Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that
best completes the statement or answers the question.
A
B
C
D
1.
Sediment is composed of
a.
the soft parts of organisms.
b.
the hard parts of organisms.
c.
small particles of rock.
d.
wood, shell, and bone.
A
B
C
D
2.
Why
did oceans not exist on Earth nearly 4 billion years ago?
a.
No water was present.
b.
Water remained a gas because Earth was very
hot.
c.
Water existed as
ice because Earth was very cold.
d.
none of the above
A
B
C
D
3.
How
would you date a sample of rock that you suspect as being one of the earliest on
Earth?
a.
Use a radioactive
isotope with a short half-life.
b.
Use a radioactive isotope with a long
half-life.
c.
Use an index
fossil.
d.
It is impossible
to date very early rocks.
A
B
C
D
4.
What
proportion of all species that ever lived has become extinct?
a.
less than 1 percent
b.
approximate one-half
c.
more than 99 percent
d.
It is impossible to estimate.
A
B
C
D
5.
Most
fossils form in
a.
peat
bogs.
b.
tar
pits.
c.
sedimentary
rock.
d.
the sap of
ancient trees.
A
B
C
D
6.
The
first organisms were
a.
prokaryotes.
b.
eukaryotes.
c.
proteinoid microspheres.
d.
microfossils
A
B
C
D
7.
Which
of these statements about mitochondria and chloroplasts constitutes support for the endosymbiont
theory as articulated by Lynn Margulis?
a.
Their RNA resembles bacterial
RNA.
b.
Their ribosomes
resemble bacterial ribosomes.
c.
They reproduce by mitosis.
d.
all of the above
A
B
C
D
8.
Examples of fossils include preserved
a.
eggs.
b.
footprints.
c.
body parts.
d.
all of the above
A
B
C
D
9.
Two
poisonous gases that probably existed in Earth's early atmosphere are
a.
oxygen and water vapor.
b.
water vapor and nitrogen.
c.
oxygen and carbon monoxide.
d.
hydrogen cyanide and carbon
monoxide.
A
B
C
D
10.
Fossilized evidence of Earth's first forms of life would consist of
a.
invertebrates from the
Paleozoic.
b.
invertebrates
from the Precambrian.
c.
eukaryotes from the Precambrian.
d.
prokaryotes from the
Precambrian.
A
B
C
D
11.
Miller
and Urey's experiments attempted to simulate the conditions
a.
of Earth's early seas.
b.
of Earth's early atmosphere.
c.
of Earth before liquid water
existed.
d.
deep inside
Earth.
A
B
C
D
12.
A mass
extinction would encourage the rapid evolution of surviving species
a.
by changing developmental genes.
b.
by opening ecological niches.
c.
because it killed all organisms that had
coevolved.
d.
because it spared
all organisms that had evolved convergently.
A
B
C
D
13.
The
length of time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay is
its
a.
half-life.
b.
relative date.
c.
radioactive date.
d.
none of the above
A
B
C
D
14.
The
levels of division of the geologic time scale, from smallest to largest are
a.
eras, periods, and epochs.
b.
epochs, periods, and eras.
c.
periods, eras, and epochs.
d.
periods, epochs, and eras.
A
B
C
D
15.
One
hypothesis about the origin of life holds that
a.
RNA replaced DNA as the most stable information-storing
molecule.
b.
RNA nucleotides
were formed from simple organic molecules in an abiotic stew.
c.
auto-replicating DNA functioned in information
storage.
d.
RNA came to
direct protein synthesis as cells evolved.
A
B
C
D
16.
The
Mesozoic is often called the Age of
a.
Invertebrates.
b.
Vertebrates.
c.
Dinosaurs.
d.
Mammals.
A
B
C
D
17.
The
endosymbiont theory proposes that eukaryotic cells arose from
a.
single prokaryotic cells.
b.
multicellular prokaryotes.
c.
communities of prokaryotes inside a larger
cell.
d.
communities of
eukaryotes inside a larger cell.
A
B
C
D
18.
A
single species that has evolved into several different forms that live in different ways has
undergone
a.
adaptive
radiation.
b.
coevolution.
c.
punctuated equilibrium.
d.
mass extinction.
A
B
C
D
19.
What
do proteinoid microspheres have in common with cells?
a.
They can store and release
energy.
b.
They contain
DNA.
c.
They contain
RNA.
d.
They are
communities of organisms.
A
B
C
D
20.
Which
is an important reason that organic molecules do not form on their own and remain intact
today?
a.
Earth is too
hot.
b.
Atmospheric
oxygen is too reactive.
c.
The building blocks of organic molecules no longer
exist.
d.
There is no
energy source for the formation of organic molecules.
A
B
C
D
21.
The
fossil record shows that
a.
most organisms that ever lived on Earth are now
extinct.
b.
fossils occur in
a particular order.
c.
modern organisms have unicellular
ancestors.
d.
all of the
above
A
B
C
D
22.
Which
of the following characterizes Earth before the oceans formed?
a.
volcanic activity
b.
bombardment by comets and
asteroids
c.
an atmosphere of
poisonous gases
d.
all of the above
A
B
C
D
23.
Earth's most recent era is the
a.
Paleozoic.
b.
Mesozoic.
c.
Cenozoic.
d.
Precambrian.
A
B
C
D
24.
A
necessary condition for the evolution of life on Earth was
a.
the existence of DNA.
b.
free oxygen.
c.
the formation of the ozone
layer.
d.
liquid
water.
A
B
C
D
25.
Two
patterns of macroevolution that involve very rapid response to environmental pressures
are
a.
convergent evolution and changes in
developmental genes.
b.
coevolution and convergent
evolution.
c.
adaptive
radiation and changes in developmental genes.
d.
punctuated equilibrium and mass
extinction.
