Question 1

Continental drift is the ____________________ of Earth's landmasses through geologic time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Continental drift is the ____________________ of Earth's...

Question 2

Humans have a reduced tailbone and the muscles to move a tail. This evidence indicates that we descended from an ancestor that had a tail.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Continental drift predicts that fossils of species that evolved after Pangaea split apart should be found on only one or a few present-day continents.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

An example of evolution that has been readily observed is

Accepted Answer

A) a chameleon changing colors as it moves from a leaf of one color to a leaf of another color. 
B) increased resistance of bacteria to an antibiotic that is used to kill them. 
C) chimpanzees learning sign language. 
D) humans teaching dogs to obey certain commands.

Question 5

When comparing certain amino acid sequences in the protein hemoglobin of humans to those of other animals, scientists found that baboons had 7 amino acids that were different than the human protein, dogs had 10 amino acids that were different than the human protein, gorillas had 1 amino acid that was different than the human protein, and lemurs had 8 amino acids that were different than the human protein. Which of these animals is most closely related to humans?

Accepted Answer

A) baboon 
B) dog 
C) lemur 
D) gorilla

Question 6

Flounder (a type of fish)generally match the color of the sandy bottoms they inhabit. Their color allows them to hide from other organisms that might eat them. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

A) speciation. 
B) adaptation. 
C) continental drift. 
D) guided mutation.

Question 7

The proteins and DNA of organisms that share a recent common ancestor are ____________________ [more or less] similar than the proteins and DNA of organisms that do not share a recent common ancestor.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The proteins and DNA of organisms that...

Question 8

How do we know that dinosaurs had lice?

Accepted Answer

A) Dinosaur fossils show clear evidence of louse eggs and bites. 
B) Lice are found only in birds and mammals. The common ancestor that lice evolved on must have been the common ancestor of these two groups, a dinosaur. 
C) Dinosaur DNA has been found in the guts of fossilized lice. 
D) The DNA of both mammalian and bird lice contains sequences that are unique to dinosaur DNA. Lice can only have obtained these sequences if they lived on dinosaurs.

Question 9

The genus Lycopodium includes plants that evolved before the breakup of Pangaea. The genus Sequoiadendron (Sequoia trees)evolved after Pangaea split into separate landmasses. Which genus would you expect to have the widest distribution of living representatives across the modern continents?

Accepted Answer

A) Lycopodium 
B) Sequoiadendron 
C) Both should be equally distributed. 
D) Both should be extinct.

Question 10

Evolution can cause so many changes among individuals of two populations of the same species that eventually the members of the two populations are no longer able to ____________________ with each other, thus forming a new species.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Evolution can cause so many changes among...

Question 11

Jean-Baptiste Lamark proposed that changes in the traits of a population are a result of traits acquired during the lifetime of an organism being inherited by that organism's offspring. What is wrong with this proposal?

Accepted Answer

A) Only changes in the DNA sequence of an organism can be inherited. Traits acquired throughout life generally do not involve DNA. 
B) The environment chooses which traits are necessary for survival rather than the individual. 
C) Changes in a species occur at the individual level rather than the population level. 
D) The inheritance of acquired traits would not lead to speciation because it would cause all of the individuals in a population to become more similar.

Question 12

Mutations occur ____________________ rather than in a predictable manner that ensures the survival of an individual.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mutations occur ____________________ rather than in a...

Question 13

In the phrase survival of the fittest, the term "fittest" refers to the individual with the greatest physical strength.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

The fossils of organisms that existed when the continents were connected are distributed across ____________________ [more or fewer] continents than the fossils of organisms that evolved after the continents separated.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The fossils of organisms that existed when...

Question 15

One of the reasons scientists have had so much difficulty finding a cure for HIV/AIDS is that the HIV virus is quick to evolve resistance to the drugs used to treat it. What is the most likely mechanism for this type of evolution?

Accepted Answer

A) Certain versions of the virus are slower to die in the presence of a drug than others. Those viruses may survive drug treatment and pass their genes to their offspring. 
B) Every time an HIV drug is taken, it randomly kills off most but not all virus particles. Those that survive repopulate the body of their host. 
C) Although all copies of a particular strain of the HIV virus are identical, some are better at "hiding" in regions of the body that drugs cannot reach, and those viruses "teach" their offspring where to hide. 
D) Some versions of the HIV virus produce chemicals that break down the drugs before they can harm the virus.

Question 16

Convergent evolution occurs when natural selection causes distantly related organisms to

Accepted Answer

A) evolve into the same species despite the fact that they are members of separate populations. 
B) merge into one continuous population because of reversals in continental drift. 
C) evolve both analogous and homologous characteristics. 
D) evolve similar structures in response to similar environmental challenges.

Question 17

The fossil record

Accepted Answer

A) proves that all known species of organisms appeared at the same time. 
B) contains strong evidence that major new groups of organisms arose from previously existing organisms. 
C) indicates that humans date back as far as the first indications of life. 
D) has often been artificially created by evolutionary biologists.

Question 18

Which of the following statements about evolution is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Evolution only results in the addition of traits to existing organisms. 
B) Evolution only results in the loss of traits from existing organisms. 
C) Evolution can result in the addition or loss of traits in existing organisms. 
D) Evolution has nothing to do with the addition or loss of traits.

Question 19

Approximately 200 million years ago, ____________________, the giant land mass shown in the figure below, began to split up into the continents we know today.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Approximately 200 million years ago, ____________________, the...

Question 20

Early scholars recognized that species change over time either due to chance or due to changes imposed by the environment.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 17: How Evolution Works

Continental drift is the ____________________ of Earth's landmasses through geologic time.

Humans have a reduced tailbone and the muscles to move a tail. This evidence indicates that we descended from an ancestor that had a tail.

Continental drift predicts that fossils of species that evolved after Pangaea split apart should be found on only one or a few present-day continents.

An example of evolution that has been readily observed is

Flounder (a type of fish) generally match the color of the sandy bottoms they inhabit. Their color allows them to hide from other organisms that might eat them. This is an example of

The proteins and DNA of organisms that share a recent common ancestor are ____________________ [more or less] similar than the proteins and DNA of organisms that do not share a recent common ancestor.

How do we know that dinosaurs had lice?

The genus Lycopodium includes plants that evolved before the breakup of Pangaea. The genus Sequoiadendron (Sequoia trees) evolved after Pangaea split into separate landmasses. Which genus would you expect to have the widest distribution of living representatives across the modern continents?

Evolution can cause so many changes among individuals of two populations of the same species that eventually the members of the two populations are no longer able to ____________________ with each other, thus forming a new species.

Jean-Baptiste Lamark proposed that changes in the traits of a population are a result of traits acquired during the lifetime of an organism being inherited by that organism's offspring. What is wrong with this proposal?

Mutations occur ____________________ rather than in a predictable manner that ensures the survival of an individual.

In the phrase survival of the fittest, the term "fittest" refers to the individual with the greatest physical strength.

The fossils of organisms that existed when the continents were connected are distributed across ____________________ [more or fewer] continents than the fossils of organisms that evolved after the continents separated.

One of the reasons scientists have had so much difficulty finding a cure for HIV/AIDS is that the HIV virus is quick to evolve resistance to the drugs used to treat it. What is the most likely mechanism for this type of evolution?

Convergent evolution occurs when natural selection causes distantly related organisms to

The fossil record

Which of the following statements about evolution is true?

Approximately 200 million years ago, ____________________, the giant land mass shown in the figure below, began to split up into the continents we know today.

Early scholars recognized that species change over time either due to chance or due to changes imposed by the environment.