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Worksheets

Evolution

Total questions: 30

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Darwin observed many different species of finches on the Galapagos Islands. What did he conclude about the finches?

a)

They evolved from a common ancestor on the mainland

b)

They evolved from many different types of birds

c)

They all came from different countries and continents

d)

They developed from other types of organisms

2.

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

3.

Why did the population of peppered moths in England change from light to dark after the Industrial Revolution?

a)

Light moths were easy to see against sooty trees and were eaten

b)

Light moths were killed by the soot

c)

The birds that ate the dark moths were killed by the soot

d)

Dark moths were produced by the industrial processes

4.

Modern whales developed their traits through natural selection. What occurs during the process of natural selection?

a)

Organisms choose mates from other species to create new species

b)

Breeders selectively cross organisms with desired traits

c)

Only the fittest organisms can survive and reproduce

d)

Organisms remain exactly the same over time.

5.

Which of these would be considered an adaptation of an animal that lives in the snowy tundra?

a)

A thick coat of fur & blubber

b)

Large, flat feet

c)

Green colored skin

d)

Webbed feet

6.

Which bird is BEST adapted to live in a watery environment?

a)

A bird with short, fat legs and large claws on its feet

b)

A bird with short legs and large webbed feet

c)

A bird with short legs and short skinny toes

d)

A bird with long skinny legs and three thick toes with claws

7.

Which of the items is most likely to be preserved as a fossil?

a)

A flower

b)

Hair or fur

c)

A tooth

d)

Blood

8.

What does the fossil record tell scientists?

a)

Only dinosaurs have formed the fossils scientists have discovered

b)

There are very few organisms that are extinct

c)

Species have evolved over time

d)

Birds have dominated the Earth for most of its history

9.

Over many generation, populations of anteaters have developed longer tongues. Why might such a change occur?

a)

Long tongues help anteaters escape from predators

b)

Anteaters with longer tongues can reach food sources other animals cannot reach

c)

Humans find long tongues more attractive in anteaters

d)

Anteaters with longer tongues require more food than those with shorter tongues

10.

Darwin observed and recorded data about many species of finches. According to Darwin, how did the food source on each island affect how the birds evolved?

a)

Birds brought their favorite food with them to the island

b)

Birds with beaks adapted to the food source on the island survived and reproduced

c)

Birds changed food sources on the island to match their given beaks

d)

Birds ate only certain food sources, causing some foods to survive and others to die

11.

One theory suggests that giant wooly mammoths became extinct when the climate became warmer. Why did this lead to their extinction?

a)

They didn't die off, their traits just changed to match the new climate

b)

There was not enough food available in the warmer climate

c)

Their traits were best suited for a cold climate

d)

Smaller organisms thrived and larger organisms died off when the climate changed.

12.

Organisms with the most beneficial/useful traits live long lives and reproduce. This is called ___________ of the _________.

a)

Survival of the fittests

b)

Benefits of the best

c)

Survival of the living

d)

Survival of the advantageous

13.

In a population of codfish, a scientist notes that some fish have larger or smaller fins than others. These differences among the traits of organisms in a population are known as:

a)

Variation

b)

Extinction

c)

Evolution

d)

Competition

14.

What is the importance of DNA in the human body?

a)

It moves material in and out of the cell

b)

It releases the energy stored in food so it can be used by the body

c)

It carries the genes that determine inherited traits

d)

It's where the proteins are assembled

15.

All of the following are evidence for evolution EXCEPT for:

a)

Similar developmental patterns (embryos)

b)

Homologous structures

c)

Similarities in DNA

d)

Different Genes

16.

Which of the following is the best example of an adaptation that helps an organism survive in its environment?

a)

Green coloring in a lizard that lives on black igneous rocks

b)

A thick waxy cuticle to help store water in a desert plant

c)

a layer of scales on an animal that lives in the tundra

d)

small, delicate leaves on a plant living in the snow

17.

In our bird beak lab, how did the different tools demonstrate adaptations?

a)

It showed how birds can just change their beaks for food

b)

It shows how different beaks were adapted to eat different foods

c)

it showed how birds can eat any type of food

d)

It shows how birds stomachs are shaped like cups

18.

A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce is called a(n)_____________________

a)

variation

b)

adaptation

c)

species

d)

selection

19.

Darwin's idea about how evolution occurs is called_________

a)

variation

b)

adaptation

c)

natural selection

d)

selection

20.

Whales are closely related to.....

a)

hooved land animals

b)

fish

c)

lizards

d)

sharks

21.

Organisms evolve due to changes in their DNA called________

a)

growing

b)

mutations

c)

cellular respiration

d)

photosynthesis

22.

The evolutionary history of the Earth and its fossil record is incomplete because_________

a)

many organisms don't leave behind fossils, making gaps/missing links

b)

all organisms leave a fossil imprint

c)

Darwin didn't finish writing it

d)

plants don't evolve and don't leave fossils

23.

Evidence for evolution can be found in __________________

a)

comparative anatomy

b)

the fossil record

c)

DNA analysis

d)

All of the above

24.

Which statement that follows was NOT part of Darwin's conclusions?

a)

organisms change over time

b)

evolution is gradual, taking place over a long period of time

c)

evolution takes place over a short time

d)

all organisms are descended from common ancestors

25.

An adaptation is an inherited trait that helps an organism survive.

a)

True

b)

False

26.

Species that share more similarities in their DNA are more closely related than those that share fewer similarities

a)

True

b)

False

27.

Darwin concluded that the mechanism for evolution is Natural Selection

a)

True

b)

False

28.

The process of how organisms acquire adaptations over time is called evolution.

a)

True

b)

False

29.

If variations or diversity is lacking in a population, evolution will not occur.

a)

True

b)

False

30.

Camels having long eyelashes is an example of an adaptation.

a)

True

b)

False