WorksheetsDarwin and Evidence for Evolution
Total questions: 28
Worksheet time: 42mins
Some organisms have features that have different functions, but similar structures. One example is the forelimb of humans, dogs, birds, and whales. What term best describes the relationship between these forelimbs?
They are homologous.
They are vestigial.
They are analogous.
They are embryological.
How do fossils support evolution?
Individual species disappear and reappear in the fossil record over time.
Organisms in the fossil record are identical to living organisms.
The fossil record provides evidence that all organisms developed at the same time.
The fossil record provides evidence that organisms have changed over time.
What best describes the hind leg bones seen in the whale?
The bones are analogous structures to the fins of living fish.
The bones are vestigial structures that had a function in an ancestor.
The bones are homologous structures to the wings of butterflies.
The bones are fossil structures from an extinct ancestor.
Which of the following would best determine whether two plant species share a recent common ancestor?
Flowering times
DNA sequences
Stem lengths
Habitat distribution
Which of the following provide evidence for evolution? (Select all that apply)
physical features
molecular features, such as DNA
geographical information
fossils
Which scientist visited the Galapagos Islands, observed traits in finches, and came up with the theory of natural selection?
Alfred Russell Wallace
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Carolus Linnaeus
Charles Darwin
Mutations are important because they bring about --
death in the organisms in which they develop.
benefits for the individual, not the population.
genetic variation needed for a population to evolve.
equilibrium within a population.
What is the term for a feature that allows an organism to better survive and reproduce in its environment?
adaptation
variation
homologous structure
vestigial structure
According to the diagram, which organism is older?
gastropod
trilobite
fern
ammonite
The process by which organisms that are better adapted to their environments more successfully survive and reproduce is called ________________ __________________.
(a)
Vertebrate embryos pass through similar stages of development. This serves as evidence for ___________________ ___________________
(a)
Why are advantageous traits more likely to be passed down to offspring?
because they come from recessive alleles.
because they come from dominant alleles
because they help the organism survive and reproduce.
because once a trait is in the gene pool, it cannot go away.
Which of the following statements gives the most likely explanation for the presence of two very similar species of squirrels living on opposite sides of the Grand Canyon?
One squirrel traveled across the canyon and started a new population on the other side.
Members of one single squirrel species were geographically separated by the formation of the canyon.
One squirrel traveled across the canyon and interbred with a different population on the other side.
Members of two different squirrel species migrated from two different places to opposite sides of the canyon.
The hypothesis that evolution of a species occurs gradually over time as a slow and constant process is known as --
gradualism.
speciation.
punctuated equilibrium.
microevolution.
The formation of a new species is a process known as ___________________, which is typically the result of divergence.
microevolution
gradualism
punctuated equilibrium
speciation
The scientific theory of evolution is supported by different types of evidence. The diagram shows the skeletons of three different animal species. How does comparing the skeletons of these animals provide support for the scientific theory of evolution?
It provides information about the organisms' habitats.
It provides information to determine the organisms' ages.
It shows possible common ancestry between organisms.
It shows possible chromosomal similarities between organisms.
Amino acid sequences can be compared to determine relationships between species. When comparing the sequences provided, which two organisms are humans most closely related to?
horses and gorillas
gorillas and chimpanzees
chimpanzees and zebras
zebras and horses
A population of chimpanzees was separated when the forest they had lived in had a section cut down and a town was built. After a long period of time, the chimpanzees came back into contact but were incapable of breeding. Which of the following best describes the process that occurred?
speciation
adaptation
gradualism
punctuated equilibrium
When scientists compare the amino acid sequences for the red blood cell protein hemoglobin between various species, what can they determine about the evolutionary relationship between the species?
It can be determined how efficient hemoglobin is for different species.
It can determine relatedness between members of the same species.
It can provide evidence about the relatedness of different species.
It can show which species evolved first.
How does the study of embryology provide evidence for evolution?
Even for species that look very different as adults, many species look very similar as embryos, suggesting they may share one common ancestor.
The variety in embryo structure and form suggests that their are many different ancestors for each distinct type.
All organisms must undergo an embryo stage of development. This suggests some degree of relatedness between species.
Embryology shows that organisms that appear similar as embryos will also share the same similarities as adults.
A scientist is studying the evolutionary relationship between two species. He gets DNA and amino acid samples from various organisms of each species and analyzes them. Which type of evolutionary evidence is the scientist using?
Fossil
Anatomical
Biochemical
Which of the following is the result of artificial selection?
The rain forest plants and animals
The fish that live in the ocean
A particular breed of dogs with a certain coat.
The weeds in a garden.
The scientific name for an organism comes from its _____.
class and phylum
family and species
kingdom and phylum
genus and species
On this Cladogram, which animals have fur?
Mouse, Chimp
Pigeon, Mouse, Chimp
Lizard, Pigeon, Mouse, Chimp
Chimp
Arctic foxes and snowshoe rabbits have specific adaptations that evolved over time to help them survive. Both turn white in the winter and have fur on the pads of their feet. These are adaptations to:
food source
environment
competition
mating
According to Darwin's theory on natural selection, the traits that survive and continue in future generations are –
caused by response to stress
made by environmental change
already present in the population
introduced by immigrating species
Charles Darwin called the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its specific environment
diversity
fitness
adaptation
evolution
