Classification and Evolution Unit Review

A theory has significant evidence to support it.  True or False

• True
• False

Why are advantageous traits more likely to be passed onto offspring?

• Because they are more likely to help that organism survive and go on to reproduce.

• Because they come from dominant alleles.

• Because they come from recessive alleles.

• Because the trait is an acquired phenotype.

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The trees these moths used to live on were white, but have been covered in soot from coal factories. Which moth will be more successful in this environment?

• Dark moth

• Light moth

• Both will be equally successful

• Neither will be successful

Answer explanation

In this scenerio where coal has covered the birch forest, dark colored wings is an adaptation (a helpful variation of a particular trait) over lighter colored wings because it helps the moth camofloge to hide from predators.

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__________ means the change in a species over time.

• Natural Selection

• Selective Breeding

• Homeostasis

• Evolution

Answer explanation

Evolution is the many changes in the characteristics of a population of organisms as successive generations over a great period of time. It is the populations of organisms that evolve, not individual organisms themselves. Evolution relies on the process of natural selection and other mechanisms of evolution like gene flow and genetic drift.

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Structures with the same parts have different functions; suggests that organisms share a common ancestry

• vestigial structures

• homologous structures

• adaptive radiation

• fossil

Answer explanation

Homologous structures help show scientists how a certain species is related to other species through common ancestors by having similar structures in their bodies. Ex. Humans, birds, cats, and whales all have a humerus.

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Study of embryos of various organisms to show a common ancestor because of similarities in development

• natural selection

• embryology

• speciation

• evolution

Answer explanation

Scientist uses embryology as evidence of evolution by examining how the embryos of different species can have similarities that are not visible when the organisms are fully formed.

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The diagram shows fossils in different rock layers. Which of these statements about the age of these fossils is most likely correct?

• Fossil A and C are the same age

• Fossil B is older than fossil C

• Fossils A is older than fossil B

• Fossil D is older than fossil C

Answer explanation

The fossil reccord serves as evidence of evolution because fossils help show that life on earth was once different from life found on earth today. The deeper in the Earth the fossil is, the older it probably is.

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What does Darwin's theory of evolution suggest?

• species change over time
• extinct species are not related to living species
• different species can interbreed
• animals that look alike are most closely related

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What type of structures are these?

• homologous
• vestigial 
• analogous
• fossil

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Whales are aquatic mammals that contain a pelvis (hip) bone. Even though it does not aid in its movement, the function must have been used by a common ancestor of the whale. Thus, the pelvis is referred to as a(n)

• vestigial structure

• analogous structure

• homologous structure

Answer explanation

A vestigial structure is a morphological feature that a species inherited from an ancestor but that is now less elaborate and functional than in the ancestor. Think of the human tail bone!

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