Download Study Guide for Chapter 13

Study Guide for Chapter 13
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1. Order the divisions of geologic time from the longest to the shortest.
1.
eras, eons, periods
2.
periods, eras, eons
3.
periods, eons, eras
4.
eons, eras, periods
2. The relative age of something is __________.
1.
its age in relation to Earth
2.
its age in comparison to other things
3.
its age since it was discovered
4.
its age since it died
3. What mathematical principle does radiometric dating use to help determine the
absolute ages of rocks?
1.
addition
2.
subtraction
3.
geometry
4.
ratios
4. When the last individual of a species dies, __________ occurs.
1.
extinction
2.
natural selection
3.
mutation
4.
selective breeding
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5. Why do trace fossils provide so much information about how an organism lived?
1.
because the fossils leave evidence of what the organism ate
2.
because the tracks can give scientists hints to an organism's lifestyle
3.
because the fossils leave evidence about the shape of the organism's entire
body
4.
because the tracks can give scientists hints about the size of the organism's
foot
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6. How can plate tectonics contribute to evolution?
1.
Separating plates can divide groups of a population.
2.
Radiation from plate tectonics can cause genetic change.
3.
Volcanic eruptions can cause species to become extinct.
4.
The movement of plates forces some animals underground.
7. What may a series of helpful variations in a species result in?
1.
competition
2.
fossils
3.
adaptation
4.
climatic change
8. According to the theory of natural selection, organisms that are better adapted to an
environment __________ than organisms that are not.
1.
grow larger
2.
run faster
3.
survive and reproduce at a greater rate
4.
are stronger
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9. Which is a change to DNA that forms new alleles?
1.
selective breeding
2.
evolution
3.
natural selection
4.
a mutation
10. A coloring or marking that helps an animal hide from its predators is called
__________.
1.
digestion
2.
camouflage
3.
reproduction
4.
adolescence
11. When a bat's wing and a bird's wing are compared, similar bone structures are
discovered. They are __________.
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1.
homologous structures
2.
cast fossils
3.
naturally selected
4.
Homo sapiens
12. Scientists compare DNA from living organisms to identify __________.
1.
natural selection
2.
a fossil's location
3.
geographic isolation
4.
relatedness between species
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13. What can a “molecular clock” provide an estimate of?
1.
the time since divergence of species with a common ancestor, based on
genetic differences
2.
the time since divergence of species with a common ancestor, based on
radioactive isotopes
3.
the amount of genetic difference between a species and an ancestor
4.
the amount of genetic differences between two species with a common
ancestor
14. Studying embryology helps scientists understand __________.
1.
how a species reproduces sexually
2.
how a species makes food through photosynthesis
3.
the early stages of an organism's growth
4.
where organisms migrate during their lives
15. What does a naturalist study?
1.
human nature
2.
the nature of the universe
3.
plants and animals
4.
genes