Chapter 20 Quiz Review

Do fossils provide a complete record of all the extinct species that lived on Earth? Why or why not?

• Yes, because all species left fossils behind

• Yes, because the traits of many species can be inferred from a single fossil

• No, because many species went extinct without leaving fossils behind

• No, because fossils break apart after about 65 million years

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A team of scientists are excavating fossils from a rock layer. They discover fossils of trilobites, which is useful as index fossils. Which information about the rock layer is provided by the trilobite fossils?

• the absolute age of the rocks

• the absolute age of the fossils contained in the rocks

• the number of fossils that the rocks contain

• the approximate or relative ages of the rocks and the offils they contain

A scientist is using potassium-40, which is a radioactive isotope of potassium, to find the absolute age of a fossil by radiometric dating. The scientist determines that about three-fourths of the original potassium-40 atoms in the fossil now remain in the fossil.

What additional information is necessary for the scientist to determine the absolute age of the fossil?

• the half-life of potassium-40

• the identity of an index fossil

• the atomic mass of potassium-40

• the total mass of the fossil

The geologic time scale divides time into eons, eras, and periods. What are two ways that these divisions are different from the ordinary calendar, which divides time into years, months, and weeks? Select three correct answers.

• each division of geologic time was determined by events in space, and not on Earth

• each division of geologic time has varying, nonuniform length

• each era and period of geologic time occurred only once; they do not cycle like the names of the months do

• each era and period of geologic time might have occurred in several orders

• each of the divisions of geologic time spans at least a million years

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The map shows Earth's continents as they existed during the Triassic Period. Which theory or idea is most useful for determining the positions of the continents as shown in the map?

• the hypothesis of continental drift, which states that continents move across an unchanging ocean

• the idea of deep time, which explains that Earth is much older than human history

• the theory of plate tectonics, which explains that Earth's surface is divided into moving plates

• the theory of evolution, which explains how living things and their environment can affect one another

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Earth has had several mass extinctions throughout its long history. Which describes a mass extinction, but not background extinction?

• species go extinct because their environment no longer supports them

• species go extinct because other species are better adapted to the environment

• extinctions of many species drastically alter whole ecosystems

• extinctions affect only species of large animals, and not small animals, plants, or microorganisms

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Fossil evidence shows that some species changed very little over geologic time, while others changed gradually and at a relatively constant rate. In many cases, however, species changed very rapidly during relatively brief time spans.

The pattern of punctuated equilibrium applies to the evolution of which group of species?

• all species that developed new adaptations over time

• species that evolved very rapidly during relatively brief time spans

• species that evolved gradually and at a relatively constant rate

• species that changed very little over geologic time

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When is adaptive radiation most likely to occur, and for what reason?

• after a mass extinction, because the survivors give rise to species that fill new niches

• just before a mass extinction, because species are competing intensely for limited resources

• when the climate is warmest, because high temperatures act to increase the rate of evolutionary change

• when the climate is stable, because a stable environment tends to decrease the rate of evolutionary change

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Cory states the given argument about the evolution of aardvarks and anteaters. Which claim, if supported by evidence, would provide the strongest counter-argument AGAINST Cory's argument?

• the tongues and diet of aardvarks and anteaters are an example of convergent evolution

• the tongues and diet of aardvarks and anteaters are an example of adaptive radiation

• the Americas and Africa were once joined together, and animals roamed freely between the two lands

• a long, sticky tongue evolved in response to the tunneling behavior of ants, an example of coevolution

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A plant called a heliconia has flower parts that form an unusual curved shape. Vera claims that the evolution of the flower shape is an example of coevolution. Which of the following observations would provide the STRONGEST evidence in support of Vera's claim?

• a plant that is not closely related to heliconia also have flower parts that form a curved shape

• a recen ancestor of the heliconia had flower parts that formed a more common shape

• close relatives of the heliconia have flower parts that form curved shapes

• the beak of a species of hummingbird fits snugly into the curved flower parts of the heliconia

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