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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How do organisms differ within classifications?
(a) In their habits.
(b) In their migration.
(c) In their eating.
(d) In their mating.

2. In ancient times, why were whales classified as fish?
(a) They swam.
(b) They needed oxygen.
(c) They lived in the same environment.
(d) They had gills.

3. What does Darwin suggest about acquired traits in parents?
(a) They cannot be selected for.
(b) They cannot be passed on.
(c) They do not last a lifetime.
(d) They can be passed to offspring.

4. What do large shifts in geology promote in species?
(a) Development of new species.
(b) Increased migration.
(c) Development of new genera.
(d) Development of new variations.

5. If natural selection is accepted, what is rejected?
(a) There is only artificial selection.
(b) Variations must be subjective.
(c) Species were created independently.
(d) All differences must be different species.

6. What terms refer to parts that are similar in structure?
(a) Homologous parts.
(b) Homogeneous parts.
(c) Heterogeneous parts.
(d) Identical parts.

7. When are fossils typically preserved?
(a) In the winter.
(b) During earthquakes.
(c) During storms.
(d) Between periods of geological change.

8. Why do hybrids tend to display little variation?
(a) Because of genetic defects.
(b) The parents are very close in characteristics.
(c) The parents are the same.
(d) There is no natural selection with hybrids.

9. What can be said about organisms belonging to the same species?
(a) They originated from the same location.
(b) They will change at the same rate.
(c) They will produce the same type of variations.
(d) They have similar habits.

10. What do commonalities of species found on islands say about species in general?
(a) They migrate.
(b) There are many variations.
(c) They were created independently.
(d) They descend from a common ancestor.

11. If the pistils of a flower are very long, what type of reproduction limitation may this result in?
(a) Physical.
(b) Climate.
(c) Hormonal.
(d) Chemical.

12. How far are the Galapagos Islands from South America?
(a) 200 miles.
(b) 300 miles.
(c) 100 miles.
(d) 500 miles.

13. What animal that is alive today could be considered an intermediate species of a mammal and the mastodon?
(a) Ox.
(b) Mammoth.
(c) Elephant.
(d) Tiger.

14. What does Darwin suggest that freshwater fish could develop through selection?
(a) Ability to live in salt water.
(b) Ability to breathe out of water.
(c) Lungs.
(d) Gills.

15. What is one of the most serious objections to natural selection?
(a) Darwin's credibility.
(b) Lack of links between species.
(c) Age of Earth.
(d) Religious objections.

Short Answer Questions

1. What type of species are most likely to inter-breed?

2. What is said about the pressure to adapt?

3. What happens to the offspring when two of the same distinct species interbreed?

4. What may occur if one organism changes dramatically over time?

5. What can instinct be compared with?

(see the answer keys)

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