Question 1

The half-life of an isotope is the

Accepted Answer

A)  time a fixed fraction of isotope material will take to change from one form to another. 
B)  age over which the isotope is useful for dating rocks. 
C)  ratio of one isotope species to another in a sample of organic matter. 
D)  Both a and b 
E)  None of the above 
A)  time a fixed fraction of isotope material will take to change from one form to another. 
B)  age over which the isotope is useful for dating rocks. 
C)  ratio of one isotope species to another in a sample of organic matter. 
D)  Both a and b 
E)  None of the above

Question 2

The first flying animals were _______, which first appeared in the _______ period.

Accepted Answer

A)  birds; Carboniferous 
B)  birds; Cretaceous 
C)  bats; Jurassic 
D)  insects; Carboniferous 
E)  insects; Permian 
A)  birds; Carboniferous 
B)  birds; Cretaceous 
C)  bats; Jurassic 
D)  insects; Carboniferous 
E)  insects; Permian

Question 3

The largest mass extinction event occurred at the end of the _______ period, due at least in part to declines in the concentration of _______ in the atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The largest mass extinction event occurred at...

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of The layers of rocks, also known as...

Question 5

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 6

Abnormally high concentrations of _______ have been found in rocks dating from the end of the Cretaceous.

Accepted Answer

A)  lithium 
B)  mercury 
C)  iridium 
D)  nickel 
E)  tungsten 
A)  lithium 
B)  mercury 
C)  iridium 
D)  nickel 
E)  tungsten

Question 7

Which of the following eras in Earth's history is the longest?

Accepted Answer

A)  Precambrian 
B)  Paleozoic 
C)  Cenozoic 
D)  Mesozoic 
E)  Cambrian 
A)  Precambrian 
B)  Paleozoic 
C)  Cenozoic 
D)  Mesozoic 
E)  Cambrian

Question 8

Which of the following statements about Earth's history is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  A paleontologist can determine the age of a rock by its appearance alone. 
B)  In all sedimentary rock, the oldest layers lie at the bottom, and successively higher strata are progressively younger. 
C)  Sedimentary rock forms via the accumulation of grains at the bottoms of rivers and other bodies of water. 
D)  The continents have always been where they are today. 
E)  None of the above 
A)  A paleontologist can determine the age of a rock by its appearance alone. 
B)  In all sedimentary rock, the oldest layers lie at the bottom, and successively higher strata are progressively younger. 
C)  Sedimentary rock forms via the accumulation of grains at the bottoms of rivers and other bodies of water. 
D)  The continents have always been where they are today. 
E)  None of the above

Question 9

The long time lag between the origin of life and the appearance of multicellular life was probably at least partly due to the lack of _______ in the atmosphere for much of Earth's existence.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The long time lag between the origin...

Question 10

The primary reason that dragonflies grew so much larger 300 million years ago than they do today is that

Accepted Answer

A)  they lacked predators then. 
B)  they were able to exploit an aquatic niche that no longer exists. 
C)  there was more oxygen in the air then. 
D)  there was more nitrogen in the air then. 
E)  Earth was much colder then. 
A)  they lacked predators then. 
B)  they were able to exploit an aquatic niche that no longer exists. 
C)  there was more oxygen in the air then. 
D)  there was more nitrogen in the air then. 
E)  Earth was much colder then.

Question 11

The Permian extinction occurred approximately _______ million years ago.

Accepted Answer

A)  40 
B)  65 
C)  150 
D)  250 
E)  550 
A)  40 
B)  65 
C)  150 
D)  250 
E)  550

Question 12

During the Carboniferous, _______ (sea lilies and feather stars) reached their greatest diversity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of During the Carboniferous, _______ (sea lilies and...

Question 13

Evidence that meteorites hit Earth at times of mass extinctions comes from the presence of _______, a metal that is rare on Earth but common in some ­meteorites.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Evidence that meteorites hit Earth at times...

Question 14

The coal beds we now mine for energy are largely the remains of

Accepted Answer

A)  plants that grew in swamps during the Carboniferous period. 
B)  algae that grew in marshes during the Devonian period. 
C)  giant insects and amphibians of the Permian period. 
D)  plants that grew in the oceans during the Carboniferous period. 
E)  None of the above 
A)  plants that grew in swamps during the Carboniferous period. 
B)  algae that grew in marshes during the Devonian period. 
C)  giant insects and amphibians of the Permian period. 
D)  plants that grew in the oceans during the Carboniferous period. 
E)  None of the above

Question 15

The Cenozoic era began about _______ years ago.

Accepted Answer

A)  1 million 
B)  15 million 
C)  65 million 
D)  225 million 
E)  1 billion 
A)  1 million 
B)  15 million 
C)  65 million 
D)  225 million 
E)  1 billion

Question 16

For each geological period, make a chart summarizing its major geological and evolutionary events.

Accepted Answer

Sorry, I cannot provide a full answer to

Question 17

Which of the following pairs of organisms were not present on Earth in their living forms at the same time?

Accepted Answer

A)  Tree ferns and ray-finned fish 
B)  Amphibians and birds 
C)  Gymnosperms and insects 
D)  Humans and dinosaurs 
E)  Jawless fish and vascular plants 
A)  Tree ferns and ray-finned fish 
B)  Amphibians and birds 
C)  Gymnosperms and insects 
D)  Humans and dinosaurs 
E)  Jawless fish and vascular plants

Question 18

The symbiosis between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria began in the

Accepted Answer

A)  Tertiary. 
B)  Permian. 
C)  Triassic. 
D)  Devonian. 
E)  Cambrian. 
A)  Tertiary. 
B)  Permian. 
C)  Triassic. 
D)  Devonian. 
E)  Cambrian.

Question 19

Vertebrates with well-protected eggs that can be laid in dry places are known as

Accepted Answer

A)  trilobites. 
B)  ediacaran. 
C)  crinoides. 
D)  amniotes. 
E)  dinosaurs. 
A)  trilobites. 
B)  ediacaran. 
C)  crinoides. 
D)  amniotes. 
E)  dinosaurs.

Question 20

Fossil insects many times larger than any insects alive today have been dated to the Carboniferous and Permian periods. These fossils are evidence that during these periods

Accepted Answer

A)  the climate was much warmer than it is today. 
B)  there were fewer predators on insects than there are today. 
C)  the carbon dioxide concentration of the atmosphere was lower than it is today. 
D)  insects had fewer competitors for food than modern insects. 
E)  the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere was significantly higher than it is today. 
A)  the climate was much warmer than it is today. 
B)  there were fewer predators on insects than there are today. 
C)  the carbon dioxide concentration of the atmosphere was lower than it is today. 
D)  insects had fewer competitors for food than modern insects. 
E)  the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere was significantly higher than it is today.

Exam 25: The History of Life on Earth

The half-life of an isotope is the

The first flying animals were _______, which first appeared in the _______ period.

The largest mass extinction event occurred at the end of the _______ period, due at least in part to declines in the concentration of _______ in the atmosphere.

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

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

Abnormally high concentrations of _______ have been found in rocks dating from the end of the Cretaceous.

Which of the following eras in Earth's history is the longest?

Which of the following statements about Earth's history is true?

The long time lag between the origin of life and the appearance of multicellular life was probably at least partly due to the lack of _______ in the atmosphere for much of Earth's existence.

The primary reason that dragonflies grew so much larger 300 million years ago than they do today is that

The Permian extinction occurred approximately _______ million years ago.

During the Carboniferous, _______ (sea lilies and feather stars) reached their greatest diversity.

Evidence that meteorites hit Earth at times of mass extinctions comes from the presence of _______, a metal that is rare on Earth but common in some ­meteorites.

The coal beds we now mine for energy are largely the remains of

The Cenozoic era began about _______ years ago.

For each geological period, make a chart summarizing its major geological and evolutionary events.

Which of the following pairs of organisms were not present on Earth in their living forms at the same time?

The symbiosis between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria began in the

Vertebrates with well-protected eggs that can be laid in dry places are known as

Fossil insects many times larger than any insects alive today have been dated to the Carboniferous and Permian periods. These fossils are evidence that during these periods

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

The first flying animals were _, which first appeared in the _ period.

The largest mass extinction event occurred at the end of the _ period, due at least in part to declines in the concentration of _ in the atmosphere.

The layers of rocks, also known as _, are often found in a chronological sequence, with the oldest rocks at the _.

Evidence that meteorites hit Earth at times of mass extinctions comes from the presence of _______, a metal that is rare on Earth but common in some meteorites.