Name:______________
Block: ______
Evolution Test Review
1. Give an example of microevolution.
Bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics
2. What is a mutation? And what are they caused by?
A mutation is a change in DNA. They can be random, or caused by mutagens such as excess UV rays, chemicals,
etc.
3. Why are mutations important to the theory of evolution?
Mutations cause changes in organisms’ physical appearance. Sometimes these changes become adaptations.
4. As Peter was digging in the yard he came across a small leg bone. As he dug another 2 feet, he came across a
shell. Which fossil was older and why?
The one found deeper in the earth, because the deeper a fossil is found, the older it is (most likely).
5. What is the term for the environment affecting which organisms will live or die?
Natural Selection
6. The weather patterns have changed and it happened to rain 60 more inches than normal in the desert. The
kangaroo rat does not have a mutation that will let it adapt to this new environment. What will happen to the
kangaroo rat?
It will most likely die
7. Using the same scenario as in #7, a kangaroo rat has an offspring that has a mutation. That mutation causes the
kangaroo rat to dig holes in cacti, rather than in the ground. When it rains and the ground is flooded, the baby
kangaroo rat is safe in the cactus. That kangaroo rat is able to survive every flood and produces more offspring
than the other kangaroo rats. What will happen to the frequency of the mutation allele that causes the
kangaroo rat to live in the cacti?
That allele (gene) will become more common because it allows the kangaroo rat to survive.
8. The allele that causes the kangaroo rat to live in the ground is dominant and the allele that causes the kangaroo
rat to live in the cacti is recessive. There is only one kangaroo rat that can live in the cacti and has the genotype
“gg.” All of the other kangaroo rats have the genotype “GG” (G for living in the ground). Draw a Punnett square
to show the result of the recessive kangaroo rat mating with another kangaroo rat.
9. Will the offspring live in the cacti or in the ground?
They will live in the ground
10. Draw a Punnett square of kangaroo rats with the genotype “Gg” mating.
11. What percentage of those kangaroo rats will live in the cacti?
25%
12. If it continues to rain in the desert for years and years, eventually what genotype will all of the kangaroo rats
have? gg
13. Who developed the theory of evolution as we know it today?
Charles Darwin
14. What do we call the remains or imprints of once living things?
fossils
15. A trait that helps an organism to survive in its environment is called a (an)?
adaptation
16. _________microevolution___________(type of evolution) can be seen in the environment, while
_______macroevolution__________(type of evolution) cannot be observed or experimented on.
17. Why do scientists believe that prokaryotic organisms were the first on Earth?
Because they are the smallest and simplest. Life most likely became more complex over time due to beneficial
mutations.
18. What are vestigial structures?
Body parts that are remnants of once-useful structures, such as a whale having hind leg bones, even though they
don’t walk. This suggests that whale’s ancestors walked on land.
19. How does our understanding of DNA support the theory of evolution?
Similar DNA codes for similar structures. The more similar the DNA, the more closely organisms are related.
Also, the fact that all living things have DNA suggests that all living things come from a common ancestor.
20. Skeletal structures are similar between species when they are inherited from a common
_________ancestor__________.
21. In natural selection, which organisms are more likely to survive and reproduce?
Those with the best adaptations.
22. Give an example of a structural adaptation:
A bird’s beak helps it to catch food.
23. Give an example of a behavioral adaptation:
Wolves hunt in packs to catch their prey. This increases their chances of success.
24. Explain this phrase: “Animals don’t mutate and adapt because they NEED to.”
Mutations are random, and cannot be planned.
25. Explain why you growing is not an example of evolution.
You grow and change as part of your life cycle. However, this is not due to new mutations or adaptations. This
does not change your species over time.
26. Explain why a caterpillar turning into a butterfly is not an example of evolution.
That is a life process, whereas evolution involves changes in an entire population or species over time.
27. Propose how horses could evolve into unicorns using the words natural selection, adaptation, mutation, genetic
variation, environmental pressure, and evolution.
In a population of horses, one horse gets a mutation of having a horn (unicorn). This is a new
genetic variation within the horse population. The unicorn’s horn allows it to fight off the
environmental pressure of predators. The horn helps the unicorn survive, so it is considered
an adaptation. The horse reproduces and passes down this adaptation to his offspring. Over
time, unicorns make up more and more of the population because they are naturally selected
to survive in their environment. Eventually, the entire population is made up of unicorns. This
change in the population over time is called evolution.