Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Natural Selection and Evidence of Evolution

Total questions: 39

Worksheet time: 26mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which of the following is the collection of life's remains found in sedimentary rock?

a)

natural selection

b)

homologous structures

c)

Charles Darwin

d)

the fossil record

2.

Similar structures with different purposes found in different species are known as _____

a)

vestigial structures

b)

DNA

c)

homologous structures

d)

the fossil record

3.

The study of organisms at their earliest stage of life

a)

embryology

b)

the fossil record

c)

DNA

d)

vestigial structures

4.

The picture shows a/an ___________

a)

homologous structure

b)

vestigial structure

5.

The picture shows a/an ___________

a)

homologous structure

b)

vestigial structure

6.

Which structure is shown in the picture?

a)

analogous structure

b)

homologous structure

c)

vestigial structure

d)

DNA

7.
How do fossils provide evidence that evolution has happened on Earth?
a)
Fossils show how the sizes of certain animals has changed drastically over millions of years
b)
Fossils show that some species have gone extinct
c)
Fossils show how life forms present today are different than those from the past
d)
Different sedimentary rock layers provide evidence for how the environment has changed over time
8.
The diagram illustrates an embryonic stage of two organisms.

Which of the following can be determined by observing the embryos shown in the diagram
a)
The organisms share a common ancestry.
b)
The organisms belong to the same genus.
c)
The organisms are native to the same geographic areas.
d)
The organisms will grow into anatomically similar adults.
9.

What best describes the hind leg bones seen in the whale?

a)

The bones are analogous structures to the fins of living fish.

b)

The bones are vestigial structures that had a function in an ancestor.

c)

The bones are homologous structures to the wings of butterflies.

d)

The bones are fossil structures from an extinct ancestor.

10.
Predict which moth would increase in population
a)
light 
b)
dark
11.
Two organisms that are closely related would have
a)
very similar DNA sequence
b)
exactly the same DNA sequences
c)
no proteins in common
d)
completely different DNA sequence
12.

What conclusion can you draw from the fact that many modern whale species have vestigial pelvic and leg bones?

a)

The ancestors of whales may have been land mammals

b)

Whales could walk if they wanted to

c)

Whales are preparing to evolve into land animals

d)

Someday whales will be able to walk and will have legs

13.
The similarities of organisms in which two areas numbered in the picture provide the best evidence for common ancestry?
a)
1 and 2
b)
3 and 4
c)
5 and 6
d)
7 and 8
14.

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY: Which of the following must be true in order for organisms to be considered the same species?

a)

They must be able to mate

b)

They must be able to produce viable offspring

c)

They must have structural similaries

d)

They must have the same bone structure

15.
What happens when species produce too many offspring?
a)
Species share the limited resources 
b)
Species eat less so that all can survive
c)
Only those that are least fit can survive
d)
Only those that are best fit can survive
16.
When a population becomes divided by an event such as a new river forming, ____________ has occurred.
a)
Differentiation 
b)
Isolation
c)
Adaptation
d)
Separation
17.
The climate of a certain area is cold, and snow is found on the ground most of the year. Equal numbers of two populations of rabbits are introduced into this climate by a group of scientists. One of the populations is brown and the other is white. Predict what will happen over several generations.
a)
There will be equal numbers of brown and white rabbits
b)
There will be more brown rabbits that white rabbits
c)
There will be more white rabbits than brown rabbits
d)
There is no way to predict what will happen to the rabbit population
18.

There are two main ways that speciation happens naturally. Both processes create new species by reproductively isolating populations of the same species from each other. What are these two types of isolation?

a)

geographical and behavioral

b)

geographical and complex

c)

behavioral and complex

d)

locational and geographical

19.
A bumble bee has just enough weight to open up the snapdragon flower and get the nectar/pollen inside.  Other insects cannot do this. This adaption is an example of........
a)
convergent evolution
b)
co-evolution
c)
divergent evolution
d)
speciation
20.

Which best describes punctuated equilibrium?

a)

Speciation occurs due to natural selection

b)

Speciation occurs due to isolation

c)

Speciation occurs slowly in geologic time, followed by long periods with very fast evolutionary change.

d)

Speciation occurs suddenly and rapidly in geologic time, followed by long periods with little evolutionary change.

21.

Which of the following lines of evidence shows that whales are descended from a land-dwelling, four-legged ancestor?

a)

Whales have bone structures in their forelimbs and pelvis that are similar to those of terrestrial mammals

b)

Whale embyros have similar structure to embryos of land-dwelling mammals, birds, and reptiles.

c)

An analysis of DNA shows that whales' closest living relatives are hippopotamuses.

d)

A, B, and C

22.

Which of the following statements accurately describes the role of mutations in evolution

a)

Mutations are the raw material for evolution, but most mutations do not result in evolution.

b)

Most mutations result in a species becoming more dangerous or aggressive.

c)

An organisms can decide to mutate if the environment makes a mutation necessary for survival.

d)

Mutations are almost always beneficial for an individual.

23.

Which of the following is required for a population to diverge into two separate species?

a)

The two populations must have evolved different physical appearances.

b)

The two populations must have mutated at least 10 times.

c)

The two populations must have become reproductively isolated.

d)

The two populations must have evolved analogous structures.

24.
The hypothesis that evolution of a species occurs gradually over time as a slow and constant process is known as
a)
speciation
b)
punctuated equilibrium
c)
gradualism
d)
microevolution
25.

Which are causes of speciation? Choose all that apply

a)

Isolation caused by mountains, rivers and man-made structures

b)

preference for different foods

c)

change in environment

d)

different mating behaviors

26.

Speciation that caused by breeding occurring at different time of the day is called

a)

behavioral isolation

b)

temporal isolation

c)

ecological isolation

d)

habitat isolation

27.

Two unrelated species evolve in a way that makes them more similar.

a)

adaptive radiation

b)

microevolution

c)

coevolution

d)

convergent evolution

e)

divergent evolution

28.

What type of macroevolution is happening in the image?

a)

adaptive radiation

b)

microevolution

c)

coevolution

d)

convergent evolution

e)

divergent evolution

29.

Finches on the Galapagos Islands share similar characteristics because they share a common ancestor but have evolved into many different types of species to eat different foods in order to survive. What type of macroevolution is being described?

a)

adaptive radiation

b)

microevolution

c)

coevolution

d)

convergent evolution

e)

divergent evolution

30.

The rapid evolution of a group following its introduction into a new habitat or occupation of newly available niches is called ________________?

a)

adaptive radiation

b)

microevolution

c)

coevolution

d)

convergent evolution

e)

divergent evolution

31.
a)

Stabilizing Selection

b)

Directional Selection

c)

Disruptive Selection

32.
a)

Stabilizing Selection

b)

Directional Selection

c)

Disruptive Selection

33.
a)

Directional Selection

b)

Stabilizing Selection

c)

Disruptive Selection

34.
a)

Stabilizing Selection

b)

Directional Selection

c)

Disruptive Selection

35.
a)

Directional Selection

b)

Stabilizing Selection

c)

Disruptive Selection

36.
a)

Stabilizing Selection

b)

Disruptive Selection

c)

Directional Selection

37.
a)

Directional Selection

b)

Stabilizing Selection

c)

Disruptive Selection

38.

Cichlid fishes in lakes of the East African Rift. The lakes in this area are believed to support and sustain about 2,000 different species of these fish, each with different ecological and morphological characteristics such as body size. These lakes form a fragmented landscape that bio-geographically isolates the different species of cichlid fish from one another, allowing them, and many of the organisms they live with, to evolve separately.

a)

Phyletic Speciation

b)

Adaptive Radiation

c)

Convergent Evoltion

d)

Co-evolution

39.

In convergent evolution, organisms share physical similarities because they 

a)

have a common ancestor

b)

live in similar environments

c)

develop homologous structures

d)

are closely related