Question 1

Which of these characteristics contributed the most to vertebrate success in relatively dry environments?

Accepted Answer

A)  the shelled, amniotic egg 
B)  the ability to maintain a constant body temperature 
C)  two pairs of appendages 
D)  a four-chambered heart 
A)  the shelled, amniotic egg 
B)  the ability to maintain a constant body temperature 
C)  two pairs of appendages 
D)  a four-chambered heart

Question 2

Which of these are amniotes?

Accepted Answer

A)  amphibians 
B)  fishes 
C)  turtles 
D)  lungfish 
A)  amphibians 
B)  fishes 
C)  turtles 
D)  lungfish

Question 3

Which clade does not include humans?

Accepted Answer

A)  lobe-fins 
B)  diapsids 
C)  amniotes 
D)  osteichthyans 
A)  lobe-fins 
B)  diapsids 
C)  amniotes 
D)  osteichthyans

Question 4

Which extant chordates are postulated to be most like the earliest chordates in appearance?

Accepted Answer

A)  lancelets 
B)  adult tunicates 
C)  amphibians 
D)  chondrichthyans 
A)  lancelets 
B)  adult tunicates 
C)  amphibians 
D)  chondrichthyans

Question 5

To reproduce, many plants produce seeds-structures containing embryonic offspring along with nutrients inside a tough coat. These offspring develop after being released by the parent plant. To which animal reproductive "strategy" is seed production most comparable?

Accepted Answer

A)  oviparous reproduction 
B)  ovoviviparous reproduction 
C)  viviparous reproduction 
D)  internal development and ballistic dispersal 
A)  oviparous reproduction 
B)  ovoviviparous reproduction 
C)  viviparous reproduction 
D)  internal development and ballistic dispersal

Question 6

Which of the following are the only extant animals that descended directly from dinosaurs?

Accepted Answer

A)  lizards 
B)  crocodiles 
C)  birds 
D)  tuataras 
A)  lizards 
B)  crocodiles 
C)  birds 
D)  tuataras

Question 7

Which of the following taxonomic groups is the most successful?

Accepted Answer

A)  Fungi are the most successful, based on their ability to digest cellulose, the most common organic compound on Earth. 
B)  Bony fishes are the most successful, based on their high species diversity (almost as many as all other vertebrates combined). 
C)  Mammals are the most successful, based on their complex mode of reproduction. 
D)  All extant species are successful, based on their continuing existence. 
A)  Fungi are the most successful, based on their ability to digest cellulose, the most common organic compound on Earth. 
B)  Bony fishes are the most successful, based on their high species diversity (almost as many as all other vertebrates combined). 
C)  Mammals are the most successful, based on their complex mode of reproduction. 
D)  All extant species are successful, based on their continuing existence.

Question 8

Marsupials survived in Australia (as opposed to Asia) because ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  marsupials were better adapted to the climatic conditions of Australia than were eutherians 
B)  marsupials were, and are, better competitors than eutherians 
C)  Australia had separated from Pangea, and eutherians were not able to invade Australia 
D)  continental drift, caused by plate tectonic processes, allowed eutherians to invade Asia and the Americas 
A)  marsupials were better adapted to the climatic conditions of Australia than were eutherians 
B)  marsupials were, and are, better competitors than eutherians 
C)  Australia had separated from Pangea, and eutherians were not able to invade Australia 
D)  continental drift, caused by plate tectonic processes, allowed eutherians to invade Asia and the Americas

Question 9

Which of the following characteristics evolved independently in mammals and birds?

Accepted Answer

A)  amniotic eggs 
B)  jaws 
C)  bone 
D)  endothermy 
A)  amniotic eggs 
B)  jaws 
C)  bone 
D)  endothermy

Question 10

Unlike eutherians, both monotremes and marsupials ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  lack nipples 
B)  have some embryonic development outside the uterus 
C)  lay eggs 
D)  are found in Australia and Africa 
A)  lack nipples 
B)  have some embryonic development outside the uterus 
C)  lay eggs 
D)  are found in Australia and Africa

Question 11

Which of the following characteristics is shared by a hagfish and a lamprey?

Accepted Answer

A)  a rasping tongue 
B)  paired fins 
C)  jaws 
D)  a well-developed notochord 
A)  a rasping tongue 
B)  paired fins 
C)  jaws 
D)  a well-developed notochord

Question 12

The evolution of similar insulating skin coverings such as fur, hair, and feathers in mammals and birds is a result of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  shared ancestry 
B)  convergent evolution 
C)  homology 
D)  evolutionary divergence 
A)  shared ancestry 
B)  convergent evolution 
C)  homology 
D)  evolutionary divergence

Question 13

Which of the following represents the strongest evidence that two of the three middle ear bones of mammals are homologous to certain reptilian jawbones?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are similar in size to the reptilian jawbones. 
B)  They are similar in shape to the reptilian jawbones. 
C)  The mammalian jaw has fewer bones than does the reptilian jaw. 
D)  These bones can be observed to move from the developing jaw to the developing middle ear in mammalian embryos. 
A)  They are similar in size to the reptilian jawbones. 
B)  They are similar in shape to the reptilian jawbones. 
C)  The mammalian jaw has fewer bones than does the reptilian jaw. 
D)  These bones can be observed to move from the developing jaw to the developing middle ear in mammalian embryos.

Question 14

Which of the following is a characteristic of all chordates at some point during their life cycle?

Accepted Answer

A)  jaws 
B)  post-anal tail 
C)  four-chambered heart 
D)  vertebrae 
A)  jaws 
B)  post-anal tail 
C)  four-chambered heart 
D)  vertebrae

Question 15

Mammals and birds eat more often than reptiles. Which of the following traits shared by mammals and birds best explains this habit?

Accepted Answer

A)  endothermy 
B)  ectothermy 
C)  amniotic egg 
D)  terrestrial habitat 
A)  endothermy 
B)  ectothermy 
C)  amniotic egg 
D)  terrestrial habitat

Question 16

Which of these statements accurately describes a similarity between sharks and ray-finned fishes?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are equally able to exchange gases with the environment while stationary. 
B)  They are highly maneuverable due to their flexibility. 
C)  They have a lateral line that is sensitive to vibrations. 
D)  A swim bladder helps control buoyancy. 
A)  They are equally able to exchange gases with the environment while stationary. 
B)  They are highly maneuverable due to their flexibility. 
C)  They have a lateral line that is sensitive to vibrations. 
D)  A swim bladder helps control buoyancy.

Question 17

Suppose you traveled back in time and located the first animals to have evolved feathers. You found that these animals were tree-dwelling ectotherms, able to run quickly but unable to fly. You also noticed that only males had feathers. Which hypothesis of feather evolution would these data most support? Feathers initially evolved in a role associated with ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  flight 
B)  insulation 
C)  courtship behavior 
D)  gliding 
A)  flight 
B)  insulation 
C)  courtship behavior 
D)  gliding

Question 18

Which of the following statements about human evolution is correct?

Accepted Answer

A)  Modern humans are the only human species to have evolved on Earth. 
B)  Human ancestors were virtually identical to extant chimpanzees. 
C)  Human evolution has occurred within an unbranched lineage. 
D)  The upright posture and enlarged brain of humans evolved separately. 
A)  Modern humans are the only human species to have evolved on Earth. 
B)  Human ancestors were virtually identical to extant chimpanzees. 
C)  Human evolution has occurred within an unbranched lineage. 
D)  The upright posture and enlarged brain of humans evolved separately.

Question 19

Which of these would a paleontologist most likely do to determine if a fossil represents a reptile or a mammal?

Accepted Answer

A)  Look for the presence of milk-producing glands. 
B)  Look for the mammalian characteristics of a four-chambered heart and a diaphragm. 
C)  Use molecular analysis to look for the protein keratin. 
D)  Examine the teeth. 
A)  Look for the presence of milk-producing glands. 
B)  Look for the mammalian characteristics of a four-chambered heart and a diaphragm. 
C)  Use molecular analysis to look for the protein keratin. 
D)  Examine the teeth.

Question 20

Arrange the following taxonomic terms in order from most inclusive (most general) to least inclusive (most specific).

Accepted Answer

A)  primates, apes, anthropoids, hominins, Homo 
B)  primates, anthropoids, apes, hominins, Homo 
C)  primates, anthropoids, hominins, Homo 
D)  primates, hominins, apes, anthropoids, Homo 
A)  primates, apes, anthropoids, hominins, Homo 
B)  primates, anthropoids, apes, hominins, Homo 
C)  primates, anthropoids, hominins, Homo 
D)  primates, hominins, apes, anthropoids, Homo

Exam 34: The Origin and Evolution of Vertebrates

Which of these characteristics contributed the most to vertebrate success in relatively dry environments?

Which of these are amniotes?

Which clade does not include humans?

Which extant chordates are postulated to be most like the earliest chordates in appearance?

To reproduce, many plants produce seeds-structures containing embryonic offspring along with nutrients inside a tough coat. These offspring develop after being released by the parent plant. To which animal reproductive "strategy" is seed production most comparable?

Which of the following are the only extant animals that descended directly from dinosaurs?

Which of the following taxonomic groups is the most successful?

Marsupials survived in Australia (as opposed to Asia) because ________.

Which of the following characteristics evolved independently in mammals and birds?

Unlike eutherians, both monotremes and marsupials ________.

Which of the following characteristics is shared by a hagfish and a lamprey?

The evolution of similar insulating skin coverings such as fur, hair, and feathers in mammals and birds is a result of ________.

Which of the following represents the strongest evidence that two of the three middle ear bones of mammals are homologous to certain reptilian jawbones?

Which of the following is a characteristic of all chordates at some point during their life cycle?

Mammals and birds eat more often than reptiles. Which of the following traits shared by mammals and birds best explains this habit?

Which of these statements accurately describes a similarity between sharks and ray-finned fishes?

Which of the following statements about human evolution is correct?

Which of these would a paleontologist most likely do to determine if a fossil represents a reptile or a mammal?

Arrange the following taxonomic terms in order from most inclusive (most general) to least inclusive (most specific).

Evolution, the Themes of Biology, and Scientific Inquiry

The Chemical Context of Life

Water and Life

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Structure and Function

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

Cell Communication

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

Gene Expression: From Gene to Protein

Regulation of Gene Expression

Viruses

DNA Tools and Biotechnology

Genomes and Their Evolution

Descent with Modification: A Darwinian View of Life

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

The History of Life on Earth

Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

Bacteria and Archaea

Protists

Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

Plant Diversity II: The Evolution of Seed Plants

Fungi

An Overview of Animal Diversity

An Introduction to Invertebrates

Vascular Plant Structure, Growth, and Development

Resource Acquisition and Transport in Vascular Plants

Soil and Plant Nutrition

Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Osmoregulation and Excretion

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons, Synapses, and Signaling

Nervous Systems

Sensory and Motor Mechanisms

Animal Behavior

An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Population Ecology

Community Ecology

Ecosystems and Restoration Ecology

Conservation Biology and Global Change

Filters