment, thus improving its reproductive success.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A(n)____________________ is a characteristic of an organism...

Question 16

Evolutionary changes on a small scale are called ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Evolutionary changes on a small scale are...

Question 17

____________________ are the preserved remains of formerly living organisms.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ____________________ are the preserved remains of formerly...

Question 18

Some whales have teeth as embryos but do not as adults. What is the most likely explanation of this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

The presence of teeth in whale embryos suggests that their ancestors had teeth. However, over time, whales evolved away from having teeth as it became more advantageous to have baleen plates for filter-feeding. This is an example of evolutionary adaptation.

Question 19

Evolution can cause so many changes among individuals of two populations of the same species that eventually the members of the two populations are no longer able to ____________________ with each other, thus forming a new species.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Evolution can cause so many changes among...

Question 20

In the figure below, the region indicated by the arrow is the only modern-day location of the freshwater lungfish. Fossils of the ancestors of the lungfish, however, have been found all over the world (dots throughout map). What does the distribution of these fossils indicate?

Accepted Answer

The distribution of lungfish fossils all over the world suggests that the ancestors of the modern-day lungfish lived on the supercontinent Pangaea before it separated into different continents. As the continents drifted apart, the fossils of these lungfish were scattered across the world. Therefore, choice C best explains the distribution of lungfish fossils.

Quiz 17: How Evolution Works