Science Natural Selection

The Galapagos Islands are where Charles Darwin:

• Wrote On the Origin of Species

• Studied unusual animals

• Was exiled after his theories proved unpopular

• Was born and raised

The beaks of finches found on various Galapagos Islands differed based on:

• The size of their island

• The length of their wings

• The available food supply

• The predators that hunted them

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What is a common ancestor?

• An animal that has a lot of offspring

• An animal from which two or more different species evolved

• An animal that is related to many other species

• An animal that's good at escaping from predators

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What is least likely to be an example of a variation within a species?

• Birth weight

• Hair color

• Number of offspring

• Number of limbs (arms, legs, wings, etc.)

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Which of the following is an example of an environmental pressure?

• The air pressure in the atmosphere

• Breeding between two members of the same species

• A lake that's gradually running out of water

• A fight between two members of the same species

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In the phrase "survival of the fittest," the term "fittest" refers to:

• The best-adapted organisms

• The biggest organisms

• The smartest organisms

• The fastest organisms

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Which variation would be most likely to benefit any organism, regardless of environment?

• The ability to produce energy more effciently

• The ability to swim deeper

• Markings that help it blend into is background

• Bigger claws and teeth

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When nature "selects" a variation, that means that the trait:

• Gets passed along from generation to generation

• Causes the population to shrink

• Has brought about a new species

• Helps prey escape predators

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Dogs are an example of:

• A common ancestor

• Selective breeding

• The natural pace of evolution

• Extinction rates rising

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On Darwin's tree of life, organisms at the base of a branch:

• Go extinct from environmental pressures

• Evolve into the closest species on the tree's trunk

• Give rise to species farther down the branch

• Are less fit than species in the middle of the branch