Evolutionary History Unit Exam (Amplify)

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic shared between blue whales and humans?

• Giving birth to live young

• Having skin instead of scales

• Producing milk for their babies

• Having gills for breathing

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What do the small leg bones in blue whales indicate about their ancestors?

• They were once capable of flying

• They lived entirely underwater

• They had legs and walked on land

• They were smaller in size

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The body structures for a population of chimpanzees were stable for a long time. Then, their body structures changed, making the chimpanzees stronger. Why did this happen?

• Organisms naturally become stronger over time.

• It is impossible to say without more information.

• The chimpanzee population wanted to be stronger.

• Their environment must have changed.

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This tortoise and this moray eel both have jaws that help them grab food. However, they have different structures in their jaws for eating. The tortoise has a bony beak that helps it bite plants. The moray eel has sharp teeth that help it eat fish. What most likely explains why both have jaws and why the jaws are different?

• All species have their own specific body structures, so it is a coincidence that this tortoise and moray eel each happen to have jaws that are different.

• Tortoises and moray eels are different species, so they do not share an ancestor population. These species had separate ancestor populations, and each evolved jaws that help it survive in its environment.  

• It is impossible to explain the structures of different species. The way structures change over time is very complex, and no one has ever observed these changes occurring.

• Tortoises and moray eels both inherited jaws from a shared ancestor population, but this population separated into different environments. In each environment, different types of jaws evolved that help the populations survive.

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This living sea star and fossil sea urchin both have body structures that are formed along five lines. What best explains why both species have this five-lined body structure?

• The sea star and sea urchin are different species, so they must not share an ancestor population. They must have inherited this five-lined body structure from separate ancestor populations.

• The sea star and sea urchin both share the same ancestor population that had a five-lined body structure. They inherited this structure from the ancestor population.

• It is impossible to say. Fossils are very old; therefore, we cannot make observations of the sea urchin’s ancestors, and we cannot explain its body structure.

• All species have their own specific body structures, so it is a coincidence that this sea star and sea urchin each have this specific type of five-lined body structure.

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What does this diagram show?

• All three species share a common ancestor, but the bold jumping spider and Bombay locust are more closely related to each other than they are to the common octopus.

• All three species share a common ancestor, but the bold jumping spider and common octopus are more closely related to each other than they are to the Bombay locust.

• The three species are not related and come from separate lines of evolutionary history.

• All three species share a common ancestor and are equally related to one another.

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This living manta ray and this fossil shark both have a skeleton made of cartilage (which is softer than bone). What best explains why both species have a skeleton like this?

• The manta ray and shark are different species, so they must not share an ancestor population. They inherited cartilage skeletons from separate ancestor populations.

• The manta ray and shark both share the same ancestor population that had a cartilage skeleton. They inherited this structure from the ancestor population.

• All species have their own specific body structures, so it is a coincidence that the manta ray and shark each happen to have a cartilage skeleton structure.

• It is impossible to say. Fossils are very old; therefore, we cannot make observations of the shark’s ancestors, and we cannot explain its body structures.

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The body structures for a population of green herons (a species of bird that lives near water) were stable for a long time. Then, their body structures changed to make the green herons taller. Why did this happen?

• It is impossible to say without more information.

• The green heron population wanted to be taller.

• Their environment must have changed.

• Organisms naturally become taller over time.

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Species ​ (a)   their body structures from their ​ (b)   populations.

• evolve
• descendant
• inhertit
• ancestor

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Flor is studying the evolutionary history of house geckos, Pacific gulls, and wolves. All three species share some body structures, but they also have some differences in their body structures. Here is a table that includes information about the body structures that Flor is studying. Which 2 species are more related?

• house gecko and wolf

• house gecko and pacific gull

• wolf and pacific gull

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