Chapter 25

B

Which of the following is a defining characteristic that all protobionts had in common? A) the ability to synthesize enzymes B) a surrounding membrane or membrane-like structure C) RNA genes D) the ability to replicate RNA

C

Which of the following is the correct sequence of events in the origin of life? 1. formation of protobionts 2. synthesis of organic monomers 3. synthesis of organic polymers 4. formation of DNA-based genetic systems A) 1,2,3,4 B) 1,3,2,4 C) 2,3,1,4 D) 2,3,4,1

C

An early consequence of the release of oxygen gas by plant and bacterial photosynthesis was to A) generate intense lightning storms B) changing the atmosphere from oxidizing to reducing C) cause iron in ocean water and terrestrial rocks to rust (oxidize) D) prevent the formation of an ozone layer

C

Approximately how far back in time does the fossil record extend? A) 3.5 million years B) 5.0 million years C) 3.5 billion years D) 5.0 billion years

B

Fossil evidence indicates that several kinds of flightless dinosaurs possessed feathers. If some of these feather-bearing dinosaurs incubated clutches of eggs in carefully constructed nests, this might be evidence supporting the claim that A) dinosaurs were as fully endothermal (warm-blooded) as modern birds and mammals. B) their feathers originally served as insulation, and only later became flight surfaces. C) the earliest reptiles could fly, and the feathers of flightless dinosaurs were vestigial flight surfaces. D) the feathers were plucked from the bodies of other adults to provide nest-building materials E) all fossils with feathers are actually some kind of bird.

A

How were conditions on the early Earth of more than 3 billion years ago different from those on today's Earth? A) Only early Earth was intensely bombarded by large space debris. B) Only early Earth had an oxidizing atmosphere. C) Less ultraviolet radiation penetrated early Earth's atmosphere. D) Early Earth's atmosphere had significant quantities of ozone.

E

If the half-life of carbon-14 is about 5,730 years, then a fossil that has one-sixteenth the normal proportion of carbon-14 to carbon-12 should be about how many years old? A) 1,400 B) 2,800 C) 11,200 D) 16,800 E) 22,900

A

If two continents converge and are united, then the collision should cause A) a net loss of intertidal zone and coastal habitat. B) the extinction of any species adapted to intertidal and coastal habitats. C) an overall decrease in the surface area located in the continental interior. D) a decrease in climatic extremes in the interior of the new supercontinent E) the maintenance of the previously existing ocean currents and wind patterns.

C

On the basis of their morphologies, how might Linnaeus have classified the Hawaiian silverswords? A) He would have placed them all in the same species. B) He would have classified them the same way that modern botanists do. C) He would have placed them in more species than modern botanists do. D) He would have used evolutionary relatedness as the primary criterion for their classification.

C

Several scientific laboratories across the globe are involved in research concerning the origin of life on Earth. Which of these questions is currently the most problematic and would have the greatest impact on our understanding if we were able to answer it? A) How can amino acids, simple sugars, and nucleotides be synthesized abiotically? B) How can RNA molecules catalyze reactions? C) How did RNA sequences come to carry the code for amino acid sequences? D) How could polymers involving lipids and/or proteins form membranes in aqueous environments? E) How can RNA molecules act as templates for the synthesis of complementary RNA molecules?

D

The existence of evolutionary trends, such as increasing body sizes among horse species, is evidence that A) a larger volume-to-surface area ratio is beneficial to all mammals. B) an unseen guiding force is at work. C) evolution always tends toward increased complexity or increased size. D) in particular environments, similar adaptations can be beneficial in more than one species. E) evolution generally progresses toward some predetermined goal.

C

The first genes on Earth were probably A) DNA produced by reverse transcriptase from abiotically produced RNA B) DNA molecules whose information was transcribed to RNA and later translated in polypeptides C) auto-catalytic RNA molecules. D) oligopeptides located within protobionts.

A

The first terrestrial organisms probably were considered which of the following? 1. burrowers 2. photosynthetic 3. multicellular 4. prokaryotes 5. eukaryotes 6. plants and their associated fungi A) 2 and 4 B) 3 and 5 C) 1,3, and 5 D) 2,3, and 6 E) 2,3,5, and 6

B

The major evolutionary episode corresponding most closely in time with the formation of Pangaea was the A) Cambrien explosion B) Permian extinctions C) Pleistocene ice ages. D) Cretaceous extinctions.

E

What is true of the Cambrian explosion? A) There are no fossils in geological strata that are older than the Cambrian explosion. B) Only the fossils of microorganisms are found in geological strata older than the Cambrian explosion. C) The Cambrian explosion is evidence for the instantaneous creation of life on Earth. D) The Cambrian explosion marks the appearance of filter-feeding animals in the fossil record. E) Recent evidence supports the contention that the Cambrian explosion may not have been as "explosive" as was once thought.

C

What is true of the amino acids that might have been delivered to Earth within carbonaceous chondrites A) They had the same proportion of L and D isomers as Earth does today. B) Their abundance would have been dramatically reduced upon passage through early Earth's oxidizing atmosphere. C) There were more kinds of amino acids on the chondrites than are found in living organisms today. D) They were delivered in the form of polypeptides

C

What is true of the fossil record of mammalian origins? A) It is a good example of punctuated equilibrium. B) It shows that mammals and birds evolved from the same kind of dinosaur. C) It includes transitional forms with progressively specialized teeth. D) It indicates that mammals and dinosaurs did not overlap in geologic time. E) It includes a series that shows the gradual change of scales into fur.

E

Which measurement(s) would help determine absolute dates by radiometric means? A) the accumulation of the daughter isotope B) the loss of parent isotopes C) the loss of daughter isotopes D) Three of the responses above are correct. E) Two of the responses above are correct.

D

Which of the following factors weaken(s) the hypothesis of abiotic synthesis of organic monomers in early Earth's atmosphere? 1. the relatively short time between intense meteor bombardment and the appearance of the first life-forms 2. the lack of experimental evidence that organic monomers can form by abiotic synthesis 3. uncertainty about which gases comprised early Earth's atmosphere A) 1 only B) 2 only C) 1 and 2 D) 1 and 3 E) 2 and 3

B

Which of these observations gives the most support to the endosymbiotic theory for the origin of eukaryotic cells? A) the existence of structural and molecular differences between the plasma membranes of prokaryotes and the internal membranes of mitochondria and chloroplasts B) the similarity in size between the cytosolic ribosomes of prokaryotes and the ribosomes within mitochondria and chloroplasts C) the size disparity between most prokaryotic cells and most eukaryotic cells D) the observation that some eukaryotic cells lack mitochondria