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Multiple Choice Quiz
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1

The primitive atmosphere was the same as the atmosphere today.
A)True
B)False
2

In the origin of life, the newly formed organic molecules could have polymerized to form ______.
A)cells
B)atmospheric gases
C)vital life forces
D)amino acids and organic acids
E)macromolecules
3

There is/are ___ primary hypothesis/es concerning the macromolecular stage in the origin of life and it is/they are _________.
A)one; the RNA-first hypothesis
B)one; the protein-first hypothesis
C)two; the RNA-first hypothesis and the protein-first hypothesis
D)two; the RNA-first hypothesis and the Graham Cairns-Smith clay hypothesis
E)three; the RNA-first hypothesis, the protein-first hypothesis, and the Graham Cairns-Smith clay hypothesis
4

The RNA-first hypothesis speculates that RNA eventually synthesized ______ and DNA, the usual genetic material.
A)clay
B)liposomes
C)energy sources
D)proteins
E)microspheres
5

Sidney Fox has shown that amino acids polymerize abiotically when exposed to dry heat and form _________.
A)liposomes
B)proteinoids
C)ribozymes
D)DNA
E)RNA
6

When proteinoids are returned to water they form ______, structures composed only of proteins but having many properties of cells.
A)clay
B)liposomes
C)energy sources
D)proteins
E)microspheres
7

The protein-first hypothesis assumes that protein enzymes evolved before DNA genes.
A)True
B)False
8

A cell is separated from its environment by a lipid-protein membrane.
A)True
B)False
9

The Graham Cairns-Smith hypothesis states that ________.
A)clay attracts small organic molecules
B)clay has a tendency to collect outside energy and discharge it when temperature and humidity change
C)RNA nucleotides and amino acids associated so that polypeptides were ordered by and helped synthesize RNA
D)both polypeptides and RNA arose at the same time
E)all of the above
10

Phospholipid molecules automatically form droplets called ______ in a liquid environment.
A)proteinoids
B)protocell
C)ribozymes
D)liposomes
E)microspheres
11

______ droplets tend to absorb and incorporate various substances from the surrounding solution.
A)Ribozyme
B)Coacervate
C)Liposome
D)Microsphere
E)Proteinoid
12

A protocell was the very first structure with a lipid-protein membrane and energy metabolism.
A)True
B)False
13

The first true cell would have _______.
A)a self-replicating DNA system
B)a cell membrane
C)protein synthesis to produce enzymes to allow DNA to replicate
D)the ability to utilize energy either as an autotroph or heterotroph
E)all of the above
14

The protocell was likely a ______, an organism that takes in preformed food.
A)phototroph
B)cannibal
C)autotroph
D)heterotroph
E)omnivore
15

Glycolysis is a common metabolic pathway in living things so it evolved early in the history of life.
A)True
B)False
16

Since there was no free oxygen, we can assume that the protocell carried on a form of ______.
A)cannibalism
B)photosynthesis
C)autodigestion
D)aerobic respiration
E)fermentation
17

Once a protocell was capable of reproduction, it became a true cell and __________ would have begun.
A)photosynthesis and the buildup of an atmosphere
B)chemical evolution
C)biological evolution
D)aerobic respiration
E)the geological time scale
18

The first protocells must have been bounded by membranes and been heterotrophic fermenters with some degree of enzymatic ability.
A)True
B)False
19

The oldest fossils are about ______ years old.
A)3.5 billion
B)3.5 million
C)2. 5 billion
D)2 billion
E)100 million
20

The first fossils are presumed to have been ______ cells.
A)animal cells
B)prokaryotic cells
C)plant cells
D)protocells
E)multicellular organisms
21

The major event(s) that occurred in the early history of the earth was/were ___________.
A)formation and cooling of the earth
B)oxidizing atmosphere was established
C)continents drifting
D)prokaryotes evolving into eukaryotes and multicellular organisms
E)all of the above
22

The first eukaryotes evolved on earth about ______ years ago.
A)1 million
B)2.1 million
C)1 billion
D)2.1 billion
E)3.6 billion
23

The first multicellular organisms began to appear ________ years ago.
A)700 million
B)1 billion
C)1. 7 billion
D)2. 7 billion
24

Evolution explains the ______ of life.
A)purpose
B)unity and diversity
C)both A and B
D)function
E)ultimate goal
25

Many fields of biology provide evidence that supports the hypothesis of common descent.
A)True
B)False
26

The less varied the evidence supporting a hypothesis, the more certain it becomes.
A)True
B)False
27

___________ was NOT available to Darwin.
A)Fossil evidence
B)Anatomical evidence
C)Biochemical evidence
D)All of the above
28

Fossils are ___________.
A)mineralized bones of animals
B)plants pressed into shale
C)insects trapped in resin
D)footprints, worm casts or preserved worm droppings
E)all of the above
29

______ study fossils in the earth's strata.
A)Fossilogists
B)Taxonomists
C)Systematists
D)Paleontologists
E)Geologists
30

Particularly interesting are the fossils that serve as ____________ groups.
A)barriers between
B)distinctive separators of
C)representatives of extinct
D)transitional links between
E)undetermined
31

Fossils can be linked over time because ________.
A)most are embedded in sedimentary rock that is laid down in layers
B)the bottom layers of sediment are younger than the top layers
C)most are embedded in metamorphic rock that can be dated to volcanic eras
D)all forms of organisms have been fossilized and the record is complete
E)all organisms change at equal rates over time
32

The fossil Archaeopteryx is a transitional link between early ___________.
A)fish and amphibians
B)amphibians and reptiles
C)reptiles and birds
D)reptiles and mammals
E)birds and mammals
33

The Cenozoic era pertains to __________.
A)modern or most recent life
B)middle life
C)ancient or oldest life
D)the time before life appeared
E)the age of dinosaurs
34

The ______ era pertains to "middle animal life" and includes the periods during which dinosaurs prevailed.
A)Paleozoic
B)Cenozoic
C)Mesozoic
D)Mediumzoic
E)Precambrian
35

The Paleozoic era refers to ancient animal life.
A)True
B)False
36

______ is the study of the distribution of plants and animals throughout the world.
A)Geology
B)Biogeography
C)Taxonomy
D)Systematics
E)Paleontology
37

About 200 to 250 million years ago, all land masses formed a supercontinent called _________.
A)Laurasia
B)Gondwanaland
C)Pangaea
D)Gaia
E)Protoearth
38

Physical factors often determine where a population can spread.
A)True
B)False
39

Different vertebrates have uniquely different types of skeletons.
A)True
B)False
40

All vertebrate forelimbs contain essentially the same sets of bones despite their dissimilar functions.
A)True
B)False
41

Homologous structures have similar functions but differ in anatomy.
A)True
B)False
42

______ structures are anatomical features that are fully developed and functional in one group of organisms but are reduced and functionless in similar groups.
A)Homologous
B)Analogous
C)Transitional
D)Biochemical
E)Vestigial
43

Vestigial structures occur because _______.
A)related forms evolved in one locale
B)animals inherit their anatomy from their ancestors
C)an organism leaves no traces of its evolutionary history
D)they failed to work and evolution has not eliminated them yet
E)all of the above
44

Chick and pig embryos have many features in common. This is because ________.
A)they are both found in South America
B)they are both invertebrates
C)they evolved from a common ancestor
D)they both serve as human food
E)all of the above
45

At some time during development, all vertebrates _________.
A)have a dorsal supporting rod and exhibit paired pharyngeal pouches
B)develop functioning gills
C)develop ears
D)develop tonsils, thymus, and parathyroid glands
E)do all of the above
46

In humans, the first pair of pharyngeal pouches become the ___________ .
A)inner ears
B)tonsils, thymus, and parathyroid glands
C)gills
D)notochord
E)cavity of the middle ear and eustachian tubes
47

All living organisms are similar in using __________.
A)DNA(or RNA) and ATP
B)the same chromosome numbers
C)the exact same nucleotide sequences
D)the same gene pool
E)the same alleles
48

Modern evolutionists emphasize that individuals are members of a population.
A)True
B)False
49

The members of a population reproduce with one another to produce the next ______.
A)species
B)gene pool
C)alleles
D)generation
E)equilibrium
50

The Hardy-Weinberg law states that, as long as certain conditions are met, allele frequencies in a sexually reproducing population come to an equilibrium that is maintained generation after generation.
A)True
B)False
51

The condition(s) that need to be met for the Hardy-Weinberg Law to be plausible include ________.
A)no mutations
B)random mating
C)no genetic drift
D)no gene flow
E)no natural selection
F)all of the above
52

In real life, the Hardy-Weinberg Law _______.
A)holds in all cases
B)holds unless humans interfere with naturally breeding populations
C)does NOT hold because the conditions are rarely if ever met
D)does NOT hold because dominance causes an allele to become more common
53

______ has occurred when there is a change in gene pool frequencies.
A)Speciation
B)Random mating
C)Mutation
D)Macroevolution
E)Microevolution
54

______ provides new alleles and therefore underlies all other mechanisms that produce variation.
A)Speciation
B)Random mating
C)Mutation
D)Macroevolution
E)Microevolution
55

Genetic drift is the movement of alleles between populations by, for example, the migration of breeding individuals.
A)True
B)False
56

Genetic drift refers to changes in allele frequencies of a gene pool due to chance.
A)True
B)False
57

In nature, ______ lead(s) to small populations in which genetic drift drastically affects gene pool frequencies.
A)founder effect
B)bottleneck effect
C)both A and B
D)no situation
E)all situations
58

Darwin concluded that species ______ with time.
A)mutate
B)acquired characteristics
C)stabilize
D)go extinct
E)evolve
59

Darwin's theory of natural selection was teleological.
A)True
B)False
60

The critical element(s) of Darwin's theory of natural selection is/are ____________.
A)variations
B)struggle for existence
C)survival of the fittest
D)adaptation
E)all of the above
61

Natural selection is the process by which populations become ______ to their environment.
A)adapted
B)stabilized
C)limited
D)equilibrated
E)isolated
62

Gene flow between two populations keeps their gene pools similar.
A)True
B)False
63

Nonrandom mating occurs when individuals pair up, NOT by chance, but according to their _________.
A)DNA sequences
B)genotypes or phenotypes
C)sexual preferences
D)fitness
E)evolution
64

In humans, inbreeding increases the frequency of recessive abnormalities.
A)True
B)False
65

Types of natural selection are _________.
A)stabilizing selection
B)disruptive selection
C)directional selection
D)all of the above
66

Selective agents for insects and bacteria are __________.
A)pesticides and antibiotics
B)humans
C)plants and animals
D)entomologists and microbiologists
E)genetic drift and gene flow
67

The modern horse Equus evolved from ________.
A)Seymouria
B)Hyracotherium
C)Eusteopteron
D)Archeopteryx
E)the giraffe
68

Sickle-cell disease tends to be more common in _______.
A)Canada
B)Africa
C)Japan
D)United States
E)Europe
69

______ are defined as a group of interbreeding subpopulations that share a gene pool and that are isolated reproductively from other species.
A)Populations
B)Communities
C)Superorganisms
D)Species
E)Subspecies
70

Allopatric speciation involves ___________.
A)geographic isolation
B)reproductive isolation
C)both A and B
D)disruptive selection
E)sustained gene flow
71

If a lion and a tiger mate but the offspring is sterile, this is an example of _________.
A)geographic isolation
B)premating reproductive isolation
C)postmating reproductive isolation
D)disruptive selection
E)sustained gene flow
72

The case of Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Islands is an example of _________.
A)adaptive radiation
B)evolution of acquired characteristics
C)mutation
D)random mating
E)sustained gene flow
73

Two major hypotheses about the pace of speciation are _________.
A)adaptive radiation and evolution of acquired characteristics
B)allopatric and sympatric speciation
C)sustained and random gene flow
D)phyletic gradualism and punctuated equilibrium
E)disruptive and stabilizing selection
74

In the case of the name for humans, Homo sapiens, _________.
A)sapiens is the species name
B)only the specific epithet is in italics
C)the genus name is lower case and capitalized only at the beginning of sentences
D)a species is designated by use of the full two-part name
E)all of the above are correct
75

Which provides the correct order of taxonomic categories from largest to smallest?
A)kingdom-phylum/division-class-order-genus-family-species
B)kingdom-phylum/division-order-class-genus-family-species
C)kingdom-phylum/division-class-order-family-genus-species
D)kingdom-phylum/division-order-class-family-genus-species
76

According to cladists, reptiles and birds would be two separate classes of vertebrates.
A)True
B)False







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