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WorksheetsEvolution and Natural Selection
Total questions: 30
Worksheet time: 22mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
What is evolution?
a)
The change of alleles in a population over time
b)
An animal turning into another animal to adapt to its environment
c)
someone's idea that doesn't have much evidence to support it
d)
the belief that people came from monkeys
2.
Preserved remains of an organism that lived in the past…..
a)
fossil
b)
picture
c)
dinosaur
d)
organelle
3.
When an organism is no longer in existence……..
a)
lost
b)
hibernation
c)
extinct
d)
found
4.
The man who proposed the theory of natural selection and evolution.
a)
Thomas Moore
b)
Gregor Mendel
c)
Neil Degrasse Tyson
d)
Charles Darwin
5.
A trait or characteristic that increases an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce.
a)
extinction
b)
natural selection
c)
adaptation
d)
choice
6.
Fossils, similar body shape, and similar DNA are all evidence that evolution has taken place on our planet. What is the fourth piece of evidence?
a)
Similarities in hair color
b)
Similar interests
c)
Similarities in early development
d)
Similar hunting patterns
7.
What is a human cause of extinction?
a)
Global warming
b)
Outerspace collision
c)
Climate heating and cooling (ice age)
d)
Sea Level changes
8.
What characteristic did Darwin observe about the finches on the Galapagos Islands?
a)
Their feathers
b)
Their feet
c)
Their beaks
d)
Their body sizes
9.
The white feathers of a snowy owl allow it to blend in with its environment during the winter months (snow). This is an example of ________________
a)
Species
b)
Environmental Change
c)
Adaptation
d)
Variation
10.
Genetic differences between organisms of the same species
a)
Variation
b)
Adaptation
c)
Behavior
d)
Environment
11.
What is the advantage of having different shaped beaks?
a)
To look different from other species.
b)
To be able to eat the food readily available in the environment.
c)
To protect itself against predators.
d)
To protect itself against prey.
12.
A well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations is called a(an):
a)
hypothesis
b)
experiment
c)
cause and effect
d)
scientific theory
13.
Which of the following are reasons that giraffes may have developed long necks?
a)
to reach more abundant sources of food
b)
because females may have found long necked males more attractive
c)
They use their necks for fighting.
d)
all of the above
14.
Which of the following is NOT evidence that a whale descended from a land animal?
a)
vestigial hip bones
b)
fossils
c)
large eyes
d)
They breathe air.
15.
What is a vestigial organ?
a)
an organ used like an organ in a different kind of animal
b)
an important adaptation
c)
a simplified organ that no longer has a purpose
d)
a musical instrument
16.
There are many different kinds of dogs now because
a)
They were the most successful over millions of years.
b)
People bred the dogs with the qualities they liked the best.
c)
Dogs changed to make people happy.
d)
It is the result of natural selection.
17.
___ are mistakes in the DNA that cause variation within a species.
a)
mutations
b)
adaptations
c)
speciations
d)
isolations
18.
Why are useful traits more likely to be passed on to the offspring?
a)
Because parents with those traits can teach their offspring
b)
Because parents with those traits can surive and reproduce better
c)
Because parents with those traits care more about their offspring
d)
Because those organisms are luckier
19.
What did Charles Darwin help to explain?
a)
the age of the Earth
b)
how fossils form
c)
genetics
d)
how new species originate
20.
What is a trait?
a)
a kind of fossil
b)
a genetic change
c)
a new species
d)
a genetically determined characteristic that can be passed from parent to offspring
21.
Darwin determined that the 13 species of finch found in the Galapagos Islands
a)
probably all came from the same ancestral species
b)
had all adapted to the same food source
c)
were identical to species 600 miles away
d)
were the result of careful breeding by humans
22.
Peppered moths vary in color from light gray to black. In an area with a lot of smoky factories and soot covered trees, we expect
a)
no moths
b)
mostly dark moths
c)
mostly light moths
d)
equal numbers of light and dark colored moths.
23.
A timeline of life provided by the remains or imprints of dead organisms
a)
population
b)
natural selection
c)
artificial selection
d)
fossil record
24.
In a muddy pool, light-colored fish are more likely to be eaten than dark fish. Dark color is
a)
fossil evidence
b)
an adaptation
c)
artificial selection
d)
evidence of a common ancestor
25.
Darwin's theory of evolution is NOT supported by
a)
DNA evidence
b)
fossil record
c)
early development
d)
the age of trees
26.
What would be a favorable trait for a rabbit trying to avoid predators in a snowy environment?
a)
white fur
b)
brown fur
c)
long ears
d)
short tail
27.
Scientists think that chimps are more closely related to humans than other primates. Why?
a)
Humans and chimps have binocular vision.
b)
Humans and chimps are both placental mammals.
c)
Both human and chimp embryos have gill slits.
d)
Humans and chimps share 98% of their DNA sequences.
28.
Which of these would an animal breeder use to increase the number of cows giving the most milk?
a)
natural selection
b)
artificial selection
c)
luck
d)
overproduction
29.
In which of these do humans select the variations of traits to be passed down to offspring?
a)
Artificial selection
b)
Natural selection
c)
Genetic drift
d)
Separation
30.
How did whales change from land animals to creatures who live only in the ocean?
a)
Many tiny changes in DNA over millions of years
b)
Pakicetus decided he could swim better with a flat tail and shorter hind legs.
c)
Pakicetus got eaten by a crocodile so a new animal had to form.
d)
A land animal was crossed with a fish
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