WorksheetsCharles Darwin, On the Origin of Species
Total questions: 10
Worksheet time: 10mins
The function of the passage as a whole is to:
admonish the naturalists for the logical fallacies in their arguments
propose that we disregard all of what naturalists have offered on the origin of species
acknowledge the limited usefulness of the studies that we have of modification and coadaptation
point out the shortcomings in the arguments of naturalists and encourage more review
express the value and completeness of our existing studies
In context, the word "affinities" in line 2 most nearly means:
feelings of kinship
natural attractions
relationships
counterparts
resemblances in structure
According to the passage, the problem with the "conclusion that each species had not been independently created, but had descended, like varieties, from other species" (lines 4-5) is that:
it is begging the questions (assuming something is true before it is proven)
it is a hasty generalization (concluding something without sufficient evidence)
it is ad hominem (attacking the person rather than the argument)
it is post hoc (something that happens before an event is assumed to be a cause)
it is non sequitur (the conclusion does not logically follow the evidence)
The sentences "Naturalists continually refer to external conditions, such as climate, food, etc., as the only possible cause of variation. In one very limited sense, as we shall hereafter see, this may be true; but it is preposterous to attribute to mere external conditions, the structure, for instance, of the woodpecker, with its feet, tail, beak, and tongue, so admirably adapted to catch insects under the bark of the trees," (lines 9-15) are provided by the writer as:
counterargument
an underlying assumption (warrant)
a rebuttal
data
claim
While discussing the woodpecker and the misseltoe in paragraph one, the writer's tone can best be described as:
jovial
sanguine
awed
conciliatory
nostalgic
The subject and predicate of the last sentence (lines 15-21) of the first paragraph are:
case draws
seeds transported
flowers requiring
it is
relations effects
The third paragraph (lines 29-36) can best be described as:
a reasoned introduction to an argument
an impassioned appeal to the audience
a dramatic narrative
a historical commentary
a personal reflection on a problem
In context, the word "obscure" in line 33 most nearly means:
dark
faint
mysterious
remote
ambiguous
"Coadaptation" in a species refers to:
the effects of geographical distribution
the effects of embryological relations
the effects of geological succession
the effects of relationships with other organic beings and life
the effects of having descended from other species
The tone of the last paragraph (lines 29-36) can best be described as:
forthright
poignant
evasive
acerbic
ominous
