Diversity and Evolution of Living Organisms

Which of the following is one of Charles Darwin’s theories about evolution and natural selection?

• The environment in which a species lives is unrelated to natural selection

• New species that appear in the fossil record are actually descendants of older species

• Natural selection is caused by human intervention 

• Changes to an organism occur rapidly

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In science, the inheritance of a structure that results from natural selection and by which the organism becomes better able to survive and reproduce is called

• mutation

• advantage

• adaptation

• evolution

How do fossils support evolution?

• The fossil record provides evidence that organisms have changed over time.

• Individual species disappear and reappear in the fossil record over time.

• The fossil record provides evidence that all organisms developed at the same time.

• Organisms in the fossil record are identical to living organisms.

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Biological fitness is defined as __________.

• the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce

• the average life span of an organism

• the amount of energy an organism can use in the environment

• the average life span of an organism

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Which of the following is NOT an example of evolution?

• Over many generations, wild teosinte has become corn.

• When the Grand Canyon formed, it geographically divided a squirrel population into two populations, which developed into distinct species.

• A frog begins its life as a tadpole, but becomes an amphibian.

• Finches in the Galapagos islands have diversified over time into many species each well-suited for eating a particular type of food.

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Which of the following statements is INCORRECT ?

• Without mutations, there would be no evolution

• Mutations create diversity among life-forms

• Mutations are the source of new phenotypes

• Mutations happen when there is a need for a new trait in a population

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The wings of a bird and the wings of a beetle are considered __________.

• homologous structures

• analogous structures

• vestigial structures

• phylogenetic structures

Which of the following statements best describes what the word  'fittest'  means in the phrase "Survival of the fittest". 

• The organism that survives in their environment to produce more offspring is the fittest.

• The organism that collects the most resources is the fittest

• The organism that becomes the strongest individual is the fittest

• The organism that lives the longest is the fittest. 

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Which of the following statement about fossils is FALSE?

• Fossils from the deeper layers are the ancestors of current forms

• Fossils from the upper layers are the ancestors of modern forms.

• Fossils from the uppermost rock are most like current forms.

• Fossils are remains of ancient organisms

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How many species are estimated to be living on Earth?

• between 10,000 and 1,000,000

• between 500,000 and 1 million

• between 1 and 5 million

• between 10 and 50 million

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