Developing a Theory of Evolution

Which of the following was a contribution of Thomas Malthus to Darwin's theory of evolution?

• His book convinced Darwin that the earth was old and formed by slow-acting processes.

• He presented a theory of evolution explaining how traits are acquired and passed down.

• His work convinced Darwin that organisms overpopulate and compete for resources.

• He wrote a letter encouraging Darwin to publish a book about his theory of evolution.

Which of the following is NOT part of Darwin's original theory of evolution?

• Natural selection eliminates the least fit organisms from the population.

• Members of the population compete for resources.

• Gene mutations add more diversity to the population.

• Those that have the best traits survive and reproduce.

Which of the following men developed a theory of evolution very similar to Charles Darwin’s around the same time that Darwin developed his theory?

• Malthus

• Lyell

• Lamarck

• Wallace

Charles Lyell wrote a book called the Principles of Geology which Charles Darwin read during his famous voyage around the world. Lyell’s book contributed to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by convincing Darwin that

• natural selection was responsible for the acquisition of new traits within a population when there was competition between species.

• giraffes had short necks until they stretched them while reaching for the higher leaves on trees and then passed these traits to their offspring.

• the earth was old and formed by slow-acting processes which Darwin applied to the evolution of living things.

• homologous structures, the fossil record, and vestigial structures were the best evidence for the evolution of species.

In the 1800s Jean-Baptiste Lamarck offered a hypothesis about evolution called the inheritance of acquired characteristics. Which of the following is an example of how Lamarck thought animals evolved?

• Fish mutated the genes necessary to develop lungs and were able to eventually survive on land.

• Giraffes once had short necks and stretched them reaching for leaves on trees, later passing the longer neck trait to their offspring.

• Dark moths, once outnumbered by light moths, began to survive longer and reproduce more after the industrial revolution turned the trees black.

• The earth has been here so long that animals have had plenty of time to adapt to their environment through natural selection.

Which of the following is Thomas Malthus’ contribution to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution?

• The earth is of a very old age proven by the number of rock layers.

• The earth’s geography has been shaped by slow processes

• Organisms mutate new parts as they need them.

• Populations tend to overpopulate and compete.

Who was responsible for discovering the first 'pleisosaur' fossil? This fossil made a clear connection between aquatic reptiles and land based reptiles?

• Thomas Malthaus

• Mary Anning

• Charles Darwin

• Charles Lyell

This individual first proposed a theory of extinction and supported this theory by using the observations he had collected over time in various rock strata. Catastrophism is the present day term used.

• Charles Lyell

• Andreas Vesalius

• Georges Cuvier

• Nicholas Steno

What is the term for a general statement that explains and makes successful predictions about a broad range of observations?

• a conclusion

• an experiment

• a prediction

• a scientific theory

• a scientific hypothesis

What is the term for the idea that a flood could destroy species in a particular region, which would allow species from neighbouring regions to repopulate the area?

• evolution

• survival of the fittest

• uniformitarianism

• catastrophism

• descent with modification