Evolution (Mechanisms of Evolution) and Natural Selection Review

Fossils of the Durodon, an aquatic mammal that lived over 40 million years ago, provide scientists with evidence for the ancestry of the modern whale. These fossils contained vestigial, or small, underdeveloped hind limbs. This feature helps scientists conclude that the Durodon probably:

• a. Was a mix of many

  different types of animals.

• b. Descended from animals that could walk on land.

• c. Was the apex predator

  of the ancient aquatic food chain.

• Needed strong back limbs to propel them through the water.

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Which of the following best describes the scientific theory of evolution?

• A. It represents

  scientists' best guess of why animals look the way they do.

• B. It offers the strongest scientific explanation of how organisms have changed over very long periods of time

• C. It offers a very

  tentative and continually changing explanation about animal species.

• D. It provides an explanation, developed by one scientist, to explain why some animals look similar to each other.

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During biology class, a student asks his teacher, "Once scientists gather enough data and evidence supporting the scientific theory of evolution, will it become the scientific law of evolution?"

Which is the best response to this student's question?

• A. Yes, once scientists collect enough evidence, scientific theories can become scientific laws.

• B. No, scientific

  theories are more widely accepted than scientific laws, so changing a theory to a law is like going backwards.

• C. Yes, laws are more reliable than theories, and it is important to keep collecting data so that all scientific theories will eventually become scientific laws.

• D. No, scientific theories explain how something might happen and scientific laws describe relationships; they are different and one does not become the other.

Why do scientists use fossil evidence to help support the scientific theory of evolution?

• A. Fossils help show which organisms have lived over the last 100 years.

• B. Fossils are exact replicas of animals from the past.

• C. There are fossils from every species of animal that has ever lived.

• D. Fossils can show patterns of change that happened over millions of years

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The images represent a limb from four different organisms. How could scientists use images like these to support the scientific theory of evolution?

• A. The limbs have similar structures, so the organisms may have a common ancestor.

• B. The limbs look alike, so they are likely from the same genus but represent different species of animals.

• C. Because the limbs look alike, all animals with limbs must have a humerus, radius, and ulna.

• Because the limbs look alike, all limbs with similar structures serve the same function.

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The table shows five developmental stages of two different organisms and what they look like when mature. After viewing the table, four students developed arguments about how the data in the chart related to the scientific theory of evolution. Which argument is the most valid?

• A. These organisms are very different and, therefore, are not related.

• B. These organisms are likely to have a common ancestor because of the similarities in their developmental patterns.

• C. Because of the similarities in the development of these organisms, they would likely only differ at the genus level when classified.

• D. These organisms may look similar during development, but because they take different amounts of time to develop, they do not share a common ancestor.

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The island of Madagascar, off the Southeastern coast of Africa, has many endemic species of plants and animals; meaning these plants and animals are not found anywhere else in the world. What might be a natural reason why so many endemic species of plants and animals exist on the island of Madagascar?

• A. Humans only brought a small set of certain plants and animals to the island.

• B. Only animals that could swim were able to inhabit the island.

• C. Isolation from other landmasses caused unique evolutionary paths, resulting in a variety of unique species.

• D. Madagascar was once part of Africa and only unique animals were trapped on the island when it broke away from the continent.

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Each year, many Americans receive a flu shot, or vaccination, to decrease their chances of contracting the influenza virus. Why do people have to keep getting vaccinations each year to fight the same illness?

• A. The influenza virus evolves over time so it is not actually the same each year.

• B. It is too costly to develop a vaccination that lasts more than a year.

• C. Only old people and young kids need the new vaccines because their immune systems are not strong.

• D. The influenza virus uses natural selection to seek out a weak host and getting the shot eliminates you from the selection process.

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Biogeography is the study of the location of organisms around the world. Which of the following best explains how biogeography can provide evidence for evolution?

• A. It shows that organisms have structures that serve no purpose but that resemble structural roles in related organisms.

• B. It shows that there are similarities and differences among the DNA of different species.

• C. It shows that organisms have changed gradually over millions of years.

• D. It shows that some organisms that are unrelated have developed similar adaptations to similar environments.

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Which of the following correctly describes the general trend in hominid evolution?

• A. larger body size, broad forehead, smaller brains

• B. Increase in brain capacity, bipedalism, use of tools

• C. thickening of the skull, protruding teeth, organized hunting

• D. large canine teeth, small skulls, diet of coarse plant material

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