Quiz problems for GeoScience Final

Our solar system is chemically segregated such that:

a. the inner planets are rich in H and He and the other outer planets have abundant water

b. the outer planets are very dense and the inner planets are rich in water

c. the outer planets are mostly H and He and the inner planets are rocky

d. the outer planets are rich in H and the inner planets are rich in He

e. the composition of the sun is similar to earth but different from Jupiter

c. the outer planets are mostly H and He and the inner planets are rocky

Order the following geological time intervals from YOUNGEST to OLDEST

Cenozoic

Paleozoic

Mesozoic

Proterozoic

Archean

Cenozoic

Mesozoic

Paleozoic

Proterozoic

Archean

which of the folowing is true about the earths moon

a. it formed approximately 4.5 million years ago

b. it is usually large for a planets satellite

c. it is believed to have formed during an impact with a mars sized body

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

d. all of the above

The phanerozoic eon began ______ million years ago

a. 541

b. 1000

c. 251

d. 66

e. 335

a. 541

place the following time intervals in the correct sequence, from OLDEST to YOUNGEST

Cretaceous

Jurassic

Ordovician

Cenozoic

Permian

Devonian

Cambrian

Cambrian

Ordovician

Devonian

Permian

Jurassic

Cretaceous

Cenozoic

there is extra iron in the universe because

a. stars like our sun eventually turn into masses of iron

b. supernovae turn hydrogen into iron

c. iron is the end product of normal stellar nucleosynthesis

d. the big bang only produced elements up to the ( ) of iron

e. iron is concentrated during the formation of inner planets

c. iron is the end product of normal stellar nucleosynthesis

What evidence indicates that our solar system is relatively new to the universe

a. the suns contains elements that were synthesized inside of stars

b. the sun still has H to power fusion reactions

c. the radioisotopic ages of asteroids

d. the composition and structure of visible universe

e. all of the above

e. all of the above

the cretaceous period ended _____million years ago

a. 530

b. 66

c. 2500

d. 251

e. 23

b. 66

what is the snow line in the solar system

a. high -( ) poiints on meteorites that are covered in crystalline ice

b. the precise orbits of ice filled moons located around the gas giant planets

c. the location in the planetary disk closest to the sun that is cool enough for water ice to form

d. the point in time where liquid water first condensed to form solid and vapor phases

e. the lunar solar systems frigid temperature position

c. the location in the planetary disk closest to the sun that is cool enough for water ice to form

where is most of the earths water located?

a. in the atmosphere

b. in continental ground water

c. in polar ice caps

d. in earths interior, bound to minerals

e. in the ocean

d. in earths interior, bound to minerals

the water molecule H2O is quite common in the solar system, Why?

a. hydrogen and oxygen are the first and third most abundant elements in the universe

b. the moon continuously ejected water during its formation

c. meteorites are formed mostly of water

d. water is gravitationally stable around a planet

e. the condensation of the solar system involves primarily water

a. hydrogen and oxygen are the first and third most abundant elements in the universe

what is the consensus favorite source of earths water

a. comets

b. asteroids

c. the moon

d. the sun

b. asteroids

approximately what fraction of earths surface is covered by water

a. 1/10 (10%)

b. 1/3 (33%)

c. 1/2 (50%)

d. 2/3 (67%)

e. 3/4 (75%)

d. 2/3 (67%)

in order to form a habitable planet, elements heavior than helium, such as carbon, oxygen and nitrogen must be present. All of these elements were formed inside of ____ and released into space during _____

a. stars, planetary condensation

b. nebulae, planetary condensation

c. stars, big bang

d. big bang, nucleosynthesis

e. stars, supernovae

e. stars, supernovae

the oldest rocks and fossils on earth are found _____ because this type of crust is not easily destroyed during the process of ______

a. on the continents, gravitational pull of moon

b. on the continents, volcanism

c. in oceans, erosion

d. on the continents, sea floor spreading

e. in oceans, plate tectonics

d. on the continents, sea floor spreading

what is the approximate global completeness of the fossil record of marine animals that live in shallow seas and that have hard parts. Assume completeness is measure as the proportion of all species that have ever liced that known as fossils

a. 90%

b 2%

c. 25%

d. .001%

e. 50%

b. 2%

during the decay of radiocative nucleus _______ is released and the original nucleus is transformed into a _______

a. visible light, stable daughter nucleus

b. energy, proton

c. a neutron, neutrino

d. a neutron, radioactive nucleus

e. energy, stable daughter nucleus

e. energy, stable daughter nucleus

Based on the assumption that the current heat in the earth and the sun is residual heat left over from the formation of the solar system. What was the major flaw in kelvins calculations for Earths age?

a. he neglected the heat generated by gravitational forces

b. he assumed that the solar nebula was initially much hotter that it actually was

c. he did not know about the energy generated by radioactive decay

d. he ignored the heat released from the earth by volcanoes and from the sun by solar flares

e. all of the above

c. he did not know about the energy generated by radioactive decay

which of the following can result in reproductive isolation and lead to the formation of new species

a. differences between individuals in their habitat preferences

b. differences between individuals in their mate selection preferences

c. differences between individuals in their dietary preferences

d. differences between individuals in their environment

e. all of the above

e. all of the above

distinguishing between cryptic species (distinct species that are very morphologically similar to one another) can be difficult. Among living beetles, how might one differentiate between cryptic species

a. examine the reproductive organs of males

b. look for chemical differences in phermones

c. sequence their genomes

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

d. all of the above

stasis, no change in the morphology of lineages over time, is a common pattern that is observed in the fossil record indicate

a. evolution is not capable of causing change over time

b. populations are separated by temporal barriers to reproduction

c. natural selection is usually a weak force of nature

d. stabilizing selection is a common form of natural selection

e. none of the above

d. stabilizing selection is a common form of natural selection

_____ used ____ to estimate an age of about 6000 years for the earth

a. james ussher, biblical chronology

b. lord kelvin, physics

c. charles darwin, rate of evolution

d. nicholas steno, uniformitarianism

e. edmond halley, the saltiness of the ocean

a. james ussher, biblical chronology

all of the endemic species in the hawaiian islands arrived from surrounding mainlands within the last 6 million years. This statement is _____

a. true

b. false, the hawaiian islands are only 5.75 mill years old

c. false, many species evolved in the hawaiian archipelago

d. false, all native species have gone extinct in the past 100 years

e. false, the hawaiian islands are newly formed volcanic islands

a. true

human embryonic stems cells

a. have the potential to become any cell type in the body

b. are derived from aborted fetuses

c. have not yet recieved the developmental signals that specify cell fate

d. A and C

e. all of above

d. A and C

the _____ is the timescale that is most relevant to measuring rates of evolutionary rates of change

a. generation

b. year

c. mutation rate

d. million year timescale

e. none of the above

a. generation

what technological advance and outcome was key to proving, beyond all reasonable doubt, that earth is not the center of our solar system?

a. specimen cabinets and the recognition of fossils as remains of organic beings

b. the telescope and the discovery of jupiters moons

c. the abacus and the gravitational constant

d. printing press and the mass production of bibles

d. the microscope and the existence of single celled organisms

b. the telescope and discovery of jupiters moons

some of the junk DNA that is in the human genome originated from retrovirus infections in our common ancestor. This statement is:

a. true

b. false

c. support for intelligent design

d. proof of natural selection

e. made up to confuse 110 students

a. true

The _______ refers to the physical appearance of an organism

a. phenotype

b. population

c. metazoan

d. genome

e. genotype

a. phenotype

Homeobox genes ________

a. are highly conserved throughout the entire animal kingdom

b. code for transcription factors

c. control cell differentiation and body plan formation during development

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

d. all of the above

if a population starts out on the slope of an adaptive landscape with only one fitness peak that is static over time, what is the expected response of the population, assuming that natural selection can act

a. disruptive selectiton followed by both directional and stabilizing selection

b. directional selection followed by stabilizing selection

c. stabilizing selection followed directional selection

d. directional selection

e. stabilizing selection

b. directional selection followed by stabilizing selection

the two domains that contain all prokaryotic life are the _____

a. archea

b. eukarya

c. viruses

d. proterozoic

e. bacteria

(CHECK ALL)

a. archea

b. eukarya

homologous characters ______

a. include hair and milk production in mammals

b. can be modified for different functions in different lineages

c. are inherited from a common ancestor

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

d. all of the above

______ used comparative anatomy to study mastodons and mammoths and showed that _____ was a real phenomenon

a. smith, faunal succession

b. darwin, evolution

c. lamarck, progress

d. steno, fossilization

e. cuvier, extinction

e. cuvier extinction

the direction for reading the genetic code is established by _____

a. the sequence of bases in mRNA

b. chemical asymmetry in the backbone of the DNA molecule

c. the position of introns and exons

d. DNA polymerase

e. enzymes that bind to DNA at enhanver regions

d. DNA polymerase

faunal succession _______

a. was demonstrated by mapping rocks and fossils

b. was discovered before the theory of evolution by natural selection

c. can be used to order and subdivide geological time

d. forms the basis of biostratigraphy

e. all of the above

e. all of the above

what key concept about human society, discussed in an essay by Thomas Malthus, was pivotal to the theory of evolution by natural selection

a. population growth

b. biogeography

c. geographic variation

d. biological extinction

e. none of the above

a. population growth

variation is common in nature. Which of the following best describes Darwin's interpretation of varieties of animals and plants

a. varieties are equivalent to new species

b. varieties are relicit species adapted to ancient conditions

c. varieties may be on their way to becoming new speciese

d. varieties make up all genera

e. none of the above

c. varieties may be on their way to becoming new species

the offspring of two parents get 50% of their DNA from each parent. Given this fact about sexual reproduction, why are the offspring of one set of parents different from one another (exccept for identical twins)?

a. point mutations introduce variability

b. crossing over during meiosis causes novel combinations of genes in gametes

c. sexual reproduction results in enhanced rates of mutation during gametogenesis

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

b. crossing over during meiosis causes novel combinations of genes in gametes

although Darwin gets most of the credit, he wasnt the only person to come up with the idea of natural selection. This statement is ____

a. true. Charles lyell also believed in uniformitarianism and applied it to evolution

b. false

c. true. Alfred russel wallace and darwin coauthored the first paper on natural selection

d. false. other scientists only believed in lamarckian evolution

e. true. fitzroy helped darwin discover natural selection during the voyage of the beagle

c. true. Alfred russel wallace and darwin coauthored the first paper on natural selection

a captive liger recently mated with a lion and the product was a healthy baby liliger. Lion and tiger seem to be distinct species in the wild, so what is the implication of the liliger for a species concepts

a. the typological species concept is often correct

b. the boundaries between species are often fuzzy

c.the biological species concept is usually correct

d. species are real embodiments of a divine plan in nature

e. the darwinian species selection model is usually correct

b. the boundaries between species are often fuzzy

embryo tissue transplant experiments showed that some cells carry a signal that specifies the formation of major parts of the body during the development. These experiments ______

a. proved that evolution by natural selection is possible

b. resulted in the discover of post transcription gene regulation

c. provided direct evidence for the central dogma

d. proved that some cells in an embryo can become any part of the body

e. resulted in retrovirus infections that changed the genome

d. proved that some cells in an embryo can become any part of the body

Which of the following is a necessary step in the formation of a new species

a. the establishment of a barrier to reproduction

b. a change in morphology

c. a change in the number of chromosomes

d. a change in the geographic location of a population

e. the appearance of a new morphological structure

a. the establishment of a barrier to reproduction

morphogenetic mutants are formed when ____ are silenced or incorrectly activated during ____

a. exons, evolution

b. hox genes, development

c. hox genes, reproduction

d. transposons, replication

e. all of the above

b. hox genes, development

stasis, no change in the morphology of lineages over time, is a common pattern that is observed in the fossils record. What might the prevalence of stasis in the fossil record indicate

a. evolution is not capable of causing change over time

b. populations are separated by temporal barriers to reproduction

c. natural selection is usually a weak force of nature

d. stabilizing selection is a common form of natural selection

e. none of the above

d. stabilizing selection is a common form of natural selection

human birth is difficult. small infants are less likely too survive than bigger ones, but infants that are too big can die during birth because of difficulty arising during labor. Assuming that natural selection applies to birth weight, this situation would result in ______

a. directional selection followed by drift

b. stabilizing selection followed by directional selection

c. stabilizing selection

d. disruptive selection followed by both directional and stabilizing selection

e. directional selection

c. stabilizing selection

retroviruses use ____ to ____ their RNA code into their hosts DNA

a. DNA replication systems, insert

b. rna polymerase, synthesized

c. ribosomes, copy

d. reverse transcription, insert

e. DNA polymerase, synthesize

d. reverse transcription, insert

What is required in order for natural selection to occur? Check all that apply

a. evolution

b. heritable variation

c. progress

d. struggle for reproduction

e. extinction of weakest individuals

f. disruptive selection

g. differential reproductive success

b. heritable variation

d. struggle for reproduction

g. differential reproductive success

what caused linnaeus to abandon the notion that species are "fixed in nature"

a. different species can be crossed to make new hybrid morphologies

b. plants can be easily hybridized to make new varieties

c. some species have individuals with variations that grade into one another

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

d. all of the above

the Galapagos islands are home to darwins finches. in the 1970s, two researchers (the grants) measured the beak size of finches on one island before and after a drought. larger birds with larger beaks were favored and bird size increased from year to year. This is an example of what processes?

a. descent with modification

b. evolution

c. directional selection

d. natural selection

a. descent with modification

b. evolution

c. directional selection

d. natural selection

evolution can be define as _____

a. change in DNA over time

b. change in gene/allele frequencies over time

c. change in fitness over time

d. change in morphology over time

e. all of the above

e. all of the above

what is the approximate global completeness of the fossil record of marine animals that live in shallow seas and that have hard parts. Assume completeness is measured as the proportion (percent) of all species that have ever lived that are known as fossils

a. 2%

b. 25%

c. 0.001%

d. 50%

e. 90%

a. 2%

According to the biological species concept, species are defined by ______

a. their morphological similarity

b. their ability to produce viable offspring

c. their genetic similarity

d. their ecological similarity

e. all of these are equally important

b. their ability to produce viable offspring

logistic growth occurs when the ____and the ____ converge as the population approaches its _____

a. birth rate, death rate, carrying capacity

b. species, birth rate, biological limits

c. carrying capacity, death rate, maximum birth rate

d. carrying capacity, growth rate, theoretical maximum

e. death rate, disturbance rate, carrying capacity

a. birth rate, death rate, carrying capacity

what evidence did Steno used to conclude that the fossils found in rocks on mountain tops could not have been washed there by noahs flood

a. layers of sedimentary rock are deposited in laterally discontinuous stacks

b. layers of sedimentary rock are easily moved from their original position

c. the relationships between strata document a series of multiple distinct events in earth history

d. the fossils found there were all from animals that lived on dry land

e. cross cutting relationships showed that mountains formed by volcanic eruptions

c. the relationships between strata document a series of multiple distinct events in earth history

the DNA molecule consists of a double helix, the two individual strands of which are held together by ____

a. sugar phosphate bonds

b. helicase

c. amino acid bonds

d. the vis plastica

e. none of the above

e. none of the above

animals begin life as a single cell. How do animals end up with so many different cell types as adults?

a. pre and post transcription regulatory mechanisms determine which genes get expressed

b. there is a hox gene that controls what embryos become

c. post transcription regulation of mRNA determines gene expression

d. iRNA specifies which mRNA are used in the ribosome

e. all of the above

a. pre and post transcription regulatory mechanisms determine which genes get expressed

genetic drift can occur when _____

a. reproduction is random

b. traits are not subject to natural selection

c. population size is small

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

d. all of the above

darwins voyage aboard the Beagle had a strong impact on the development of his theory. Which of the following observations made during that voyage most strongly affected the nature of his theory

a. there is a regular temporal order in the stratigraphic distribution of fossils

b. fossils of sea shells were one the remains of living organisms

c. organisms can be classified into hierarchial groups that reflect common ancestry

d. small changes usually cancel out when occurring over long periods of time

e. species found only on islands are often most similar to those found on nearby mainlands

e. species found only on islands are often most similar to those found on nearby mainlands

the sedimentary cycle, in combination with uniformitarianism, can be used to conclude that ______

a. fossils are buried in sediments that follow the principle of supposition

b. evolution by natural selection occurs over short geological time periods

c. sedimentary rocks are deposited in layers that were originally horizontal

d. sediments are transported by wind, ice, and water before deposition on land

e. the earth must be very old

e. the earth must be very old

what did steno do to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that some fossils were the remains of once living organisms

a. he demonstrated that living things cannot form by spontaneous generation

b. he dissected a shark and compared the teeth to "glossoppetrae"

c. he showed that fossils occur in strata that are deposited in horizontal layers

d. he discovered and then applied the principle of faunal succession

e. he used all of teh principles of stratigraphy to order geological events in time

b. he dissected a shark and compared the teeth to "glossoppetrae"

which of the following can result in the reproductive isolation and lead to the formation of new species?

a. differences between individuals in their habitat preferences

b. differences between individuals in their mate selection preferences

c. differences between individuals in their dietary preferences

d. differences between individuals in their environment

e. all of the above

e. all of the above

following the successful dispersal of an individual to an island, what process or processes may result in the origin of a new species

a. drift

b. disruptive selection

c. local adaptation

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

d. all of the above

_______ used _______ to estimate an age of about 6000 years for the earth

a. edmond halley, the saltiness of the ocean

b. nicholas steno, uniformitarianism

c. lord kelvin, physics

d. charles darwin, rates of erosion

e. james ussher, biblical chronology

e. james ussher, biblical chronology

gregor mendel was a contemporary of darwin who meticulously raised pea plants. What key fact did this austrian monk discover about heredity that Darwin never knew?

a. the frequency of some traits in the offspring of parents is determined by a predictable set rules stemming from units of heredity called genes

b. the traits of offspring tend to reflect a blended combination of the traits of the parents

c. the mother of any given offspring tends to predict more of its traits and behavior that does the father

d. traits acquired by adults during their lifetime can be passed on to their offspring

e. the timing of reproduction relative to the astronomical calendar predicts a lot of things about the traits of organisms

a. the frequency of some traits in the offspring of parents is determined by a predictable set rules stemming from units of heredity called genes

sponges can be characterized as an organism with a body due to its cells have a division of labor, with multiple functions, and communicating with one another

a. true

b. false

a. true

the fossil genus name Tiktoalik preserves which of the following traits that can make it intermediate in form between fish and tetrapods, like us

a. it has scales on its back

b. it has a flat head and neck

c. it has a wrist and shoulder

d. it has webbing between digits that form a fin

e. it has all of the above

e. it has all of the above

the phanerozoic eon began _____ million years ago

a. 66

b. 541

c. 335

d. 1000

e. 251

a. 541

what does the presence of stromatolites in the precambrian fossil record strongly suggests

a. the organic compounds used in metabolism were abundant

b. the origin of life had occurred and the evolution of eukaryotes was happening

c. O2 was being released into the environment by cyanobacterial photosynthesis

d. prokaryote and eukaryote species were forming complex structures

e. eukaryotic cells had evolved

c. O2 was being released into the environment by

banded iron formations are sedimentary deposits that are unique to the precambrian rock record. What is their significance

a. they make up economically important iron reserves, including those in Minnesota, wisconsin and michigan

b. they formed after the evolutiono of O2 producing prokaryotes

c. they record the rusting of the oceans

d. all of the above

e. B and C

d. all of the above

the cretaceous period ended _____ million years ago

a. 2500

b. 66

c. 550

d. 23

e. 251

b. 66

Reptiles are a _____ group because ______ are arbitrarily excluded

a. parapnyletic, mammals

b. paraphyletic, birds

c. monophyletic, turkeys

d. polyphyletic, trilobites

e. A and B

b. paraphyletic, birds

What is the single most important factor that has a regulated earths climate on geological timescales

a. the rate at which atmospheric carbon dioxide reacts with rainwater and minerals to form limestone is dependent on the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

b. prokaryotes have the ability to change the chemistry of the planet

c. the suns intensity varies periodically, preventing too much heating or cooling

d. the moons orbit is slowly regressing (getting further away), which slows the spinning of the earth and causes greater heating. the moons orbit is slowly regressing , which slows the spinning of the earth and causes solar heating

e. liquid water in the oceans acts a giant thermostat that prevents earth from ever getting too warm or cold

a. the rate at which atmospheric carbon dioxide reacts with rainwater and minerals to form limestone is dependent on the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Trilobite first appeared during the ______ Period

Cambrian

Evolution can be defined as...

a. Change in DNA over time

b. Change in gene/allele frequencies over time\

c. Change in fitness over time

d. Change in morphology over time

e. All of the above

e. All of the above

Which of the following is a necessary step in the formation of a new species

a. Chnage in the number of chromosomes

b. A change in morphology

c. The establishment of a barrier to reproduction

d. A change in the geographic location of a population

e. The appearance of a new mophological structure

C. The establishment of a barrier to reproduction

The ___ is the timescale that is most relevant to measuring rates of evolutionary rates of change

a. Generation

b. Year

c. Mutation rate

d. Million Year Timescale

e. None of the above

A. Generation

According to the biological species concept, species are defined by ____

a. Their morphological similarity

b. Their ability to produce viable offspring

c. Their genetic similarity

d. Their ecological similarity

e. All of these are equally important

B. Their ability to produce viable offspring

Two different species (A and B) with the same lifespans experience a lot of directional selection that favors smaller body sizes. Body size is heritable and the population mean is observed to decrease by the same amount in both species. If Species A is less variable in body size than Species B, which of the following is true?

a. Species A has a higher rate of evolution

b. Species B has a higher rate of evolution

c. Both A and B have the same rate of evolution

d. Neither A or B are evolving

e. None of the aobe

A. Species A has a higher rate of evolution

The unique diversity and morphological variability of the honeycreeper birds on the Hawaiian Islands is evidence for ___

a. an adaptive radiation

b. allopatric speciation

c. sympatric speciation

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

D. All of the above......Reasoning: when finch blown from land to Haw. and has a lot of niches it can fill (unlikely they will get there), finch had adaptive radiation (fill spaces/niches), allopatric speciation (completely isolated), sympatric speciation (overlapping-one island = multiple living in the same place with diff. Reprod. isolation) and parapatric (Haw. has large variation of environments/wide range-soft barriers)

Which words best complete the following sentence? In the ___ mode of speciation, the establishment of a geographic barrier to __ is the first step.

a. sympatric, reproduction

b. biological reproduction

c. sympatric, dispersal

d. allopatric, reproduction

e. allopatric, selection

d. Allopatric, reproduction

Following the successful dispersal of an individual to an island, what process or processes may result in the origin of a new species?

a. Drift

b. Disruptive selection

c. Local adaptation

d. All of the above

e. None of the above

d. All of the above

Humans, fungi, and fruit flies all have similar rates of point mutation. This statement is:

a. Kind of pointless

b. Support for intelligent design

c. Proof of sexual selection

d. False

e. True

e. True

Two populations of flies are reproductively isolated due to heritable variation in their preference for different host plants. These plants co-inhabit the same environments and have overlapping geographic ranges. This could be an example of:

a. Allopatric speciation

b. Genetic drift

c. Founder effect

d. Parapatric speciation

e. Sympatric speciation

e. Sympatric speciation

Which of the following diagrams of changing morphology over time (labeled A through D) exhibit anagenetic evolutionary change? Check all that apply.

Individuals from two different beetle populations mate and the fertilized egg survives to produce a functional offspring that also reproduces. This is an example of ___

a. Allopatric speciation

b. Hybrid sterility

c. Pre-zygotic isolation

d. Sexual selection

e. None of the above

A. None of the above

Zorses (the offspring of a cross between a horse and a zebra) are usually sterile because the males cannot produce functional gametes (sperm). This is evidence that horses and zebras are ___

a. Separated by postzygotic barriers

b. Separated by genetic drift

c. Separated by a founder effect

d. Separated by a prezygotic barrier

e. Member of the same species

A. Separated by postzygotic barrier

What is the significance of the high degree of conservation (that is, similarity) among some stretches of noncoding DNA?

a. Genes that are near noncoding regions are selectively deactivated

b. Noncoding regions increase rates of mutation among functional genomic elements

c. Cichlid fish have fewer noncoding genes

d. DNA replication is slowed by the presence of long noncoding regions of the genome

e. Noncoding regions of the genome should change rapidly if they have no influence on gene expression

B. Noncoding regions increase rates of mutation among functional genomic elements

Two different species undergo an episode of directional selection

and both species change in average body size by 2 cm. If

species A is less variable in body size than species B, which has

the faster rate of morphological evolution?

A) species A

B) species B

C) both have the same rate

D) there is no evolution

E) there is no spoon

A. Species A (Less variable = bigger rate)

Sympatric speciation can occur when ______

A) populations are reproductively isolated due to local habitat

preferences

B) populations are reproductively isolated due to a geographic barrier to gene flow

C) fitness is controlled by natural selection operating over many generations

D) fitness is controlled by reproductive isolation

E) all of the above

A) Populations are reproductively isolated due to local habitat

Two pregnant female birds are blown from North America to an island in the Pacific. What might happen?

A)divergence from mainland due to genetic drift B)reproductive isolation

C) allopatric speciation

D) all of the above

E)none of the above

D) All of the above

During the decay of a radioisotope, _____ is released and the radioisotope is transformed into a ______

A) a neutron, radioactive element

B) energy, stable daughter isotope

C) visible light, neutron

D) energy, proton

E)a neutron, black hole

B. Energy, stable daughter isotopes

What is our sun made of?

A) Hot dust and gas

B) H, He, made during the Big Bang

C) Radioactive isotopes

D) H, He and elements synthesized in starts

E) Greenbush donuts

D) H, He and elements synthesized in starts

What evidence indicates that our solar system is relatively new to the universe?

A)Our sun contains elements that are only made by stars B)Our sun still has H to "burn" (fuse)

C) The radioisotopic ages of meteorites

D) The composition and structure of the visible universe

E) All of the above

E) All of the above

Why is Earth cooler than both Venus and Mars relative to the solar E each receives?

A) Volcanoes on Venus and Mars make those planets warmer

B) Earth's space junk is blocking incoming solar energy

C) Earth's atmosphere is very different in composition

D) Venus has clouds and Mars has small ice caps

E) All of the above

C) Earth's atmosphere is very different composition

What aspect of our planet, as a whole, offers the most obvious and remotely observable evidence for complex life?

A) Earth's global average temp.

B) Free oxygen in the atmosphere

C) A nitrogen and water rich atmosphere

D) The presence of water

E) Our large moon

B. Free oxygen in the atmosphere (because 02 is really weird)

What evidence suggest that the first eukaryotic cells were actually made from 2 or more types of prokaryotes living in close association

A) The sizes of energy-related organelles in eukaryotes are similar to the

sizes of prokaryotes

B) Mitochondria and chloroplasts (energy-related organelles) have their own

genomes

C) Mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own independent replication

mechanisms during cell division

D) Mitochondria are sensitive to antibiotics

E) All of the above

E) All of the above

Which of the following has been linked to the

Cambrian Explosion of animals?

A) evolution of body patterning HOX genes

B) evolution of large-bodied predators

C) a threshold in atmospheric O2 was reached

D) all of the above

E) A and B

D) All of the above

Which of the following animal groups represent

the most recent common ancestor of tetrapods

(i.e. 4-limbed animals like us)?

A) lobe-finned fish

B) amphibians

C) sharks

D) lizards

E) all of the above are ancestors of tetrapods

A) Lobe-finned fish

Earth's sedimentary rocks contain a large amount of carbon that was originally in the atmosphere. What causes carbon to be stored and released from sedimentary rocks, thereby helping to keep Earth habitable?

A) natural selection and active plate tectonics

B) Active plate tectonics and hydrologic cycle

C) photosynthesis and biological evolution

D) active hydrologic cycle and atmospheric circulation

E) oil rigs and SUVs

B) Active plate tectonics and hydrologic cycle