De_LE_3.5.1-4

What does the fossil record provide evidence for?

• The Big Bang theory

• The theory of relativity

• Quantum mechanics

• The theory of evolution

What is used to estimate a fossil's age?

• Microscopic examination

• Carbon dating

• Radiometric dating

• Ultrasonic testing

What does the presence of simpler animals without backbones in the oldest fossils suggest?

• All organisms appeared at the same time

• No clear pattern of appearance

• Random appearance of organism groups

• Sequential appearance of organism groups

What is one method scientists use to trace evolutionary changes?

• Climate modeling

• Genetic engineering

• Studying modern animal behavior

• Analyzing the fossil record

What event is described as an 'explosion' in the diversity of life about 550 million years ago?

• The Jurassic explosion

• The Triassic explosion

• The Cambrian explosion

• The Cretaceous explosion

What does the model of punctuated equilibrium explain?

• Short bursts of speciation

• Constant evolutionary rates

• The development of human intelligence

• The migration patterns of birds

What are homologous structures?

• Random mutations in DNA

• Similarities due to convergent evolution

• Similarities due to common ancestry

• Differences due to environmental changes

What is convergent evolution?

• The disappearance of species over time

• Species evolving from a common ancestor

• Independent evolution of similar traits in different species

• The development of new species in isolated environments

What is a molecular clock used for in evolutionary biology?

• Calculating the speed of continental drift

• Predicting future evolutionary changes

• Measuring the age of fossils

• Determining the time of species divergence

What does the presence of gill pouches in vertebrate embryos suggest?

• Independent development

• Presence of a mutation

• A common ancestor

• Adaptation to aquatic environments