Question 1

Which hypothesis suggests that organic molecules necessary for life may have arrived on Earth via meteorites, and what is a major challenge to this hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

Extraterrestrial hypothesis; destruction of molecules by heat and pressure during impact

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a bias that affects the fossil record?

Accepted Answer

Organisms living inland are more likely to fossilize than those near water

Question 3

Radiometric dating relies on the concept of half-life. If a fossil contains 25% of its original radioactive isotope, how many half-lives have passed?

Accepted Answer

$$2$$

Question 4

Which of the following best explains why RNA is thought to have played a central role in the origin of life?

Accepted Answer

RNA can store information, self-replicate, and catalyze reactions

Question 5

According to the fossil record and radiometric dating, approximately how old is the Earth?

Accepted Answer

$$4.6$$ billion years

Question 6

Which process is most responsible for the formation of sedimentary rocks containing fossils?

Accepted Answer

Rapid burial in sediments followed by mineral replacement

Question 7

Which event marks the abrupt increase in animal diversity about 500 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

Cambrian explosion

Question 8

Endosymbiosis is a key theory in the evolution of eukaryotic cells. Which organelle is most directly explained by this theory?

Accepted Answer

Mitochondria

Question 9

A paleontologist finds a fossil with only 12.5% of its original radioactive isotope remaining. If the half-life of the isotope is $$5,000$$ years, estimate the age of the fossil.

Accepted Answer

$$15,000$$ years

Question 10

Which of the following environmental changes has NOT been a major factor in mass extinctions?

Accepted Answer

Stable climate with no significant temperature changes

Question 11

Which stage in the origin of life involves the formation of protocells?

Accepted Answer

Polymers becoming enclosed in membranes

Question 12

Why does the fossil record tend to underestimate the actual time since a species came into existence?

Accepted Answer

Fossils only form under rare conditions and may not capture earliest members

Question 13

Which of the following best describes the process by which multicellularity likely evolved?

Accepted Answer

Aggregation of unicellular organisms or daughter cells sticking together

Question 14

Which radioisotope would be most useful for dating a fossil estimated to be $$40$$ million years old?

Accepted Answer

Potassium-40

Question 15

Which of the following is a real-world example of how developmental genes affect evolutionary relationships?

Accepted Answer

Cetaceans resorbing hind limb buds during development

Question 16

Which of the following statements about the timeline of life on Earth is correct?

Accepted Answer

Prokaryotes appeared before eukaryotes

Question 17

Which of the following is a plausible reason why DNA replaced RNA as the primary information storage molecule in modern cells?

Accepted Answer

DNA is less likely to suffer mutations than RNA

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a function of developmental genes in animals?

Accepted Answer

Synthesizing ATP for metabolism

Question 19

If a species existed in small numbers and only in a limited geographic area, which fossil record bias would most likely affect its preservation?

Accepted Answer

Number and environment biases

Question 20

Which of the following best describes adaptive radiation following a mass extinction?

Accepted Answer

Rapid diversification of surviving groups to fill ecological niches

Origin and History of Life: Study Notes for General Biology

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