Origin of Life & Evidence of Evolution

One of the accepted scientific theories describing the origin of life on Earth is known as chemical evolution. According to this theory, which of the following events would need to occur first for life to evolve?

• onset of photosynthesis

• origin of genetic material

• Synthesis of organic molecules

• formation of the plasma membrane

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

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 diagram below 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.

Cells without a nucleus are said to be _____________________.

• Eukaryotic
• Prokaryotic

What gas was necessary for complex (eukaryotic) life to evolve?

• Carbon dioxide
• Oxygen
• Dihydrogen monoxide
• Methane

Which type of cell came first?

• Eukaryotic
• Prokaryotic
• Plant
• Both Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic cells evolved around the same time

A change in the inherited characteristics of an organism over time is ________

• evolution.
• development.
• growth.
• ancestry.

The most recent ancestral form or species from which two different species evolved is known as ________________________.

• a common ancestor.
• an embryonic stage.
• development.
• evolution.

In stage one (top row) of these embryos, most of the embryos________

• look very similar.
• have very different features.
• show different stages of development.
• have only a tail if they are non-human.