Think you’ve got your head wrapped around Evidence of Evolution? Put your knowledge to
the test. Good luck — the Stickman is counting on you!
Q. Hutton and Lyell are best known for
Taking their wives on geology adventures
Laying the foundation of modern geology
Popularizing the idea of inheritance of acquired characteristics
Establishing the Principle of Faunal Succession
Promoting catastrophism over uniformitarianism
Q. Which of the following is an example of pre-evolutionary thought?
The distribution of organisms on earth can help us figure out how they're related to each other.
Characteristics acquired during an organism's life can be inherited, and over many generations this leads to evolution
A creator made all organisms just as we see them today
Some species have gone extinct and others have evolved
All organisms share a common ancestor
Q. Stratigraphy is
The study of the distribution of organisms on earth
The study of fossils
The study of how continents move
The study of layers of rock and sediment
The study of gradual processes that shape the earth's surface
Q. Species that are more closely related share a more _________ common ancestor and have more ________ homologous structures.
recent; different
recent; similar
ancient; different
ancient; similar
It is impossible to tell from the information in this question.
Q. Which of the following statements does not support the idea of common ancestry?
The same geologic processes at work today were at work in the past
Hox genes are present in all animals
All eukaryotic cells have mitochondria
Humans and chimpanzees share 98% of their DNA
Turtle shells are homologous to aardvark ribs
Q. Using DNA sequences to determine relatedness depends on all of the following assumptions EXCEPT:
DNA replication is not perfect; sometimes mutations occur
Mutations occur at a relatively constant and predictable rate
DNA mutations only occur in Hox genes
More similar DNA sequences indicate a more recent common ancestor
All of the above are true.
Q. Which of the following is NOT an example of artificial selection?
Humans bred dogs with certain desirable traits, leading to many dog breeds
Humans breed racehorses that are proven winners
Humans breed chickens that yield the most meat
Humans pick and eat the sweetest raspberries off wild raspberry bushes
Humans plant seeds from the largest, sweetest tomatoes
Q. Which of the following statements about common ancestry is false?
All life shares a common ancestor
Humans and other primates share a more recent common ancestor than humans and fungi
Common biochemical molecules in all cells provide evidence of common ancestry
Asian elephants share a more recent common ancestor with mammoths than they do with African elephants
Eukaryotes share a common ancestor, but prokaryotes do not
Q. Convergent evolution is
the independent evolution of structures or traits in two or more kinds of organisms
the mechanism by which homologous structures evolve
the reason why closely related organisms share many traits
the result of humans selecting certain traits in crops
None of the above
Q. Transitional fossils in whale evolution show
The rapid evolution of fish into whales in the middle Eocene
That whales evolved from aquatic seals
A gradual progression from a water-breathing ancestor to an air-breathing descendant
That whale fins are not homologous to arms in other vertebrates
A gradual progression from a land-dwelling wolf-like mammal to a fully aquatic organism