Question 1

Broadly defined,________ is descent with modification from a common ancestor.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Broadly defined,________ is descent with modification from...

Question 2

If you hear a friend call someone a "Neanderthal," why might it conceivably be a compliment?

Accepted Answer

Neanderthals are known to have cared for their sick and elderly, which can be seen as a compassionate and positive trait.

Question 3

Imagine that you are an archaeologist on a dig somewhere in East Asia and you begin to excavate an area littered with stone tools that also has the remains of an ancient fire.Subsequent carbon dating of the charcoal from the fire yields a date of 200,000 years before the present.Given these circumstances,which species would you expect most likely set that fire?

Accepted Answer

The use of fire in ancient times is associated with the Homo genus, specifically Homo erectus. The age of 200,000 years also corresponds to the time when Homo erectus is known to have existed. Other species listed, such as Australopithecus afarensis and Ardipithecus ramidus, are not known to have used fire, and Homo ergaster is a close relative of Homo erectus and may also have used fire.

Question 4

If many living and fossil species of camelids,a mammal family containing camels,lamas,and alpacas,can be found in the Americas,but only two can be found in Asia and one can be found in Africa,camelids probably evolved in ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If many living and fossil species of...

Question 5

The Euphorbia of desert parts of Africa and India are succulent and have thorns but are superficially very similar to the unrelated cacti native to the deserts of the Americas.This pair of plant groups represents an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

The fact that the succulent and thorny Euphorbia from Africa and India resemble the cacti from the Americas, despite being from different evolutionary lineages, suggests that they have adapted to similar selective pressures in their desert habitats. This is an example of convergent evolution, where unrelated organisms evolve similar adaptations to similar environments.

Question 6

________ is the study of the geographic distribution of organisms.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ is the study of the geographic...

Question 7

If the atmospheric layer known as the ________ were to disappear,we would be exposed to intense ultraviolet radiation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If the atmospheric layer known as the...

Question 8

Plants from the genus Solanum include such common vegetables as potatoes and eggplants.The many species include some plants native to tropical West Africa as well as closely related species native to tropical South America.What might you reasonably conclude?

Accepted Answer

Since the Solanum genus includes species native to both tropical West Africa and tropical South America, we can reasonably conclude that at some point in the past, these regions were connected, allowing for the plants to spread between them. This indicates that the continents were once joined, either through land bridges or when the supercontinent Pangea existed.

Question 9

One result of natural selection is that populations become better suited to their particular environment by a process called ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of One result of natural selection is that...

Question 10

Which of the following groups has more species?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following groups has more...

Question 11

A difference in appearance between males and females in a species is called ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A difference in appearance between males and...

Question 12

________ can behave as an enzyme and may have been the first macromolecule leading to the first cells.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ can behave as an enzyme and...

Question 13

________ dating uses potassium/argon ratios and can be used to determine absolute age.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ dating uses potassium/argon ratios and can...

Question 14

Astronomers have detected the presence of various chemicals in deep space similar to those thought to have been synthesized in Earth's early atmosphere.The environments where those deep space molecules originated would be most likely to contain ________.

Accepted Answer

The synthesis of chemicals in Earth's early atmosphere is thought to have occurred in environments with low oxygen, present ultraviolet light, and a mixture of methane, nitrogen, and hydrogen. This matches the description given in option A. Options B and D do not meet the criteria for the presence of ultraviolet light or the absence of oxygen. Option C has an abundance of oxygen, which goes against the conditions for the synthesis of chemicals in Earth's early atmosphere.

Question 15

If an average female A.afarensis weighed 24 kg,what would you estimate the weight of an average male to be?

Accepted Answer

The average weight of male A.afarensis is estimated to be about 50 kg, which is double the weight of the female. Therefore, the most reasonable choice is C, 36 kg, as it is closer to half of the male weight estimate.

Question 16

Before contact with Europeans,the people of a tiny,isolated group of South Pacific islands had a population of around 50,000 people.Because of poor management of their own resources,the population fell to around 5000 by about the year 1750.When Europeans finally arrived,they brought smallpox and after the ensuing epidemic,only about 800 islanders were left alive.The unusual genetic makeup of the native population is due to what phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

The population decrease from 50,000 to 5,000 followed by a significant reduction to only 800 individuals suggests a bottleneck effect. This is a type of genetic drift that can have significant impacts on the genetic makeup of a population.

Question 17

________ is the relative number of reproductively viable offspring left by an individual.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ is the relative number of reproductively...

Question 18

The Abuja family had 10 children by 1950,but due to ill health,there is now only one surviving grandchild.The Bacchus family had 3 children in 1950 and now has 6 grandchildren.Which statement about these families is correct?

Accepted Answer

The Bacchus family has greater fitness because they have more surviving descendants (6 grandchildren) compared to the Abuja family, which has only one surviving grandchild. Fitness in evolutionary terms refers to the ability to survive and reproduce, passing on genes to the next generation.

Question 19

The order of mammals to which humans belong is the ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The order of mammals to which humans...

Question 20

A group of living things whose members can successfully breed with one another is called a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A group of living things whose members...

Quiz 22: Evolution and Our Heritage