Download Day 5 - Scott County Schools

Lesson 7.1: True or False
Name___________________ Class______________ Date________
Write true if the statement is true or false if the statement is false.
1. ________ The theory of evolution by natural selection explains and unifies all of life
science.
2. ________ All of the giant Galápagos tortoises are now extinct.
3. ________ Animal breeders produce animals with desired traits by selecting which
animals are allowed to reproduce.
4. ________ Lamarck’s explanation for how evolution occurs was essentially the same as
Darwin’s.
5. ________ According to Malthus, disease and famine kill off the weakest people when
human populations grow too large.
6. ________ Darwin knew nothing about the fossil evidence for evolution.
7. ________ Darwin’s book on evolution by natural selection was rejected because it
contained very little evidence.
Lesson 7.1: Critical Reading
Name___________________ Class______________ Date________
Read this passage based on the text and answer the questions that follow.
There were three scientists in particular that influenced Darwin. Their names are Lamarck, Lyell,
and Malthus. All three were somewhat older than Darwin, and he was familiar with their writings.
Jean Baptiste Lamarck was a French naturalist. He was one of the first scientists to propose
that species change over time. In other words, he proposed that evolution occurs. Lamarck also
tried to explain how it happens, but he got that part wrong. Lamarck thought that the traits an
organism developed during its life time could be passed on to its offspring. He called this the
inheritance of acquired characteristics. Like Lamarck, Darwin assumed that species evolve, or
change their traits over time. However, Darwin came up with a different explanation for how this
occurs: natural selection.
Charles Lyell was an English geologist. He wrote a famous book called Principles of Geology.
Darwin took the book with him on the Beagle. Lyell argued that geological processes such as
erosion change Earth’s surface very gradually. To account for all the changes that had occurred
on the planet, Earth must be a lot older than most people believed. From Lyell, Darwin realized
that living things had had a long time to evolve. There was enough time for evolution to produce
the great diversity of organisms that Darwin had observed.
Thomas Malthus was an English economist. He wrote a popular essay called “On Population.”
He argued that human populations have the potential to grow more quickly than the resources
they need. When populations grow too large, disease and famine occur. These calamities
control population size by killing off the weakest people. From Malthus, Darwin saw that
populations could become too large for their resources. This overproduction of offspring could
lead to a struggle for existence in which the fittest would survive.
Questions
1. Compare and contrast Lamarck’s and Darwin’s ideas about how species change over
time.
2. Why was Charles Lyell’s book on geology an important influence on Darwin?
3. Explain how Malthus’ ideas about human populations formed the basis of Darwin’s
concept of natural selection.
Lesson 7.1: Multiple Choice
Name___________________ Class______________ Date________
Circle the letter of the correct choice.
1. Darwin’s famous book on evolution is called
1. Adventures on the Beagle
2. On the Origin of Species
3. Evolution by Natural Selection
4. The Theory of Evolution
2. The book described in question 1 was first published in
1. 1801
2. 1830
3. 1859
4. 1901
3. Onboard the Beagle, Darwin served as the ship’s
1. doctor
2. captain
3. naturalist
4. navigator
4. Darwin observed that the environment on different Galápagos Islands was correlated
with the shell shape of
1. snails
2. fossils
3. tortoises
4. none of the above
5. What types of specimens did Darwin collect on his voyage?
1. plants
2. animals
3. rocks
4. all of the above
6. The Galápagos Islands are located off the west coast of
1. North America
2. Africa
3. Australia
4. South America
7. In Galápagos finches, Darwin noted that beak size and shape seemed to reflect
1.
2.
3.
4.
types of available food
species of dominant predators
kinds of nesting materials
sources of fresh water
Lesson 7.1: Matching
Name___________________ Class______________ Date________
Match each definition with the correct term.
Definitions
1. ________ islands where Darwin made many important observations
2. ________ scientist who provided geologic evidence that Earth is very old
3. ________ scientist who argued that populations have the potential to grow faster than
the resources they need
4. ________ change in the inherited traits of organisms over time
5. ________ scientist who proposed that living things change over time through the
inheritance of acquired characteristics
6. ________ process in which living things with beneficial traits produce more offspring so
their traits increase over time
7. ________ scientist who proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection
Terms
1. natural selection
2. Lamarck
3. Galápagos
4. Lyell
5. evolution
6. Malthus
7. Darwin
Lesson 7.1: Fill in the Blank
Name___________________ Class______________ Date________
Fill in the blank with the appropriate term.
1. When he was just 22 years old, Darwin went on a scientific expedition aboard a ship
called the _________________.
2. Darwin investigated the beaks of birds called _________________ on the Galápagos
Islands.
3. _________________selection refers to the process in which people breed plants and
animals to have useful traits.
4. A French naturalist named_________________ was one of the first scientists to propose
that evolution occurs.
5. The book named Principles of Geology, which influenced Darwin, was written
by__________________.
6. In Darwin’s words, the overproduction of offspring leads to a struggle for existence in
which only the _________________survive.
7. Darwin used the word _________________ to mean the ability of an individual to
reproduce and pass traits to the next generation.
Lesson 7.1: Critical Writing
Name___________________ Class______________ Date________
Thoroughly answer the question below. Use appropriate academic vocabulary and clear and
complete sentences.
Explain how evolution occurs according to Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.