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WorksheetsEvidence of Evolution Exam
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 2hrs 40mins
Which statement about the ancestry of the lizards from the genus Gallotia is best supported by this information?
The common ancestor of the lizards first colonized the island of El Hierro.
The ancestors of each species came from different continents at different times.
The common ancestor of the lizards probably came from America.
The ancestors of each species evolved in Spain and were brought to the islands at the same time.
When looking at the fossil record above, what conclusion can be made based on the evidence?
None of the organisms are related.
Tulerpeton is related to living tetrapods, but not to Tiktaalik
All of the organisms have a common fish ancestor.
Ichthyostega are more closely related to living tetrapods than to Tulerpeton.
Based on your understanding of anatomical homologies, which organisms most likely have a recent common
ancestor?
1 and 2 are homologous structures
1 and 3 are homologous structures
1 and 3 are analogous structures
2 and 3 are analogous structures
How can evolutionary relationships among organisms be determined by comparing embryonic development?
Embryos retrace their ancestral stages during embryonic development.
Embryos of more closely related organisms show greater similarities in development.
Embryos that develop inside eggs lack similarities to placental mammals.
Both fish and humans have a two chambered heart in an early stage of development.
Which of these factors should be compared to best determine how closely species are related to each other?
Number of genes
Sequence of amino acids
Location of chromosomes
physical similarities in body structure
Which statement is best supported by the information in this dendrogram (cladogram) ?
Lesser pandas are more genetically similar to giant pandas than they are to raccoons.
Brown bears are more genetically similar to giant pandas than they are to sun bears.
Lesser pandas are more genetically similar to raccoons than they are to giant pandas.
The bear species are all more genetically similar to dogs than they are to giant pandas.
Which conclusion about the relatedness of the lizards do these data support
G. atlantica and G. stehlini are the least closely related.
G. simonyi and G. bravoana are the most closely related.
G. galloti eisentrauti and G. galloti palmae are the most closely related.
G. galloti eisentrauti and G. galloti galloti are the least closely related.
The fact that both these mammals incubate their immature offspring in a pouch provides evidence that they —
belong to the same species
must range great distances to eat
have very similar skeletal structures
are descended from a common ancestor
Maldives is a nation formed from 26 islands more than 2000 km off the coast of India. The islands of Maldives
formed from the organic material of dead coral that has been pushed up to the surface due to geologic changes.
While land species are rare, there are mammals, lizards, and birds that live on the islands of Maldives. These
animals are similar to organisms found across southern Asia.
What best explains the existence of these animals in Maldives?
The animals evolved from the coral species that formed the island.
The animals formed from fish that crawled onto the islands and slowly evolved into tetrapods.
The ancestry of the animals can be traced back to the nearby continent.
The animals have a common ancestor from Maldives and have adapted since to fill niches.
The diagram above shows a model of species divergence among some primates. If this model is correct, the
greatest genetic differences would be found in the DNA sequences of which two species?
Tarsius bancanus and Cebus albifrons
Macaca sylvanus and Macaca mulatta
Hylobates lar and Pongo pygmaeus
Pan troglodytes and Lemur catta
The picture above shows the bone structure in the limbs of 6 modern species. Horses belong to an order of
organisms called Perissodactyla or odd-toed ungulates. The distinguishing characteristic of odd-toed ungulates is
that their third or middle toe is the largest, while the other four toes are reduced or absent.
Based on this information, which organism shares the most recent common ancestor with the modern horse and
would also be classified as Perissodactyla?
Cow
Tapir
Dog
Pig
Scientists can determine relatedness among organisms by comparing partial amino acid sequences. The table
shows four partial amino acid sequences from four organisms.
Which organism is the least related to the other three organisms?
Organism 1
Organism 2
Organism 3
Organism 4
This cladogram shows the evolutionary relationships among some mammals based on homologous structures. Which statement is supported by this cladogram?
Hippopotamuses are more closely related to cows than to javelinas.
Toothed whales are more closely related to mouse deer than to hippopotamuses.
Javelinas and pigs are more closely related than baleen whales and toothed whales.
Cows and mouse deer are more closely related than javelinas and pigs.
Cetaceans are whales and their relatives. The diagram shows some fossils of cetaceans.
Which statement provides the best evidence that Ambulocetus natans is an ancestor of Basilosaurus isis?
Homologous structures occur in each fossil.
Similar nitrogenous bases are found in the DNA of each fossil.
Vestigial hip structures show how they're related
The youngest fossil is larger than the older fossils.
Tiktaalik roseae, better known as the "fishapod," is a 375 million year old fossil fish which was discovered in the
Canadian Arctic in 2004. The discovery of Tiktaalik roseae sheds light on a pivotal point in the history of life on
Earth: when the very first fish ventured out onto land. What impact does the discovery of Tiktaalik roseae have on
the the fossil record?
The existence of “fishapod” features in a fish is significant because it marks the earliest appearance of
these unique features in the fossil record.
The fossil record is unchanged because the animals before and after “fishapod” were very similar.
“Fishapod” is a fossil between a fish and an animal, displaying characteristics of the ancestors and the
new lineage.
“Fishapod” would be considered a missing link because scientist were unaware of the gap in the fossil
record.
This diagram of the fossil record represents changes in mollusks over millions of years. How can the pattern of change in the fossil record best be explained?
The mollusks were well adapted to their stable environment. A large, sudden change occurred in their
environment. After the change the mollusks with the bigger shells were better adapted for the new
environment.
The mollusks were well adapted to their stable environment. The mollusks hybridized with a smaller
species of mollusk. A new species of mollusk with a bigger shell resulted.
The mollusks were not well adapted to their environment. The length of the mollusks’ shells changed
gradually over time. The mollusks in the original population that had small shells died over a period of
many years.
The mollusks were well adapted to their environment. Humans introduced a new species of mollusk that
was not adapted to this environment. The introduced mollusk outcompeted the native mollusk species.
The diagram shows data on the evolution of horses. The data in the diagram is evidence that —
a new species of horse suddenly appeared
populations of horses slowly developed over time
horses have similar stages of rapid embryological development
horses have a common ancestry with other hooved animals
Observe the fossil record above. Trilobite fossils are some of the most common fossils due to their ease of
fossilization and long period of existence. Trilobite species walked along the ocean floor causing them to easily be
covered by sediment. Trilobites existed for over 271 million years, longer than the dinosaurs and humans
combined. These characteristics provide humans with a large amount of fossil evidence for trilobites.
Which statement below best describes the cause of the arrangement of smooth and spikey trilobite fossils
observed in the fossil record above?
The smooth trilobites were able to dig deeper into the soil than the spikey trilobites because they did
not have protruding spikes that would catch on rocks in the ocean floor.
Smooth trilobites could no longer blend in with the soil and grew spikes as an adaptation to protect
themselves from predators gradually over time.
The smooth trilobites were not able to compete with the spikey trilobites for food and slowly became
extinct as the spikey trilobites became more dominant in the environment.
A change in the environment caused the smooth trilobites to no longer be well adapted for the
environment. Spikey trilobites were well adapted to the new environment and began to thrive.
The cladogram shows the evolution of land plants as indicated by fossil records. Which discovery would challenge the validity of this cladogram?
A large aquatic vascular plant about 200 million years old
A species of algae that has existed for less than one million years
A moss species that has existed for less than 380 million years
A fossil of a fern more than 425 million years old
Phalanges of the human hand and the phalanges of a bat wing are examples of what types of structures?
Vestigial
Homologous
Analogous
Convergent
