Unit 7- Evolution- Test Review

Charles Darwin was born in 1809. His studies of specimens around the globe led him to formulate his theory of evolution and his views on the process of natural selection.

How did Charles Darwin describe the process of natural selection?

• Individual organisms show how evolution has happened.

• Organisms evolve through traits that are passed on by random chance.

• Organisms evolve through the passing of favorable traits that help them survive to the next generation.

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What does it mean when two species share a common ancestor?

• The two species are actually the same species.

• Both species are descended from a species that lived in the past.

• One of the species evolved into the other species.

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Some lizards have an adaptation that allows their tails to break off with minimal damage to bones, nerves, blood vessels, and muscles. This type of lizard can then regrow the missing portion of the tail.

Which of the following statements best explains why the adaptation for regrowing a tail is a favorable trait for some lizards?

• Lizards with this adaptation can camouflage themselves more easily in vegetation.

• Lizards with this adaptation are more likely to escape from predators.

• Lizards with this adaptation can use their tails as lures to attract more food.

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Environmental changes may lead to the evolution of a species. Polar bears live in the Arctic. Ice in the Arctic is melting fast, reducing the range where the polar bear can live. If polar bears do not have adaptations that allow them to survive environmental changes, what may happen to

them?

• they may become another species

• they may overpopulate

• they may become extinct

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Habitats are constantly changing and evolving, and the animals living within them must constantly adapt to changes large and small. 

Which of the following is the best example of an adaptation that helps organisms survive in their environment?

• green coloring in lizards living on gray rocks

• a white rabbit in the snowy mountains

• thick fur on animals that live in the desert

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In 2006, scientists found a "transitional" fossil exhibiting traits of both fishes and four-legged land vertebrates. The fossil was given the name Tiktaalik roseae, and its discovery turned the scientific world upside down.

What evidence does the discovery of Tiktaalik give to best support the idea of descent with

modification in the theory of evolution?

• Tiktaalik shows that land animals and fish are not as closely related as once thought.

• Tiktaalik goes a long way, however not quite the whole way, towards filling a major gap in

  the fossil record of the transition of vertebrates from water to land.

• Tiktaalik appears to not support the idea of descent with modification in the theory of evolution.

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Which of these statements best explains how transitional fossils support the theory of evolution?

• Transitional fossils show traits common to ancestors and their descendants.

• Transitional fossils show how the organisms' characteristics remain the same over time.

• Transitional fossils show how individual organisms can change their characteristics

  during their lifetimes.

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According to the diagrams, which of the following is a likely conclusion?

• These fossils provide evidence that evolution occurs rapidly.

• These fossils belonged to organisms that were large and slow moving.

• These fossils provide evidence that evolution occurs over long periods of time.

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Which of these scenarios is an example of natural selection that Darwin described?

• Farmers crossbreed two types of cows to produce a breed of cow that has high-quality

  beef and can tolerate a hot climate.

• Giraffes that have longer necks survive a dry season by eating leaves from the tops of

  trees. Those giraffes breed more successfully that year.

• Dogs of the same breed that have a desirable coat color are bred with one another to

  produce more puppies with that same coat color.

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A tree frog population lives in the canopy of a tropical rainforest. In this tree frog population, a mutation occurs that results in a new genetic variation for skin coloration causing stripes on their legs. 

Which of the following factors has the greatest effect on whether leg stripes will become more common in the tree frog population?

• If the reproduction rate of the tree frog population remains constant over time.

• If the new genetic variation for stripes is presented more in females in the tree frog

  population.

•  If the new genetic variation for stripes increases the survival of the tree frogs in their

  environment.

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