Fossil Evidence of Change and Origin of Life Practice

Change the underlined word to make the sentence correct.

Experiments with a mix of gases believed to more accurately reflect the early atmosphere of Earth than the mix used by Miller and Urey produced proteins, nucleotides, and sugars.

• DNA

• amino acids

• carbon dioxide

• electricity

Which of the following organisms is the earliest life form for which evidence appears in the fossil record?

• single-celled eukaryotes

• prokaryotes

• algae

• plants

Which characteristic listed below does NOT represent a feature of very early Earth ("primordial soup")?

• RNA is the catalyst for reactions among organic molecules

• Extremely hot temperatures

• Gases consisting mainly of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide

• DNA is the storage molecule for genetic information

Which of the following are true of radiometric dating? Select ALL that apply.

• Carbon-14 is the isotope used to date the oldest fossil.

• Decay rates of isotopes differ depending on the element.

• Both the half-life (decay rate) of an isotope and its ratio to a stable form of that element in the sample must be known for radiometric dating.

• Not all fossils can be dated using the same isotope.

How are the boundaries between the geologic eras of the most recent eon, the Phanerozoic, determined?

• by adaptive radiations

• by mass extinctions

• by the appearance of a new dominant group of organisms

• by various geologic events unrelated to living organisms

The Cambrian explosion refers to

• a volcanic eruption that caused a major mass extinction

• a sudden increase in plant diversity

• a sudden increase in animal diversity

• a sudden appearance of eukaryotes in the fossil record

What did Redi's and Pasteur's experiments disprove?

• law of superposition

• Cambrian explosion of life

• endosymbiont theory

• theory of spontaneous generation

Several key events occurred prior to the formation of life on Earth. Choose the correct order of the events:

• 1. Earth's crust cooled and solidified

  2. Water vapor condensed and fell as rain, producing oceans.

  3. Organic molecule monomers, such as amino acids, formed.

  4. Complex organic polymers formed

• 1. Water vapor condensed and fell as rain, producing oceans.

  2. Earth's crust cooled and solidified.

  3. Complex organic polymers formed.

  4. Organic molecule monomers, such as amino acids, formed.

• 1. Organic molecule monomers, such as amino acids, formed.

  2. Complex organic polymers formed.

  3. Water vapor condensed and fell as rain, producing oceans.

  4. Earth's crust cooled and solidified.

• 1. Complex organic polymers formed.

  2. Water vapor condensed and fell as rain, producing oceans.

  3. Organic molecule monomers, such as amino acids, formed.

  4. Earth's crust cooled and solidified.

Which of the following is NOT evidence for the endosymbiotic theory?

• Mitochondria and chloroplasts are oblong in shape, similar to prokaryotes.

• Cell membranes in mitochondria and chloroplasts are similar to those in prokaryotes.

• Chloroplasts and mitochondria both contain their own DNA, separate from nuclear DNA, in a small circular shape, similar to prokaryotes.

• Ribosomes in mitochondria and chloroplasts are similar to those in prokaryotes.

Which two scientists initially developed the primordial soup hypothesis?

• Haldane and Oparin

• Redi and Pasteur

• Margulis and Oparin

• Redi and Haldane