NEW
Font size
WorksheetsEvidence of Evolution
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 17mins
Over a long period of time the food supply for several birds on an isolated island has changed.
The original supply of insects, small tender seeds, and vegetation has shrunk while the supply
of tough, large, hard seeds has remained unchanged. Which statement below describes the
species that was most likely successful after the change in their environment?
A species with small beaks.
A species who lays many eggs.
A species with high genetic variation.
A species that has not evolved before.
In 1861 paleontologists announced that they had found a fossil with feathers, now known as,
Archaeopteryx, which lived approximately 150 million years ago. When comparing
Archaeopteryx to other small dinosaurs and modern-day birds, the paleontologists learned that
Archaeopteryx had more in common with dinosaurs. The Archaeopteryx were small and had
broad wings which likely gave them the ability to fly or glide. How can the Archaeopteryx fossils
be used to support the theory of evolution?
They can demonstrate that animals from long ago are still alive today.
They show how organisms today share characteristics with fossilized species.
They give evidence to support the idea that organisms inherit the best traits from their
parents.
They indicate that evolution is a theory because scientists do not completely understand
the fossil record.
Shell color is genetic in the European large banded snail. Scientists who study these snails
found that snails with a lighter colored shells have a lower body temperature than those with a
darker color. Currently, the habitat of the large banded snails is warming due to climate
change. What impact will climate change most likely have on the population of the large
banded snails?
They will evolve into a new species without a protective shell.
Their shells will get lighter, because their environment will be hotter.
Their shells will get darker so they can absorb more energy from the sun.
They will go extinct as they are unable to adapt to their changing environment.
Pictured below are different wild cats from the family Felidae, found in Africa, Europe, Asia and
the Americas. They have adapted to a variety of habitats like forests, deserts, wetlands and
mountains.
Which statement below best explains how evolution by natural selection influenced the
variation demonstrated by the cat family - Felidae?
Different traits evolved in each species in order to adapt to the environment where they
live.
Members of Felidae do not share common ancestors so each species has their own
unique traits.
Cats have largely been unaffected by evolution because they are bred and influenced by
humans.
Different adaptations observed in Felidae are not significant enough to be influenced by
natural selection.
Pictured above is Astyanax mexicanus, a type of freshwater fish found in caves and other
underground habitats across Mexico and the southern part of the United States. Both the
surface and cavefish belong to the same species, but unlike the surface fish, the cavefish has
no eyes.
How can the survival of the cavefish population be explained?
Cavefish population has survived in caves without eyes because it is an adaptation to the
environment.
A cavefish produced offspring after having lost its eyes in an injury and changed the
population overtime.
The surface was too bright and predators were catching them, so they adapted to be
transparent in color.
Cavefish were too far away from sunlight, causing problems in their development and
changing their appearance.
Which of the following statements best explains why genetic variation is important to the
survival of a population?
Genetic variation decreases gene flow in the population.
Genetic variation decrease the likelihood of genetic mutation.
Genetic variation increases the size of animals so that more offspring will be produced.
Genetic variation increases the likelihood of an allele being present that is best suited for
the environment.
Anthropologists recently discovered skull fragments from a previously unknown primate. The
mandible (jaw bone) of the skull is shown below along with mandibles of other known primates.
Why would scientists use the fossil records to help them determine the species of the unknown
primate?
To compare the evolution of its relatives.
To see if the fossil has the same mass as a jaw of other primates.
To determine if the fossil has the same number of teeth as a modern primate.
To identify evolutionary relationships between the unknown and known fossils.
Alexis learned about the Universal Law of Gravitation which states every object is attracted to every other object with a force that is determined by their mass and distance. Why is it considered a law and not a theory?
Everyone can observe how gravity affects an object, so it is a law.
Gravity can be explained using observations and has been proven with repeated successful testing, so it is a law.
It describes what happens in nature, appears to be without exception and is supported by repeated successful testing, so it is a law.
All scientists accept gravity's effect on objects as a true concept, and there is no debate about its existence or how it works, so that makes it a law
Scientists are able to explain why the plates move on Earth's surface using seafloor spreading as evidence. Which statement below explains why this is an accepted theory?
It states the relationship between the seafloor and the continents.
It states the exact movement and rate at which the plates move around on Earth.
It explains why certain areas on Earth's surface experience earthquakes and volcanoes
Several geologists have been able to predict that our continents will move back together in 100 years
Below is a list of evidences scientists have gathered on the theory of plate tectonics over time.
- Continental boundaries showed evidence that they fit together and once formed a single landmass that separated and drifted apart
- Rocks of different ages show changes in magnetic field direction
- Oceanic crust disappears into the mantle (sea floor spreading) Why is the collection of evidence necessary for plate tectonic theory?
Scientists do not understand the theory of plate tectonics so it needs to be modified
A theory needs a large body of evidence to support our understanding of natural events.
A theory must be supported with evidence from each scientist studying the natural event
Scientists should always add more evidence to existing theories, so they cannot be disproved.
Which of the following statements should Marley use to support her scientific explanation?
I have shared my thoughts with other scientists, and they seem to agree with my explanation.
Based on my knowledge and experience at the Natural History museum and the age of this bone, I would argue that it belonged to a flying dinosaur.
After reviewing our results, comparing it to the research that has been conducted by other scientists, the evidence supports the possibility that the bone belonged to a flying dinosaur.
In my observation, I noticed that the bone was hollow. I remember learning in college that birds have hollow bones, and considering the age of the bone I believe that the fossil belong to a flying dinosaur.
Illustration shows a debate between scientists, after discovering and examining a fossil.
What steps would a scientist mostly likely take following this debate to determine a scientific conclusion?
Compare the dinosaur fossil to dinosaur bones discovered by other scientists at a museum.
Share their findings in order to compare them with accepted findings from the scientific community
Reading a paper published by a professor at a university and base all further decisions on the evidence found in that paper
Pick an expert on fossils from the scientific community to conduct a study and decide which scientist came up with the best hypothesis about the fossil.
Which of the following tables correctly compares scientific theory to a scientific law?
What does Darwin's theory of evolution suggest?
species change over time
different species can interbreed
extinct species are not related to living species
animals that look alike are most closely related
If modern organisms have a lot of homologous structures, what inference might paleontologists make about those organisms?
They are reptiles
The organisms have a common ancestor
One organism evolved from the other.
What is a structure that is similar across species?
vestigial
adaptation
homologous
variation
Which is not evidence for evolution?
many animals have homologous structures due to common ancestry
We can observe changes in life forms by observing the fossil record
Many animals have vestigial structures from an ancestor
All of these are evidence for evolution
When all of the organisms of a species have died it is called
evolution
adaptation
extinction
natural selection
How do fossils provide evidence that evolution has happened on Earth?
Fossils show how the sizes of certain animals has changed drastically over millions of years
Fossils show how life forms present today are different than those from the past
Fossils show that some species have gone extinct
Different sedimentary rock layers provide evidence for how the environment has changed over time
Study of embryos of various organisms to show a common ancestor because of similarities in development
natural selection
speciation
embryology
evolution
