Evolution 9th grade

Darwin theorized that individuals having an advantage due to their traits or abilities will be more likely to survive and reproduce.  This theory is known as

• evolution

• speciation

• adaptation

• natural selection

Answer explanation

Darwin's theory of natural selection states that individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, leading to the evolution of species over time.

Remains of ancient organisms are called

• Extinctions

• Fossils

• Mutations

• Variations

Answer explanation

Remains of ancient organisms are called fossils, not extinctions, mutations, or variations. Fossils are preserved evidence of past life on Earth.

If an organism has a vestigial structure, that structure likely once had a function in a(n)

• close relative

• early ancestor

• unrelated organism

• embryological stage

Answer explanation

If an organism has a vestigial structure, that structure likely once had a function in an early ancestor.

the hind leg bones in a whale are examples of

• homologous structures

• analogous structures

• fossils

• vestigals

Answer explanation

The hind leg bones in a whale are vestigial structures, which are remnants of ancestral structures that no longer serve a function in the organism.

What is the study of organisms at the early stages of development?

• DNA studies

• embryology 

• extinction

• fossil record

Answer explanation

Embryology is the study of organisms at the early stages of development, focusing on the development of embryos and fetuses.

What is this an example of?

• vestigial structures

• embryology

• homologous structures

• fossil record

Answer explanation

This is an example of homologous structures, which are similar structures in different species that suggest a common evolutionary origin.

Which layer is the oldest?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Answer explanation

Layer 4 is the oldest because the layers are typically deposited in a sequence, with the oldest layer at the bottom and the youngest at the top.

Structures in organisms that have the same function due to similar environmental pressures.

• Analogous Structure

• Homologous Structure

• Vestigial Structures

Answer explanation

Analogous structures are structures in organisms that have the same function due to similar environmental pressures.

Slow in steady change in a species

• Gradualism

• Punctuated Equilibrium 

Answer explanation

Slow and steady change in a species is characteristic of gradualism, not punctuated equilibrium.

Long periods of little change in a species followed by short periods of rapid change

• Punctuated Equilibrium

• Gradualism

Answer explanation

Punctuated Equilibrium is the correct choice because it describes long periods of little change in a species followed by short periods of rapid change.