Question 1

Which would you not expect to find early in the Devonian period?

Accepted Answer

A)  Tree ferns 
B)  Scorpions and millipedes 
C)  Flying insects 
D)  Jawed fishes 
E)  Club mosses and horsetails 
A)  Tree ferns 
B)  Scorpions and millipedes 
C)  Flying insects 
D)  Jawed fishes 
E)  Club mosses and horsetails

Question 2

The time interval characterized by a diverse multicellular biota is the

Accepted Answer

A)  Phanerozoic. 
B)  Proterozoic. 
C)  Archaean. 
D)  Hadean. 
E)  Precambrian. 
A)  Phanerozoic. 
B)  Proterozoic. 
C)  Archaean. 
D)  Hadean. 
E)  Precambrian.

Question 3

What conditions may have favored the evolution of multicellular groups of organisms near the end of the Precambrian?

Accepted Answer

Multicellular organisms require higher c

Question 4

It might be argued that humans and many other mammals would not be here today were it not for the Cretaceous extinction.How do scientists explain the curious fact that mass extinctions in the fossil record are followed by times when a diversity of new forms appear rather suddenly in the next layer of rock above the extinction event?

Accepted Answer

The nonavian dinosaurs had played a grea

Question 5

The appearance of multicellular organisms coincided with increased levels of _______ in Earth's atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

A)  sulfur 
B)  hydrogen 
C)  nitrogen 
D)  carbon 
E)  oxygen 
A)  sulfur 
B)  hydrogen 
C)  nitrogen 
D)  carbon 
E)  oxygen

Question 6

Plate tectonics have resulted in the merging and splitting of land masses many times in Earth's history.This phenomenon, known as _______, has profound consequences for the evolution and extinction of organisms.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Plate tectonics have resulted in the merging...

Question 7

Which statement about carbon dating is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Radioactive decay of 14C is balanced by its production from neutrons reacting with 14N in the upper atmosphere. 
B)  Dead organisms continue to exchange carbon compounds with the environment. 
C)  Carbon dating can be used to date organisms that are more than a million years old. 
D)  The half-life of 14C is less than 1,000 years. 
E)  In the process of radioactive decay, 14C is transformed into 14Ar. 
A)  Radioactive decay of 14C is balanced by its production from neutrons reacting with 14N in the upper atmosphere. 
B)  Dead organisms continue to exchange carbon compounds with the environment. 
C)  Carbon dating can be used to date organisms that are more than a million years old. 
D)  The half-life of 14C is less than 1,000 years. 
E)  In the process of radioactive decay, 14C is transformed into 14Ar.

Question 8

Compared with anaerobic metabolism, aerobic metabolism proceeds _______ rapidly, and harvests energy _______ efficiently.

Accepted Answer

A)  more; more 
B)  more; less 
C)  as; as 
D)  less; more 
E)  less; less 
A)  more; more 
B)  more; less 
C)  as; as 
D)  less; more 
E)  less; less

Question 9

The warmest climates of the Cenozoic occurred during _______, and the coldest climates occurred during _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  early Tertiary; Pleistocene 
B)  early Tertiary; middle Tertiary 
C)  middle Tertiary; early Tertiary 
D)  middle Tertiary; Pleistocene 
E)  middle Tertiary; Holocene 
A)  early Tertiary; Pleistocene 
B)  early Tertiary; middle Tertiary 
C)  middle Tertiary; early Tertiary 
D)  middle Tertiary; Pleistocene 
E)  middle Tertiary; Holocene

Question 10

Smaller single-celled organisms do not require as high an oxygen concentration as larger ones do.This is because the smaller cells

Accepted Answer

A)  have a faster metabolic rate per unit mass. 
B)  have a slower metabolic rate per unit mass. 
C)  have a lower surface area-to-volume ratio. 
D)  have a greater surface area-to-volume ratio. 
E)  divide more quickly than small cells do. 
A)  have a faster metabolic rate per unit mass. 
B)  have a slower metabolic rate per unit mass. 
C)  have a lower surface area-to-volume ratio. 
D)  have a greater surface area-to-volume ratio. 
E)  divide more quickly than small cells do.

Question 11

Refer to the figure.   The figure portrays the _______ period.

Accepted Answer

A)  Cambrian 
B)  Quaternary 
C)  Carboniferous 
D)  Cretaceous 
E)  Permian 
A)  Cambrian 
B)  Quaternary 
C)  Carboniferous 
D)  Cretaceous 
E)  Permian

Question 12

Larger single-celled organisms require a higher oxygen concentration than smaller ones do because the large cells

Accepted Answer

A)  have a faster metabolic rate per unit mass. 
B)  have a slower metabolic rate per unit mass. 
C)  have a lower surface area-to-volume ratio. 
D)  have a greater surface area-to-volume ratio. 
E)  divide more quickly than small cells do. 
A)  have a faster metabolic rate per unit mass. 
B)  have a slower metabolic rate per unit mass. 
C)  have a lower surface area-to-volume ratio. 
D)  have a greater surface area-to-volume ratio. 
E)  divide more quickly than small cells do.

Question 13

What substance does carbon-14 decay into?

Accepted Answer

A)  Nitrogen-14 
B)  Nitrogen-12 
C)  Oxygen-14 
D)  Carbon-15 
E)  Carbon-12 
A)  Nitrogen-14 
B)  Nitrogen-12 
C)  Oxygen-14 
D)  Carbon-15 
E)  Carbon-12

Question 14

Refer to the figure, which illustrates Earth during the Cretaceous period.   What is the land mass labeled A?

Accepted Answer

A)  Pangaea 
B)  Gondwana 
C)  Laurasia 
D)  Australia 
E)  The Indian Subcontinent 
A)  Pangaea 
B)  Gondwana 
C)  Laurasia 
D)  Australia 
E)  The Indian Subcontinent

Question 15

During the Ordovician period, the continents were mainly in the _______ hemisphere, and they were generally _______ of multicellular life.

Accepted Answer

A)  Northern; full 
B)  Northern; devoid 
C)  Eastern; full 
D)  Southern; full 
E)  Southern; devoid 
A)  Northern; full 
B)  Northern; devoid 
C)  Eastern; full 
D)  Southern; full 
E)  Southern; devoid

Question 16

The period between the time when life first evolved on Earth and the definitive appearance of multicellular life was about _______ years.

Accepted Answer

A)  200 million 
B)  500 million 
C)  1 billion 
D)  3 billion 
E)  5 billion 
A)  200 million 
B)  500 million 
C)  1 billion 
D)  3 billion 
E)  5 billion

Question 17

Scientists believe that if there are no controls on the emission of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels, the concentration of this gas could double by the end of the current century, leading to a significant rise in the average temperature of Earth.What would be some of the likely evolutionary effects of this climatic change?

Accepted Answer

The fossil record shows that major envir

Question 18

Undisturbed layers of sedimentary rocks, also known as strata, are often found in a chronological sequence, with the oldest rocks at the _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Undisturbed layers of sedimentary rocks, also known...

Question 19

During the Hadean, Archaean, and Proterozoic eons, life was restricted to _______ forms in aquatic environments.

Accepted Answer

The answer of During the Hadean, Archaean, and Proterozoic eons,...

Question 20

Rocklike structures formed by the oxygen-generating cyanobacteria are known as

Accepted Answer

A)  strata. 
B)  stromatolites. 
C)  igneous rock. 
D)  lithosphere. 
E)  rift valleys. 
A)  strata. 
B)  stromatolites. 
C)  igneous rock. 
D)  lithosphere. 
E)  rift valleys.

Exam 24: The History of Life on Earth

Which would you not expect to find early in the Devonian period?

The time interval characterized by a diverse multicellular biota is the

What conditions may have favored the evolution of multicellular groups of organisms near the end of the Precambrian?

The appearance of multicellular organisms coincided with increased levels of _______ in Earth's atmosphere.

Plate tectonics have resulted in the merging and splitting of land masses many times in Earth's history.This phenomenon, known as _______, has profound consequences for the evolution and extinction of organisms.

Which statement about carbon dating is true?

Compared with anaerobic metabolism, aerobic metabolism proceeds _______ rapidly, and harvests energy _______ efficiently.

The warmest climates of the Cenozoic occurred during _______, and the coldest climates occurred during _______.

Smaller single-celled organisms do not require as high an oxygen concentration as larger ones do.This is because the smaller cells

Refer to the figure. The figure portrays the _______ period.

Larger single-celled organisms require a higher oxygen concentration than smaller ones do because the large cells

What substance does carbon-14 decay into?

Refer to the figure, which illustrates Earth during the Cretaceous period. What is the land mass labeled A?

During the Ordovician period, the continents were mainly in the _______ hemisphere, and they were generally _______ of multicellular life.

The period between the time when life first evolved on Earth and the definitive appearance of multicellular life was about _______ years.

Undisturbed layers of sedimentary rocks, also known as strata, are often found in a chronological sequence, with the oldest rocks at the _______.

During the Hadean, Archaean, and Proterozoic eons, life was restricted to _______ forms in aquatic environments.

Rocklike structures formed by the oxygen-generating cyanobacteria are known as

Studying Life

Small Molecules and the Chemistry of Life

Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Lipids

Nucleic Acids and the Origin of Life

Cells: the Working Units of Life

Cell Membranes

Cell Communication and Multicellularity

Energy, Enzymes, and Metabolism

Pathways That Harvest Chemical Energy

Photosynthesis: Energy From Sunlight

The Cell Cycle and Cell Division

Inheritance, Genes, and Chromosomes

Dna and Its Role in Heredity

From Dna to Protein: Gene Expression

Gene Mutation and Molecular Medicine

Regulation of Gene Expression

Genomes

Recombinant Dna and Biotechnology

Mechanisms of Evolution

Reconstructing and Using Phylogenies

Speciation

Evolution of Genes and Genomes

Bacteria, Archaea, and Viruses

The Origin and Diversification of Eukaryotes

Plants Without Seeds: From Water to Land

The Evolution of Seed Plants

The Evolution and Diversity of Fungi

Animal Origins and the Evolution of Body Plans

Protostome Animals

Deuterostome Animals

The Plant Body

Transport in Plants

Plant Nutrition

Regulation of Plant Growth

Reproduction in Flowering Plants

Plant Responses to Environmental Challenges

Physiology, Homeostasis, and Temperature Regulation

Animal Hormones

Immunology: Animal Defense Systems

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons, Glia, and Nervous Systems

Sensory Systems

The Mammalian Nervous System: Structure and Higher Functions

Musculoskeletal Systems

Gas Exchange

Circulatory Systems

Nutrition, Digestion, and Absorption

Salt and Water Balance and Nitrogen Excretion

Animal Behavior

The Physical Environment and Biogeography of Life

Populations

Species Interactions

Communities

Ecosystems

A Changing Biosphere

Filters

Compared with anaerobic metabolism, aerobic metabolism proceeds _ rapidly, and harvests energy _ efficiently.

The warmest climates of the Cenozoic occurred during _, and the coldest climates occurred during _.

During the Ordovician period, the continents were mainly in the _ hemisphere, and they were generally _ of multicellular life.