Evolution

Scientists estimate the age of the earth to be
1. 4.5 billion years old
2. 3 thousand years old
3. 4.5 million years old
4. 3 million years old
Present day human beings are also known as
1. homo sapiens
2. homo erectus
3. neanderthal man
4. homo ergaster
The process by which changes in organisms happen over many, many generations is known as
1. evolution
2. revolution
3. survival
4. variation
The evidence for our theory on evolution comes from
1. fossils
2. experiments
3. cloning
4. the early Greeks
What was the name of the famous book on evolution published by Charles Darwin?
1. On the Origin of the Species
2. Survival of the Fittest
3. Natural Selection
4. Evolution for Dummies
The organisms that survive in this world of competition are the ones that are
1. best adapted
2. the strongest
3. the fittest
4. best looking
In terms of survival, the best organisms are those
1. that produce offspring
2. that do not fit into their environment
3. that do not pass on their own genes
4. 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?
1. Two
2. One
3. Twenty three
4. Five
Damage to DNA can happen due to different factors.
Which one of the following is NOT a factor?
1. Drinking too much milk
2. UV light
3. Chemicals in the environment
4. Exposure to cigarette smoke
Small changes in DNA are called
1. mutations
2. clones
3. variations
4. creations
Charles Darwin's famous voyage set out in 1831 in a ship called
1. HMS Beagle
2. HMS Victor
3. HMS Galapagos
4. HMS Hotspur
In natural selection, the species which survive are
1. better adapted
2. better trained
3. better workers
4. 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?
1. Producing too many offspring
2. Competition for the same resources
3. Too much food available
4. Producing too many young
According to scientists, when did the first simple life forms appear on Earth?
1. 3 billion years ago
2. 4.5 billion years ago
3. 1 million years ago
4. 60 thousand years ago
Darwin's theory of evolution states that species evolve by
1. natural selection
2. artificial selection
3. unnatural selection
4. choice
What is likely to happen to a species that is poorly suited to its environment?
1. It will not survive
2. It will survive and have lots of offspring
Which one of the following is least likely to cause a species to become extinct?
1. A new source of food
2. A new predator
3. A new disease
In science, a theory is best described as
1. the best explanation for a set of data or observations
2. an educated guess
3. known facts
4. proof of a law or definition
A variation that can help a species survive in its environment is called
1. an adaptation
2. a characteristic
3. competition
4. its habitat
The greatest evidence for change over a long period of time comes from
1. fossils
2. DNA
3. observation of living species
4. cave drawings
The dog breeds we have today were developed through
1. selective breeding
2. natural selection
3. acquired characteristics
4. 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
1. getting food
2. attracting a mate
3. building nests
4. surviving the cold
The theory of evolution by natural selection was independently developed by
1. Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace
2. Charles Darwin and James Watson
3. James Watson and Francis Crick
4. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson
Which one of the following was not one of the observations made by Darwin?
1. There is little variation within a population.
2. The size of a population does not change much but it is restricted by limited. resources.
3. 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."
1. survival
2. offspring
3. food
4. territory
When Darwin's book was published, many people were upset because
1. of the idea that humans are descended from an ape-like ancestor.
2. he said some individuals would survive and reproduce, while others are killed off.
3. over many, many generations, small changes in a population accumulate until a new species is formed.
Scientists believe that a theory is
1. an explanation for our observations.
2. a guess or a hunch.
3. a prediction.
4. a law that can easily be proved.
Fill in the blank in the following sentence:
Laws describe things, while _________ explain them.
1. theories
2. guesses
3. predictions
4. definitions
Different species are related because, going back a very long time, they have a common ancestor.
1. TRUE
2. FALSE
A phrase that describes how evolution works is:
1. Survival of the fittest
2. Survival of the fattest
3. Survival of the fastest
4. Survival of the finest
Natural selection results in
1. evolution due to survival of the fittest
2. evolution due to natural selection
3. extinction due to artificial selection
4. extinction due to natural selection
Scientists believe that all life on earth developed from simpler organisms three billion years ago. This is known as
1. the theory of evolution
2. the theory of natural selection
3. the theory of fossilisation
4. the Big Bang theory
According to the theory of evolution, the genes of some organisms change in a process called
1. mutation
2. fossilisation
3. evolution
4. fertilisation
Natural selection results in
1. evolution due to organisms being better adapted to their environment, tending to survive and producing more offspring
2. evolution due to survival of the fittest
3. extinction due to successful adaption
4. extinction due to organisms not adapting to their environment, and producing more offspring
Evolution is...
1. the slow change of a species over time
2. changes that take place during an organism's lifetime
3. 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
1. natural selection
2. evolution
3. selective breeding
4. mutation
Charles Darwin was a
1. naturalist
2. historian
3. biologist
4. physicist
Which one of the following does not characterise a good scientific theory?
1. It cannot take on minor changes to account for new results that do not fit the theory perfectly.
2. It makes predictions that have been tested and found to be accurate in a wide range of investigations.
3. It is well-supported by lots of independent pieces of evidence, rather than just one type of evidence.
4. It fits well with the results of experiments that were already done.

Evolution

Multiple Choice Quiz