WorksheetsCharles Darwin
Total questions: 16
Worksheet time: 11mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
who is Charles darwin
a)
starbucks owner
b)
a bird
c)
a christian
d)
a naturalist
2.
what gave Charles Darwin the idea of evolution?
a)
google
b)
wikipedia
c)
mans attempt to destroy mankind
d)
finches in the Galapagos island
3.
Which statement best describes the process of evolution?
a)
Populations can survive in different locations on earth
b)
Environmental conditions limit the number of species on Earth
c)
Populations grow when resources are abundant
d)
The traits of a species can change over time
4.
Which of the following ideas is supported by Darwin’s observation of local variation among tortoises in the Galápagos Islands?
a)
artificial selection
b)
adaptation
c)
acquired characteristics
d)
tendency towards perfection
5.
Which of the following ideas is supported by Darwin’s observation of local variation among tortoises in the Galápagos Islands?
a)
artificial selection
b)
adaptation
c)
acquired characteristics
d)
tendency towards perfection
6.
Charles Darwin’s observation that finches of different species on the Galápagos Islands have many similar physical characteristics supports the hypothesis that these finches
a)
have the ability to interbreed.
have the ability to interbreed.
have the ability to interbreed.
b)
acquired traits through use and disuse.
c)
all eat the same type of food.
d)
descended from a common ancestor.
7.
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed that organisms
a)
have an innate tendency toward complexity and perfection.
b)
have an innate tendency to become simpler as time passes.
c)
inherit all of the adaptations they display.
d)
belong to species that never change.
8.
Lamarck’s ideas about evolution include the concept that differences among the traits of organisms arise as a result of
a)
continual increases in population size.
b)
the actions of organisms as they use or fail to use body structures.
c)
an unchanging local environment.
d)
the natural variations already present within the population of organisms.
9.
The economist Thomas Malthus suggested that
a)
in the human population, people die faster than babies are born.
b)
without certain checks on population size, there would soon be insufficient food for the growing human population.
c)
in the 1700s, England needed more housing.
d)
the majority of a species’ offspring die.
10.
Darwin realized that the economist Malthus’s theory of population control
a)
applied only to humans.
b)
could be generalized to any population of organisms.
c)
could be generalized only when populations lived in crowded conditions.
d)
explained why the number of deaths exceeded that of births.
11.
According to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, individuals who survive are the ones best adapted for their environment. Their survival is due to the
a)
possession of adaptations developed through use.
b)
possession of inherited adaptations that maximize fitness.
c)
lack of competition within the species.
d)
choices made by plant and animal breeders.
12.
Each of the following is a condition necessary for natural selection to occur EXCEPT
a)
more offspring are born than can survive.
b)
population size is very large.
c)
fitness varies among individuals.
d)
there is heritable variation among members of the population.
13.
Charles Darwin called the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its specific environment
a)
diversity.
b)
evolution
c)
adaptation.
d)
fitness.
14.
Which statement is part of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection?
a)
More offspring are produced than can possibly survive.
b)
The organisms that are the fittest are always largest and strongest.
c)
The number of offspring is not related to fitness.
d)
Acquired characteristics that are inherited are the cause of evolution.
15.
The principle of common descent helps explain why
a)
well-adapted species have many offspring.
b)
conditions in an organism’s environment ensures the organism’s survival.
c)
birds and reptiles share a number of inherited characteristics.
d)
tigers are so different from cheetahs.
16.
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection explains each of the following EXCEPT how
a)
species can become extinct.
b)
inherited traits are passed from parent to offspring
c)
species descend from common ancestors.
d)
evolution takes place in the natural world.
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