Exam (elaborations) Biology midterm exam

Mid Term Exam The word “theory,” as it is used in science, means: Question options: A) a guess. B) a set of irrefutable facts. C) a well-tested explanation of how the real world works. D) a plausible speculation. Evolution: Question options: A) is often slower in stable habitats. B) is now known to be a rapid process; that is the only way to explain modern-day diversity. C) will lead to perfect species if enough time passes. D) is different than other scientific theories because it cannot lead to testable predictions. Dr. Neil Shubin’s discovery of Tiktaalik: Question options: A) occurred when he was looking for fossils of primitive man. B) was an entirely chance encounter. C) provided an example of an animal with some of the features of an amphibian and some of a fish. D) provided an example of an animal that was certainly the ancestor of all modern vertebrates. Which of the following is not a component of the Scientific Method? Question options: A) Make observations. B) Create hypotheses. C) Test predictions. D) All of the above are parts of the Scientific Method. Tiktaalik had all of the following amphibian characteristics except: Question options: A) toes. B) a neck. C) shoulders. D) all of the above were missing. According to evolutionary biologists, Tiktaalik does not share an ancestor with: Question options: A) fish. B) mammals. C) plants. D) none of the above is correct; all living things share a common ancestor. Why are alternative views to evolution that propose a supernatural creator not scientific? Question options: A) Scientific theories must be refutable with evidence; supernatural forces are not. B) Scientists cannot believe in a creator. C) Only the last two steps of the Scientific Method can be applied to supernatural explanations. D) Answers A and C are correct. From what we know of the rate of evolution: Question options: A) speciation is generally a rapid process. B) we shouldn’t expect any examples of evolution that occur in time spans as brief as a human lifetime. C) evolution occurs at the same rate in all species. D) major defining features of animals (e.g., distinctive jaws) typically take thousands of years or more to evolve. Describe a situation where one could apply the Scientific Method to learn more about the natural world. Illustrate how each of the steps would be carried out in your scenario. Which of the following statements about fossils is false? Question options: A) It is likely that we will never find fossils of most species that ever lived. B) Oxygen-rich environments are best for fossil formation. C) Rocks at the top of Mount Everest were formed on the sea floor. D) Fossil hunting has been pursued for at least 150 years. Most species are not found as fossils because: Question options: A) their body decomposes before fossilization. B) their body is consumed by scavengers before fossilization. C) erosion destroys the fossils before they are found. D) all of the above. The principle of superposition allows us to determine: Question options: the relative age of rock strata. why animals become less complex over time. the absolute age of rocks. which fossils are the rarest. According to geological evidence, approximately how many years passed between the Earth’s formation and when life first formed? Question options: 2.6 trillion years 0 / 2 points Which of the following statements is false? Question options: Scientists have created complex formulae to compensate for the great changes that have occurred in radioisotope decay rates. The effectiveness of radioisotopic dating has been confirmed repeatedly. We cannot usually date sedimentary rock directly. The oldest rocks are younger than the Earth. 0 / 2 points When did Tiktaalik appear? Question options: Before the first jawed fish, but after the first amphibians After the first dinosaurs, and after the first jawed fishes After the first jawed fish, but before the first amphibians After the first reptiles, but before the first dinosaurs 0 / 2 points Which of the following is fossil evidence that could refute evolutionary theory? Question options: Rarity of fossilized human ancestors Iridium which is known to disrupt radiometric dating Modern animal forms found in deeper (older) strata than their supposed ancestors All of the above 0 / 2 points Darwin observed that: Question options: recently deposited fossils resembled the modern living forms found in the same area. fossils in adjacent strata more closely resembled one another than fossils separated by many strata. fossilized forms were often very different than anything alive in modern times. all of the above.