Pre-Assessment

Which phrase best defines natural selection?

• elimination of the smallest organisms by the largest organisms
• survival of the organisms which occupy a very large area in the environment
• survival of the organisms that best adapt to the environment
• elimination of the weakest organisms by the strongest organisms

What will most likely happen if a species can no longer produce offspring?

• It will become extinct.
• It will evolve into another species.
• It will move into a new environment and adapt.
• It will begin to mutate into another organism.

Which fact provides the best evidence for the biological theory of evolution?

• Most fossils are found in sedimentary rock.
• Most species of life on Earth have become extinct.
• Characteristics of simpler life forms can be found in more complex life forms.
• Only a small percentage of living things have been preserved in fossils.

The fossil records of Hyracotherium, a prehistoric dog-sized mammal, identified certain features. What can be inferred from this information?

• Hyracotherium has evolved from certain ancient cattle.
• Horses have evolved earlier than dog-like mammals in the geological time scale.
• Dog-like mammals and horses have evolved together in the geological time scale.
• Modern horses have evolved from Hyracotherium.

Scientists found the petrified fossil of a small mink-like animal with a long body and short legs that they claimed lived 40 million years ago. They presumed the animal was a prehistoric ancestor of the modern dog. What should they study to justify their assumptions?

• analogous structures between the animal and dogs
• location of the fossil and habitat of the dogs
• homologous structures between the animal and dogs
• feeding habits of the animal as compared to the dogs

The statement, "Some populations have developed advantageous characteristics through adaptation to specific environments," is strong support for which scientific theory?

• Big Bang Theory
• Modern Atomic Theory
• Theory of Evolution
• Theory of Relativity

Scientists found the fossilized remains of a woolly mammoth that is believed to be an ancestor of modern day elephants. What method can be used to study the evolutionary relationship between the woolly mammoth and the elephant?

• examine the rock layers where the fossil was found
• examine anatomical similarities between the two species
• examine the environments where modern elephants live
• examine the fossils of species that lived near woolly mammoths

According to scientists, the first fossils of modern cockroaches date back to the early Cretaceous period. What can be concluded from this finding?

• Modern cockroaches appeared on Earth in the first period of the geological time scale.
• Modern cockroaches appeared on Earth in the latest epoch of the geological time scale.
• Modern cockroaches appeared on Earth before the first era of the geological time scale.
• Modern cockroaches appeared on Earth after the first period of the geological time scale.

The image shows various stages of development of different vertebrate embryos. What can be concluded about the animals from the image?

• All animals share the same habitat at the beginning of their life.
• Certain animals have evolved from a common ancestor.
• All animals develop a pair of limbs in their adult stage.
• Certain animals have fully developed bodies at the time of their birth.

A geologist studies two layers of sandstone that exist along opposite coasts of North America. Which characteristic of the layers provides the best evidence that they were deposited about the same time?

• particle sizes of the sand in the rock layer
• he rock layers' chemical composition
• the depth of the rock layer from the surface layer
• the fossils found in the rock layer