Darwin Biological Evidence for Evolution

Based on the adaptations Charles Darwin observed in finches and tortoises in the Galápagos, he wondered

• if species living on different islands had once been members of the same species.
• if finches and tortoises had originated from the same ancestral species.
• if all birds on the different islands were finches.
• why all tortoises on the different islands were identical.

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Charles Darwin’s observation that finches of different species on the Galápagos Islands have many similar physical characteristics supports the hypothesis that these finches

• have the ability to interbreed.
• acquired traits through use and disuse.
• all eat the same type of food.
• descended from a common ancestor.

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Which of the following ideas is supported by Darwin’s observation of local variation among tortoises in the Galápagos Islands?

• artificial selection
• adaptation
• acquired characteristics
• tendency towards perfection

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Darwin first began to formulate his concept of evolution by natural selection after

• experimenting with animals.
• observing patterns among the geographical location of certain species.
• reading the writings of Wallace.
• agreeing with Lamarck about the driving force behind evolution.

People of Charles Darwin’s time understood that fossils were

• preserved remains of ancient organisms.
• available for every organism that ever lived.
• unrelated to living species.
• evidence for the evolution of life on Earth.

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James Hutton’s and Charles Lyell’s work suggests that

• Earth is several million years old.
• Earth is several thousand years old.
• all fossils were formed in the last 1000 years.
• all rocks on Earth contain fossils.

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In the 1800s, Charles Lyell emphasized that

• the human population will outgrow the available food supply.
• all populations evolve through natural selection.
• Earth is a few thousand years old.
• past geological events must be explained in terms of processes observable today.

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James Hutton’s and Charles Lyell’s work was important to Darwin because these scientists

• explained volcanoes and earthquakes.
• explained all geologic events on Earth.
• suggested that Earth was old enough for evolution to have occurred.
• refuted the work of Lamarck, which was based on misunderstandings.

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Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed that organisms

• have an innate tendency toward complexity and perfection.
• have an innate tendency to become simpler as time passes.
• inherit all of the adaptations they display.
• belong to species that never change.

Which is a major concept included in Lamarck’s evolutionary hypothesis?

• Change is the result of survival of the fittest.
• Body structures can change according to the actions of the organism.
• A small population size decreases the rate of evolution.
• Artificial selection is the basis for evolution.