Review - Unit 1.3 Test

Paleontologists have compared modern human skeletons to fossils of hominids from two to five million years ago, before the appearance of modern humans. They found certain features, like the shape of their hips and the way the spine supported the body, was similar to the modern human skeletal structure. Which of the following best describes why the discoveries of the hominid fossils are important for understanding modern human evolution?

• They are evidence of transitional species that show how modern humans evolved from apelike ancestors.

• They are important for understanding how modern human pelvic bones are necessary for upright walking.

• They provide evidence that modern humans and chimpanzees are not related by a common ancestor.

• They show that modern humans had to compete with other upright bipedal hominids for food and resources.

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A group of well-separated islands in the Pacific Ocean has a population of hibiscus plants that produce either orange or white flowers. On one of the islands, most of the hibiscus plants were killed a few years ago by a volcanic lava flow. Why is there a greater percentage of orange hibiscus plants on this island than on the other islands?

• Cross pollination across the islands without the lava flow caused the percentage of orange flowers to dramatically change on these islands over time.

• The hibiscus plants on the island that had the lava flow suffered from a higher mutation rate than plants on other islands, causing a difference in the populations.

• The limited population size after the lava flow resulted in a limited gene pool, causing genetic drift in future generations of hibiscus plants on this island.

• Orange flowering hibiscus plants were better adapted to survive lava flows, so white hibiscus were naturally selected out of the population on the island.

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Suppose a family of black wolves migrates across a land bridge to a region supporting a large population of gray wolves. A few generations later, the population consists entirely of wolves with black and gray markings. Which of the following best describes the mechanism that caused this change in the population of the wolves in the region?

• Genetic mutations naturally occurred in the black and gray wolf populations, resulting in both groups simultaneously developing black and gray coat markings.

• The flow of black wolf genes across the land bridge added to the gray wolf population's gene pool, increasing the frequency of the genes for black fur in the population.

• The gray wolves selected other gray wolves over black wolves as mates, causing a limit to the gray wolf gene pool that resulted in genetic drift.

• The wolves with gray coats had to compete for resources with the successful black wolves, so they adapted their coats to mimic the black wolves.

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Assume a group of scientists has managed to set up an experiment simulating the conditions of early Earth that resulted in a cell with DNA using RNA to produce proteins from amino acids as modern cells do. What conclusion could they draw from this experiment?

• It is possible for a cell similar to a modern cell to form under the conditions of the experiment.

• Modern cells developed from inorganic compounds in the conditions that existed on early Earth.

• The conditions of their experiment exactly replicated the conditions found on early Earth.

• The way modern cells function is the only way a cell could be constructed and survive.

According to fossil records, the horses that lived 50 million years ago were much smaller, weaker and slower than modern horses. Which process is most likely responsible for the changes that have led to the increased size, strength, and speed in horses?

• commensalism

• inbreeding

• migration

• evolution by natural selection

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Scientists have found evidence that about 2.4 million years ago a gene regulating jaw muscles mutated and may have led to the more graceful human jaw we see today. The diagram below shows the skulls of 3 hominid species. Which statement below most closely explains the link between jaw size and hominid evolution?

• The jaws of hominids evolved to be smaller and less protruding over time.

• The jaws of hominids evolved to be larger and more protruding over time.

• There appears to be no change in the jaws of hominids over time.

• The jaws of hominids changed over time due to a change in brain size.

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Which types of organisms developed first due to the early environmental conditions on Earth?

• prokaryotic and aerobic

• prokaryotic and anaerobic

• eukaryotic and aerobic

• eukaryotic and anaerobic

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The Miller-Urey experiment of 1953 was designed to test the hypothesis that lightning supplied the energy needed to turn atmospheric gases into organic molecules such as amino acids. Which of the following describes why the Miller-Urey theory is widely accepted today?

• Amino acids spontaneously form from molecules in the atmosphere today.

• Organic molecules are present today in extremely high concentrations.

• The process of synthesizing organic molecules from a mixture of gases has been successfully modeled in the laboratory.

• No other alternative hypotheses have been introduced.

The following diagram shows a proposed theory of the origin of eukaryotic cells, called endosymbiosis.

Which of the following explains why cells that contained mitochondria-like organelles had an evolutionary advantage?

• They were able to photosynthesize

• They had more DNA

• They were able to make more use of available energy

• They were immune to bacterial invasion

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Over time, the climate of an island became drier, which resulted in changes to the populations of various island finch species. Finch populations with a certain beak shape thrived, while those not having that beak shape decreased. Which of the following describes a necessary condition for these changes in the finch populations to occur?

• fewer mutations

• limited food resources

• limited beak variations

• overproduction of offspring

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