VCS Biology _ Unit 7_Origin of Life_ Evidence of Evolution

Which term refers to the process by which individuals that are better suited to the environment survive and reproduce therefore passing down their genes to their offspring? 

• Evolution 
• Variation 
• Adaptation
• Natural Selection 

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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?

• Synthesis of organic (carbon) molecules

• Formation of the cellular membrane

• Creation of genetic material

• Onset of photosynthesis

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.

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Based upon the conditions of the early Earth, which forms of live most likely appeared first?

• Prokaryotic and aerobic
• Prokaryotic and anaerobic 
• Eukaryotic and aerobic
• Eukaryotic and anaerobic

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Which of these are the ingredients NEEDED for life to form?

• Organic macromolecules

• Atoms

• Methane 

• Inorganic molecules

Which of the following statements is most closely associated with Darwin's theory of natural selection?

• Organisms in a population have a variety of different traits that may or may not help them survive

• Organisms in a population acquire adaptations throughout their life that help them to survive

• Organisms in a population that work harder become more fit to survive

• Organisms in a population that knowingly produce new traits due to mutation are more fit to survive

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In his book, On the Origin of the Species, Charles Darwin described how species change over time. Which of the following is NOT part of his observations that describes the mechanisms of natural selection?

• Disease and natural disaster will limit population growth

• Species today descended with modifications from ancestral species

• Organisms produce more offspring than can survive

• Organisms with advantages will survive and reproduce

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Theodosius Dobzhansky discovered that successful species tend to have a wide variety of genes that do not appear to be useful to the species in its present environment. What did this discovery help explain about genetics and the changes that occur in a species over time?

• Species with greater genetic diversity adapt more easily to changing environments

• Changing environments prevent species from adapting and surviving

• Species in a stable environment are more resistant to a changing environment

• Environments with more organisms tend to have more successful species

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Darwin proposed that the Galapagos Islands were settled by a small population of a single species of finches. This species was the ancestor of all the finch varieties that Darwin had observed on the islands. According to the modern theory of evolution, what was the role of mutations and sexual reproduction in this process?

• Mutations and sexual reproduction increased the genetic variation among the population and determined which adaptations increased fitness

• Mutations and sexual reproduction increased the genetic variation among the population and did not allowed new adaptations to evolve

• Mutations and sexual reproduction maintained the genetic variation among the population, but they did not affect the species that evolved

• Mutations and sexual reproduction decreased the genetic variation among the population, allowing only the most fit to survive

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A human arm and a whale fin have similar bone structure but the whale fin is used for swimming and the arm is used for reaching and grabbing. What type of structures are these?

• Homologous structures

• Analogous structures

• Vestigial structures

• Fossil structures

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