8. Evidence of Evolution

Emus are flightless birds. They have very small wings. The presence of the wings suggests that the emus' ancestor ________________​

​

A) also had very small wings​

B) could fly ​

C) was not related to birds ​

D) none of the above

B) could fly ​

We learned that human & gorilla hemoglobin differ by one amino acid. Human & frog hemoglobin differ by 67 amino acids. Which organisms are more closely related?​

A) Humans and gorillas ​

B) Humans and frogs ​

C) Gorillas and frogs​

D) None of them are closely related to each other

A) Humans and gorillas ​

Scientists discover a fossil that has both leg-like bones and traits similar to modern whales. How could this fossil help scientists, and what challenge might they face when interpreting it?​

A) It proves exactly when whales stopped walking on land, though fossils are often damaged over time​
B) It shows a possible evolutionary transition, but gaps in the fossil record may limit a full understanding​
C) It confirms whales evolved directly from fish, but the fossil record is too complete to show all stages​
D) It reveals that modern whales once lived on land, and there are no missing pieces in the fossil record

B) It shows a possible evolutionary transition, but gaps in the fossil record may limit a full understanding​

A fossil record shows that a species of insect remained the same for millions of years, then suddenly new forms appeared in a relatively short time period with major changes in body structure.

Which evolutionary pattern does this most likely represent?

A) Gradualism, because all species evolve in small, continuous steps
B) Gradualism, because the insect evolved slowly over time
C) Punctuated equilibrium, because the change happened suddenly after a long period of stability
D) Punctuated equilibrium, because the insect never changed over time

C) Punctuated equilibrium, because the change happened suddenly after a long period of stability