Scientific Contributions to a Theory of Evolution

What is a fossil?

• A type of sedimentary rock

• A type of volcanic rock

• A type of rock formation

• The preserved remains of a once-living organism

Who is credited with developing the science of paleontology?

• John Ray

• Mary Anning

• Georges Cuvier

• Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon

What did Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon suggest about the origins of species?

• They change over time and may have a common ancestor

• They have existed unchanged since their creation

• They are all created at the same time

• They are all created by different deities

What is catastrophism?

• The study of ancient life through the examination of fossils

• The idea that Earth experienced many destructive natural events in the past

• The theory that geological processes operated at the same rates in the past as they do today

• The process of slow, subtle changes occurring in populations

Who rejected catastrophism and proposed uniformitarianism?

• John Ray

• Mary Anning

• Charles Lyell

• Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon

What did Charles Lyell propose about geological processes?

• They operated at the same rates in the past as they do today

• They were catastrophic in nature

• They were influenced by the movement of celestial bodies

• They were not influenced by natural events

What did Charles Lyell's theory inspire naturalist Charles Darwin and others to wonder?

• If Earth is expanding, could slow, subtle changes also occur in populations?

• If Earth is contracting, could slow, subtle changes also occur in populations?

• If Earth is slowly changing, could slow, subtle changes also occur in populations?

• If Earth is flat, could slow, subtle changes also occur in populations?

What is the study of ancient life through the examination of fossils called?

• Catastrophism

• Paleontology

• Evolution

• Uniformitarianism

What did Georges Cuvier find about the deeper (older) strata of rock?

• They contained no fossils

• They contained more recent fossils

• They contained dissimilar species from modern life

• They contained identical species to modern life

What did Cuvier's idea of catastrophes correspond to?

• The boundaries between different species

• The boundaries between the strata he studied

• The boundaries between different continents

• The boundaries between different time periods