Question 1

Which kind of organism makes up the oldest fossil found on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) protists 
B) animals 
C) bacteria 
D) plants 
A) protists 
B) animals 
C) bacteria 
D) plants

Question 2

Descendants of ____________________ were among the first organisms to colonize land.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Descendants of ____________________ were among the first...

Question 3

The first single-celled prokaryotes evolved 3 billion years after the first eukaryotes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Many organisms decompose rapidly after death; some organisms have had soft bodies and some areas where organisms died have undergone massive geologic changes. For these reasons, the ____________________ record is incomplete.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Many organisms decompose rapidly after death; some...

Question 5

An archaeologist discovers several skeletons and a collection of stone tools of the same age in a cave. The individuals were clearly bipedal. The skull shows that the individual had a small brain (compared to modern humans)and apelike teeth. Which of the following did the archaeologist most likely discover?

Accepted Answer

A) Homo sapiens 
B) Homo habilis 
C) Neandertal 
D) Australopithecus afarensis 
A) Homo sapiens 
B) Homo habilis 
C) Neandertal 
D) Australopithecus afarensis

Question 6

Which of the following does not lead to adaptive radiation?

Accepted Answer

A) mass extinction 
B) adaptations that allow an organism to use its environment in new ways 
C) low levels of competition between populations 
D) a low amount of gene flow between populations 
A) mass extinction 
B) adaptations that allow an organism to use its environment in new ways 
C) low levels of competition between populations 
D) a low amount of gene flow between populations

Question 7

The extinction of dinosaurs caused an end to the ____________________ between dinosaurs and mammals, thus allowing mammals to evolve to fill some ecological roles the dinosaurs had previously filled.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The extinction of dinosaurs caused an end...

Question 8

Which of the following statements about the fossil record is true?

Accepted Answer

A) It is useful only for plant species. 
B) It is not a useful tool for understanding evolution. 
C) It contains an example of every species that ever lived on Earth. 
D) It supports our current understanding of evolution. 
A) It is useful only for plant species. 
B) It is not a useful tool for understanding evolution. 
C) It contains an example of every species that ever lived on Earth. 
D) It supports our current understanding of evolution.

Question 9

Which word could not be included in a description of humans?

Accepted Answer

A) ape 
B) mammal 
C) quadruped 
D) primate 
A) ape 
B) mammal 
C) quadruped 
D) primate

Question 10

Which of the following is not documented by the fossil record?

Accepted Answer

A) Some organisms that lived in the past are unlike living organisms we see today. 
B) Some organisms that once lived on Earth have disappeared. 
C) The species living today are the same as the species that lived in the distant past. 
D) Over time life has evolved. 
A) Some organisms that lived in the past are unlike living organisms we see today. 
B) Some organisms that once lived on Earth have disappeared. 
C) The species living today are the same as the species that lived in the distant past. 
D) Over time life has evolved.

Question 11

Populations of ancient humans

Accepted Answer

A) used random mating to increase the genetic differences between populations. 
B) were very similar due to a large amount of gene flow between populations. 
C) were essentially identical due to a high level of interbreeding. 
D) had large differences due to genetic drift. 
A) used random mating to increase the genetic differences between populations. 
B) were very similar due to a large amount of gene flow between populations. 
C) were essentially identical due to a high level of interbreeding. 
D) had large differences due to genetic drift.

Question 12

The first group of vertebrates that could complete their life cycle without returning to water was

Accepted Answer

A) amphibians. 
B) reptiles. 
C) mammals. 
D) birds. 
A) amphibians. 
B) reptiles. 
C) mammals. 
D) birds.

Question 13

Hominids adapted to life on the ground approximately _____ years ago.

Accepted Answer

A) 3.5 billion 
B) 130,000 
C) 600 million 
D) 5-7 million 
A) 3.5 billion 
B) 130,000 
C) 600 million 
D) 5-7 million

Question 14

During the time of Pangaea, an ancestor of modern crocodiles inhabited the region marked by the star in this map (left in the figure below).  
Where would you expect to find fossils of this animal today (the map on the right)?

Accepted Answer

A) Northern Hemisphere 
B) on every continent 
C) Africa 
D) Antarctica 
A) Northern Hemisphere 
B) on every continent 
C) Africa 
D) Antarctica

Question 15

The oldest fossils of terrestrial animals are of

Accepted Answer

A) spiders and millipedes. 
B) insects and snakes. 
C) mice and bats. 
D) birds and mammals. 
A) spiders and millipedes. 
B) insects and snakes. 
C) mice and bats. 
D) birds and mammals.

Question 16

The big toe is opposable in all primates.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Which of the following groups of animals evolved the most recently?

Accepted Answer

A) invertebrates 
B) amphibians 
C) reptiles 
D) mammals 
A) invertebrates 
B) amphibians 
C) reptiles 
D) mammals

Question 18

Which of the following methods would give the most accurate estimate of the age of a fossil?

Accepted Answer

A) Measuring the decay of radioisotopes in the fossil. 
B) Comparing the depth of the fossil in the Earth's crust to the depth of fossils of known ages. 
C) Comparing the chemical makeup of the fossil with that of the surrounding rock. 
D) Determining where on Pangaea the fossil was formed. 
A) Measuring the decay of radioisotopes in the fossil. 
B) Comparing the depth of the fossil in the Earth's crust to the depth of fossils of known ages. 
C) Comparing the chemical makeup of the fossil with that of the surrounding rock. 
D) Determining where on Pangaea the fossil was formed.

Question 19

The leg bones of the first tetrapod (shown in the diagram below)are hypothesized to have evolved from bones in the

Accepted Answer

A) legs of an amphibian. 
B) wings of a bird. 
C) fins of an aquatic mammal. 
D) fins of a fish. 
A) legs of an amphibian. 
B) wings of a bird. 
C) fins of an aquatic mammal. 
D) fins of a fish.

Question 20

Dinosaurs lived on Pangaea.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 20: The Evolutionary History of Life

Which kind of organism makes up the oldest fossil found on Earth?

Descendants of ____________________ were among the first organisms to colonize land.

The first single-celled prokaryotes evolved 3 billion years after the first eukaryotes.

Many organisms decompose rapidly after death; some organisms have had soft bodies and some areas where organisms died have undergone massive geologic changes. For these reasons, the ____________________ record is incomplete.

Which of the following does not lead to adaptive radiation?

The extinction of dinosaurs caused an end to the ____________________ between dinosaurs and mammals, thus allowing mammals to evolve to fill some ecological roles the dinosaurs had previously filled.

Which of the following statements about the fossil record is true?

Which word could not be included in a description of humans?

Which of the following is not documented by the fossil record?

Populations of ancient humans

The first group of vertebrates that could complete their life cycle without returning to water was

Hominids adapted to life on the ground approximately _____ years ago.

During the time of Pangaea, an ancestor of modern crocodiles inhabited the region marked by the star in this map (left in the figure below). Where would you expect to find fossils of this animal today (the map on the right)?

The oldest fossils of terrestrial animals are of

The big toe is opposable in all primates.

Which of the following groups of animals evolved the most recently?

Which of the following methods would give the most accurate estimate of the age of a fossil?

The leg bones of the first tetrapod (shown in the diagram below)are hypothesized to have evolved from bones in the

Dinosaurs lived on Pangaea.

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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