Download Evolution Study Guide Answer Key

Name: ___ANSWER KEY_______________
Evolution Test Study Guide
Answer the following questions to help you prepare for your test. Good luck
1. EVOLUTION refers to the phenomenon where changes are noticed in a species over time.
2. CHARLES DARWIN developed the theory of natural selection based on his observations of plants and animals on
the Galapagos’s islands. This theory supported the ideas of evolution.
3. NATURAL SELECTION is a theory that explains evolution. It relates to the phrase “survival of the fittest”
because it shows that individuals with characteristics suited to an environment will survive and have a better
chance of reproducing. Organisms without these characteristics will not be able to reproduce and therefore will
die. (Example: giraffe neck length and pepper moths of Manchester)
4. True or False. The changes that occur during natural selection are due to genetics.
5. A _THEORY__________________ is a well tested concept that explains a wide range of observations.
6. Circle the options that provide evidence for evolution.
similarities in DNA sequences
similarities in embryos
fossils
similarities in body structure
similarities in body sizes (NOT THIS One)
7. True or False. A change in a single organism over time is an example of evolution.
8. FOSSILS are the preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past.
9. According to the diagram below, which layer of soil would contain the youngest fossils? A
10. A characteristic that enables an organism to live more successfully in its environment is a(n) ADAPTATION
11. A group of similar organisms that can mate with one another and produce fertile offspring is a SPECIES.
12. The body color of a moth can vary just as height among humans can vary. These differences between members
of the same species are known as VARIATIONS.
13. A scientist surveyed 18 islands for animal species that
live only on each island. According to the graph, what is the
distance to the mainland of the island with the greatest
number of unique animal species? 350
14. Due to a drought in the giraffe’s habitat, only the giraffes with the longer necks were able to get the food they
needed. This meant that giraffes with shorter necks were at a disadvantage. In order for the giraffe species to
beat extinction, should the females choose mates with longer necks or mates with shorter necks? Explain your
answer based on what you learned about evolution.
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Use the diagram below to answer questions 15-17.
m.y.a., = million years ago
Present
10 m.y.a.
25 m.y.a.
40 m.y.a.
15. Which animals are more closely related: raccoons and lesser pandas or lesser pandas and giant pandas?
16. When did giant pandas and bears evolve from their common ancestor? 10 MYA
17. Which animal would have DNA that is most similar to lesser pandas? RACCOON
18. When a species produces more offspring than it has resources, this is known as OVERPRODUCTION
19. If there are more organisms than resources, COMPETITION will occur between members of the same species.
This does not mean animals of the same species will fight one another but simply that some will find enough to eat
while others will not.
20. What are the five parts of natural selection? (USE KEYSTONE CARD OR NOTES)
21. Explain the term homologous structures. If two organisms have homologous structures they have common
ANCESTOR.
22. In modern times, where does MOST evidence for evolution come from? DNA
23. Where are the oldest fossils found? A. In the bottom layers of rocks. B. In the top layers of rocks. C. In the
middle layers of rocks. D. In museums
24. Why did the peppered moths evolve?
25. Why did the Galapagos finches evolve? BECAUSE OF DIFFERENT FOOD SOURCES FOUND ON THE ISLAND
(ADAPTIVE RADIATION)
26. If a population cannot adapt to their changing environment, what will eventually happen to them? EXTINCT
Multiple Choice:
27. Darwin’s voyage on the H.M.S.___________ led him to propose a revolutionary hypothesis about life.
A. Collie
B. Cheetah
C. Beagle
D. Lion
28. Which of the following best describes how LAMARCK would explain giraffes with long necks?
A. Long-necked giraffes eat more grass than short necked giraffes so their necks grow longer.
B. Natural variation in the population produces some longer and some shorter-necked giraffes and
longer necked giraffes can reach food more easily.
C. Some giraffes have acquired longer necks by stretching to reach food and passed that trait on.
D. Giraffes just started out with long necks and haven’t changed.
29. Which of the following ideas, proposed by Lamarck, was later found to be incorrect?
A. All species were descended from other species
B. Acquired characteristics can be inherited.
C. Living things change over time.
D. Organisms are adapted to their environments.
30. The idea that each living species has descended with changes from other species over time is called
________________.
A. descent with modification
B. struggle for existence
C. artificial selection
D. acquired traits
31. The natural differences between individuals of a species are referred to as______________________
A. fitness
B. natural selection
C. adaptations
D. natural variation
32. When farmers select the largest hogs, the fastest horses, or the cows that produce the most milk for
breeding it is called ________________.
A. natural selection
B. artificial selection
C. survival of the fittest
D. homologous variation
33. A human appendix, whale hipbones, and a skink’s legs are examples of _________________
A. homologous structures
B. embryonic mates
C. vestigial organs
34. Which of the following best describes how DARWIN would explain giraffes with long necks?
A. Long-necked giraffes eat more grass than short necked giraffes so their necks grow longer.
B. Natural variation in the population produces some longer and some shorter-necked giraffes and longer
necked giraffes can reach food more easily and survive to pass on their genes.
C. Some giraffes have acquired longer necks by stretching to reach food and passed that trait on.
D. Giraffes just started out with long necks and haven’t changed.
35. Darwin believed in the idea that evolution happened slowly over a long period of time called __________
A. punctuated equilibrium
B. gradualism
C. symbiosis
D. mass extinction
MATCH THE PATTERN OF EVOLUTION WITH ITS DESCRIPTION
You can use them more than once!
36. _D___ Whales, sharks, and penguins all have streamlined bodies
end appendages for moving in water even though they
belong in different classes of animal classes
(mammals, birds, fish)
A. COEVOLUTION
B. ADAPTIVE RADIATION
C. MASS EXTINCTION
37._A___ Hummingbirds have a beak just the right length to reach
the nectar in a cardinal flower and as they feed their
foreheads bump into the pollen structure.
D. CONVERGENT EVOLUTON
E. PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM
38. _E___ Horse evolution shows long stable periods of little evolution
interrupted by brief periods of rapid change
39. _B___ The Galápagos finches evolved through natural selection from
a common ancestor into a wide variety of different looking species
with different kinds of beaks
40. _C___ At the end of the Cretaceous period an asteroid hit the Earth
causing the loss of many species including the dinosaurs
41. _B___ Also called divergent evolution