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Life, 4/e

Ricki Lewis, University of New York at Albany
Mariëlle Hoefnagels, University of Oklahoma
Douglas Gaffin, University of Oklahoma
Bruce Parker, Utah Valley State College

The Origin and History of Life

Chapter Quiz


1	Approximately how many years ago were the earth and other planets in its solar system formed?
		A)	6,000
		B)	100,000
		C)	10 million
		D)	4.5 billion


2	In which country do we find the earliest rocks and oldest signs of life?
		A)	Iceland
		B)	Greenland
		C)	Norway
		D)	Nova Scotia


3	The first experiments to determine that amino acids form when components of the ancient atmosphere are placed in a test tube with sparks to simulate lightning were performed by _____________.
		A)	Oparin
		B)	John Haldane
		C)	Miller and Urey
		D)	Watson and Crick


4	More recent prebiotic simulations in the lab mimic conditions found in ________________.
		A)	deep sea hydrothermal vents
		B)	shallow ponds
		C)	underside of sea ice
		D)	All of these are correct.


5	A(n) ___________________, such as clay, is necessary for building large macromolecules.
		A)	cooling surface
		B)	hydrating surface
		C)	dehydrating surface
		D)	ignition source


6	Both DNA and RNA carry genetic information, but something similar to RNA must have been the first nucleic acid because RNA _____________.
		A)	contains a gene’s information in mRNA
		B)	manufactures proteins
		C)	can act as an enzyme
		D)	All of these are correct.


7	The major evolutionary advantage of DNA over RNA is that DNA ________________.
		A)	can synthesize proteins
		B)	can synthesize RNA
		C)	can replicate itself
		D)	All of these are correct.


8	Fossil evidence suggests that photosynthetic pigments were present by ___________ years ago.
		A)	3.7 billion
		B)	4.2 billion
		C)	300 million
		D)	3 million


9	Eukaryotic cells arose in the _______________.
		A)	Archean era
		B)	Proterozoic era
		C)	Cambrian period
		D)	Ordovician period


10	Multicellular life appeared _______________.
		A)	before photosynthetic pigments were formed
		B)	after life evolved on land
		C)	1.2 billion years ago
		D)	1 million years ago


11	The most likely sequence of early evolution was:
		A)	single-celled eukaryotes, prokaryotic cells, multicellular algae, soft-bodies invertebrates
		B)	prokaryotic cells, multicellular algae, soft-bodied invertebrates, single-celled eukaryotes
		C)	prokaryotic cells, single-celled eukaryotes, multicellular algae, soft-bodied invertebrates
		D)	soft-bodied invertebrates, multicellular algae, single-celled eukaryotes, prokaryotic cells


12	What is significant about the Ordovician period lasting from 505 to 435 million years ago?
		A)	first algae evolved
		B)	jawless fishes (first vertebrates) appeared
		C)	first evidence of multicellularity
		D)	Archaea first evolved


13	The first terrestrial organisms do not appear in the fossil record until the beginning of the ____________ period.
		A)	Cambrian
		B)	Ordovician
		C)	Silurian
		D)	Devonian


14	The “Age of Fishes” was the ________________ period.
		A)	Cambrian
		B)	Devonian
		C)	Ordovician
		D)	Silurian


15	Which of the following was most important in the development of animals capable of living totally on land?
		A)	lungs
		B)	amniote egg
		C)	tetrapods
		D)	scales


16	What group was most directly ancestral to the mammals?
		A)	thecodonts
		B)	invertebrates
		C)	therapsids
		D)	amphibians


17	True or false. The reign of dinosaurs ended abruptly about 65 million years ago.
		A)	True
		B)	False


18	True or false. All mammals are nourished by a placenta and develop within the mother’s body.
		A)	True
		B)	False


19	Around 54 to 38 million years ago, grasslands spread and replaced forests as temperatures cooled and humidity dropped, allowing ___________ animals to thrive.
		A)	grazing
		B)	monotreme
		C)	arboreal
		D)	marsupial


20	When did bipedalism in hominids arise?
		A)	in the earliest hominoids
		B)	4 million years ago in Australopithecus
		C)	Neanderthal man
		D)	Homo erectus

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