WorksheetsDeep History of Life on Earth (HHMI)
Total questions: 32
Worksheet time: 16mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
What was the only life present during early Earth?
a)
microbial
b)
small multicellular
c)
plant
2.
What allowed larger, more complex life to form during ancient Earth?
a)
oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere
b)
carbon dioxide increased in the atmosphere
c)
high energy, inorganic compounds
3.
Scientists have constructed a timeline of life on Earth based on:
a)
geological evidence
b)
genetic evidence
c)
astronomical evidence
d)
two answers are correct
4.
What process has destroyed most fossils that probably have formed over the millions of years of Earth history?
a)
plate tectonics
b)
earthquakes
c)
hurricanes
d)
tsunamis
5.
Fossils form in which type of rock?
a)
sedimentary
b)
igneous
c)
metamorphic
6.
Which has the lower concentration of the carbon-13 isotope?
a)
Organic molecules
b)
Inorganic molecules
7.
Which is NOT a piece of evidence for ancient life on Earth?
a)
stromatolites
b)
banded iron formations
c)
isotopic ratios resulting from biological processess
d)
the presence of Earth's atmosphere
8.
Which type of biomolecule tends to be the most well preserved?
a)
Lipids like cholesterol
b)
Carbohydrates like glucose
c)
Nucleic acids like adenine
d)
Proteins like the amino acid proline
9.
When did the great oxygenation event occur in Earth's history?
a)
2400-1400 million years ago
b)
240-140 million years ago
c)
24-14 million years ago
d)
2.4-1.4 million years ago
10.
What is the hallmark of eukaryotes?
a)
organelles
b)
DNA
c)
cell membrane (phospholipid bilayer)
d)
ribosomes
11.
Mitochondria and chloroplasts were probably:
a)
captured bacteria that carried out important energy processes
b)
the result of many mutations to the DNA that form ribosomes
c)
organelles that were important in ancient times but are no longer useful today
12.
The oldest eukaryotic fossils are from which organism?
a)
Grypania spiralis
b)
Trilobites
c)
Dimetrodons
d)
Homo sapiens
13.
An essential part of life is to generate energy using chemical reactions that join ___ donors and acceptors.
a)
electron
b)
isotope
c)
photon
14.
___ reproduction increased genetic variation, which led to an increased rate of evolution and the diversification of eukaryotes.
a)
Sexual
b)
Asexual
15.
The precursors of multicellular animals were likely single-celled ___. They evolved predatory feeding by ingestion, enabling rapid cycling of organic matter and higher energy production, which led to ___ size and multicellular complexity.
a)
protozoans, increased
b)
algae, decreased
c)
plants, increased
d)
fungi, decreased
16.
Animals arose early in Earth's history, like 800 million years ago, but diversified and grew in size later because of:
a)
increased sunlight
b)
increased argon in the atmosphere
c)
increased oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere
d)
increased ultra violet light
17.
A large majority of all the animals today belong to which phyla which includes trilobites?
a)
Arthropods
b)
Cnidaria
c)
Molluscs
18.
When is the earliest evidence of land plants?
a)
470 million years ago
b)
4.6 billion years ago
c)
3.4 billion years ago
d)
65 million years ago
19.
The principal source of fossil fuels that humans use today formed during which period of time?
a)
Carboniferous Period
b)
Permian Period
c)
Triassic Period
d)
Jurassic Period
20.
The Permian-Triassic Extinction also known as the Great Dying lost ___% of all species on Earth? But this allowed the ___ to evolve and dominate the planet.
a)
96, dinosaurs
b)
56, mammals
c)
76, plants
21.
The most well-known of the five mass extinctions marked the end of what?
a)
Dinosuars
b)
Mammals
c)
Plants
d)
Trilobites
22.
Which is NOT an essential element for life?
a)
Carbon
b)
Nitrogen
c)
Oxygen
d)
Silicon
23.
Most species that have ever lived are not living today.
a)
True
b)
False
24.
The normal loss of species through time is generally balanced by the rise of new species.
a)
True
b)
False
25.
The cause of the Permian extinction:
a)
Rapid growth of land plants
b)
Gondwana supercontinent moves towards the South Pole
c)
Massive volcanic activity in Siberia
26.
The cause of the Devonian extinction:
a)
Rapid growth of land plants
b)
Gondwana supercontinent moves towards the South Pole
c)
Massive volcanic activity in Siberia
27.
The cause of the Triassic extinction:
a)
Underwater volcanic activity
b)
Gondwana supercontinent moves towards the South Pole
c)
Massive volcanic activity in Siberia
28.
The cause of the Cretaceous extinction:
a)
Underwater volcanic activity
b)
Gondwana supercontinent moves towards the South Pole
c)
Asteroid impact
29.
A sixth extinction event is not a possibility.
a)
True
b)
False
30.
Ultimately, where does the CO2 that is in Earth's atmosphere come from?
a)
From inside Earth
b)
It is blown to Earth from the Sun
c)
It is released during earthqukes
31.
Volcanic eruptions slowly release CO2 into the atmosphere over millions of years. Without Earth's ___, then this process would make Earth's atmosphere like Venus: incredibly hot.
a)
chemical reactions
b)
weak gravity
c)
distance from the Sun
32.
Much of Earth's atmospheric CO2 gets trapped as:
a)
CaCO3
b)
ozone
c)
UV light
100 %
