2025Fossils, Adaptations & Natural Selection: Evolution

1. Plants and animals don't change overnight! They change very slowly over hundreds of thousands of years, gradually becoming better able to survive in their environments. In this natural process, they change as a result of their surroundings. That's adaptation! Which of the following is an example of adaptation?

• birds eating breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday
• penguins growing beaks and wings overnight
• polar bears’ fur turning white over many years
• dogs getting sent to the groomer to be washed

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2. Plants don't have brains. But some scientists think plants have something very close to what we call a nervous system. The nervous system is your body's way of feeling and reacting to things in the world. For example, some kinds of trees are known for moving rapidly after something touches them. Venus flytraps quickly close around an insect when it touches their leaves. This type of response to things happening in a plant's environment reveals that plants can “feel.” Which of the following is true about plants?

• All plants have the same nervous systems as humans.
• Venus flytraps are the only plants to have brains.
• Some plants can “feel” and respond to things in the world.
• Plants always shake and move after their leaves are touched.

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3. When someone says the word “desert,” what plant do you picture? You’re probably picturing the saguaro cactus. Saguaros are known for their long, tall branches that look like arms. These branches don't start to grow until the cactus is 50 to 70 years old. The folds along the saguaro's stem and branches are called pleats. What are they for? These pleats store water for the cactus, which is important in the hot, dry desert. A desert plant's spikes aren't just to keep animals away. They also help provide shade during the long hours they spend in the sun. A saguaro cactus has an adaptation that allows it to

• grow branches immediately.
• shoot spikes at animals.
• store water in its pleats.
• only live up to 70 years.

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4. Adaptations help animals and plants survive in their environments. For example, one cool plant adaptation is the leaves of the pitcher plant. These plants use their tube-shaped leaves to trap and digest insects. The insects are attracted to the plant's sweet nectar and colorful appearance. Once inside the tube, it's too slippery for insects to climb out. They fall into a pool of water at the bottom of the tube, and the plant digests them. Which of these best describes another plant adaptation?

• A plant is the same color as a grasshopper, helping the grasshopper blend in.
• A plant dies if it doesn’t get enough water.
• A species of butterfly lays its eggs on the leaves of a particular tree.Option 2
• A plant gives off a smell that attracts nearby insects, which it then eats.

5. Some animal adaptations are for getting food. These adaptations depend on what kinds of food the animal eats. Herbivores eat only plants, no meat. Since their food is usually grass and leaves, their teeth are designed for cutting and grinding tough plant material such as grass, leaves and bark. Cows have sharp straight-edged teeth called incisors at the front of their mouths that they use to cut or bite off the tough grasses they eat. Carnivores eat only meat. That's why carnivores like dogs or wild cats have pointed “canine” teeth that are used to rip and tear meat. Carnivores also have large molars at the back of their jaw to crush bones. Omnivores eat both meat and plants. Humans are omnivores, so we have incisors, molars and canines. With three different types of teeth, humans are able to eat a wide range of foods. What would most likely happen if traditional herbivores, like cows, began eating meat instead of grass?

• Cows would immediately become better suited to survive in their current environments.
• Humans would have to stop eating cows and start eating wolves.
• Over hundreds of thousands of years, wolves would start eating only plants, no meat.
• Over hundreds of thousands of years, cows would develop canine teeth and large molars.

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6. Animals adapt for countless things, including protection. Their adaptations help them defend themselves against other animals trying to attack or eat them. The best defense of all is to never be found! Many animals have adapted to blend in with their surroundings. Frogs and crocodiles are the color of murky green pond water. Grasshoppers are the color of the grass. Scorpions and centipedes have pincers, or sharp, tiny claws to fight back when a predator attacks them. Turtles hide in their hard shells when enemies attack. The lionfish has venomous spines to protect itself. Porcupines have sharp spines called quills that help keep predators away. These quills normally lay flat on their backs, but when a porcupine is threatened, the quills stiffen and stick straight out. If an animal gets too close, the sharp tip of the quills can stick in that animal's skin. A single porcupine can have over 30,000 quills. Which of the following is an example of an adaptation for protection?

• woodpeckers with feet to perch on bark
• cactuses with water storage sacks
• an insect that looks like a twig
• none of the above

7. Why do plants and animals adapt to their environment?

• to protect themselves against other animals
• to become better at getting food
• to become better able to survive in their surroundings
• all of the above.

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8. What is the main way that being camouflaged helps an animal?

• It makes them look dangerous to other animals.
• It helps them store more food and water.
• It helps them blend into their environment so other animals can't attack them.
• It helps keeps them cool in a hot climate.

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9. Naturalist Charles Darwin didn’t originate the idea of evolution; others had suggested it before him, including his grandfather, scientist Erasmus Darwin. What differentiated Charles Darwin’s work, however, was that it explained how evolution could occur. Published in 1859, Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was an instant bestseller in England. It was also controversial. With its discussion of variations, adaptations, and the development of new organisms from earlier forms, it contradicted the Anglican Church’s creationist views. Trinity College, where Darwin had been a student, even banned the volume from its library. Yet the book continued to sell, and Darwin ultimately published six editions. Today, his theory of natural selection is not only overwhelmingly accepted in the academic community, but it is recognized as having revolutionized natural history. What is the main idea of this passage?

• Darwin published the first edition of On the Origin of Species in 1859 and went on to publish five additional editions.
• Other individuals, including Darwin’s grandfather, had proposed the idea of evolution before Darwin published his own work.
• Darwin’s theory of natural selection, though initially controversial, transformed our understanding of natural history.
• On the Origin of Species was an instant bestseller, but it also raised controversy and was banned by at least one academic institution.

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10. Humans and mice share about 85 percent of their protein-coding DNA. This may seem shocking—but when viewed through the lens of evolution, it makes sense. All mammals, from predators to prey, descended from a common ancestor that lived about 180 million years ago. This ancestor’s various descendents adapted so much that they split off into multiple new species, while still retaining some similarities. The common ancestry goes back further than mammals, however. Scientific evidence supports the idea that approximately four billion years ago, another common ancestor lived—one from which all of today’s cellular organisms descended. Scientists call this ancestor the “last universal common ancestor,” or LUCA. According to one hypothesis, LUCA was a population of single-celled organisms that lived in hydrothermal vents, which are hot springs on the ocean floor. However, the LUCA research is still very much in its infancy. For now, this mysterious common ancestor remains just that: a mystery. Based on this passage, what inference can we make?

• Mammals and non-mammals have some similarities in their DNA.
• Before LUCA’s existence, Earth was void of life.
• As separate species, humans and mice lack a common ancestor.
• LUCA is likely still flourishing in Earth’s hydrothermal vents.
• Option 5

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