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EVOLUTION

Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 

1. 
The theory of evolution combines the principles of
a.
natural selection and artificial selection.
b.
natural selection and genetic resistance.
c.
selective breeding and genetic inheritance.
d.
natural selection and genetic inheritance.
 

2. 
A human's arm, a cat's front leg, a dolphin's front flipper, and a bat's wing
a.
have similar kinds of bones.
b.
are used in similar ways.
c.
share many similarities with insect wings and jellyfish tentacles.
d.
have nothing in common.
 

3. 
The fact that all organisms have DNA as their genetic material is evidence that
a.
natural selection occurred.
b.
all organisms descended from a common ancestor.
c.
selective breeding takes place every day.
d.
genetic resistance rarely occurs.
 

4. 
Individuals in a population that have traits or abilities that give them a competitive advantage over other population members are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is called
a.
species separation.
c.
genetic mutation.
b.
genetic resistance.
d.
natural selection.
 

5. 
Fossils of whale ancestors show that present-day whales are distant cousins to a land-dwelling mammal called Mesonychid. These fossils provide evidence that organisms
a.
do not evolve over time.
b.
have evolved over time.
c.
adapt.
d.
form a new species with each generation.
 

6. 
Structures and behaviors for finding food, protection, and for moving from place to place are an organism's ____ to its environment.
a.
selective breedings
c.
adaptations
b.
speciations
d.
traits
 

7. 
Species dying out and being replaced by newer species is an effect of
a.
evolution.
c.
speciation.
b.
natural selection.
d.
All of the above
 

8. 
To date, scientists have described and named about 300,000 fossil species from which they can compile a historical sequence of life, called
a.
an adaptation chart.
c.
a fossil record.
b.
a cladogram.
d.
a speciation chart.
 

9. 
The deeper in the Earth's crust fossils are found, the
a.
more likely those organisms are extinct.
b.
more likely they look like present-day organisms.
c.
more recent those fossils have been formed.
d.
easier they are to find.
 

10. 
Which of the following is the most likely reason that there are gaps in the fossil record?
a.
Not all organisms can be fossilized.
b.
Conditions to fossilize an organism are rare, so not all species are fossilized.
c.
Not all fossils have been found.
d.
Paleontologists are not good at sharing information to help each other fill in the gaps.
 

11. 
Scientists hypothesize that the whale evolved from a land-dwelling mammal called Mesonychid, which may have ____ about 55 million years ago.
a.
returned to the ocean
c.
returned to land
b.
became a fish
d.
became a reptile
 

12. 
During early development, modern whale embryos have four limbs. By comparing its ___ with a dog, we see that it has a common ancestor.
a.
DNA
c.
vestigial structure
b.
embryonic structure
d.
skeletal structure
 

13. 
During his voyage on the HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin made observations that became the foundation for his theory of evolution by
a.
natural selection.
c.
adaptation.
b.
selective breeding.
d.
genetic variation.
 
 
The beaks of three finches are adapted to the different ways finches obtain food. For each question, identify the adaptation that corresponds to the food the finch eats.
 

14. 
The large ground finch's beak has adapted to work like a ____ for cracking big, hard seeds.
a.
pair of scissors
c.
pair of tweezers
b.
nutcracker
d.
pair of needle-nosed pliers
 

15. 
Over the past 12,000 years, dogs have been ____ to produce more than 150 different breeds.
a.
selectively bred
c.
artificially selected
b.
naturally bred
d.
artificially bred
 

16. 
Why was Lyell's Principles of Geology important to Darwin?
a.
He offered the same theory of natural selection.
b.
He provided evidence that the Earth was much older than anyone thought, which supported Darwin's idea that populations of organisms changed very slowly over a long time.
c.
His idea that humans have the potential to reproduce uncontrollably, beyond the capacity of their food supply, encouraged Darwin to realize that other animal species were capable of producing too many offspring and, in order to survive, must inherit special traits.
d.
Through selective breeding, he bred many new types of dogs, supporting Darwin's idea of inherited traits.
 

17. 
According to Darwin, the four steps in natural selection are
a.
reproduction, genetic mutation, separation, and natural breeding.
b.
natural breeding, genetic variation, adaptation, and reproduction.
c.
separation, genetic variation, adaptation, and natural selection.
d.
overproduction, genetic variation, struggle to survive, and successful reproduction.
 

18. 
When an effective insecticide is used on a population of insects, most of the insects are killed, but a few may survive due to genes that make them resistant to the insecticide. This is an example of
a.
selective breeding.
c.
generation time.
b.
natural selection.
d.
extinction.
 

19. 
A newly formed canyon, mountain range, or lake are a few of the ways that the first step of ____ can occur.
a.
mutation
c.
selective breeding
b.
speciation
d.
genetic inheritance
 

20. 
Comparing human DNA with the DNA of gorillas, mice, chickens, and frogs reveals that humans have the fewest amino acid differences with
a.
gorillas.
c.
chickens.
b.
mice.
d.
frogs.
 

21. 
Bulldogs have been developed by humans by a process called
a.
natural selection.
c.
speciation.
b.
selective breeding.
d.
mutation.
 
 
The following statements contain information regarding the roach population.
A.       Roaches that live to maturity may mate and produce offspring.
B.       A population of roaches contain some pesticide-resistant roaches and some that are not resistant to pesticides.
C.       Many roaches do not survive because they come in contact with pesticides.
D.       Roaches lay many eggs.
 

22. 
Which of the above statements most closely illustrates genetic variation?
a.
A
c.
C
b.
B
d.
D
 

23. 
Which of the above statements most closely illustrates successful reproduction?
a.
A
c.
C
b.
B
d.
D
 

24. 
Which of the above statements most closely illustrates overproduction?
a.
A
c.
C
b.
B
d.
D
 

25. 
Which of the above statements most closely illustrates struggle to survive?
a.
A
c.
C
b.
B
d.
D
 

Short Answer
 
 
Examine the graphs below, and then answer the questions that follow.
evolution_test_files/i0300000.jpg
 

26. 
What is the most common birth weight?
 

27. 
What birth weight has the highest survival rate?
 

28. 
How do the principles of natural selection help explain why there are more deaths among babies with low birth weights than among babies of average birth weights?
 

29. 
Suppose that every year the size of a certain population of beetles doubles. If there are 5,010 of these beetles this year, how many will there be after 3 years? Show your work.
 

30. 
Suppose you found two fossils in two different layers of rock. Which rock layer would contain the older fossil, the surface layer or a much deeper layer? Explain.
 



 
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