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WorksheetsEvolution Test: Changes Over Time
Total questions: 32
Worksheet time: 16mins
Darwin observed many different species of finches on the Galapagos Islands. What did Darwin conclude about the finches?
They evolved from a common ancestor on the main land
They evolved from many different types of birds
They all came from different countries and continents
They developed from other types of organisms
Which statement best describes the process of evolution?
Populations can survive in different locations on earth
Environmental conditions limit the number of species on Earth
Populations grow when resources are abundant
The traits of a species can change over time
Why did the population of peppered moths in England change from light to dark after the Industrial Revolution?
Light moths were easy to see against sooty trees & were eaten
Light moths were killed by soot
The birds that ate the dark moths were killed by the soot
Dark moths were produced by industrial processes
Modern whales developed their traits through natural selection. What occurs during the process of natural selection?
Organisms choose mates from other species to create new species
Breeders selectively cross organisms with desired traits
Only the fittest organisms can survive and reproduce
Organisms remain exactly the same over time
Which of these would be considered an adaptation of an animal that lives in the snowy tundra?
A thick coat of fur & blubber
Large, flat feet
Green colored skin
Webbed feet
Which bird is BEST adapted to live in a watery environment?
A bird with short, fat legs and large claws on its feet
A bird with short legs and large webbed feet
A bird with short legs and short skinny toes
A bird with long skinny legs and three thick toes with claws
A paleontologist is trying to determine the ages of several fossils using different methods. When using carbon dating, the main problem is:
It can only be used at night
It can’t determine the age of really old fossils
it works on living organisms only
it can only be used to date animal fossils
Which of the items is most likely to be preserved as a fossil?
A flower
Hair or Fur
A tooth
Blood
Most fossils formed in:
Igneous rock
Sedimentary rock
Anthropomorphic soil
Metamorphic rock
What does the fossil record tell scientists?
Only dinosaurs have formed the fossils scientists have discovered
There are very few organisms that are extinct
Species have evolved over time
Birds have dominated the Earth for most of its history
Over many generations, populations of anteaters have developed longer tongues. Why might such a change occur?
Long tongues help anteaters escape from predators
Anteaters with longer tongues can reach food sources other animals cannot reach
Humans find long tongues more attractive in anteaters
Anteaters with longer tongues require more food than those with shorter tongues
Darwin observed and recorded data about many species of finches. According to Darwin, how did the food source on each island affect how the birds evolved?
Birds brought their favorite food with them to the island
Birds with beaks adapted to the food source on the island survived and reproduced
Birds changed food sources on the island to match their beaks
Birds ate only certain food sources, causing some foods to survive and others to die
One theory suggests that giant wooly mammoths became extinct when the ice age ended and the climate became warmer. Why might this environmental change have led to their extinction?
They didn’t die off, their traits changed to match the new climate
There was not enough food available in the warmer climate
Their traits were best suited for a cold climate
Smaller organisms thrived and larger organisms died off as the climate changed
Organisms with the most beneficial/useful traits live long lives and reproduce. This is called ________ of the
_________.
Survival of the Fittest
Benefits of the Best
Survival of the Living
Survival of the Advantageous
In a population of codfish, a scientist notes that some fish have larger or smaller fins than others. These differences among the traits of organisms in a population are known as:
Variation
Extinction
Evolution
Competition
What is the importance of DNA in the human body?
It moves materials into and out of the cell
It releases the energy stored in food so it can be used by the body
It carries the genes that determine inherited traits
It is where the proteins that are needed by the body are assembled
All of the following are evidence for evolution EXCEPT for:
Similar developmental patterns (embryos)
Homologous structures
Similarities in DNA
Different genes
During “Who Wants to Live a Million Years” we found that our population increased its chance of survival if we increased…
Competition
Diversity
Homologous structures
Challenges
Which of the following is the best example of an adaptation that helps an organism survive in its environment?
Green coloring in a lizard living on black igneous rocks
A thick waxy cuticle to help store conserve water in a desert plant
A layer of scales on an animal that lives in the tundra
Small, delicate leaves on a plant living in the snow
In our bird beak lab, how did the different tools demonstrate adaptation?
It showed how birds can just change their beaks for food
It showed how different beaks were adapted to eat different foods
It showed how birds can eat any type of food
It showed how bird’s stomachs are shaped like cups
During our “Camouflaged Chameleons” activity, camouflaging the chameleons helped the chameleons to:
Blend into their environment
Stand out in their environment
Fly faster
Attract predators
A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce is called a(n) (a) .
variation
adaptation
species
selection
Darwin’s idea about how evolution occurs is called (a) .
variation
adaptation
natural selection
species
Whales are closely related to…
hooved land animals
fish
lizards
sharks
Fossils in the upper layer of the Earth resemble organisms from (a) while deeper fossils look like organisms from (b) .
Fossils
Earth
Organisms evolve due to changes in their DNA called (a) .
growing
mutations
cellular respiration
photosynthesis
During our Funky Monkey activity, what controlled whether or not the Funky Monkey survived?
the dice
the great fate bag
the number of Funky monkeys
the environment
Similar structures that are inherited from a common ancestor are called (a) .
analogous structure
homozygous structures
identical structures
homologous structures
The evolutionary history of the Earth and its fossil record is incomplete because (a) .
many organisms don’t leave behind fossils, making gaps/missing links
all organisms leave a fossil imprint.
Darwin didn’t finish writing it.
plants don’t evolve and don’t leave fossils.
What is an adaptation?
A trait that helps an organism to survive in its environment and reproduce more often.
A random mutation that occurs in an organism.
A behavior that decreases an organism's chance of survival.
A temporary change in an organism's appearance.
What is natural selection?
The process where animals best suited for their environmental conditions survive and have the opportunity to pass on their traits.
A random process that does not affect the survival of species.
The process of artificially selecting traits in plants and animals.
A method by which organisms are cloned in a laboratory.
Mutations play a role in evolution by:
introducing genetic variation into a population
eliminating genetic diversity
stopping natural selection
preventing adaptation
