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Which of the following is the correct sequence of events in the origin of life? I. Formation of protocells II. Synthesis of organic monomers III. Synthesis of organic polymers IV.Formation of DNA-based genetic systems


A) I, II, III, IV
B) I, III, II, IV
C) II, III, I, IV
D) II, III, IV, I

Correct Answer

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Which hypothesis for the abiotic formation of organic molecules suggests that early Earth's atmosphere was a neutral atmosphere?


A) The energy for this synthesis could have come from lightning and UV radiation.
B) Some evidence suggests that the early atmosphere was made up primarily of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
C) Amino acids were found near volcanic eruption sites.
D) Organic compounds were first produced in deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

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Why would gene duplication events, such as those seen in the Hox gene complex, set the stage for adaptive radiation?


A) There are more copies of genes, meaning speciation had occurred by polyploidy.
B) The original gene copy is the outgroup, and the new gene copies are the adaptive radiation.
C) Without duplicated genes, species would be vulnerable to extinction.
D) One copy of a gene can perform the original function, while other copies are available to take on new functions.

Correct Answer

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D

Which of the following steps has not yet been accomplished by scientists studying the origin of life?


A) synthesis of small RNA polymers by ribozymes
B) formation of molecular aggregates with selectively permeable membranes
C) formation of protocells that use DNA to direct the polymerization of amino acids
D) abiotic synthesis of organic molecules

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The following question is based on the observation that several dozen different proteins comprise the prokaryotic flagellum and its attachment to the prokaryotic cell, producing a highly complex structure. If the complex protein assemblage of the prokaryotic flagellum arose by the same general processes as those of the complex eyes of molluscs (such as squids and octopi) , then ________.


A) natural selection cannot account for the rise of the prokaryotic flagellum
B) ancestral versions of this protein assemblage were either less functional or had different functions than modern prokaryotic flagella
C) neither eyes nor flagella could have arisen by evolution because both are too complex to have evolved
D) the need for more complex structure must have driven evolution

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B

How was early Earth from more than three billion years ago different from today's Earth? Unlike Earth today, early Earth ________.


A) had an atmosphere rich in gases released from volcanic eruptions
B) had an oxidizing atmosphere
C) experienced little high-energy radiation from the sun
D) had an atmosphere with significant quantities of ozone

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The existence of evolutionary trends, such as increasing body sizes among horse species, is evidence that ________.


A) a larger volume-to-surface area ratio is adaptive in many mammals
B) evolution generally progresses toward some goal
C) evolution tends toward increased complexity or increased size
D) in particular environments, similar adaptations can be beneficial to more than one species

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Which of the following would be least likely to appear in the fossil record?


A) burrowing species
B) marine-dwelling species
C) marsh-dwelling species
D) desert-dwelling species

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Insect wings may have begun to evolve as lateral extensions of the body that were used as heat dissipaters for thermoregulation. When they had become sufficiently large, these extensions became useful for gliding through the air. Additional selection refined them as flight-producing wings. If this hypothesis is correct, modern insect wings would be an example of ________.


A) the loss of Hox genes in the evolution of new form
B) mutations
C) an exaptation
D) an adaptive radiation

Correct Answer

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A swim bladder is a gas-filled sac that helps fish maintain buoyancy. The evolution of the swim bladder from the air-breathing organ (a simple lung) of an ancestral fish is an example of


A) exaptation.
B) changes in Hox gene expression.
C) paedomorphosis.
D) adaptive radiation.

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The loss of ventral spines by modern freshwater sticklebacks is due to natural selection operating on the phenotypic effects of Pitx1 gene ________.


A) duplication (gain in number)
B) elimination (loss)
C) mutation (change)
D) silencing (loss of expression)

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Many species of snakes lay eggs. However, in the forests of northern Minnesota, where growing seasons are short, only live-bearing snake species are present. This trend toward species that have live births in a particular environment is an example of ________.


A) an exaptation
B) sexual selection
C) species selection
D) goal direction in evolution

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Which listing of geological periods is in the correct order, from oldest to most recent?


A) Cambrian, Devonian, Permian, Cretaceous
B) Devonian, Cambrian, Permian, Cretaceous
C) Cambrian, Permian, Devonian, Cretaceous
D) Permian, Cambrian, Cretaceous, Devonian

Correct Answer

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Which of the following is a limit of evolution that results in exaptations?


A) Natural selection and sexual selection can work at cross purposes to each other.
B) Evolution is limited by historical constraints.
C) Adaptations are often compromises.
D) Chance events affect the evolutionary history of populations in environments that can change unpredictably.

Correct Answer

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What is the most accurate method used to measure the age of a fossil?


A) radiometric dating
B) sequence fossils in rock strata
C) use uranium-238
D) use whole-life decay

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Which of the following is a defining characteristic that all protocells had in common?


A) the ability to synthesize enzymes
B) a surrounding membrane or membrane-like structure
C) RNA genes
D) the ability to replicate RNA

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Which of the following organisms would be most likely to form a fossil?


A) a rare worm
B) a common worm
C) a rare squirrel
D) a common squirrel

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An early consequence of the release of oxygen gas by plant and bacterial photosynthesis was to ________.


A) change the atmosphere from oxidizing to reducing
B) make it easier to maintain reduced molecules
C) cause iron in ocean water and terrestrial rocks to rust (oxidize)
D) prevent the formation of an ozone layer

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You are the lucky student of a wacky professor who develops a time machine. He asks if you will test it with him. You get in, and there is an immediate glitch-the date readout fails so that when you land, you are not sure what era you are in. Your professor begins to panic, but you see something that tells you are in the Cenozoic era. Which of the following could it be?


A) a rabbit eating a daisy
B) a water lily floating in a pond
C) masses of green ferns with dragonflies hovering above them
D) a bee pollinating a flower

Correct Answer

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The Permian period ended and then rapid speciation occurred as new animal and plant forms evolved. The most likely explanation for this is ________. I.adaptive radiation II.ecological opportunity III.lack of competition IV.morphological innovation


A) just one of the above
B) two of the above
C) three of the above
D) all of the above

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C

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