$$ \text{Mean Brain Volume} \propto \text{Mean Body Mass} $$

Question 1

Which of the following is a shared derived character that distinguishes mammals from other vertebrates, according to the chordate phylogeny?

Accepted Answer

Production of milk

Question 2

Hagfishes and lampreys are unique among vertebrates because they:

Accepted Answer

Lack hinged jaws and have a notochord for support

Question 3

Jawed vertebrates are believed to have evolved their jaws from which anatomical structure?

Accepted Answer

Skeletal supports of the anterior pharyngeal (gill) slits

Question 4

Which of the following is a real-world adaptation that allowed amphibians to colonize land?

Accepted Answer

Limbs and feet capable of supporting weight on land

Question 5

The swim bladder in ray-finned fishes most likely evolved from which structure?

Accepted Answer

Lungs or lung derivatives

Question 6

Which of the following features is NOT completely adapted for terrestrial life in amphibians?

Accepted Answer

Eggs laid in water

Question 7

Reptiles are classified as amniotes because they possess:

Accepted Answer

An amniotic egg with four internal membranes

Question 8

Birds are distinguished from other reptiles by which physiological trait?

Accepted Answer

Endothermy

Question 9

Which of the following is a key adaptation for flight in birds that also provides insulation?

Accepted Answer

Feathers

Question 10

Monotremes differ from marsupials and placental mammals in that monotremes:

Accepted Answer

Lay eggs

Question 11

Which of the following is a distinguishing feature of primates that is an adaptation to arboreal life?

Accepted Answer

Limber joints and grasping hands with flexible digits

Question 12

Which physical trait distinguishes Old World monkeys from New World monkeys?

Accepted Answer

Nostrils open downward

Question 13

Which evidence suggests that hominins did not evolve in a straight line leading directly to Homo sapiens?

Accepted Answer

Fossil record shows multiple hominin species coexisting at the same time

Question 14

How can paleoanthropologists conclude that a species was bipedal based only on a fossil skull?

Accepted Answer

By locating the opening in the base of the skull for the spinal cord

Question 15

Which hominin was the first to spread out of Africa, according to fossil evidence?

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus

Question 16

Human skin color variation is best explained by which evolutionary mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection for UV radiation absorption and folate protection

Question 17

Which of the following is a plausible hypothesis for the unusual characteristics of Homo floresiensis?

Accepted Answer

It was a dwarf descendent of Homo erectus

Question 18

Which equation best represents the relationship between brain volume and body mass in hominins, as shown in the study materials?

Accepted Answer

$$ 	ext{Mean Brain Volume} \propto 	ext{Mean Body Mass} $$

Question 19

Which factor has contributed to the recent increase in the number of new animal species discovered?

Accepted Answer

Better access to remote areas and new mapping technologies

Question 20

Why does the total number of animal species alive today remain an estimate?

Accepted Answer

Thousands of new species are discovered each year and many remain undiscovered

The Evolution of Vertebrate Diversity

Study Guide - Practice Questions