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WorksheetsSemester Test: Evidence for Evolution
Total questions: 30
Worksheet time: 15mins
Scientists have discovered several species of insect that all contain the DNA sequence ATTACGCGATC on their second chromosome. What does this evidence suggest? Choose the correct answer.
similar feeding habits
susceptibility to habitat loss
genetic basis of photosynthesis
common ancestry among organisms
A scientist has found fossils of an organism that she suspects is related to a living vertebrate species, but it has different physical characteristics. The fossil is dated at 10 million years old. The scientist wishes to look for a transitional species between the fossil organism and the living vertebrate species. Which location would be the best to find fossils of a transitional species? Choose the correct answer.
in volcanic rock that is dated at 5 million years old
in sedimentary rock that is dated at 5 million years old
in volcanic rock that is dated at 20 million years old
in sedimentary rock that is dated at 20 million years old
Which event shows conditions that lead to natural selection? Choose the correct answer.
Weeds are removed by a gardener from a public park.
Wild horses are tamed over many years and selectively allowed to reproduce.
A crab produces millions of offspring in a year, but few survive to adulthood.
Farmers collect the largest corn seeds to plant in their fields the following year.
A scientist presented the information in the illustration as part of a report on the evolution of species. In order for the presence of pharyngeal arches in embryos to provide support for a claim of common ancestry between the species shown, which of these must be true? Choose the correct answer.
Pharyngeal arches must be present in all of the species.
Pharyngeal arches must differentiate in function but not in structure.
Pharyngeal arches must differentiate in structure but not in function.
Pharyngeal arches must have different development patterns in different species.
Although flight evolved separately in bats and birds, their forelimbs are considered homologous.What does this information suggest about the relationship between bats and birds? Choose the correct answer.
While birds and bats do have a common ancestor, wings evolved separately in the two species.
The fact that birds and bats have the same bones in their wings shows that they must be closely related.
Differences in the structures of the wings of birds and bats suggest that they do not have a common ancestor.
Wings in birds and bats provide little evidence for common ancestry but offer plausible explanations for a connection to winged dinosaurs.
Which of these is an example of an environment in which natural selection would not occur? Choose the correct answer.
All offspring have the same chance of survival.
Offspring inherit beneficial and detrimental traits from parents.
Some offspring have a physical trait that helps the organism compete more successfully.
There is genetic diversity in the population due to mutation and/or sexual reproduction.
Which area of biology provides evidence that organisms are continuing to evolve in modern times? Choose the correct answer.
studies of human impact on endangered animal population numbers
investigations leading to new vaccines every year to fight infections from the influenza virus
research into the nature of stem cells for the purpose of replacing damaged tissues and organs
analysis of fossilized remains of organisms using new techniques that can determine genetic information
In some species of anglerfish, the male fish are parasites of the females. When a male anglerfish comes into contact with a female, he bites her body and eventually fuses with her, losing all internal organs except for his testes. Which of these best explains why this relationship exists? Choose the correct answer.
It ensures that all offspring will be genetically identical.
It reduces the amount of resources available to anglerfish females.
It increases the reproductive success of anglerfish females and males.
It benefits male anglerfish survival while harming female anglerfish.
Annalisa is studying the fossilized remains of extinct organisms shown.She notices that each of these species has a segmented body, similar to modern arthropods, such as lobsters and spiders. Which statement is the most likely explanation for this observation? Choose the correct answer.
The organisms evolved to mimic modern arthropods.
The organisms share a common ancestry with modern arthropods.
The organisms lived at a time when modern arthropods also lived.
The fossils were all found geographically close to each other.
The image shows a fossil of Archaeopteryx, thought to be the first fully feathered dinosaur. How does this piece of evidence support the theory of evolution? Choose the correct answer.
It suggests that dinosaurs evolved from modern birds.
It suggests that birds and dinosaurs have a common ancestor.
It suggests that the bone structures of birds are different from those of dinosaurs.
It suggests that birds and dinosaurs were alive at the same time during geologic history.
Which statement is true about natural selection? Choose the correct answer.
It forms new traits.
It acts on variable traits.
It forms new genetic material.
It acts on genetic material directly.
Genetic variation can be increased by __________. Choose the correct answer.
overproduction
heritable mutations
asexual reproduction
individual adaptations
Which of these lists three influential scientists whose ideas contributed to Darwin’s theory of evolution? Choose the correct answer.
Leclerc, Lyell, Malthus
Lyell, Mendel, Wallace
Grant, Leclerc, Wallace
Linnaeus, Malthus, Mendel
What did Charles Darwin learn from the fossils of a giant armadillo that he found in Argentina? Choose the correct answer.
Fossils do not resemble modern animals.
Armadillos used to be marine organisms.
An earthquake led to the armadillo’s extinction.
Modern animals may be related to fossilized organisms.
Fossils of marine organisms high in the Andes Mountains led Darwin to conclude that __________. Choose the correct answer.
Earth is 6,000 years old
an earthquake had taken place
great change can happen over time
interspecific variation had taken place
A bird that can easily outcompete other birds for food and that can produce many eggs has a high . Choose the correct answer.
fitness
adaptability
mutation rate
life expectancy
Natural selection results in change over time by acting on traits that are __________. Choose the correct answer.
new
better
mutated
heritable
As an environment changes, some organisms have a higher fitness than others in the new environment. This can lead to __________. Choose the correct answer.
lower genetic variation in the offspring of organisms with higher fitness
greater genetic variation in the offspring of organisms with lower fitness
greater reproductive rates and survivorship of those organisms with lower fitness
greater reproductive rates and survivorship of those organisms with higher fitness
The illustration shows tortoises from Albemarle and Abingdon islands. The variations in the features of the tortoise populations on Albemarle and Abingdon islands are examples of ___________________. Choose the correct answer.
natural selection
vestigial structures
acquired characteristics
molecular fingerprinting
Which statement about the steps of evolution by natural selection is not true? Choose the correct answer.
Populations are able to overproduce.
A small amount of variation can be attributed to inherited traits.
Adaptations for an environment become more common over time.
Some individuals produce more offspring than others due to their environment.
Which statement describes evolution? Choose the correct answer.
change in biodiversity across Earth’s surface
relationship between organisms’ structure and function
change in the genetic makeup of a population over time
beneficial inherited trait that is passed to future generations
In the 1700s, the idea that landforms on Earth’s surface resulted from gradual changes over a long period of time replaced catastrophism, the earlier theory that landforms formed suddenly as a result of natural disasters. Why was this change in thinking important to evolutionary thinkers? Choose the correct answer.
It discouraged scientists from accepting the theory of uniformitarianism.
It encouraged scientists to consider that slow changes might also occur in species.
It discouraged scientists from considering that slow changes might also occur in species.
It encouraged scientists to accept the idea that species remained unchanged for long periods of time.
What is suggested by the similarity of early embryos of different species of vertebrates? Choose the correct answer.
recent common ancestry
similar environments in the past
evolution from a distant common ancestor
no evolutionary relationship between the groups
Scientists believe that all eukaryotes share a common ancestry because the nucleotides that make up all eukaryotic DNA are __________. Choose the correct answer.
free
ancient
complex
the same
A mutation in the homeobox genes of an organism could result in __________. Choose the correct answer.
changes in the body plan of the organism
an increase in random mutations over time
changes to the organism’s shared common ancestor
a reduction in diversity of body types of future organisms
If an organism has a vestigial structure, that structure likely once had a function in a(n) __________. Choose the correct answer.
early ancestor
close relative
embryological stage
unrelated organism
Protein sequences in one organism that resemble those of another suggest a __________. Choose the correct answer.
coincidence
shared ancestry
great number of mutations
lack of evolutionary relationship
The illustration shows the hind leg bones of a whale. The hind leg bones of a whale are examples of ______________. Choose the correct answer.
fossil structures
vestigial structures
analogous structures
homologous structures
The diagram represents bones in the hind limbs of fossil horses and modern horses. These fossils indicate that horse evolution included __________. Choose the correct answer.
an addition of vestigial toe bones
a change from six toes to two toes
a change from four toes to one toe
a loss of genes that control toe development
The illustration shows bones in four animals. The bones labeled A are known as ___________. Choose the correct answer.
extinct structures
sequential structures
analogous structures
homologous structures
