Quiz on Darwin's Theory of Evolution

According to Darwin's theory of evolution, which organisms are BEST able to survive in nature?

• those with the best camouflage and coloration

• organisms that possess the greatest number of mutations

• those that possess characteristics acquired during their lifetime

• organisms that possess overall characteristics best suited to their environment

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

The life that exists on Earth today likely arose from a single common ancestor. Judge each statement below and select the ones that explain how natural selection has played a role in the diversity of life on Earth from that single ancestor. Select all that may apply.

• Natural selection acted on phenotypes that were the result of new mutations in a population.

• Natural selection reduced the species numbers on a global scale since individual organisms did not mutate quickly enough.

• Natural selection maintained the fitness of populations on a global scale, which maintained species numbers at a constant level.

• Natural selection acted on isolated populations separately, allowing for those populations to diverge over time, allowing for speciation.

• Natural selection increased the fitness of certain populations as traits that were considered adaptations became more prevalent in the population.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Darwin discovered twenty different species of finches in the Galapagos islands. He hypothesized that as new islands arose, finches colonized the islands and rapidly changed into new species, depending on what food was available on each new island. The rapid formation of many new species, as in this case, is called

• gradualism.

• convergent evolution.

• adaptive radiation.

• geographic isolation.

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NGSS.HS-LS4-5

The wing of a bird and the leg of a horse are very different looking structures. Although they look different, bird wings and horse legs are very similar in the arrangement of the bones that make up the limb. Which term is used by scientists to describe structures that look different on the outside but are actually similar in construction and develop from the same embryonic tissues?

• common descent

• analogous structures

• vestigial structures

• homologous structures

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Crocodiles, lizards, and snakes are all reptiles. However, lizards are more closely related to snakes than to crocodiles. Which statement MOST accurately describes how this relationship is explained in Darwin's Theory of Evolution?

• their niches

• their DNA sequences

• their physical characteristics

• their behavioral characteristics

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