How Are You Like the Blue Whale?

According to the passage, what is the main difference between blue whales and fish?

• Blue whales have smooth skin, while fish have scales.

• Blue whales lay eggs, while fish give birth to live young.

• Blue whales have many tiny bones in their fins, while fish have just a few bones.

• Blue whales breathe underwater, while fish need to come to the surface to breathe.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

What is one similarity between humans and blue whales mentioned in the passage?

• Both humans and blue whales have shiny scales.

• Both humans and blue whales have gills for breathing underwater.

• Both humans and blue whales have smooth skin.

• Both humans and blue whales have lungs for breathing air.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Which of the following is true about the back limb bones in a blue whale flipper?

• They are the same as the bones in a human arm.

• They are much larger than the bones in a human arm.

• They are completely different from the bones in a human arm.

• They are remnants of legs hidden by the skin, fat, and muscles of the whale's body.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

How do scientists study present-day animals to understand their body structures?

• By comparing their DNA with other species.

• By studying their fossil record.

• By using x-rays of living animals.

• By pulverizing sets of bones from recently deceased animals.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

What do shared body structures in different species indicate?

• They indicate that both species are fish.

• They indicate that both species have shiny scales.

• They indicate that both species evolved from a common ancestor.

• They indicate that both species lay eggs.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

According to the passage, what is the significance of shared body structures in a common ancestor population?

• They had the same function in both species.

• They were used for breathing underwater.

• They looked very similar to how they do now.

• They provide evidence of evolutionary connections between species.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

How do paleontologists determine the connection between descendant species?

• By only examining the DNA of the species.

• By studying the skeletons and fossils of the species.

• By comparing the body structures of the species.

• By observing the behaviors of the species.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

What evidence supports the conclusion that the common ancestor of whales, humans, and other mammals lived about 65 million years ago?

• Fossils of mouse-like creatures with similar body structures.

• DNA analysis of present-day mammals.

• Fossil record of whales and humans from that our current time period.

• X-rays of living whales and humans.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

When did the common ancestor of all cellular life on Earth exist?

• About 4 billion years ago.

• About 65 million years ago.

• About 65,000 years ago.

• About 4,000 years ago.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

What evidence do scientists use to learn about the common ancestor of all cellular life on Earth?

• Fossils from that time period.

• X-rays of living organisms.

• DNA analysis of present-day organisms.

• Comparison of body structures in different species.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2