Question 1

Which of the following times was marked by the largest mass extinction of life in the history of Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   The end of the Cretaceous
B)   The end of the Devonian
C)   The end of the Permian
D)   The end of the Triassic
E)   The end of the Silurian

Question 2

Which of the following methods is not used to date rocks more than 50,000 years old?

Accepted Answer

A)   Radioisotope dating of igneous rocks
B)   Paleomagnetic dating
C)   Fossil analysis
D)   Continental drift
E)   Radioisotope dating of sedimentary rock

Question 3

Drosophila grown in the presence of increased oxygen concentrations evolve to become _______ after only a few generations.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Drosophila grown in the presence of increased...

Question 4

It takes 14 days for half of the radioactive isotope phosophorous-32 to decay. After _______ days, one-eighth of the original quantity will be left.

Accepted Answer

42.

Question 5

In undisturbed strata of sedimentary rock, the oldest rocks

Accepted Answer

A)   lie at the top.
B)   lie at the bottom.
C)   are in the middle.
D)   are distributed among the strata of younger rocks.
E)   None of the above

Question 6

Despite being incomplete as a whole, the fossil record is rather detailed for

Accepted Answer

A)   soft-bodied insects.
B)   cnidarians and sponges.
C)   most terrestrial animals.
D)   hard-shelled mollusks.
E)   Both c and d

Question 7

If the half-life of a radioactive substance is 600 years, what fraction of the original material is left after 1,800 years?

Accepted Answer

A)   One-half
B)   One-fourth
C)   One-eighth
D)   One-sixteenth
E)   None of the above

Question 8

Which of the following conditions would most likely increase the likelihood of an animal being fossilized?

Accepted Answer

A)   Living in an oxygen-rich environment
B)   Having an exoskeleton
C)   Living in an area where geological processes often transform rocks
D)   Both a and b
E)   None of the above

Question 9

Which of the following statements about continental drift is true?

Accepted Answer

A)   When it was proposed, the idea received almost immediate acceptance.
B)   Continents move because as magma rises, it exerts tremendous pressure on the plates that float on top of it.
C)   Deep rift valleys have been generated from the same process that causes continental drift.
D)   Both a and b
E)   Both b and c

Question 10

Which of the following characteristics of plants did not evolve during the Cenozoic era?

Accepted Answer

A)   Diversification of flowering plants
B)   Photosynthesis
C)   Symbiotic nitrogen fixation
D)   Herbaceous forms of flowering plants
E)   Grasslands C

Question 11

Mass extinctions occurred at the end of each of the following periods except the

Accepted Answer

A)   Devonian.
B)   Cretaceous.
C)   Silurian.
D)   Permian.
E)   Triassic.

Question 12

During which period did the following events occur: recovery of the biota after a major mass extinction; increase in the species richness of invertebrate groups; appearance of the first turtles and frogs; and beginnings of a large radiation of reptiles?

Accepted Answer

A)   Permian
B)   Cambrian
C)   Jurassic
D)   Cretaceous
E)   Triassic

Question 13

Which of the following statements about patterns or processes in the evolution of life is false?

Accepted Answer

A)   14C can be used to date the age of dinosaur bones.
B)   The supercontinent Pangaea formed during the Permian period.
C)   Mass extinctions of marine organisms have coincided with periods of low sea levels.
D)   The ends of five geological periods have been marked by mass extinctions.
E)   All of the above are true.

Question 14

Humans reached North America approximately _______ years ago.

Accepted Answer

A)   500
B)   1,500
C)   15,000
D)   100,000
E)   1 million

Question 15

Fossils

Accepted Answer

A)   are scarce because organisms were not as prevalent during the history of life on Earth as today.
B)   are scarce because most organisms died in oxygen-poor environments.
C)   are less numerous for marine animals.
D)   give a glimpse into the history of life on Earth.
E)   give a complete record of life on Earth.

Question 16

The total of all species of organisms in a given region is known as the region's

Accepted Answer

A)   biota.
B)   flora.
C)   fauna.
D)   flora and fauna.
E)   biogeography.

Question 17

In what way was the evolution of eukaryotic cells linked to the increase in the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere that occurred during the Precambrian?

Accepted Answer

Small prokaryotic cells can obtain enoug...

Question 18

Which of the following geological periods is the most ancient?

Accepted Answer

A)   Devonian
B)   Cambrian
C)   Jurassic
D)   Silurian
E)   Cretaceous B

Question 19

Use the following to answer questions:
Refer to the diagram below, showing the decay of a radioactive substance. 
-What is the half-life of this substance?

Accepted Answer

A)   50,000 years
B)   70,000 years
C)   100,000 years
D)   140,000 years
E)   300,000 years

Question 20

14C decays to 12C with a half-life of about 5,700 years. Suppose you find a fossil in which the amount of 14C is only 1/16 of what one would find in a living organism with the same carbon content. Approximately how old is the fossil?

Accepted Answer

If only 1/16 of the ¹⁴C remai...

Exam 25: The History of Life on Earth

Which of the following times was marked by the largest mass extinction of life in the history of Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following methods is not used to date rocks more than 50,000 years old?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Drosophila grown in the presence of increased oxygen concentrations evolve to become _______ after only a few generations.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

It takes 14 days for half of the radioactive isotope phosophorous-32 to decay. After _______ days, one-eighth of the original quantity will be left.

Correct Answerverified42.

In undisturbed strata of sedimentary rock, the oldest rocks

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Despite being incomplete as a whole, the fossil record is rather detailed for

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If the half-life of a radioactive substance is 600 years, what fraction of the original material is left after 1,800 years?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following conditions would most likely increase the likelihood of an animal being fossilized?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about continental drift is true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following characteristics of plants did not evolve during the Cenozoic era?

Correct AnswerverifiedC

Mass extinctions occurred at the end of each of the following periods except the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

During which period did the following events occur: recovery of the biota after a major mass extinction; increase in the species richness of invertebrate groups; appearance of the first turtles and frogs; and beginnings of a large radiation of reptiles?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about patterns or processes in the evolution of life is false?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Humans reached North America approximately _______ years ago.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Fossils

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The total of all species of organisms in a given region is known as the region's

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In what way was the evolution of eukaryotic cells linked to the increase in the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere that occurred during the Precambrian?

Correct AnswerverifiedSmall prokaryotic cells can obtain enoug...View AnswerShow Answer

Which of the following geological periods is the most ancient?

Correct AnswerverifiedB

Use the following to answer questions: Refer to the diagram below, showing the decay of a radioactive substance. -What is the half-life of this substance?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

14C decays to 12C with a half-life of about 5,700 years. Suppose you find a fossil in which the amount of 14C is only 1/16 of what one would find in a living organism with the same carbon content. Approximately how old is the fossil?

Correct AnswerverifiedIf only 1/16 of the 14C remai...View AnswerShow Answer

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Small prokaryotic cells can obtain enoug...
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B

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¹⁴C decays to ¹²C with a half-life of about 5,700 years. Suppose you find a fossil in which the amount of ¹⁴C is only 1/16 of what one would find in a living organism with the same carbon content. Approximately how old is the fossil?

Correct Answer
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If only 1/16 of the ¹⁴C remai...
View Answer