SSA Review (Diversity & Evolution of Organisms: Big Idea 15)

Mushrooms, bread molds, and yeasts are classified together in the fungi kingdom. Specific characteristics are used to classify these organisms. Which of the following is a characteristic used to classify these organisms as fungi?

• They are parasites.

• They are unicellular.

• They are prokaryotes.

• They are heterotrophs.

A certain reptile species is a herbivore and exists only on an isolated island. Which of the following would most likely result in the extinction of the reptile species over a period of twenty thousand years?

• The reptile species produces many offspring with many unique traits, and the vegetation remains constant.

• The reptile species produces few offspring with some unique traits, and the vegetation remains constant.

• The reptile species produces few offspring with no unique traits, and the vegetation changes quickly.

• The reptile species produces many offspring with some unique traits, and the vegetation changes slowly.

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Green algae, slime molds, and protozoa are classified together in the kingdom Protista. Which of the following is one characteristic of all members of this kingdom?

• They are all viruses.

• They all spread diseases.

• They are all single-celled.

• Their cells all have a nucleus.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Millions of years ago, a mass extinction of nearly all the dinosaurs occurred. This extinction included the herbivore Protoceratops. Many scientists think that a massive meteorite crashed into Earth. The impact sent up large clouds of dust that blocked out sunlight for months or even years. Which of the following explains how the impact could have caused Protoceratops to become extinct?

• Plants did not have enough sunlight to make their own food.

• Protoceratops did not have enough sunlight to make its own food.

• The dust settled and covered the plants that Protoceratops used as food.

• The animals that Protoceratops used as food could not find enough plants to eat.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

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White Sands, New Mexico, is an area of desert where the ground is white instead of dark. Lizards living in other parts of the desert have dark, striped skin. Many lizards of the same species living at White Sands have white skin. Which of the following statements best explains this?

• All lizards can change their skin color to match their environment.

• All the white lizards born in the desert move to the White Sands area.

• Lizards born in the White Sands area acquire white skin during

  their lifetimes.

• White skin has developed in the White Sands lizard population through natural selection.

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Earth has undergone several ice ages in its history. During an ice age, much of Earth's surface is covered by glaciers. Which types of organisms would natural selection favor most if Earth had another ice age?

• organisms that make food by photosynthesis

• organisms that hunt other organisms for food

• organisms that are able to swim in deep water

• organisms that have thick fur and layers of fat

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

As a first step, the scientist classifies both organisms as belonging to the domain Eukarya. Which of the following observations best supports this classification?

• Both organisms have cell walls.

• Both organisms are made up of many cells.

• Both organisms live in damp, shady places.

• One organism has chloroplasts, and one does not.

Which pair of classifications is best supported by the information in the table?

• Organism 1 belongs to kingdom Plantae, and Organism 2 belongs to Fungi.

• Organism 1 belongs to kingdom Fungi, and Organism 2 belongs to Plantae.

• Organism 1 belongs to kingdom Fungi, and Organism 2 belongs to Animalia.

• Organism 1 belongs to kingdom Animalia, and Organism 2 belongs

  to Protista.

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Luis is conducting an investigation to determine if modern horseshoe crabs evolved from extinct organisms called trilobites. Which of the following should Luis use to determine if there is evidence to support his idea?

• the fossil record of trilobites

• the population size of trilobites

• the traits of all extinct animals

• the population size of horseshoe crabs

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

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A fossil is the remains or traces of organisms that have lived in the past. Which statement is true about fossils?

• A fossil never includes a complete organism.

• A fossil shows the evolution of an entire species.

• Much of the evidence for evolution comes from fossils.

• Fossils have provided a complete history of Earth’s life forms.

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