SEPARATE Evolution and History of Life Quiz

What is the estimated age of Earth when it first formed?

• 5.2 billion years ago

• 2.5 billion years ago

• 4.6 billion years ago

• 3.8 billion years ago

What are the big patterns of how living things evolve above the species level called?

• Macroevolution

• Paleoevolution

• Microevolution

• Mesoevolution

What is the molecule that carries genetic information in all organisms on Earth?

• Carbohydrate

• RNA

• Protein

• DNA

What is the major driver of macroevolution that involves the sliding and floating of Earth's surface plates?

• Volcanic eruptions

• Plate tectonics

• Meteorite impacts

• Climate change

What is the name of the fossilized mounds formed from thin layers of sediment left behind by early prokaryote residents?

• Moundolites

• Sedimentites

• Fossilitites

• Stromatolites

What is the name of the group of lobe-finned fish that may have had inner nostrils and evolved into land-walking, air-breathing beings?

• Tetrapods

• Amphibians

• Reptiles

• Mammals

What is the process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring?

• Adaptation

• Natural Selection

• Evolution

• Speciation

What is the name of the supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras?

• Pangaea

• Gondwana

• Laurasia

• Rodinia

What is the name of the era known as the 'Age of Mammals'?

• Paleozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

• Proterozoic Era

What is the term for the division of Earth's history into time intervals?

• Geological Time Scale

• Chronological Scale

• Historical Time Scale

• Evolutionary Scale