Question 1

What does the extinction of the dinosaurs have to do with evolution?

Accepted Answer

When the dinosaurs died out they made room for other species that could fill the empty niches.

Question 2

The "primordial soup" of the Miller-Urey experiments contained

Accepted Answer

A)  a dark brown liquid. 
B)  lipids. 
C)  amino acids. 
D)  fossil fuel 
E)  a dark-brown liquid, lipids, and amino acids. 
A)  a dark brown liquid. 
B)  lipids. 
C)  amino acids. 
D)  fossil fuel 
E)  a dark-brown liquid, lipids, and amino acids. E

Question 3

Why is a fossil of an animal part such as skin an important find?

Accepted Answer

More often than not the 'soft parts' are not fossilized, therefore we don't have the information we need for a more complete picture of the organism.

Question 4

What is a mass extinction? List some mass extinctions of life, when they occurred, and some information about them.

Accepted Answer

Mass extinctions are rare, catastrophic

Question 5

What is Darwin's "measure of success" in Origin of Species?

Accepted Answer

A)  struggle for survival 
B)  ability to reproduce fertile offspring 
C)  spiritual superiority 
D)  economic affluence 
E)  natural evolution 
A)  struggle for survival 
B)  ability to reproduce fertile offspring 
C)  spiritual superiority 
D)  economic affluence 
E)  natural evolution

Question 6

Define chemical evolution and name the first experiment to demonstrate this process.

Accepted Answer

Chemical evolution is an area of researc

Question 7

Aside from criticisms about contradictions between his ideas and religious beliefs, what were some disturbing interpretations of Darwin's ideas after publication of Origin of Species in 1859?

Accepted Answer

Some people viewed Darwin's ideas as sci

Question 8

What may have been the function of RNA molecules in the earliest life forms?

Accepted Answer

A)  to facilitate the Y-chromosome in reproduction 
B)  to allow respiration of early organisms to be anaerobic or aerobic 
C)  to act as enzymes in protein synthesis 
D)  to recycle products of elimination 
E)  all of these are correct 
A)  to facilitate the Y-chromosome in reproduction 
B)  to allow respiration of early organisms to be anaerobic or aerobic 
C)  to act as enzymes in protein synthesis 
D)  to recycle products of elimination 
E)  all of these are correct

Question 9

Evidence for evolution can be found in the

Accepted Answer

A)  human liver. 
B)  size of horse fossils. 
C)  geochemistry of vertebrates. 
D)  eye socket of whales. 
E)  tailbone of a cave bat 
A)  human liver. 
B)  size of horse fossils. 
C)  geochemistry of vertebrates. 
D)  eye socket of whales. 
E)  tailbone of a cave bat

Question 10

Why is evolution the subject of research in several different fields of study?

Accepted Answer

Evolution impacts different fi

Question 11

Contrast the natural rate of extinction with mass extinctions.

Accepted Answer

The normal rate of extinction is such th

Question 12

What is Basilosaurus and what does a recent discovery of atrophied fossil leg bones tell us about this fossil's ancestry?

Accepted Answer

Basilosaurus is a fossil toothed whale,

Question 13

What is the most likely cause of the mass extinction that occurred 65 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Earth's rotation direction reversed when the north and south magnetic poles reversed. 
B)  A giant asteroid hit the Earth. 
C)  Mountain building episodes and other tectonic forces blocked animal migration during times of climate change. 
D)  Forest fires caused a deficit in global oxygen. 
E)  An increase in the luminosity of the Sun boiled away the oceans. 
A)  The Earth's rotation direction reversed when the north and south magnetic poles reversed. 
B)  A giant asteroid hit the Earth. 
C)  Mountain building episodes and other tectonic forces blocked animal migration during times of climate change. 
D)  Forest fires caused a deficit in global oxygen. 
E)  An increase in the luminosity of the Sun boiled away the oceans.

Question 14

At what point in geological time did the common ancestor of mammals (including humans) and reptiles (including alligators) live? During what geological era was this?

Accepted Answer

About 250 million years ago, a

Question 15

Explain the difference between adaptation and natural selection.

Accepted Answer

The difference is mainly one of scale an

Question 16

The first cell on Earth was remarkable because it

Accepted Answer

A)  was quite frugal in using chemical resources. 
B)  developed effective defense mechanisms. 
C)  probably contained the same essential amino acids of cells today. 
D)  required tenacity to seek out the organic molecules it needed to survive and replicate. 
E)  all of these are correct 
A)  was quite frugal in using chemical resources. 
B)  developed effective defense mechanisms. 
C)  probably contained the same essential amino acids of cells today. 
D)  required tenacity to seek out the organic molecules it needed to survive and replicate. 
E)  all of these are correct

Question 17

List one significant fact or feature for Australopithecus ramidus, Australopithecus afarensis, Homo habilus, Homo erectus, and Homo sapiens.

Accepted Answer

Answers can include several details, but

Question 18

Which of the following is a member of the hominid family?

Accepted Answer

A)  Homo sapiens 
B)  Homo neanderthalensis 
C)  Australopithecus ramidus 
D)  Homo erectus 
E)  all of these are correct 
A)  Homo sapiens 
B)  Homo neanderthalensis 
C)  Australopithecus ramidus 
D)  Homo erectus 
E)  all of these are correct

Question 19

What is the scientific basis for stating that the chimpanzee is our "closest relative?" Why is this important?

Accepted Answer

Scientists have compared in many organis

Question 20

Which of the following is found in a fossil record?

Accepted Answer

A)  documented changes in a species 
B)  all fossils found, catalogued, and analyzed since the early sixteenth century 
C)  10,000 unique phyla 
D)  more reptiles than insects 
E)  all of these are correct 
A)  documented changes in a species 
B)  all fossils found, catalogued, and analyzed since the early sixteenth century 
C)  10,000 unique phyla 
D)  more reptiles than insects 
E)  all of these are correct

Exam 25: Evolution: How Did Life Emerge on the Ancient Earth

What does the extinction of the dinosaurs have to do with evolution?

The "primordial soup" of the Miller-Urey experiments contained

Why is a fossil of an animal part such as skin an important find?

What is a mass extinction? List some mass extinctions of life, when they occurred, and some information about them.

What is Darwin's "measure of success" in Origin of Species?

Define chemical evolution and name the first experiment to demonstrate this process.

Aside from criticisms about contradictions between his ideas and religious beliefs, what were some disturbing interpretations of Darwin's ideas after publication of Origin of Species in 1859?

What may have been the function of RNA molecules in the earliest life forms?

Evidence for evolution can be found in the

Why is evolution the subject of research in several different fields of study?

Contrast the natural rate of extinction with mass extinctions.

What is Basilosaurus and what does a recent discovery of atrophied fossil leg bones tell us about this fossil's ancestry?

What is the most likely cause of the mass extinction that occurred 65 million years ago?

At what point in geological time did the common ancestor of mammals (including humans) and reptiles (including alligators) live? During what geological era was this?

Explain the difference between adaptation and natural selection.

The first cell on Earth was remarkable because it

List one significant fact or feature for Australopithecus ramidus, Australopithecus afarensis, Homo habilus, Homo erectus, and Homo sapiens.

Which of the following is a member of the hominid family?

What is the scientific basis for stating that the chimpanzee is our "closest relative?" Why is this important?

Which of the following is found in a fossil record?

Science: a Way of Knowing: How Do You Know What You Know

The Ordered Universe: Why Do Planets Appear to Wander Slowly Across the Sky

Energy: Why Must Animals Eat to Stay Alive

Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Why Is It Easier to Make an Omelet From an Egg Than to Make an Egg From an Omelet

Electricity and Magnetism: What Is Lightning

Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation: What Is Color

Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity: Can a Human Ever Travel Faster Than the Speed of Light, at Warp Speed

The Atom: Why Are There so Many Different Materials in the World

Quantum Mechanics: How Can the Electron Behave Like Both a Particle and a Wave

Atoms in Combination: the Chemical Bond: How Does Blood Clot

Materials and Their Properties: How Have Computers Gotten so Much Faster

The Nucleus of the Atom: How Do Scientists Determine the Age of the Oldest Human Fossils

The Ultimate Structure of Matter: How Can Antimatter Be Used to Probe the Human Brain

The Stars: How Much Longer Can the Sun Sustain Life on Earth

Cosmology: Will the Universe End

Earth and Other Planets: Is Earth the Only Planet With Life

Plate Tectonics: Can We Predict Destructive Earthquakes

Earths Many Cycles: Will We Ever Run Out of Fresh Water

Ecology, Ecosystems, and the Environment: Are Human Activities Affecting the Global Environment

Strategies of Life: What Is Life

The Living Cell: What Is the Smallest Living Thing

Molecules of Life: What Constitutes a Healthy Diet

Classical and Modern Genetics: Why Do Offspring Resemble Their Parents

The New Science of Life: Can We Cure Cancer

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