Download HW: PRACTICE FOR QUIZ ON DARWIN`S OBSERVATIONS

HW: PRACTICE FOR QUIZ ON DARWIN’S OBSERVATIONS & INFLUENCES
PERIOD:
NAME:
DATE:
1) What scientific question was Darwin trying to answer?
a. Does evolution occur?
b. How does evolution occur?
c. How old is the Earth?
d. How are fossils formed?
e. Why are the Galapagos Islands so special?
f. How long can a person live on a boat?
2) Below are 5 examples of species and/or events that Darwin observed on his travels:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Finches on the Galapagos Islands
Large birds (ostriches, emus, and rheas) on different continents
Glyptodont fossil in South America
Kangaroos and other unique species on Australia
Earthquake in Chile that caused land underneath the sea to lift up out of the water
Which of the above species/events provides the BEST evidence for each concept in evolution. (Hint:
You may also use each species/event more than once.)
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Species change over time
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Change over time can be gradual or punctuated
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Environmental pressures drive adaptation
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Extinction occurs when species cannot adapt to rapid environmental
change
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Homologous structures are evidence that a species shared a recent
common ancestor
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Analogous structures are evidence that species adapted to similar
environments (without having a recent common ancestor)
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Isolation and unique environmental pressures leads to speciation
3) Lamarck was a scientist who suggested that animals change over time because they want to be more
perfect for their environment. Was this idea helpful to Darwin?
a. No, because the idea was wrong – this is not how evolution happens.
b. No, because Lamarck stole Darwin’s idea.
c. No, because other scientists accepted Lamarck’s ideas, so it was harder for Darwin to
convince them to believe something different.
d. Yes, because Lamarck realized there was a connection between the way animals change and
their environment.
e. Yes, because Lamarck’s ideas were correct, so Darwin could build on them.
f. Yes, because all ideas are valuable, even if they are wrong.
4) Malthus was a historian & economist who wrote a famous essay about the future of human societies
called “On the Principle of Population.” How did Malthus’s ideas influence Darwin?
a. Darwin realized that his ideas about evolution did not apply to humans
b. Darwin realized that individuals within any species must compete to survive
c. Darwin realized that populations of individuals evolve differently when they are isolated
d. Darwin realized that populations of individuals change over time to adapt to their
environments.
e. None of the above – because Malthus was not a scientist, Darwin did not accept his ideas.
5) Darwin was also influenced by the idea of “artificial selection.”
a. Please define “artificial selection.” (Be sure to include a specific example of artificial
selection in your answer.)
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b. How did this idea influence Darwin’s thinking about evolution?
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