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1

Geomagnetic dating of rocks is possible because
A)of the decay of radioactive elements.
B)reversals of the earth's magnetic field.
C)the magnetic north pole causes continents to drift northward.
D)silicon dioxide is magnetic.
2

The fossil record is incomplete because
A)some organisms do not easily form fossils.
B)some fossils have been lost from museums.
C)of changes in climate.
D)All of the above are true
3

In general the fossil record shows which sequence of organisms?
A)simple marine organisms---marine animals---terrestrial plants---terrestrial animals
B)simple marine organisms---terrestrial plants---marine animals---terrestrial animals
C)marine bacteria---simple marine animals---terrestrial animals---terrestrial plants
D)None of the above is a logical sequence.
4

If you were studying the fossils of the Permian, you would expect to find all of the following except which kind of fossil?
A)mammals
B)mollusks
C)gymnosperms
D)fish
5

An examination of the fossil record of life on earth reveals that
A)extinctions rarely affected more than 10-20% of existing species.
B)terrestrial organisms were less likely to go extinct than marine organisms.
C)it usually took hundreds of millions of years for new organisms to appear.
D)None of the above is true.
6

All of the following statements about the geologic history of the Earth are true except which of the following?
A)The positions of the continents have changed.
B)The climate of the earth has changed.
C)The rocks on the earth would look the same today if there had been no living things.
D)Terrestrial organisms are the most recent to evolve.
7

Which one of the following currently living organisms would be the least likely to form a fossil? A (an)
A)insect.
B)elephant.
C)tiny fish found in the ocean.
D)jellyfish found in the ocean.
8

What could you conclude if you have a layer of limestone with fossils of a certain clam in North America and a layer of sandstone with the same clam in Europe?
A)The two layers must be about the same age.
B)The layer of sandstone was formed after the layer of limestone.
C)The layer of limestone was formed after the layer of sandstone.
D)None of the above is true.
9

When we compare the fossils found during different geologic periods we find periods of time
A)in which there were extinctions of many kinds of organisms.
B)when the climate appeared to change significantly.
C)when the continents moved with respect to one another.
D)All of the above are true.
10

Which one of the following was the most recent kind of organism to appear on the earth?
A)stromatolites
B)fish
C)soft bodied animals
D)photosynthetic organisms
11

Phylogeny seeks to determine the
A)names of organisms.
B)geologic age of organisms.
C)time when an organism first appeared in the fossil record.
D)evolutionary relationships among organisms.
12

Which of the following is true for bacteria? Some are
A)eukaryotic.
B)multicellular.
C)photosynthetic.
D)None of the above is true.
13

In the evolution of living things, which one of the following preceded all the others?
A)viruses
B)Eubacteria
C)Archaea
D)Protista
14

Prions are
A)not alive.
B)proteins.
C)able to cause disease.
D)All of the above are true.
15

All of the following statements about the evolution of humans and human-like organisms are true except
A)the oldest fossils are all found in Africa.
B)several species of the genus Homo existed in Europe and Asia.
C)Homo sapiens migrated throughout the world.
D)Homo sapiens was the only human-like species to use tools.
16

The oldest hominid fossils in the genus Australopithecus are approximately _____ years old.
A)4 million
B)1.6 million
C)20,000
D)100,000
17

All of the following statements about Neanderthals are true except
A)some scientists have hypothesized they may have interbred with modern humans.
B)recent DNA evidence suggests they were the same species as modern humans.
C)they had a larger brain capacity than modern humans.
D)they disappeared from the fossil record about 25,000 years ago.
18

A sample containing one-sixteenth the normal proportion of carbon-14 would be estimated to be _____ years old.
A)5,730
B)91,680
C)22,920
D)11, 460
19

Organisms with _____ are least likely to be fossilized.
A)soft bodies
B)skeletons
C)shells
D)cell walls
20

Algae are classified in the kingdom
A)Prokaryotae.
B)Protista.
C)Fungi.
D)Plantae.
21

Some viruses differ from organisms in all other kingdoms because they
A)are typically host-specific.
B)contain proteins.
C)are parasites.
D)have only RNA as their genetic material.
22

The kingdom Animalia is thought to have evolved most recently from the kingdom
A)Prokaryotae.
B)Protista.
C)Mycetae.
D)Plantae.
23

Which of the following scientific names is written correctly?
A)Homo sapiens
B)Homo Sapiens
C)homo sapiens
D)homo sapiens
24

If you were using carbon-14 dating techniques you would need to be determining the age of fossils that
A)contained organic matter.
B)were several million years old.
C)were petrified.
D)None of the above is true.
25

Which of the following taxonomic groups is the most inclusive?
A)class
B)genus
C)family
D)order





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