Fast and Curious: Evolution Vocab

Which term refers to a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment?

• Evolution

• Natural Selection

• Adaptation

• Fossil

What term is used for the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock?

• Vestigial Structures

• Fossil

• Homologous Structures

• Analogous Structures

Which term describes the process by which organisms that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well-adapted organisms?

• Adaptation

• Evolution

• Natural Selection

• Relative Dating

What are body parts in different species that are similar in physical features but different in function called?

• Vestigial Structures

• Analogous Structures

• Homologous Structures

• Fossils

Which technique helps scientists determine the age of a fossil by comparing its placement with that of fossils in other layers of rock?

• Absolute Dating

• Relative Dating

• Natural Selection

• Adaptation

What uses the decay of radioactive isotopes to determine the exact age of a fossil?

• Relative Dating

• Homologous Structures

• Absolute Dating

• Vestigial Structures

Which term refers to structures that have no apparent function and appear to be residual parts from a past ancestor?

• Homologous Structures

• Analogous Structures

• Vestigial Structures

• Fossils

What are structures that serve similar functions in unrelated species and have evolved separately known as?

• Homologous Structures

• Vestigial Structures

• Analogous Structures

• Fossils

Which term refers to the individuals from whom one is descended, especially beyond the immediate family?

• Fossils

• Ancestors

• Vestigial Structures

• Homologous Structures

What process explains how species change over time through the accumulation of inherited characteristics?

• Evolution

• Natural Selection

• Relative Dating

• Absolute Dating