Multiple choice quiz of 20 questions. Try it as often as you like. You will get a different set of questions each time you attempt this quiz.
Scientists estimate the age of the earth to be
4.5 billion years old
3 thousand years old
4.5 million years old
3 million years old
Present day human beings are also known as
homo sapiens
homo erectus
neanderthal man
homo ergaster
The process by which changes in organisms happen over many, many generations is known as
evolution
revolution
survival
variation
The evidence for our theory on evolution comes from
fossils
experiments
cloning
the early Greeks
What was the name of the famous book on evolution published by Charles Darwin?
On the Origin of the Species
Survival of the Fittest
Natural Selection
Evolution for Dummies
The organisms that survive in this world of competition are the ones that are
best adapted
the strongest
the fittest
best looking
In terms of survival, the best organisms are those
that produce offspring
that do not fit into their environment
that do not pass on their own genes
that feed their young on milk
After humans, the most successful mammal on earth is considered to be the
How many versions of the hair colour gene are there in a human?
Two
One
Twenty three
Five
Damage to DNA can happen due to different factors. Which one of the following is NOT a factor?
Drinking too much milk
UV light
Chemicals in the environment
Exposure to cigarette smoke
Small changes in DNA are called
mutations
clones
variations
creations
Charles Darwin's famous voyage set out in 1831 in a ship called
HMS Beagle
HMS Victor
HMS Galapagos
HMS Hotspur
In natural selection, the species which survive are
better adapted
better trained
better workers
better at camouflage
Studies in evolution have shown that all breeds of dog are descended from
Which one of the following is not a reason why species adapt and change?
Producing too many offspring
Competition for the same resources
Too much food available
Producing too many young
According to scientists, when did the first simple life forms appear on Earth?
3 billion years ago
4.5 billion years ago
1 million years ago
60 thousand years ago
Darwin's theory of evolution states that species evolve by
natural selection
artificial selection
unnatural selection
choice
What is likely to happen to a species that is poorly suited to its environment?
It will not survive
It will survive and have lots of offspring
Which one of the following is least likely to cause a species to become extinct?
A new source of food
A new predator
A new disease
In science, a theory is best described as
the best explanation for a set of data or observations
an educated guess
known facts
proof of a law or definition
A variation that can help a species survive in its environment is called
an adaptation
a characteristic
competition
its habitat
The greatest evidence for change over a long period of time comes from
fossils
DNA
observation of living species
cave drawings
The dog breeds we have today were developed through
selective breeding
natural selection
acquired characteristics
the Kennel Club of Ireland
Darwin observed the finches on the Galapagos island were similar in form except for variations of their beaks. He deduced that these variations were useful for
getting food
attracting a mate
building nests
surviving the cold
The theory of evolution by natural selection was independently developed by
Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace
Charles Darwin and James Watson
James Watson and Francis Crick
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson
Which one of the following was not one of the observations made by Darwin?
There is little variation within a population.
The size of a population does not change much but it is restricted by limited. resources.
Organisms produce far more offspring than can ever become adults.
The following is one of Darwin's deductions with a word missing. Fill in the blank: "In the competition for __________, variations in a population allow some individuals to survive and reproduce, while others are killed off."
survival
offspring
food
territory
When Darwin's book was published, many people were upset because
of the idea that humans are descended from an ape-like ancestor.
he said some individuals would survive and reproduce, while others are killed off.
over many, many generations, small changes in a population accumulate until a new species is formed.
Scientists believe that a theory is
an explanation for our observations.
a guess or a hunch.
a prediction.
a law that can easily be proved.
Fill in the blank in the following sentence: Laws describe things, while _________ explain them.
theories
guesses
predictions
definitions
Different species are related because, going back a very long time, they have a common ancestor.
TRUE
FALSE
A phrase that describes how evolution works is:
Survival of the fittest
Survival of the fattest
Survival of the fastest
Survival of the finest
Natural selection results in
evolution due to survival of the fittest
evolution due to natural selection
extinction due to artificial selection
extinction due to natural selection
Scientists believe that all life on earth developed from simpler organisms three billion years ago. This is known as
the theory of evolution
the theory of natural selection
the theory of fossilisation
the Big Bang theory
According to the theory of evolution, the genes of some organisms change in a process called
mutation
fossilisation
evolution
fertilisation
Natural selection results in
evolution due to organisms being better adapted to their environment, tending to survive and producing more offspring
evolution due to survival of the fittest
extinction due to successful adaption
extinction due to organisms not adapting to their environment, and producing more offspring
Evolution is...
the slow change of a species over time
changes that take place during an organism's lifetime
where the best-adapted organisms are more likely to survive and breed
The best-adapted organisms are more likely to survive and breed. This is called
natural selection
evolution
selective breeding
mutation
Charles Darwin was a
naturalist
historian
biologist
physicist
Which one of the following does not characterise a good scientific theory?
It cannot take on minor changes to account for new results that do not fit the theory perfectly.
It makes predictions that have been tested and found to be accurate in a wide range of investigations.
It is well-supported by lots of independent pieces of evidence, rather than just one type of evidence.
It fits well with the results of experiments that were already done.