Evolutionary Theory Quiz

Who proposed that all living things were descended from a common ancestor and that more-complex forms of life arose from less-complex forms?

• Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

• Erasmus Darwin

• Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon

• Carolus Linnaeus

Which naturalist proposed that all organisms evolved toward perfection and complexity, and that changes in an environment caused an organism's behavior to change, leading to greater use or disuse of a structure or organ?

• Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon

• Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

• Erasmus Darwin

• Carolus Linnaeus

Who challenged the common idea of the time that Earth was only 6000 years old and suggested that it was much older?

• Erasmus Darwin

• Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon

• Carolus Linnaeus

• Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Which naturalist proposed that species shared ancestors instead of arising separately, based on evidence of past life on Earth?

• Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon

• Erasmus Darwin

• Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

• Carolus Linnaeus

Who proposed a classification system for all types of organisms known at the time, which also reflects evolutionary relationships?

• Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

• Erasmus Darwin

• Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon

• Carolus Linnaeus

What is the process of biological change by which descendants come to differ from their ancestors?

• Hybridization

• Evolution

• Classification

• Extinction

Who is credited with the development of a classification system for organisms in the 1700s?

• a. Charles Darwin
  

• b. Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon
  

• c. Carolus Linnaeus
  

• 1. d. Erasmus Darwin

  
  

What did Carolus Linnaeus propose about the classification system he developed?

• a. It groups organisms solely based on their size.
  

• b. It reflects only physical similarities among organisms.
  

• c. It is no longer in use by scientists today.
  

• 1. d. It reflects evolutionary relationships among organisms.

  
  

What did Linnaeus propose regarding the idea that organisms were fixed and did not change?

• a. He supported the idea.
  

• b. He abandoned the idea.
  

• c. He never addressed the concept.
  

• 1. d. He proposed that some organisms were fixed while others changed.

  
  

According to Buffon, what did species share instead of arising separately?

• a. Common ancestors
  

• b. Separate ancestors
  

• c. Hybrid ancestors
  

• 1. d. Extinct ancestors