Which statement BEST describes how mutations are related to evolution?

• There is not a strong relationship between mutations and evolution.

• Natural selection causes evolution, which causes more mutations to appear in the DNA of the species.

• Mutations are changes in DNA that produce weaker organisms that die, so these are eliminated by evolution.

• Mutations lead to new genes, which may have an advantage over the old forms, causing the species to evolve.

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According to the fossil record found in these sedimentary layers, what conclusion can be drawn about animal life in general?

• Animals did not move on to land until flowering plants evolved.

• Vertebrates appeared in the oceans before they moved on to land.

• Vertebrates evolved on land and in the oceans at about the same time.

• Shelled animals and fish appeared in the oceans at about the same time.

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All life on Earth started as unicelluar, prokaryotic organisms. Which of these structures was vital for organisms to develop in order to evolve into more complex, multicellular organisms?

• Nucleus

• Ribosome

• Cytoplasm

• Cell membrane

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The leopard frog and the pickerel frog are two

closely related species. In areas where

their ranges overlap, the frogs will remain

separate species if they...

• maintain different colored markings on their skin.

• eat different types of insects and crustaceans.

• occupy burrows in different parts of a creek.

• reproduce at different times of the year.

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When are two animals classified as belonging to the same species?

• When they have the same feeding habits.

• When they are found in the same habitat.

• When they have many common physical features.

• When they can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

Speciation has definitely occurred when two groups of related organisms...

• cannot interbreed successfully.

• have drastically different behaviors.

• have drastically different appearances.

• become permanently isolated from each other.

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Which word pair makes the following statement true?

The process of ___________________leads to the formation of new species by ___________________.

• extinction, speciation

• speciation, use and disuse

• natural selection, evolution

• divergent evolution, natural selection

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Cichlids are bony fish that are commonly found in the freshwater lakes of Africa, like Lake Victoria. There are more than 2000 recognized species of cichlids in these freshwater lakes. What scenario would most likely result in the sympatric speciation of cichlids in Lake Victoria?

• A non-disjunction event results in a male fish with double the number of chromosomes.

• A new mutation results in a cichlid fish that can evade predators by using camouflage.

• Two pools form as regions of the lake dry up, leaving isolated populations of cichlids.

• Females exhibit sexual selection for males of a particular color.

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All organisms have DNA, which differs only in the number and order of each type of nucleotide. This suggests that all organisms have...

• a common ancestor.

• a common reproductive cycle.

• the same types of proteins.

• the same amount of DNA.

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How can fossils BEST help paleontologists and biologists classify organisms?

• Fossils allow scientists to predict what species will become extinct.

• Fossils are useful for reconstructing pedigrees and showing family traits.

• Fossils allow scientists to have an idea of the time scale that traits evolved.

• Fossils allow scientists to always determine the closest living relative to the fossil.

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