Evolution Quiz

Which is the best evidence for evolution?

• New rock layers containing fossils of simple organisms

• New rock layers containing fossils unlike existing organisms

• Old rock layers containing fossils unlike existing organisms

• Old rock layers containing fossils of complex organisms

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

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

• They were larger than dinosaurs and ate different foods.

• They lived in different areas on Earth than dinosaurs.

• They were able to hibernate for thousands of years.

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

• Salmon swim faster as they enter colder waters.

• A snake increases its body temperature because it moves on top of a rock in direct sunlight.

• A beetle stands out to predators because it moves among plants that have colors different than its own.

• 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?

• Cell Theory and the Theory of Evolution

• The periodic nature of the elements and cell theory

• The Theory of Evolution and the Law of Superposition

• The Law of Superposition and the periodic nature of the elements

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

• The species would become extinct over time.

• The species would develop mutated cells.

• The species would develop resistance to disease.

• The species would change the environment

PICK TWO: Disease affects natural selection because it:

• Organisms with weak resistance to disease die and those who are 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.

• Natural Selection

• Gene Flow

• Mutation

• Adaptation

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

• They evolved from a common ancestor

• They live in the same part of the world.

• They are in the same biological classification.

• They are able to survive changes in their environments.

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

• Geology

• Botany

• Taxonomy

• Classification

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

• They mutated when exposed to chemicals

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

• They had developed vestigial structures

• They had become members of different kingdoms.