Earth History, Evolution, Ice Cores, and Genetics Quiz
Directions: Choose the answer that best fits the question.
1. Scientists have observed that many animals share similar bone structures in their front limbs, as shown
below.
What do scientists believe is the reason for these similarities?
A. The animals share a common ancestor and have evolved to fit the different environments in which they live.
B. These animals live in similar environments, so they have evolved to have similar bone structures.
C. The animals have the same bone structures in their front limbs because the structures serve the same function in each
animal.
D. These animals have identical DNA sequences, so their bone structures are very similar as well.
The drawing to the right shows a dragonfly flying toward a freshwater pond.
2. What would help the populations of species living in the pond
survive dramatic changes in their environment?
A. a low birth rate
B. eating a single source of food
C. genetic variation within each species
D. the introduction of a new species to the pond
3. Ice core samples are taken by drilling into glaciers and removing columns of ice that have built up over
many years. These ice core samples record changes to the local area of the glacier, changes to the
region where the glacier is located, and changes to the larger global environment.
How are ice cores used to show changes that occurred in the global environment?
A.
B.
C.
D.
They record the temperature of the air at the times when the ice formed.
They record the amount of salt that was in the air at the times when the ice formed.
They record the levels of the atmospheric gases which were trapped in the ice when it formed.
They record the depth of each snowfall that eventually packed down and formed the ice in the core samples
4. What is the geologic theory of evolution based on?
A.
B.
C.
D.
the theory of plate tectonics
the law of superposition
the processes of weathering
the concept of unconformity
5. Which best describes how ice cores are important to the study of geologic history?
A. They show unconformities, which signal changes in deposition.
B. They hold index fossils, which are used to date the different ice cores.
C. They contain evidence showing changes in the atmospheric composition over time.
D. They follow the Law of Superposition, which gives reasons for extinctions of species
6. What do transitional fossils best support?
A. the Theory of Biological Evolution
B. the Law of Superposition
C. the Theory of Geological Evolution
D. the Theory of Continental Drift
7. Tigers and household cats are members of the same family; however, their sizes are vastly different.
What is the cause of this difference?
A. biochemical makeup
B. behavioral makeup
C. genetics
D. habitat size
8. Scientists think that dolphins and whales may have evolved from a common ancestor. What evidence
supports this?
A. They swim the same way.
B. They eat the same food.
C. They live in the same area of the ocean.
D. They have similar anatomies.
9. In the winter, the fur of the arctic fox is white. In summer, the fur darkens to a reddish brown. What
most likely causes the fur of the fox to change color?
A. the amount of sunlight present
B. the fox’s habitat
C. the fox’s genes
D. the fox’s age
10. Which would best allow a species to survive environmental changes?
A. similar physical features
B. low mutation rate
C. small population
D. genetic diversity
11. What do earthquakes tell scientist about the history of the planet?
A. Earth’s climate is constantly changing.
B. The continents of Earth are continually moving.
C. Dinosaurs became extinct about 65 million years ago.
D. The oceans are much deeper today than millions years ago.
12. Which would indicate that a series of fossils represent the evolution of the horse?
A. All of the fossils were found in the same layers of rocks as horse fossils.
B. All of the fossils are completely identical to horse bones.
C. All of the fossils show similar structures to that of the modern horse.
D. All of the fossils were located in the same place on Earth as horse.
13. A group of small islands near the equator, about 1 000 km off the west coast of South America.
Observations of the island fauna lead to the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
a.
b.
c.
d.
Fiji Islands
Falkland Islands
Galapagos Islands
Aleutian Islands
14. A body structure in a present day organism that no longer serves its original purpose
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Vestigial organ
The human appendix is an example
Internal organ
All of the above
Only A & B
15. Body parts that do not have a common evolutionary origin but are similar in function
a.
b.
c.
d.
Analogous structures
Homologous structures
Vestigial structures
Amalgamated structures
16. The point where movement occurred which triggered the earthquake is the…
a. Dip
b. Epicenter
c. Focus
d. Strike
17. With increasing travel time the difference in arrival times between the P and the S waves…
a. Increases
b. Decreases
c. Stays constant
d. None of the above
18. According to the picture to the right, where is the focus with respect to the epicenter?
a. Directly below the epicenter
b. Directly above the epicenter
c. In the P wave shadow zone
d. In the S wave shadow zone