Biological
Classification
Classification
Which level of classification is the most specific?
A) Class
B) Phylum
C) Genus
D) Species
D) Species
What does each branch point (node) on a phylogenetic tree represent?
A) A dead species
B) A shared ancestor
C) A random event
D) Environmental change
B) A shared ancestor
Which is NOT evidence for evolution?
A) Fossil record
B) DNA similarities
C) Comparative anatomy
D) Similar diets
D) Similar diets
Natural selection favors organisms that:
A) Are strongest
B) Adapt best to the environment
C) Are the largest
D) Produce the most offspring
B) Adapt best to the environment
Uniformitarianism means:
A) Earth's processes happen quickly
B) Earth's processes are slow and steady over time
C) Natural disasters shape Earth only
D) The Earth never changes
B) Earth's processes are slow and steady over time
Relative dating tells scientists:
A) Exact age of rocks
B) Sequence of events
C) Time of death
D) DNA sequence
B) Sequence of events
What does absolute dating measure?
A) Fossil color
B) Exact age of rocks or fossils
C) Number of fossils
D) Shape of fossils
B) Exact age of rocks or fossils
What is a fossil?
A) A living organism
B) Remains or traces of ancient life
C) Modern skeleton
D) Pieces of rock
B) Remains or traces of ancient life
Which era is known as the "Age of Dinosaurs"?
A) Paleozoic
B) Mesozoic
C) Cenozoic
D) Precambrian
B) Mesozoic
Which kingdom includes multicellular organisms that make their own food?
A) Animalia
B) Fungi
C) Plantae
D) Protista
C) Plantae
Which evidence is MOST important for building a phylogenetic tree?
A) Diet
B) Habitat
C) DNA similarities
D) Body size
C) DNA similarities
Which structures show evidence of a common ancestor?
A) Homologous structures
B) Analogous structures
C) Vestigial structures
D) Artificial structures
A) Homologous structures
What causes variation in a population?
A) Changing diet
B) Mutations and sexual reproduction
C) Environmental factors only
D) Migration only
B) Mutations and sexual reproduction
Which is an example of catastrophism?
A) River erosion
B) Soil formation
C) Mountain building
D) Lava flow from a volcano
D) Lava flow from a volcano
What law states that the oldest layers are at the bottom?
A) Law of Superposition
B) Law of Gravity
C) Law of Original Horizontality
D) Law of Evolution
A) Law of Superposition
Which method is used in absolute dating?
A) Law of Superposition
B) Erosion measurement
C) Fossil comparison
D) Radiometric dating
D) Radiometric dating
Which is most likely to become a fossil?
A) A soft jellyfish
B) A hard shell
C) A plant leaf
D) A small insect
B) A hard shell
What marks the end of many geologic periods?
A) Volcanic eruptions
B) Ice ages
C) Mass extinctions
D) New mountain ranges
C) Mass extinctions
Organisms that are prokaryotic?
A) Bacteria
B) Archaea
C) Eukarya
D) Protista
A) Bacteria
B) Archaea
Which group would be closer together on a phylogenetic tree?
A) Dog and Cat
B) Dog and Bird
C) Fish and Bird
D) Fish and Plant
A) Dog and Cat
Which best describes vestigial structures?
A) Fully functioning structures
B) Structures that help survival
C) Structures with no current function
D) Newly developed body parts
C) Structures with no current function
Which is an example of natural selection?
A) Polar bears with thicker fur surviving cold climates
B) All birds flying south
C) A fish eating algae
D) Humans building houses
A) Polar bears with thicker fur surviving cold climates
Who is credited with popularizing uniformitarianism?
A) Charles Darwin
B) Charles Lyell
C) Alfred Wegener
D) Albert Einstein
B) Charles Lyell
Which would be found in the youngest rock layer?
A) Trilobite
B) Dinosaur bones
C) Modern mammal fossil
D) Fern fossils
C) Modern mammal fossil
Which material is best dated using carbon-14?
A) Ancient wood
B) Igneous rocks
C) Metamorphic rocks
D) Volcanic ash
A) Ancient wood
What type of rock are most fossils found in?
A) Igneous
B) Metamorphic
C) Sedimentary
D) Magma
C) Sedimentary
The oldest rocks on Earth are from which time?
A) Mesozoic
B) Precambrian
C) Paleozoic
D) Cenozoic
B) Precambrian
Which two organisms are more closely related?
A) Those that share a kingdom
B) Those that share a genus
C) Those that live in the same habitat
D) Those with similar diets
B) Those that share a genus
A new species is discovered and has DNA most similar to reptiles. Where should it be placed on a phylogenetic tree?
A) Near birds
B) Near mammals
C) Near reptiles
D) On its own branch far away
C) Near reptiles
Which is an example of homologous structures?
A) Bat wing and whale flipper
B) Butterfly wing and bird wing
C) Dolphin fin and shark fin
D) Snake tongue and cat whiskers
A) Bat wing and whale flipper
Which statement is TRUE about natural selection?
A) It gives organisms what they need
B) It happens because of inherited traits
C) It affects only large populations
D) It works instantly
B) It happens because of inherited traits
Which is a principle of uniformitarianism?
A) The present is the key to the past
B) Earth changes rapidly and unpredictably
C) Life does not change
D) Mountains form overnight
A) The present is the key to the past
If a fault cuts through rock layers, it is:
A) Doesn't affect age
B) Older than the layers it cuts
C) Same age
D) Younger than the layers it cuts
D) Younger than the layers it cuts
A rock contains an 1/8 the original radioactive material. How many half-life's have passed?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
C) 3
Which is NOT a way a fossil can form?
A) Freezing
B) Petrification
C) Decay
D) Amber preservation
C) Decay
Humans first appeared during which era?
A) Paleozoic
B) Mesozoic
C) Cenozoic
D) Precambrian
C) Cenozoic
Which is the correct order from broadest to most specific?
A) Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species
B) Species → Genus → Family → Class → Order → Phylum → Kingdom
C) Genus → Family → Order → Class → Phylum → Kingdom
D) Kingdom → Order → Phylum → Class → Genus → Family → Species
A) Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species
What is the purpose of a phylogenetic tree?
A) To show exact ages
B) To predict future species
C) To show evolutionary relationships
D) To organize organisms by habitat
C) To show evolutionary relationships
Comparing embryos of different species shows what?
A) Different ancestors
B) No relationship
C) Common ancestry
D) Unrelated development
C) Common ancestry
What best describes “survival of the fittest”?
A) The fastest survive
B) The most aggressive survive
C) The best adapted survive
D) The smartest survive
C) The best adapted survive
What is the main difference between catastrophism and uniformitarianism?
A) Life versus non-life
B) The size of Earth
C) Speed and causes of changes
D) Fossil formation
C) Speed and causes of changes
Which helps match rock layers across large distances?
A) Lava flows
B) Fossil footprints
C) Index fossils
D) Bone size
C) Index fossils
What element is often used in dating very old rocks?
A) Carbon-14
B) Uranium-238
C) Oxygen-16
D) Hydrogen-2
B) Uranium-238
Why are fossils important to scientists?
A) They prove Earth's crust moves
B) They reveal ancient life and environments
C) They are valuable jewelry
D) They show how volcanoes work
B) They reveal ancient life and environments
The geologic time scale is divided based on:
A) Changes in Earth's orbit
B) Significant changes in life forms
C) Changes in weather patterns
D) Formation of rivers
B) Significant changes in life forms