Examples of fossils include
preserved
1.
2.
3.
4.
1
eggs.
footprints.
body parts.
all of the above
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Sedimentary rock is formed
from
1. the soft parts of
organisms.
2. the hard parts of
organisms.
3. small particles of
sand, silt, and clay.
4. wood, shell, and
bone.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
What proportion of all species that have
ever lived has become extinct?
1. less than 1
percent
2. approximately
one-half
3. more than 99
percent
4. 100 percent
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Most fossils form in
1.
2.
3.
4.
1
rusty water.
volcanic rock.
sedimentary rock.
the sap of ancient
trees.
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
The fossil record shows that
1.
most organisms that
ever lived on Earth are
now extinct.
fossils occur in a
particular order.
modern organisms have
unicellular ancestors.
all of the above
2.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
To be useful as an index fossil, a
species must have existed for a
1.
long period over a wide
geographic range.
long period over a small
geographic range.
short period over a wide
geographic range.
short period over a
small geographic range.
2.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
The length of time required for half of the
radioactive atoms in a sample to decay is its
1.
2.
3.
4.
1
half-life.
relative date.
radioactive date.
period.
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
To compare the relative ages of fossils,
scientists sometimes use an easily
recognized species called a(an)
25% 25%
25%
25%
carbon fossil.
radioactive fossil.
index fossil.
sedimentary
fossil.
1.
2.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
How would you date a sample of rock that
you suspect as being one of the earliest on
Earth?
1. Use a radioactive
isotope with a short
half-life.
2. Use a radioactive
isotope with a long
half-life.
3. Use an index fossil.
4. Use a microfossil.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
What must be true about an index fossil
whose absolute age is used as a reference
for other fossils?
1.
The absolute age of the index fossil is
actually unknown.
The absolute age of the index fossil was
determined only by relative dating.
The absolute age of the index fossil was
determined by radioactive dating or
another absolute method.
The index fossils must be the same age
as the other fossils.
2.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
2
25%
3
25%
4
After Precambrian Time, the basic divisions
of the geologic time scale, from larger to
smaller are
25% 25%
25%
25%
1. eras and periods.
2. periods and eras.
3. relative and
absolute dates.
4. billions of years
and millions of
years.
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
The Mesozoic Era occurred
1. before Precambrian
Time.
2. during Precambrian
Time.
3. after the Paleozoic
Era.
4. after the Cenozoic
Era.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Earth’s most recent era is the
1.
2.
3.
4.
1
Paleozoic.
Mesozoic.
Cenozoic.
Precambrian.
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Fossilized evidence of Earth’s first
forms of life would consist of
1. vertebrates from the
Precambrian.
2. invertebrates from
the Precambrian.
3. eukaryotes from the
Precambrian.
4. prokaryotes from the
Precambrian.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Which of these labels for fossils in a
museum display contains an error?
1.
Dinosaur (Middle
Mesozoic)
Early Mammal (Middle
Paleozoic)
Early Human (Late
Cenozoic)
Early Marine
Invertebrate (Early
Paleozoic)
2.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Why did oceans not exist on
Earth nearly 4 billion years ago?
1. No water molecules were
present.
2. Water remained a gas because
Earth was very hot.
3. Water existed as ice because
Earth was very cold.
4. There was no oxygen gas in the
atmosphere.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
2
25%
3
25%
4
Early in Earth’s history, while the planet was
in a melted state, the most dense elements
formed Earth’s
25% 25%
25%
25%
1. core.
2. seas.
3. crust.
4. atmosphere.
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
Which of the following was NOT
characteristic of Earth before the oceans
formed?
1.
2.
volcanic activity
bombardment by
comets and asteroids
an atmosphere of
poisonous gases
an atmosphere
containing oxygen gas
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Two gases that probably existed
in Earth’s early atmosphere are
1.
oxygen and water
vapor.
water vapor and
nitrogen.
oxygen and carbon
monoxide.
hydrogen cyanide and
carbon monoxide.
2.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
To formulate a hypothesis about how Earth’s
elements were rearranged after melting, scientists
considered which physical principle?
1.
Denser materials tended to float on 25%
less dense materials.
Less dense materials tended to float
on denser materials.
The most dense materials formed the
atmosphere.
The least dense materials formed
Earth’s core.
2.
3.
4.
1
1
2
3
4
5
25%
2
25%
3
25%
4
In addition to hydrogen, the gases used
in Miller and Urey’s experiment were
1. nitrogen and
oxygen.
2. hydrogen cyanide
and oxygen.
3. methane and
ammonia.
4. carbon dioxide and
hydrogen sulfide.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Miller and Urey’s experiments
attempted to demonstrate
1.
2.
how Earth first formed.
whether DNA or RNA
evolved first.
whether organic
molecules could have
formed before life was
present.
how the deepest part of
Earth formed.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
What prevents organic molecules from
forming on their own and remaining intact
today?
1. Earth is too hot.
2. Atmospheric oxygen
is too reactive.
3. The necessary
building blocks no
longer exist.
4. There is no energy
source available.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Which of the following conditions would likely
prevent the assembly and survival of new kinds of
organic molecules on Earth today?
1.
2.
the presence of carbon dioxide
the presence of bacteria and other
life forms
the supply of atoms that serve as
raw material
the light and warmth from the sun
3.
4.
25%
1
1
2
3
4
5
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Modern experiments similar to Miller and Urey’s
demonstrate that simulating conditions thought to
exist on early Earth can produce
1. some bases
contained in RNA.
2. DNA molecules.
3. living things
composed of cells.
4. proteins that can
catalyze complex
chemical reactions.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
One necessary condition for the
evolution of the first life on Earth was
1.
2.
the presence of DNA.
abundant oxygen in the
atmosphere.
the presence of
photosynthetic
organisms.
the presence of liquid
water.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Which of the following functions can
RNA perform under certain conditions?
1. catalyzing chemical
reactions
2. processing
messenger RNA
after transcription
3. helping DNA
replicate
4. all of the above
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
What do proteinoid microspheres
have in common with cells?
1. They can store and
release energy.
2. They contain DNA.
3. They contain RNA.
4. They are
communities of
organisms.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Proteinoid microspheres are tiny bubbles
that resemble cells because they
1.
contain DNA and/or
RNA.
have selectively
permeable membranes.
build proteins from
amino acids.
add oxygen gas to the
atmosphere.
2.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
One scientific hypothesis about
the origin of life holds that
1.
RNA replaced DNA as the most stable
information-storing molecule.
RNA nucleotides were formed from
simple organic molecules in an abiotic
stew.
proteins that duplicate themselves
came to function in information
storage.
as cells evolved, RNA came to direct
protein synthesis.
2.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
2
25%
3
25%
4
The endosymbiotic theory proposes
that eukaryotic cells arose from
1. individual
prokaryotic cells.
2. multicellular
prokaryotes.
3. communities formed
by prokaryotes.
4. communities formed
by eukaryotes.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
What was the response of the various
groups of early organisms that existed when
oxygen levels rose in the atmosphere?
1.
2.
Some life forms became extinct.
Some life forms survived only in a
few airless habitats.
Some life forms evolved metabolic
pathways that used oxygen for
respiration.
all of the above
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
2
25%
3
25%
4
When oxygen was first released in the early
seas, it combined with iron to form
1.
2.
3.
4.
1
RNA.
DNA.
proteins.
rust.
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
The first organisms on Earth
were most like today’s
1. bacteria.
2. eukaryotes.
3. multicellular
organisms.
4. DNA molecules.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
Which of these facts about mitochondria and
chloroplasts constitute(s) support for the
endosymbiotic theory?
1. Their DNA resembles bacterial
RNA.
2. Their ribosomes resemble the
ribosomes of bacteria.
3. Like bacteria, they reproduce by
mitosis.
4. all of the above
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
2
25%
3
25%
4
The Cambrian Explosion resulted
in the evolution of the first
1. dinosaurs and
mammals.
2. representatives of
most animal
phyla.
3. bacteria.
4. land animals.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
A very large mass extinction in which
amphibians and trilobites disappeared
occurred at the end of the
25% 25%
25%
25%
Precambrian.
Cambrian Period.
Paleozoic Era.
Quaternary
Period.
1.
2.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
During the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods,
the dominant land animals were
1.
2.
3.
4.
1
amphibians.
dinosaurs.
grazing mammals.
human ancestors.
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
A fossilized dinosaur, found with fossils of
the flowering plants that it ate, must have
lived
1. since life first
evolved.
2. before the Mesozoic
Era.
3. during the Mesozoic
Era.
4. after the Mesozoic
Era.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
What does fossil evidence indicate about the order in which
these three vertebrates evolved: a bony fish with a jaw, a
jawless fish, and a fish with leglike fins?
1.
The bony fish evolved
before the jawless fish.
The fish with leglike fins
was the last to evolve.
The jawless fish was the
last to evolve.
The fish with leglike fins
evolved before the
jawless fish.
2.
3.
4.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
2
25%
3
25%
4
The process by which two species, for example, a
flower and a pollinating insect, evolve in response
to changes in each other over time is called
1. convergent
evolution.
2. adaptive radiation.
3. coevolution.
4. punctuated
equilibrium.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
In the past, mass extinctions encouraged
the rapid evolution of surviving species
1. by changing developmental
genes.
2. by making new habitats
available to them.
3. because they killed all
organisms that had coevolved.
4. because they spared all
organisms that had evolved
convergently.
1
2
3
4
5
25%
1
25%
2
25%
3
25%
4
A single species that has evolved into
several different forms that live in different
ways has undergone
1. adaptive radiation. 25% 25% 25% 25%
2. coevolution.
3. punctuated
equilibrium.
4. mass extinction.
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
One way master control genes, or hox
genes, could have affected evolution is
1. by causing mutations in other
genes.
25%
2. through small changes in timing
during embryonic development.
3. through the coevolution of species.
4. by leading to convergent evolution.
1
1
2
3
4
5
25%
25%
2
3
25%
4
A pattern in which species experience long,
stable periods interrupted by brief periods of
rapid evolutionary change is called
25% 25%
25%
25%
1. convergent
evolution.
2. coevolution.
3. adaptive radiation.
4. punctuated
equilibrium.
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
The fossil record, although incomplete, provides evidence
about the history of life and illustrates that most species
have remained unchanged over time.
_________________________
1. True
2. False
1
2
3
4
50%
5
1
50%
2
The radioactive isotope most useful for dating
fossils less than 60,000 years old is potassium-40.
_________________________
1. True
2. False
1
2
3
4
50%
5
1
50%
2
Scientists use geologic dating to determine
the absolute age of a rock in years.
_________________________
1. True
50%
50%
2. False
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
The vast majority of Earth’s history—about
88 percent—is taken up by the Cenozoic
Era. _________________________
1. True
50%
50%
2. False
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
The Cenozoic Era included the Cretaceous,
Jurassic, and Triassic Period.
_________________________
1. True
50%
50%
2. False
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
The molten elements of early Earth arranged themselves
according to density—the most dense elements formed
Earth’s surface. _________________________
1. True
2. False
1
2
3
4
50%
5
1
50%
2
The earliest sedimentary rocks were formed about
the time that liquid water formed on Earth’s
surface. _________________________
1. True
2. False
1
2
3
4
50%
5
1
50%
2
The oxygen present in the modern atmosphere is very
reactive and would tend to destroy any new kinds of
organic molecules that might form from simpler
compounds. _________________________
1. True
2. False
1
2
3
4
50%
5
1
50%
2
Stanley Miller and Harold Urey assumed that the assembly of complex
organic molecules from simpler compounds on early Earth would have
required an energy source, which they hypothesized was radioactive
decay. _________________________
1. True
2. False
1
2
3
4
50%
5
1
50%
2
About 200 to 300 million years after Earth cooled enough to
carry liquid water, cells similar to modern bacteria were
common. _________________________
1. True
2. False
1
2
3
4
50%
5
1
50%
2
Under certain conditions, very small bubbles called
proteinoid microspheres can form from large
organic molecules. _________________________
1. True
2. False
1
2
3
4
50%
5
1
50%
2
Asexual reproduction increases genetic variation—
the raw material on which natural selection
operates. _________________________
1. True
2. False
1
2
3
4
50%
5
1
50%
2
During the Mesozoic Era, animals began to
invade the land.
_________________________
1. True
50%
50%
2. False
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
The Galápagos finches underwent adaptive radiation, a
process in which a small group evolves into several
different forms that live in different ways.
_________________________
1. True
2. False
1
2
3
4
50%
5
1
50%
2
There are at least six important topics in coevolution—the
large-scale evolutionary changes that take place over time.
_________________________
1. True
2. False
1
2
3
4
50%
5
1
50%
2
Participant Scores
0
0
Participant 1
Participant 2
0
0
0
Participant 3
Participant 4
Participant 5
In a species that has become
____________________, all members have
died, and the species has ceased to exist.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
The ____________________ record
provides evidence about the history of life on
Earth.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
A researcher could quickly date a new rock
sample if it contained a(an)
____________________ fossil.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
After Precambrian Time, the main divisions
of the geologic time scale are eras and
____________________.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Earth’s least dense elements, including
hydrogen and ____________________,
formed the planet’s first atmosphere.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Earth’s early oceans were brown because
they contained a lot of dissolved
____________________.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
In Stanley Miller and Harold Urey’s experiment,
several ____________________, which are the
building blocks of proteins, began to accumulate.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
It is possible that RNA was the first information-storing
molecule, but over time, ____________________ became
the primary way in which genetic information is stored and
transmitted.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
_________________________ are considered models for
the precursors to cells because they have the ability to take
in certain molecules while excluding others and the ability
to store and release energy.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
______________________________, which are fossilized
remains of single-celled organisms similar to modern
bacteria, exist in rocks that are more than 3.5 billion years
old.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
The ____________________ theory proposes that
eukaryotic cells arose from living communities of
several prokaryotic organisms.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
As the Paleozoic Era closed, a(an)
____________________, which is the dying out of
many types of living things at one time, occurred.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
New evidence suggests that the diverse marine life
of the early Paleozoic appeared earlier, during
____________________ Time.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
____________________ is the process by
which two species evolve in response to
changes in each other over time.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
The similar body structure but different ancestry of sharks
and dolphins indicates that these groups have undergone
_________________________, a process in which
unrelated organisms come to resemble each other.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Why is the fossil record an
incomplete history of life?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
What are two kinds of information that
scientists attempt to infer from the study of
fossils?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
What information does relative
dating provide?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
What can you learn about the relative ages of two fairly
young fossils if fossil A has a greater amount of carbon-12
compared to carbon-14 than does fossil B? What else
could you learn?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Why are the divisions of geologic time NOT
standard lengths, such as 100 million years?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
New fossils are continuously found and
radioactively dated. How might information from
new fossils make relative dating more accurate?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Why did oceans not exist on
Earth 4 billion years ago?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Stanley Miller and Harold Urey’s experiments did not
simulate the conditions of Earth’s primitive atmosphere
exactly. Why were these experiments nevertheless
important?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
When they conducted their famous experiments, Stanley Miller and
Harold Urey made certain that no microorganisms contaminated their
lab equipment. Why might microorganisms have harmed the accuracy
of their result?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
How does a study of modern proteinoid
microspheres help scientists investigate the
origin of cells?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
What do the membranes of microspheres
and those of cells have in common?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
What was the source of the oxygen gas that
began to accumulate in the atmosphere
more than 2 billion years ago?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
What role did microscopes play in the origin
of the endosymbiotic theory more than 100
years ago?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
What happened to the dinosaurs at
the end of the Cretaceous Period?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Explain how the Galápagos finches
illustrate punctuated equilibrium.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Suppose that a scientist found a fossilized fish on the
surface of the ground. Describe a possible set of events
that could have taken place first to form the fossil and then
to situate it on the ground surface.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Explain the principle behind
radioactive dating.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
What is the geologic time scale and
how does it relate to the fossil record?
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Explain the hypothesis that describes
how Earth probably formed.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Describe Stanley Miller and Harold Urey’s famous
experiment. Describe their results as well as the results of
similar experiments based on more current knowledge.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Explain why some scientists have proposed the
hypothesis that RNA may have preceded DNA as
the first information-storing molecule of life.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Define and explain the
endosymbiotic theory.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
Describe the milestones in the evolution of
life that occurred during Precambrian Time.
1
2
3
4
5
0 of 5
What important event at the end of the Mesozoic opened
up new habitats for mammals? How did mammals—
including humans—change through the Cenozoic?
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Explain the proposed relationship between an asteroid
impact and the Cretaceous mass extinction, and describe a
more current view of the cause of the Cretaceous
extinction.
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