Evolution Quiz

Which is the best evidence for evolution?

• B. new rock layers containing fossils unlike existing organisms

• C. old rock layers containing fossils unlike existing organisms

Which best explains why mammals became dominant after the mass extinction of the dinosaurs?

• A. They had traits that helped them adapt to environmental changes.

• B. They were larger than dinosaurs and ate different foods.

Which demonstrates how genetic variation may result from a change in the environment where an animal lives?

• A. A salmon swims faster as it enters colder waters.

• D. An arctic fox changes its color over time because it migrates to an area with a different climate.

Recent changes in species can be found in the upper layers of rock. This provides a link between which two scientific ideas?

• A. cell theory and the theory of evolution

• C. The Theory of Evolution and the Law of Superposition

Which of these would most likely happen to a species that is not able to adapt to a changing environment?

• A. The species would become extinct over time.

• B. The species would develop mutated cells.

PICK TWO: Disease affects natural selection because it:

• □ Organisms with weak resistance to disease die and the more resistant live and have resistant offspring.

• ☐ Diseases usually kill off the entire species

• Kills organisms with and without beneficial traits to a species

• ☐ Allows organisms to adapt better to their habitat.

________________ is when new traits are introduced into a population, increasing variation in the population. For example, vikings spent winter months in small villages on Japan's coast thousands of years ago. Occasionally children in these villages are born with blue eyes.

• D. Adaptation

• B. Gene Flow

If a bat, a whale, and a bird, have similar anatomical structures, what most likely can be concluded?

• A. They evolved from a common ancestor

• B. They live in the same part of the world.

______________ is a system of grouping, of classifying, different organisms based on their similarities.

• C. Taxonomy

• A. Geology

On the Galapagos Islands, the beaks of different finches were found to be shaped very differently. What is the likely reason for this?

• A. They mutated when exposed to chemicals

• B. They adapted to eat (consume) different food sources.