Multiple Choice
Identify the
letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1.
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A
species is a group of similar organisms that a. | can mate with one another and produce fertile
offspring. | b. | can live together on an island. | c. | can migrate to
an island from the mainland. | d. | all have exactly the same traits. | | |
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2.
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What
did Darwin observe about finches in the Galapagos Islands? a. | Their feathers
were adapted to match their environment. | b. | Their beaks were adapted to match the foods they
ate. | c. | They had
identical phenotypes in all locations. | d. | They had identical genotypes in all
locations. | | |
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3.
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The
gradual change in a species over time is called a. | mutation. | b. | evolution. | c. | migration. | d. | variation. | | |
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4.
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A
trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce is called a(n) a. | mutation. | b. | selection. | c. | adaptation. | d. | variation. | | |
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5.
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What
did Darwin infer from his observations of organisms in South America and the Galapagos
Islands? a. | The organisms on
the Galapagos Islands were virtually identical to mainland organisms. | b. | A small number
of different plant and animal species had come to the mainland from the Galapagos
Islands. | c. | The organisms on the Galapagos Islands were completely
unrelated to mainland organisms. | d. | A small number of different plant and animal species had come
to the Galapagos Islands from the mainland. | | |
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6.
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Which
term refers to the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more
likely to survive and reproduce? a. | natural selection | b. | overproduction | c. | competition | d. | variation | | |
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7.
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Which
term refers to a species creating more offspring than can possibly survive? a. | natural
selection | b. | overproduction | c. | evolution | d. | variation | | |
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8.
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Differences between members of the same species are called a. | predators. | b. | selections. | c. | traits. | d. | variations. | | |
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9.
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How
does natural selection lead to evolution? a. | Stronger offspring kill weaker members of the
species. | b. | Helpful traits accumulate among surviving members of the
species. | c. | Overproduction provides food for stronger members of the
species. | d. | Environmental changes kill weaker members of the
species. | | |
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10.
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What
is the role of genes in evolution? a. | Only genes can be acted on by natural
selection. | b. | Parents with recessive genes die from
overproduction. | c. | The genes of most surviving parents have only dominant
alleles. | d. | Only traits that are controlled by genes can be acted on by
natural selection. | | |
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11.
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Which
of these is one of the main ways that a new species forms? a. | Cross-breeding
occurs within the species. | b. | A group is separated from the rest of the
species. | c. | Competition occurs between members of the
species. | d. | Mutations occur in the alleles of members of the
species. | | |
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12.
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What
are fossils? a. | molds and casts
of organisms that live today | b. | drawings of ancient animals and other
organisms | c. | footprints or burrows of small animals that live
today | d. | the preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived in the
past | | |
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13.
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How
do fossils form? a. | An insect becomes trapped in amber. | b. | An entire
organism becomes frozen in ice. | c. | A dead organism becomes buried in
sediment. | d. | All of the above | | |
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14.
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What
evidence is most important when using relative dating? a. | the half-life of
a radioactive element | b. | the position of sediment in petrified
rock | c. | the types of
minerals in a petrified fossil | d. | the position of fossils in sedimentary rock
layers | | |
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15.
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Which
term refers to similar structures that related species have inherited from a common
ancestor? a. | DNA
sequences | b. | developmental organisms | c. | homologous
structures | d. | punctuated equilibria | | |
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16.
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If
two organisms look very similar during their early stages, this may suggest that he
organisms (Remember the example of the chicken,rat,and turtle) a. | are not
related. | b. | evolved from different ancestors. | c. | have exactly the
same DNA. | d. | evolved from a common ancestor. | | |
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17.
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Why
do scientists think related species have similar body structures and development
patterns? a. | The species
inherited many of the same genes from one another. | b. | The species
inherited many of the same proteins from a common ancestor. | c. | The species
inherited all of the same genes from a common ancestor. | d. | The species
inherited many of the same genes from a common ancestor. | | |
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18.
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Scientists combine evidence from fossils, body structures, early development, and DNA
and protein structures to a. | determine what bones an animal has in its
forelimbs. | b. | determine the evolutionary relationships among
species. | c. | decide which fossils are older than
others. | d. | determine whether an organism will have gills during its early
development. | | |
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19.
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The
theory of evolution was first proposed by which scientist ?
a. | Bill
Nye | c. | Charles
Darwin | b. | Aristotle | d. | Albert Einstein | | | | |
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20.
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Another term that could be used for natural selection would be
? a. | Live or
Die | c. | Gene
passing | b. | Survival of the Fittest | d. | Darwinism | | | | |
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21.
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Rats,
frogs, and humans all have a humerus,radius, and an ulna. These stuctures would be called
? a. | vestigal
structures | c. | fossilized
structures | b. | natural structures | d. | homologous structures | | | | |
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22.
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DNA
is found in which living organisms ? a. | Protists | c. | Dogs | b. | Fungi | d. | All of the above | | | | |
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23.
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An
adaptation is a skill that an organism learns that helps it survive ?
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24.
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Our
thumb is an example of an adaptation ?
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25.
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If
you have a litter of puppies and four are brown and one is white, this is an example of
? a. | Competition | c. | Starvation | b. | Variation | d. | Gene splicing | | | | |
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Essay
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26.
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Explain what natural selection is using the following
terms.
Overproduction, Variation, adaptation, competition, and
selection
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