Evolution quiz practice
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1. A species is a group of similar organisms that
a. can mate with each other and produce fertile offspring.
b. can live together on an island.
c. can migrate to an island from the mainland.
d. all have exactly the same traits.
2. What did Darwin infer from his observations of organisms in South America and the Galápagos Islands?
a. The organisms on the Galápagos Islands were virtually identical to mainland organisms.
b. A small number of different plant and animal species had come to the mainland from the
Galápagos Islands.
c. The organisms on the Galápagos Islands were completely unrelated to mainland
organisms.
d. A small number of different plant and animal species had come to the Galápagos Islands
from the mainland.
3. Differences between members of the same species are called
a. predators.
b. selections.
c. traits.
d. variations.
4. What is the role of genes in evolution?
a. Only genes can be acted on by natural selection.
b. Parents with recessive genes die from overproduction.
c. The genes of most surviving parents have only dominant alleles.
d. Only traits that are controlled by genes can be acted on by natural selection.
5. Which of these is one of the main ways that a new species forms?
a. Cross-breeding occurs within the species.
b. A group is separated from the rest of the species.
c. Competition occurs between members of the species.
d. Mutations occur in the alleles of members of the species.
6. What are fossils?
a. molds and casts of organisms that live today
b. drawings of ancient animals and other organisms
c. footprints or burrows of small animals that live today
d. the preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived in the past
7. How do most fossils form?
a. An insect becomes trapped in amber.
b. An entire organism becomes frozen in ice.
c. A dead organism becomes buried in sediment.
d. A dead organism becomes buried in tar.
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____
____
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8. What evidence is most important when using relative dating?
a. the half-life of a radioactive element
b. the position of sediment in petrified rock
c. the types of minerals in a petrified fossil
d. the position of fossils in sedimentary rock layers
9. Which term refers to a species that no longer has any living members?
a. molded
b. fossilized
c. extinct
d. petrified
10. Which term refers to similar structures that related species have inherited from a common ancestor?
a. DNA sequences
b. developmental organisms
c. homologous structures
d. punctuated equilibria
11. If two organisms look very similar during their early stages of development, this is evidence that the
organisms
a. are not related.
b. evolved from different ancestors.
c. have exactly the same DNA.
d. evolved from a common ancestor.
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____
12. A branching tree is
a. a diagram showing how scientists think different groups of organisms are related.
b. a species of tree that is not closely related to other tree species.
c. a drawing that shows where different animals live in a tree.
d. a homologous structure that many plants have.
13. Scientists combine evidence from fossils, body structures, early development, DNA, and protein structures
to
a.
b.
c.
d.
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____
determine what bones an animal has in its forelimbs.
determine the evolutionary relationships among species.
decide which fossils are older than others.
determine whether an organism will have gills during its early development.
14. What did Darwin observe about finches in the Galápagos Islands?
a. Their feathers were adapted to match their environment.
b. Their beaks were adaptations related to the foods the finches ate.
c. They had identical phenotypes in all locations.
d. They had identical genotypes in all locations.
15. The gradual change in a species over time is called
a. mutation.
b. evolution.
c. migration.
d. variation.
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____
16. A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce is called a(n)
a. mutation.
b. selection.
c. adaptation.
d. variation.
17. Which term refers to the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more
likely to survive and reproduce?
a. natural selection
b. overproduction
c. competition
d. variation
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18. Which term refers to a species creating more offspring than can possibly survive?
a. natural selection
b. overproduction
c. evolution
d. variation
19. What evidence suggests that the ancestors of whales once walked on land?
a. Scientists have found fossils of whalelike creatures that had legs.
b. Whales perform walking motions as they swim.
c. Whales have similar DNA to elephants.
d. Whales breathe through lungs.
20. How does natural selection lead to evolution?
a. Stronger offspring kill weaker members of the species.
b. Helpful variations accumulate among surviving members of the species.
c. Overproduction provides food for stronger members of the species.
d. Environmental changes favor weaker members of the species.
21. How do remains become petrified fossils?
a. A sedimentary rock becomes a cast.
b. Molds and casts fill with sediment.
c. Minerals replace all or part of an organism.
d. Sediment replaces all or part of an organism.
22. Why do scientists think related species have similar body structures and development patterns?
a. The species inherited many of the same genes from each other.
b. The species inherited many of the same proteins from each other.
c. The species inherited all of the same genes from a common ancestor.
d. The species inherited many of the same genes from a common ancestor.
23. Which of the following is most likely to become preserved as a fossil?
a. a leaf
b. a worm
c. a jellyfish
d. a clam shell
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24. If the half-life of a radioactive element is 4 days, how long will it take for three fourths of a sample of the
element to decay?
a. 2 days
b. 4 days
c. 8 days
d. 16 days
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25. Darwin concluded that organisms on the Galápagos Islands
a. had changed over time.
b. had remained the same.
c. were the result of selective breeding.
d. had no variations.
Modified True/False
Indicate whether the statement is true or false. If false, change the identified word or phrase to make the
statement true.
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26. Gradual change in a species over time is called adaptation. _________________________
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27. Through natural selection, harmful variations gradually accumulate in a species.
_________________________
____
28. When some members of a species become isolated, they are less likely to form a new species.
_________________________
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29. In sedimentary rock, the youngest fossils are usually found in the deepest layers.
_________________________
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30. Darwin thought that species evolved rapidly. _________________________
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31. The more similar the DNA sequences of two species are, the more closely related the species are.
_________________________
____
32. On a branching tree, a species is more closely related to a species on the same branch than to one on a
separate branch. _________________________
Completion
Complete each statement.
33. Organisms belonging to the same ____________________ can usually mate and produce fertile offspring.
34. An inherited characteristic that improves an organism’s chances to survive and reproduce is a(n)
____________________.
35. In the process of natural selection, the organisms that are best suited to their environments are most likely to
survive and _________________________.
36. Natural selection is affected by ____________________, or traits that are different in members of the same
species.
37. The only traits that can be acted upon by natural selection are those that are controlled by
____________________.
38. A new ____________________ can form when a group of individuals become isolated from the main
group.
39. Most fossils are found in ____________________ rock.
40. When minerals replace bone, a(n) _________________________ fossil forms.
41. To determine a fossil’s actual age, scientists analyze ____________________ elements in rocks near the
fossils.
42. The ____________________ of a radioactive element is the time it takes for half of the atoms in a sample
to decay.
43. Earth’s history spans more than ____________________ years.
44. The fossil record provides information about species that are ____________________, or have died out.
45. The theory of _________________________ states that species evolve quickly over a relatively short time.
46. The forelimbs of a bird and a mammal are examples of ____________________ structures.
47. Similarities in the early development of chickens and opossums suggest that these animals share a common
____________________.
48. Scientists show how groups of organisms may be related by placing them on a diagram called a(n)
____________________.
49. ____________________ dating can be used to determine which of two fossils is younger and which is
older, but not what their actual ages are.
50. A(n) ____________________ is a well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations.
Essay
57. A horse and a donkey can mate with each other. Their offspring, called a mule, is not fertile. Do horses and
donkeys belong to the same species? Explain your answer.
58. A scientist collects wild rabbits that live at sea level and moves them to the mountains. One year later, the
scientist discovers that the same rabbits have larger lungs, which help them breathe the thin mountain air.
The scientist returns the rabbits to sea level. Will the offspring of the rabbits have larger-than-normal lungs?
Explain.
59. Explain how a group of organisms that is separated from the rest of its species can evolve different traits.
60. Species A and species B are shown on the same branch of a branching tree. Species C is shown on a
separate branch. All three species came from a common ancestor. What can you state about the similarities
of the DNA of species A, B, and C?
61. How did studying selective breeding help Darwin develop his theory of evolution
Short Answer
Use the diagram to answer each question.
51. Did birds evolve from the gliding reptiles called pterosaurs? Explain your reasoning.
52. Are modern birds more closely related to Archaeopteryx or to the first reptiles?
53. Would you expect the DNA of crocodilians to be more similar to the DNA of modern birds or the DNA of
turtles? Explain your reasoning.
54. Are pterosaurs more closely related to turtles or to crocodilians? Explain your answer.
55. Name the common ancestor of pterosaurs and crocodilians.
56. List two ancestors of Archaeopteryx.
Short Answer and Essay Key
51.
ANS: No, birds did not evolve from pterosaurs. Birds and pterosaurs are on different branches of the
branching tree.
52. ANS:
Modern birds are more closely related to Archaeopteryx than to the first reptiles.
53. ANS:
The DNA of crocodilians should be more similar to the DNA of modern birds. The diagram indicates that
the common ancestor of crocodilians and modern birds was more recent than the common ancestor of
crocodilians and turtles.
54. ANS:
Pterosaurs are more closely related to crocodilians. They share a more recent common ancestor than do
pterosaurs and turtles.
55. ANS:
Thecodonts were the common ancestor of pterosaurs and crocodilians.
56. ANS:
The ancestors were thecodonts and the first reptiles.
57. ANS:
No, horses and donkeys do not belong to the same species. Two organisms belong to the same species only
if they can mate and produce fertile offspring.
58. ANS:
The offspring probably will not have larger lungs. Their environment, not their genes, produced the larger
lungs of the rabbits kept in the mountains. Only traits that are controlled by genes can be acted upon by
natural selection and passed on to offspring. (If the larger-lung trait were controlled by genes, the rabbits
would have shown the trait before being moved to the mountains.)
59. ANS:
The organisms are not able to mate with members of the rest of the species. The longer they remain
isolated, the more likely they are to evolve different traits.
60. ANS:
All three species have similar DNA because they came from a common ancestor. The DNA of A and B is
more similar than the DNA of A and C or the DNA of B and C.
61. ANS:
Darwin observed that animals with a desired characteristic could be produced by allowing only those
individuals with the characteristic to mate. He thought that a process similar to selective breeding might
occur in nature.
Evolution quiz practice
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. ANS: A
OBJ:
C.5.1.1
2. ANS: D
OBJ:
C.5.1.1
3. ANS: D
OBJ:
C.5.1.3
4. ANS: D
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
C.5.1.3
B
C.5.2.3
D
C.5.1.1
C
C.5.3.1
D
C.5.3.2
C
C.5.3.3
C
C.5.2.1
D
C.5.2.1
A
C.5.2.2
B
C.5.2.2
B
C.5.1.1
B
C.5.1.2
C
C.5.1.1
A
C.5.1.3
B
C.5.1.3
A
C.5.2.1
B
C.5.1.3
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.11 | Inquiry2
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.11 | Inquiry2
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.11 | Inquiry2
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
L1
REF:
p. C-139
L2
REF:
p. C-140
L1
REF:
p. C-143
L2
REF:
p. C-145
L1
REF:
p. C-152
L1
REF:
p. C-139
L1
REF:
p. C-156
L2
REF:
p. C-157
L1
REF:
p. C-159
L1
REF:
p. C-150
L2
REF:
p. C-149
L1
REF:
p. C-152
L1
REF:
p. C-151
L3
REF:
p. C-141
L1
REF:
p. C-142
L1
REF:
p. C-141
L1
REF:
p. C-143
L2
REF:
p. C-143
L2
REF:
p. C-150
L3
REF:
p. C-144
21. ANS: C
22.
23.
24.
25.
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
ANS:
OBJ:
C.5.3.1
D
C.5.2.2
D
C.5.3.1
C
C.5.3.2
A
C.5.1.2
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
L3
REF:
p. C-156
L2
REF:
p. C-151
L2
REF:
p. C-156
L3
REF:
p. C-158
L1
REF:
p. C-142
MODIFIED TRUE/FALSE
26. ANS: F, evolution
PTS:
STA:
27. ANS:
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
F, helpful
L1
REF:
p. C-142
OBJ:
C.5.1.2
PTS:
STA:
28. ANS:
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
F, more
L1
REF:
p. C-144
OBJ:
C.5.1.3
PTS:
STA:
29. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
F, oldest
L2
REF:
p. C-152
OBJ:
C.5.2.3
PTS:
STA:
30. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
F, slowly
L2
REF:
p. C-157
OBJ:
C.5.3.2
PTS:
STA:
31. ANS:
REF:
32. ANS:
REF:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
T
p. C-151
OBJ:
T
p. C-152
OBJ:
L3
REF:
p. C-163
OBJ:
C.5.3.4
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
L1
C.5.2.2
PTS:
STA:
PTS:
STA:
L1
REF:
p. C-139
C.5.1.1
C.5.2.2
L3
COMPLETION
33. ANS: species
PTS:
STA:
34. ANS:
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.11 | Inquiry2
adaptation
OBJ:
PTS:
STA:
35. ANS:
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
reproduce
L2
REF:
p. C-141
OBJ:
C.5.1.1
PTS:
STA:
36. ANS:
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
variations
L1
REF:
p. C-143
OBJ:
C.5.1.3
PTS:
STA:
37. ANS:
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
genes
L1
REF:
p. C-143
OBJ:
C.5.1.3
PTS:
STA:
38. ANS:
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
species
L2
REF:
p. C-145
OBJ:
C.5.1.3
PTS:
STA:
39. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
sedimentary
L1
REF:
p. C-152
OBJ:
C.5.2.3
PTS:
STA:
40. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
petrified
L2
REF:
p. C-156
OBJ:
C.5.3.1
PTS:
STA:
41. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
radioactive
L2
REF:
p. C-156
OBJ:
C.5.3.1
PTS: 1
DIF:
STA: 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
42. ANS:
half-life
half life
L2
REF:
p. C-158
OBJ:
C.5.3.2
PTS:
STA:
43. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
4.6 billion
L1
REF:
p. C-158
OBJ:
C.5.3.2
PTS:
STA:
44. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
extinct
L1
REF:
p. C-159
OBJ:
C.5.3.3
PTS:
STA:
45. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
punctuated equilibria
L2
REF:
p. C-159
OBJ:
C.5.3.3
PTS:
STA:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
L2
REF:
p. C-163
OBJ:
C.5.3.4
46. ANS: homologous
PTS:
STA:
47. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
ancestor
L3
REF:
p. C-150
OBJ:
C.5.2.1
PTS:
STA:
48. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
branching tree
L2
REF:
p. C-149
OBJ:
C.5.2.1
PTS:
STA:
49. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
Relative
L1
REF:
p. C-152
OBJ:
C.5.2.2
PTS:
STA:
50. ANS:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.11
scientific theory
L2
REF:
p. C-157
OBJ:
C.5.3.2
PTS:
STA:
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
L1
REF:
p. C-142
OBJ:
C.5.1.2
SHORT ANSWER
51. ANS:
No, birds did not evolve from pterosaurs. Birds and pterosaurs are on different branches of the branching
tree.
PTS: 1
DIF: L3
REF: p. C-152
OBJ: C.5.2.2
STA: 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
52. ANS:
Modern birds are more closely related to Archaeopteryx than to the first reptiles.
PTS: 1
DIF: L3
REF: p. C-152
OBJ: C.5.2.2
STA: 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
53. ANS:
The DNA of crocodilians should be more similar to the DNA of modern birds. The diagram indicates that
the common ancestor of crocodilians and modern birds was more recent than the common ancestor of
crocodilians and turtles.
PTS: 1
DIF: L3
REF: p. C-152
OBJ: C.5.2.2
STA: 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
54. ANS:
Pterosaurs are more closely related to crocodilians. They share a more recent common ancestor than do
pterosaurs and turtles.
PTS:
STA:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
L3
REF:
p. C-152
OBJ:
C.5.2.2
55. ANS:
Thecodonts were the common ancestor of pterosaurs and crocodilians.
PTS: 1
DIF: L2
REF:
STA: 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
56. ANS:
The ancestors were thecodonts and the first reptiles.
PTS:
STA:
1
DIF:
1.7 | 2.7 | 2.10
L2
REF:
p. C-152
OBJ:
C.5.2.2
p. C-152
OBJ:
C.5.2.2
ESSAY
57. ANS:
No, horses and donkeys do not belong to the same species. Two organisms belong to the same species only
if they can mate and produce fertile offspring.
PTS: 1
DIF: L2
REF: p. C-139
OBJ: C.5.1.1
STA: 2.7 | 2.11 | Inquiry2
58. ANS:
The offspring probably will not have larger lungs. Their environment, not their genes, produced the larger
lungs of the rabbits kept in the mountains. Only traits that are controlled by genes can be acted upon by
natural selection and passed on to offspring. (If the larger-lung trait were controlled by genes, the rabbits
would have shown the trait before being moved to the mountains.)
PTS: 1
DIF: L3
REF: p. C-145
OBJ: C.5.1.3
STA: 2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
59. ANS:
The organisms are not able to mate with members of the rest of the species. The longer they remain
isolated, the more likely they are to evolve different traits.
PTS: 1
DIF: L3
REF: p. C-152
OBJ: C.5.2.3
STA: 2.7 | 2.10
60. ANS:
All three species have similar DNA because they came from a common ancestor. The DNA of A and B is
more similar than the DNA of A and C or the DNA of B and C.
PTS: 1
DIF: L3
REF: p. C-152
OBJ: C.5.2.2
STA: 2.7 | 2.10
61. ANS:
Darwin observed that animals with a desired characteristic could be produced by allowing only those
individuals with the characteristic to mate. He thought that a process similar to selective breeding might
occur in nature.
PTS:
STA:
1
DIF:
2.7 | 2.10 | Inquiry2
L2
REF:
p. C-142
OBJ:
C.5.1.2