Question 1

It takes 14 days for half of the radioactive isotope phosophorous-32 to decay. After _______ days, one-eighth of the original quantity will be left.

Accepted Answer

42.

Question 2

Which of the following geological periods is the most ancient?

Accepted Answer

A)  Devonian 
B)  Cambrian 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Silurian 
E)  Cretaceous 
A)  Devonian 
B)  Cambrian 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Silurian 
E)  Cretaceous B

Question 3

Which of the following characteristics of plants did not evolve during the Cenozoic era?

Accepted Answer

A)  Diversification of flowering plants 
B)  Photosynthesis 
C)  Symbiotic nitrogen fixation 
D)  Herbaceous forms of flowering plants 
E)  Grasslands 
A)  Diversification of flowering plants 
B)  Photosynthesis 
C)  Symbiotic nitrogen fixation 
D)  Herbaceous forms of flowering plants 
E)  Grasslands C

Question 4

In what way was the evolution of eukaryotic cells linked to the increase in the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere that occurred during the Precambrian?

Accepted Answer

Small prokaryotic cells can obtain enoug

Question 5

Which of the following times was marked by the largest mass extinction of life in the history of Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  The end of the Cretaceous 
B)  The end of the Devonian 
C)  The end of the Permian 
D)  The end of the Triassic 
E)  The end of the Silurian 
A)  The end of the Cretaceous 
B)  The end of the Devonian 
C)  The end of the Permian 
D)  The end of the Triassic 
E)  The end of the Silurian

Question 6

During which period did the following events occur: recovery of the biota after a major mass extinction; increase in the species richness of invertebrate groups; appearance of the first turtles and frogs; and beginnings of a large radiation of reptiles?

Accepted Answer

A)  Permian 
B)  Cambrian 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Cretaceous 
E)  Triassic 
A)  Permian 
B)  Cambrian 
C)  Jurassic 
D)  Cretaceous 
E)  Triassic

Question 7

Which of the following conditions would most likely increase the likelihood of an animal being fossilized?

Accepted Answer

A)  Living in an oxygen-rich environment 
B)  Having an exoskeleton 
C)  Living in an area where geological processes often transform rocks 
D)  Both a and b 
E)  None of the above 
A)  Living in an oxygen-rich environment 
B)  Having an exoskeleton 
C)  Living in an area where geological processes often transform rocks 
D)  Both a and b 
E)  None of the above

Question 8

If the half-life of a radioactive substance is 600 years, what fraction of the original material is left after 1,800 years?

Accepted Answer

A)  One-half 
B)  One-fourth 
C)  One-eighth 
D)  One-sixteenth 
E)  None of the above 
A)  One-half 
B)  One-fourth 
C)  One-eighth 
D)  One-sixteenth 
E)  None of the above

Question 9

Which of the following statements about continental drift is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  When it was proposed, the idea received almost immediate acceptance. 
B)  Continents move because as magma rises, it exerts tremendous pressure on the plates that float on top of it. 
C)  Deep rift valleys have been generated from the same process that causes continental drift. 
D)  Both a and b 
E)  Both b and c 
A)  When it was proposed, the idea received almost immediate acceptance. 
B)  Continents move because as magma rises, it exerts tremendous pressure on the plates that float on top of it. 
C)  Deep rift valleys have been generated from the same process that causes continental drift. 
D)  Both a and b 
E)  Both b and c

Question 10

Humans reached North America approximately _______ years ago.

Accepted Answer

A)  500 
B)  1,500 
C)  15,000 
D)  100,000 
E)  1 million 
A)  500 
B)  1,500 
C)  15,000 
D)  100,000 
E)  1 million

Question 11

Fossils

Accepted Answer

A)  are scarce because organisms were not as prevalent during the history of life on Earth as today. 
B)  are scarce because most organisms died in oxygen-poor environments. 
C)  are less numerous for marine animals. 
D)  give a glimpse into the history of life on Earth. 
E)  give a complete record of life on Earth. 
A)  are scarce because organisms were not as prevalent during the history of life on Earth as today. 
B)  are scarce because most organisms died in oxygen-poor environments. 
C)  are less numerous for marine animals. 
D)  give a glimpse into the history of life on Earth. 
E)  give a complete record of life on Earth.

Question 12

Despite being incomplete as a whole, the fossil record is rather detailed for

Accepted Answer

A)  soft-bodied insects. 
B)  cnidarians and sponges. 
C)  most terrestrial animals. 
D)  hard-shelled mollusks. 
E)  Both c and d 
A)  soft-bodied insects. 
B)  cnidarians and sponges. 
C)  most terrestrial animals. 
D)  hard-shelled mollusks. 
E)  Both c and d

Question 13

Mass extinctions occurred at the end of each of the following periods except the

Accepted Answer

A)  Devonian. 
B)  Cretaceous. 
C)  Silurian. 
D)  Permian. 
E)  Triassic. 
A)  Devonian. 
B)  Cretaceous. 
C)  Silurian. 
D)  Permian. 
E)  Triassic.

Question 14

Use the following to answer questions:
Refer to the diagram below, showing the decay of a radioactive substance.  
-What is the half-life of this substance?

Accepted Answer

A)  50,000 years 
B)  70,000 years 
C)  100,000 years 
D)  140,000 years 
E)  300,000 years 
A)  50,000 years 
B)  70,000 years 
C)  100,000 years 
D)  140,000 years 
E)  300,000 years

Question 15

Which of the following methods is not used to date rocks more than 50,000 years old?

Accepted Answer

A)  Radioisotope dating of igneous rocks 
B)  Paleomagnetic dating 
C)  Fossil analysis 
D)  Continental drift 
E)  Radioisotope dating of sedimentary rock 
A)  Radioisotope dating of igneous rocks 
B)  Paleomagnetic dating 
C)  Fossil analysis 
D)  Continental drift 
E)  Radioisotope dating of sedimentary rock

Question 16

14C decays to 12C with a half-life of about 5,700 years. Suppose you find a fossil in which the amount of 14C is only 1/16 of what one would find in a living organism with the same carbon content. Approximately how old is the fossil?

Accepted Answer

If only 1/16 of the ¹⁴C remai

Question 17

Which of the following statements about patterns or processes in the evolution of life is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  14C can be used to date the age of dinosaur bones. 
B)  The supercontinent Pangaea formed during the Permian period. 
C)  Mass extinctions of marine organisms have coincided with periods of low sea levels. 
D)  The ends of five geological periods have been marked by mass extinctions. 
E)  All of the above are true. 
A)  14C can be used to date the age of dinosaur bones. 
B)  The supercontinent Pangaea formed during the Permian period. 
C)  Mass extinctions of marine organisms have coincided with periods of low sea levels. 
D)  The ends of five geological periods have been marked by mass extinctions. 
E)  All of the above are true.

Question 18

Drosophila grown in the presence of increased oxygen concentrations evolve to become _______ after only a few generations.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Drosophila grown in the presence of increased...

Question 19

The total of all species of organisms in a given region is known as the region's

Accepted Answer

A)  biota. 
B)  flora. 
C)  fauna. 
D)  flora and fauna. 
E)  biogeography. 
A)  biota. 
B)  flora. 
C)  fauna. 
D)  flora and fauna. 
E)  biogeography.

Question 20

In undisturbed strata of sedimentary rock, the oldest rocks

Accepted Answer

A)  lie at the top. 
B)  lie at the bottom. 
C)  are in the middle. 
D)  are distributed among the strata of younger rocks. 
E)  None of the above 
A)  lie at the top. 
B)  lie at the bottom. 
C)  are in the middle. 
D)  are distributed among the strata of younger rocks. 
E)  None of the above

Exam 25: The History of Life on Earth

It takes 14 days for half of the radioactive isotope phosophorous-32 to decay. After _______ days, one-eighth of the original quantity will be left.

Which of the following geological periods is the most ancient?

Which of the following characteristics of plants did not evolve during the Cenozoic era?

In what way was the evolution of eukaryotic cells linked to the increase in the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere that occurred during the Precambrian?

Which of the following times was marked by the largest mass extinction of life in the history of Earth?

During which period did the following events occur: recovery of the biota after a major mass extinction; increase in the species richness of invertebrate groups; appearance of the first turtles and frogs; and beginnings of a large radiation of reptiles?

Which of the following conditions would most likely increase the likelihood of an animal being fossilized?

If the half-life of a radioactive substance is 600 years, what fraction of the original material is left after 1,800 years?

Which of the following statements about continental drift is true?

Humans reached North America approximately _______ years ago.

Fossils

Despite being incomplete as a whole, the fossil record is rather detailed for

Mass extinctions occurred at the end of each of the following periods except the

Use the following to answer questions: Refer to the diagram below, showing the decay of a radioactive substance. -What is the half-life of this substance?

Which of the following methods is not used to date rocks more than 50,000 years old?

14C decays to 12C with a half-life of about 5,700 years. Suppose you find a fossil in which the amount of 14C is only 1/16 of what one would find in a living organism with the same carbon content. Approximately how old is the fossil?

Which of the following statements about patterns or processes in the evolution of life is false?

Drosophila grown in the presence of increased oxygen concentrations evolve to become _______ after only a few generations.

The total of all species of organisms in a given region is known as the region's

In undisturbed strata of sedimentary rock, the oldest rocks

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 Signaling and Communication

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

Recombinent Dna and Biotechnology

Differential Gene Expression in Development

Development and Evolutionary Change

Evidence and Mechanisms of Evolution

Reconstructing and Using Phylogenies

Species and Their Formation

Evolution of Genes and Genomes

Bacteria and Archaea: the Prokaryotic Domains

The Origin and Diversification of Eukaryotes

Plants Without Seeds: From Water to Land

The Evolution of Seed Plants

Fungi: Recyclers, Pathogens, Parasites, and Plant Partners

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 and Nervous Systems

Sensory Systems

The Mammalian Nervous System: Structure and Higher Function

Musculoskeletal Systems

Gas Exchange in Animals

Circulatory Systems

Nutrition, Digestion, and Absorption

Salt and Water Balance and Nitrogen

Animal Behavior

Ecology and the Distribution of Life

Population Ecology

Species Interaction and Coevolution

Community Ecology

Ecosystems and Global Ecology

Conservation Biology

Filters

¹⁴C decays to ¹²C with a half-life of about 5,700 years. Suppose you find a fossil in which the amount of ¹⁴C is only 1/16 of what one would find in a living organism with the same carbon content. Approximately how old is the fossil?