Name_______________________________
Evolution and the History of Life Practice Test
Chapters 15, 16 & 17
1. What is evolution? _______________________________________________________________________
2. Who proposed that all organism have innate tendency toward complexity and perfection. Whose theory was
stated that “acquired traits” were passed on to offspring (“use or lose”) _________
3. Who studied population, saying that most species produce many offspring for survival (babies are being
born faster than people are dying and if this continues, there will be insufficient resources and it will result
into struggle for existence) ________________
4. All organisms produce more ___________ than can survive in order to make sure that the members of a
population survive.
5. Charles Darwin proposed the theory of ____________________ selection.
6. What is an organism’s fitness? ___________________________________
7. When humans choose organisms to breed, this is called:_______________________.
8. The flipper of a whale and the arm of a human are examples of __________________________structures.
9. A penguin’s flipper and a whale’s flipper is an example of ___________________ structure.
10. The appendix & tailbone are examples of a _____________________ structure.
11. The wing of a bat and the wing of an insect are examples of ______________________ structures because
they are similar in function, but not in structure.
12. Biochemical evidence for evolution looks at ___________ acid sequences and ______________production.
13. What is a fossil? _____________________________________________________________________.
14. The ________________ fossil would be found in the lowest rock layers.
15. When a fossil’s age by comparing it with other fossils is called __________________.
16. _________________________ study fossils and interpret the fossil record.
17. What are5 types of evidence for the theory of evolution?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
_________________________________
__________________________________
18. The similarity between embryos indicates that some organisms have a common _____________________
19. What is a gene pool? __________________________________________
20. A study of the kinds and number of genes in a population is ____________________
21. What is microevolution? ________________________________________.
22. If an allele makes up one fourth (1/4) of a population’s gene pool for a given trait, its relative frequency is
_______________
23. Members of the same species that live in the same area are____________________.
24. Natural Selection allows fit individuals to _________________ and ___________. This causes change in
population, as organisms with trait favorable to the environment survive, reproduce and pass on their
favorable traits to their next generation.
25. The peppered moths turned from light to dark in order to suit their ________________________________.
It is called Industrial Melanism
26. The Hardy-Weinberg Principle explains:___________________________________________________.
27. When genetic equilibrium is reached, the allele frequencies remain ______________.
28. What conditions are required to maintain genetic equilibrium?
29. In order for evolution to occur there must be a change in ____________________(genetic equilibrium will
be disrupted)
30. What is genetic drift? __________________________________________
31. Earth’s first atmosphere contained little or no ________. The photosynthetic bacteria became common in
the shallow seas. These organisms produced oxygen, as an end product of photosynthesis.
32. In order for evolution to occur there must be ____________________ __________________
33. The two main sources of genetic variation are _____________ _______________________.
34. A mutation can change a ____________________.
35. When two species begin to look alike because they occupy the same environment, this is
__________________________ evolution.
36. Darwin’s finches were an example of a _______________________ radiation which is when many species
evolve from a common ______________________.
37. __________ isolation is when populations are separated from each other by a mountain range, new river,etc.
38. Define half-life of an element. _______________________________
39. If I have 60 grams of an element, how much will I have after 3 half-lives? ___________________grams.
40. In certain population the frequency of allele (p) in homozygous dominant individual is 0.8, and frequency of
allele (q) in homozygous recessive individual is 0.2
What is the predicted frequency of heterozygous offspring if population is in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium?
41. divergent evolution- 2 organism from _____________ ancestor.
42. convergent evolution - 2 organisms from __________ ancestor evolve to look similar because of the
environment
43. adaptive radiation - ________ trait is improved in an organism
44. directional selection - ______ extreme is best
45. stabilizing selection - ________ is best
46. disruptive selection - __________ _________ are best
47. __________________________ isolation is necessary for formation of new species.
48. behavioral isolation - _________ rituals
49. geographic isolation - Separated by a large __________ like an ocean
50. temporal isolation - mating at ______________________.
51. According to Darwin, biological change that is slow and steady, is known as _______________
52. Two species evolve in response to changes in each other over time, it is called ______________________.
Organisms that are closely connected to one another by ecological interactions evolve together. Ex
flowering plants can reproduce only if the shape, color, and odor of their flowers attract a specific type of
pollinator.
53. The evolutionary model that is characterized by long periods of no change with sudden, abrupt changes
occurring is called as __________________ _________________
*Read over all notes & Chap 15, 16, 17 from the textbook, handouts, labs, worksheets.
*Be able to calculate half-life (Go through the notes for chapter 17 half life problems and chapter 16
Hardy Weinberg problem supplement).