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1 | |
Which of the following individuals was an early proponent of evolution? Even though his explanation of how change in species occurs was incorrect, he was steadfast in promoting ideas of evolutionary change. |
| | A) | Alfred Russel Wallace |
| | B) | Charles Darwin |
| | C) | Jean Baptiste Lamarck |
| | D) | Godfrey H. Hardy |
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2 | |
According to Charles Darwin, evolution is most closely related to which concept? |
| | A) | natural selection |
| | B) | scientific creationism |
| | C) | inheritance of acquired characteristics |
| | D) | absence of change in a species |
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3 | |
The idea that the earth is shaped today by the forces of wind, rain, rivers, volcanoes, and geological uplift—just as it has been in the past—was developed by |
| | A) | Charles Darwin. |
| | B) | Alfred Russel Wallace. |
| | C) | James Hutton and Charles Lyell. |
| | D) | John Henslow. |
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4 | |
The discovery of fossils of horses, giant armadillos, and giant sloths in South America suggested to Charles Darwin that |
| | A) | horses evolved in Europe and were brought to America by early explorers. |
| | B) | the species composition of the earth has changed through geological history. |
| | C) | little change in South American life forms occurred since they originated. |
| | D) | catastrophic events led to the extinction of mammals in South America. |
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5 | |
The formation of new species from an ancestral species in response to the opening of new habitats is |
| | A) | neutral selection. |
| | B) | natural selection. |
| | C) | neo-Darwinism. |
| | D) | adaptive radiation. |
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6 | |
All of the following are a part of the theory of evolution by natural selection except one. Select the exception. |
| | A) | All organisms have a far greater reproductive potential than is ever realized. |
| | B) | Inherited variations arise as a result of encountering an environmental challenge that must be overcome. |
| | C) | There is a constant struggle for existence, and many individuals die. |
| | D) | Adaptive traits are perpetuated in subsequent generations because individuals with less adaptive traits are less likely to reproduce than individuals with more adaptive traits. |
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7 | |
The combination of Darwinian evolutionary theory and population genetics is referred to as the |
| | A) | modern synthesis or neo-Darwinism. |
| | B) | biogeography. |
| | C) | adaptation theory. |
| | D) | adaptive radiation. |
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8 | |
The study of the movement of crustal plates during continental drift is called |
| | A) | historical geology. |
| | B) | biogeography. |
| | C) | anthropology. |
| | D) | plate tectonics. |
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9 | |
As continents move apart, new crustal material is thrust up from the ocean floor in the Atlantic Ocean, and old crustal material sinks into the earth in |
| | A) | fault lines of western North and South America. |
| | B) | oceanic trenches of the Pacific Ocean. |
| | C) | the Grand Canyon. |
| | D) | mountain ranges of the world. |
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10 | |
Geologists estimate that the earth is about _____ years old. |
| | A) | 100 million |
| | B) | 1.2 billion |
| | C) | 4.6 billion |
| | D) | 12.3 billion |
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11 | |
Life arose about _____ years ago. |
| | A) | 50 million |
| | B) | 1 billion |
| | C) | 2.5 billion |
| | D) | 3.6 billion |
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12 | |
RNA is considered by many biologists to be a good candidate for the first genetic material. This idea hinges on the discovery that some kinds of RNA |
| | A) | have the ability to code for proteins. |
| | B) | have the ability to code for DNA. |
| | C) | can act as enzymes. |
| | D) | are the only genetic material in many primitive eukaryotic organisms. |
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13 | |
The theory of uniformitarianism was important for Charles Darwin's ideas because it indicated that the earth was much older than 6,000 years and that the face of the earth changed gradually over its history. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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14 | |
Ancestral finches encountered habitats in the Galapagos Islands that were devoid of other birds and predators. They rapidly multiplied and filled ecological roles that were unusual for finches on the mainland. This account is an example of adaptive radiation. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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15 | |
Natural selection is a positive force that selects for individuals with adaptive traits, allowing them to reproduce. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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16 | |
Evolutionary adaptations lead to perfection in a species. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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17 | |
Variations on which natural selection acts arise as a result of random mutations. A new variation may, or may not, be adaptive. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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18 | |
About 250 million years ago all major continents of the earth were united into a single land mass called Pangaea. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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19 | |
Natural selection involves detrimental traits being eliminated from a population by the failure of the organism containing them to reproduce. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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20 | |
An adaptation present in an organism in one environment may be maladaptive in another environment. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education