Vocabulary Quiz: Evolutionary History

What is an adaptive trait?

• A learned behavior from other species

• A trait passed down from ancestors

• A trait that helps an individual survive in a specific environment

• A body part shared by many organisms

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which best describes an ancestor?

• A fossil from a different species

• A scientist who studies evolution

• A related organism from a previous generation

• A random genetic mutation

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

What is a fossil?

• A species that is currently endangered

• A newly discovered organism

• A random mutation in genes

• Evidence of life from the past

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

A common ancestor population is:

• A group of extinct species

• An older population that gave rise to two or more newer species

• A population made up of fossils

• A population that cannot evolve

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

What does speciation refer to?

• A mutation that causes disease

• The study of bones in different species

• The extinction of older organisms

• The formation of new species from one population

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What is natural selection?

• A process where humans choose which organisms breed

• The extinction of weaker organisms

• The change in trait distribution over many generations

• A random shift in species behavior

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Evolutionary time spans:

• A few hundred years

• A species’ lifespan

• From the first cellular life to the present

• Only the time after dinosaurs

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What is a paleontologist?

• Someone who studies planets

• A doctor who treats bones

• A scientist who studies fossils

• An animal behavior expert

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

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Which of the following is a limb?

• A tail

• A fin

• A wing

• A spine

What does it mean when species are related?

• They live in the same area

• They have similar diets

• They share a common ancestor population

• They evolved at the same time

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

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