Question 1

The term that describes the upright walking of humans on two legs is ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The term that describes the upright walking...

Question 2

Following each of Earth's five mass extinction, the diversity of life on Earth has ____________________ [increased or decreased] over time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Following each of Earth's five mass extinction,...

Question 3

The most recent mass extinction, which occurred during the Cretaceous period, may have been caused by

Accepted Answer

A) extra heat from the sun. 
B) the pull of the moon on Earth. 
C) the dinosaurs. 
D) an asteroid hitting Earth. 
A) extra heat from the sun. 
B) the pull of the moon on Earth. 
C) the dinosaurs. 
D) an asteroid hitting Earth.

Question 4

The genes that once encoded the development of the human tail may still be present in the human genome.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Oxygen was one of the original gases abundant in Earth's atmosphere before the evolution of life.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Archaic Homo sapiens gave rise to

Accepted Answer

A) Neandertals and modern humans. 
B) Homo habilis and Australopithecus africanus. 
C) Australopithecus africanus and Neandertals. 
D) Homo erectus and Homo habilis. 
A) Neandertals and modern humans. 
B) Homo habilis and Australopithecus africanus. 
C) Australopithecus africanus and Neandertals. 
D) Homo erectus and Homo habilis.

Question 7

Which of these skulls below belongs to a mammal?

Accepted Answer

A) Skull A 
B) Skull B 
C) Skull C 
D) Skull D 
A) Skull A 
B) Skull B 
C) Skull C 
D) Skull D

Question 8

The evidence of a partially opposable big toe in early hominid foot-bone fossils suggests that early hominids

Accepted Answer

A) may have continued to use trees as a method of travel. 
B) were not human ancestors. 
C) could not walk upright. 
D) were not primates. 
A) may have continued to use trees as a method of travel. 
B) were not human ancestors. 
C) could not walk upright. 
D) were not primates.

Question 9

Living humans evolved from ape ancestors without intermediate steps.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

For insects, could there be a connection between being the first organism to fly and being the most diverse terrestrial organism today?

Accepted Answer

A) Probably not; terrestrial insects are only so diverse because they have been around so much longer than other animals and have, therefore, had more time to evolve. 
B) Yes; the ability to fly between populations decreases gene flow resulting in rapid speciation. 
C) No; only environmental changes can lead to adaptive radiation of a group as large as insects. 
D) Maybe; because insects were the first in the air, they had a variety of habitats to explore without competition, which often leads to adaptive radiation. 
A) Probably not; terrestrial insects are only so diverse because they have been around so much longer than other animals and have, therefore, had more time to evolve. 
B) Yes; the ability to fly between populations decreases gene flow resulting in rapid speciation. 
C) No; only environmental changes can lead to adaptive radiation of a group as large as insects. 
D) Maybe; because insects were the first in the air, they had a variety of habitats to explore without competition, which often leads to adaptive radiation.

Question 11

Scientists use existing fossils to predict what the transitional forms between organisms might look like. Why is it so hard for scientists to find fossils of these transitional forms?

Accepted Answer

A) Scientists have no way to determine how deep in a rock to look for a transitional fossil, so they just have to dig and dig until they find the right fossil. 
B) Because of continental drift, the exact location of where a transitional fossil should be found cannot be determined. Looking for a particular fossil that could be anywhere on the planet is like looking for a needle in a haystack. 
C) Fossils of transitional species may have never formed due to environmental conditions, or if they did form, natural processes like erosion may have destroyed them. 
D) The transitional form of any organism is only hypothetical in nature; it never truly existed on the planet and, therefore, could never become a fossil. 
A) Scientists have no way to determine how deep in a rock to look for a transitional fossil, so they just have to dig and dig until they find the right fossil. 
B) Because of continental drift, the exact location of where a transitional fossil should be found cannot be determined. Looking for a particular fossil that could be anywhere on the planet is like looking for a needle in a haystack. 
C) Fossils of transitional species may have never formed due to environmental conditions, or if they did form, natural processes like erosion may have destroyed them. 
D) The transitional form of any organism is only hypothetical in nature; it never truly existed on the planet and, therefore, could never become a fossil.

Question 12

The Permian explosion gave rise to all the modern animal phyla (and many that no longer exist).

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

What does the positioning of the toe indicated by the arrow in this figure suggest about the owner of this fossil hominid foot?

Accepted Answer

A) This hominid probably spent all of its time climbing through trees. 
B) This hominid was a hybrid produced from the mating of a Neandertal and an archaic human. 
C) This hominid has a partially opposable toe. It probably walked upright and spent some time in trees. 
D) This hominid was a member of an extinct line of human evolution that lived exclusively in water. It was probably the source of the myth of the mermaid. 
A) This hominid probably spent all of its time climbing through trees. 
B) This hominid was a hybrid produced from the mating of a Neandertal and an archaic human. 
C) This hominid has a partially opposable toe. It probably walked upright and spent some time in trees. 
D) This hominid was a member of an extinct line of human evolution that lived exclusively in water. It was probably the source of the myth of the mermaid.

Question 14

The first members of the genus Homo originated on the continent of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The first members of the genus Homo...

Question 15

You are looking at the side of a cliff with many clearly visible layers of rock. In the top layer you find the fossil of a mouse. In the next layer down you find the fossil of a frog. Two layers down from that you find the fossil of a beetle, and in the deepest layer the fossil of a millipede. This is evidence that

Accepted Answer

A) mice evolved before frogs. 
B) frogs evolved after mice. 
C) millipedes were the first among these animals to evolve. 
D) the beetle evolved before millipedes. 
A) mice evolved before frogs. 
B) frogs evolved after mice. 
C) millipedes were the first among these animals to evolve. 
D) the beetle evolved before millipedes.

Question 16

Mammals branched out to evolve many new species after the extinction of the ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mammals branched out to evolve many new...

Question 17

Mammals evolved from ____________________ about 220 million years ago.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mammals evolved from ____________________ about 220 million...

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a fossil?

Accepted Answer

A) the footprint of an ancient humanlike being 
B) an insect preserved in hardened tree sap 
C) an imprint of feathers and a skeleton in a rock 
D) all of the above 
A) the footprint of an ancient humanlike being 
B) an insect preserved in hardened tree sap 
C) an imprint of feathers and a skeleton in a rock 
D) all of the above

Question 19

Using Uranium-235, a ____________________ with a half-life of 700 million years, allows scientists to determine the approximate age of a fossil.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Using Uranium-235, a ____________________ with a half-life...

Question 20

Humans evolved tool use before they became bipedal.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 20: The Evolutionary History of Life

The term that describes the upright walking of humans on two legs is ____________________.

Following each of Earth's five mass extinction, the diversity of life on Earth has ____________________ [increased or decreased] over time.

The most recent mass extinction, which occurred during the Cretaceous period, may have been caused by

The genes that once encoded the development of the human tail may still be present in the human genome.

Oxygen was one of the original gases abundant in Earth's atmosphere before the evolution of life.

Archaic Homo sapiens gave rise to

Which of these skulls below belongs to a mammal?

The evidence of a partially opposable big toe in early hominid foot-bone fossils suggests that early hominids

Living humans evolved from ape ancestors without intermediate steps.

For insects, could there be a connection between being the first organism to fly and being the most diverse terrestrial organism today?

Scientists use existing fossils to predict what the transitional forms between organisms might look like. Why is it so hard for scientists to find fossils of these transitional forms?

The Permian explosion gave rise to all the modern animal phyla (and many that no longer exist).

What does the positioning of the toe indicated by the arrow in this figure suggest about the owner of this fossil hominid foot?

The first members of the genus Homo originated on the continent of ____________________.

Mammals branched out to evolve many new species after the extinction of the ____________________.

Mammals evolved from ____________________ about 220 million years ago.

Which of the following is an example of a fossil?

Using Uranium-235, a ____________________ with a half-life of 700 million years, allows scientists to determine the approximate age of a fossil.

Humans evolved tool use before they became bipedal.

The Nature of Science and the Characteristics of Life

Biological Diversity, Bacteria, and Archaea

Protista, Plantae, and Fungi

Animalia

The Chemistry of Life

Cell Structure and Internal Compartments

Cell Membranes, Transport, and Communication

Energy, Metabolism, and Enzymes

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

Cell Division

Stem Cells, Cancer, and Human Health

Patterns of Inheritance

Chromosomes and Human Genetics

Dna and Genes

From Gene to Protein

Dna Technology

How Evolution Works

Evolution of Populations

Speciation and the Origins of Biological Diversity

The Biosphere

Growth of Populations

Ecological Communities

Ecosystems

Global Change

Internal Organization and Homeostasis

Nutrition and Digestion

Circulation and Gas Exchange

Animal Hormones

Nervous and Sensory Systems

Skeletons, Muscles, and Movement

Defenses Against Disease

Reproduction and Development

Animal Behavior

Plant Structure, Nutrition, and Transport

Plant Growth and Reproduction

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