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Biology

Eldra Solomon, Linda Berg, Diana W. Martin

Chapter 20

The Origin and Evolutionary History of Life - all with Video Answers

Educators

Chapter Questions

01:28

Problem 1

Energy, the absence of oxygen, chemical building blocks, and time were the requirements for (a) chemical evolution (b) biological evolution (c) the Cambrian explosion (d) the mass extinction episode at the end of the Cretaceous period (e) directed evolution

Parvati Devi
Parvati Devi
Numerade Educator
01:34

Problem 2

Protobionts (a) form spontaneously in hydrothermal vents in the ocean floor (b) are heterotrophs that obtain the organic molecules they need from the environment (c) are assemblages of abiotically produced organic polymers that resemble living cells in several ways (d) are autotrophs that use sunlight to split hydrogen sulfide (e) are fossilized mats of cyanobacteria

Parvati Devi
Parvati Devi
Numerade Educator
03:33

Problem 3

Many scientists think that _____________ was the first information molecule to evolve. (a) DNA (b) RNA (c) a protein (d) an amino acid (e) a lipid.

Mark Tingey
Mark Tingey
Numerade Educator
03:01

Problem 4

The first cells were probably (a) heterotrophs (b) autotrophs (c) anaerobes (d) both a and c (e) both b and c.

Mark Tingey
Mark Tingey
Numerade Educator
02:28

Problem 5

According to the endosymbiont theory, (a) life originated from nonliving matter (b) the pace of evolution quickened at the start of the Cambrian period (c) chloroplasts, mitochondria, and possibly other organelles originated from intimate relationships among prokaryotic organisms (d) banded iron formations reflect the buildup of sufficient oxygen in the atmosphere to oxidize iron at Earth’s surface (e) the first photosynthetic organisms appeared 3.1 to 3.5 bya.

Ramesh Singh
Ramesh Singh
Numerade Educator
01:20

Problem 6

Geological time from the first traces of life to the beginning of the Paleozoic era some 543 mya is informally known as (a) the Cenozoic era (b) the Paleozoic era (c) the Mesozoic era (d) Precambrian time (e) the Cambrian period.

Parvati Devi
Parvati Devi
Numerade Educator
01:37

Problem 7

Geologists divide Earth’s history, from Precambrian time to the present, into (a) three periods (b) three epochs (c) three eras (d) five periods (e) five eras.

Parvati Devi
Parvati Devi
Numerade Educator
03:44

Problem 8

Ediacaran fossils (a) are the oldest known fossils of multicellular animals (b) come from the Burgess Shale in British Columbia (c) contain remains of large salamander-like organisms (d) are the oldest fossils of early vascular plants (e) contain a high concentration of iridium.

Caroline Jones
Caroline Jones
Numerade Educator
01:32

Problem 9

The correct chronological order of geological eras, starting with the oldest, is (a) Paleozoic, Cenozoic, and Mesozoic (b) Mesozoic, Cenozoic, and Paleozoic (c) Mesozoic, Paleozoic, and Cenozoic (d) Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic (e) Cenozoic, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic.

Parvati Devi
Parvati Devi
Numerade Educator
03:27

Problem 10

The time of greatest evolutionary diversification in the history of life occurred during the (a) Cambrian period (b) Ordovician period (c) Silurian period (d) Carboniferous period (e) Permian period.

Mark Tingey
Mark Tingey
Numerade Educator
04:44

Problem 11

The greatest mass extinction episode in the history of life occurred at what boundary? (a) Pliocene–Pleistocene (b) Permian–Triassic (c) Mesozoic–Cenozoic (d) Cambrian–Ordovician (e) Triassic–Jurassic.

Caroline Jones
Caroline Jones
Numerade Educator
01:01

Problem 12

The Mesozoic era is divided into three periods, which are (a) Cambrian, Ordovician, and Silurian (b) Devonian, Carboniferous, and Permian (c) Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous (d) Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary (e) Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene.

Parvati Devi
Parvati Devi
Numerade Educator
02:39

Problem 13

The Age of Reptiles corresponds to the (a) Paleozoic era (b) Mesozoic era (c) Cenozoic era (d) Pleistocene epoch (e) Permian period.

Caroline Jones
Caroline Jones
Numerade Educator
01:39

Problem 14

Evidence exists that a catastrophic collision between Earth and a large extraterrestrial body occurred 65 mya, resulting in the extinction of (a) Precambrian worms, mollusks, and soft-bodied arthropods (b) jawless ostracoderms and jawed placoderms
(c) dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and many gymnosperm species
(d) mastodons, saber-toothed cats, and giant ground sloths
(e) ferns, horsetails, and club mosses

Parvati Devi
Parvati Devi
Numerade Educator
01:04

Problem 15

Flowering plants and mammals diversified and became dominant during the (a) Paleozoic era (b) Mesozoic era (c) Cenozoic era (d) Devonian period (e) Cambrian period.

Danielle Ashley
Danielle Ashley
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