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Evolution Quiz

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 10mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which of the following is an example of natural selection?

a)

Male birds of certain species developing colorful feathers to attract female mates

b)

Rabbits that live in the arctic developing darker fur.

c)

People breeding horses to make them faster.

d)

Giraffes stretching their necks longer to reach the tops of trees

2.

___ is the process by which individuals that are better suited for their environment survive and are

able to reproduce more successfully than others.

a)

Adaptation

b)

Artificial selection

c)

Natural Selection

d)

Speciation

3.

The remains or imprints of once living organisms found in layers of rock are called ____.

a)

Sediments

b)

Fossil Records

c)

Minerals

d)

Fossils

4.

The fact that an organism’s offspring are not identical is known as ____.

a)

Variation

b)

Genetics

c)

Competition

d)

Overproduction

5.

Use the diagram below to answer questions 6-7

Scientists found the fossil of an organism in Layer D.


In which layer would they find other fossils that would be the most related to it?

a)

Surface

b)

Layer C

c)

Layer B

d)

Layer A

6.

What did Charles Darwin help to explain?

a)

Genetics

b)

How fossils are formed

c)

How species change over time

d)

The age of Earth

7.

Variation within a species occurs because of differences in __.

a)

Number of offspring

b)

The formation of fossils

c)

The environment

d)

Genes (DNA)

8.

A group of plant-eating animals is physically separated from their population. In the new environment, the only edible plants grow at the top of trees. Which of the following is a likely adaptation that would most likely NOT develop over time?

a)

Long neck

b)

Ability to climb

c)

Long Tail

d)

Long legs

9.

Which of the following did NOT occur while Darwin was on his trip aboard the HMS Beagle?

a)

He presented his theory of natural selection

b)

He mapped the coast of South America.

c)

He began to develop ideas that were similar to Alfred Wallace’s

d)

He noted that the beaks of the finches on each of the Galapagos Islands reflected what they ate.

10.

What is believed to have caused the organism seen below to go extinct?

a)

Formation of Pangaea

b)

Cavemen breath

c)

An asteroid striking Earth

d)

A series of major earthquakes

11.

The front fin of a whale has bones that are similar to a human arm. This is an example of _______.

a)

Vestigial Structure

b)

Allopatric Trait

c)

Sympatric Trait

d)

Homologous Structure

12.

There are two types of pond turtles that live behind Mr. Eisler’s house: pond turtles that have a hard shell and pond turtles that have a soft shell. Both types of turtles eat the plants that grow on the bottom of the pond. Some die of starvation every year because there are a limited amount of plants at the bottom of the pond. Mr. Eisler has also seen otters using their sharp teeth to eat the turtles. He noticed that they tend to prey more on the soft shell ones because they are easier to break through and chew. Both types of turtles lay 80-120 eggs at a time. Most of them will hatch, however very few will reach maturity due to the starvation and predation.


Which turtle will natural selection select for?

a)

Soft ShellTurtles

b)

Hard Shell Turtles

13.

Similar structures that related species have inherited from a common ancestor.

a)

Species

b)

Genetics

c)

homologous structures

d)

Fossil

14.

A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.

a)

Fossil

b)

Adaptation

c)

Scientific Theory

d)

Genetics

15.

A species that has no members still alive.

a)

Extinct

b)

Fossil

c)

Genetics

d)

Half-Life

16.

Well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations.

a)

Scientific Theory

b)

hypothesis

c)

darwin's law

d)

evolution

17.

Which one is NOT one of Darwin's observations made during the voyage of the Beagle.

a)

The diversity of living things

b)

examination of fossils

c)

The characteristics of the Galapagos Islands

d)

Mo' money, mo' problems

18.

By examining fossils, scientists can infer the structures of ancient organisms.

a)

True

b)

False

19.

Chemical use (such as pesticides) to kill harmful insects such as cockroaches is an example of modern day natural selection.

a)

True

b)

False

20.

What are some examples of adaptation that Darwin noticed while comparing organisms on the Galapagos Islands?

a)

Tortoise shells

b)

Finch beaks

c)

Iguana claws

d)

all of the answers are correct