Question 1
Question
How many years ago do most scientists believe life on Earth began?
Answer
-
3 thousand (3 * 10^3)
-
3 million (3 * 10^6)
-
3 billion (3 * 10^9)
Question 2
Question
Which of these are methods of fossilisation?
Answer
-
Anoxic or hypoxic conditions in animal decay
-
Presence of bacteria in animal decay
-
Preservation of the bones, teeth, shells or claws of an animal
-
Preservation of rootlets, burrows, footprints and droppings
-
Having an animal die between two rocks
-
Preservation in ice preventing decay
-
Animals dying due to disasters such as volcanoes
-
Mineralisation of body parts
Question 3
Question
True or false? The skeletons of animals must be covered in sediment before they can be fossilised.
Question 4
Question
True or false? Mineralisation (turning of the skeleton to rock) occurs in the presence of oxygen and over a short period of time.
Question 5
Question
Which of these are reasons why the fossil record is incomplete?
Answer
-
Nineteenth-century scientists didn't realise the value of fossils so they were discarded during geological experiments
-
Most early organisms had soft bodies which didn't fossilise well
-
Animals decayed more easily due to higher numbers of bacteria, leading to fewer fossilisations
-
Geological activity such as erosion and melting of rock has destroyed many fossils
Question 6
Question
True or false? The shark's fossils look very similar to the modern animal due to its adaptations being perfect for its environment.
Question 7
Question
The earliest ancestor of the modern horse, Equus, is believed to be Hyracotherium. Equus has only one toe in its forefeet, but Hyracotherium has four. What can we learn from this fossil evidence?
Answer
-
That Hyracotherium was better adapted to eating insects than grass
-
That Hyracotherium was better adapted to walking on soft ground, rather than running on hard ground
-
That Hyracotherium died out with the dinosaurs 65mya
Question 8
Question
What is extinction?
Answer
-
The forcible removal of an animal from its natural habitat
-
A cull enforced by a government, such as the British badger cull
-
The permanent loss of all members from a species
Question 9
Question
What type of extinction-causing organism is the grey squirrel in the UK?
Answer
-
A new predator
-
A new disease
-
A new competitor
Question 10
Question
True or false? Hedgehogs were introduced to North Uist to remove garden slugs, but are eating the chicks of rare sea birds instead.
Question 11
Question
When, according to scientists, was the last Ice Age on Earth?
Answer
-
10,000 years ago
-
100,000 years ago
-
1,000,000 years ago
Question 12
Question
True or false? Mammals survived the dinosaur extinction as they could control their own body temperature.
Question 13
Question
Which of these years saw mass extinctions? (mya = millions of years ago)
Answer
-
65mya
-
150mya
-
205mya
-
251mya
-
3mya
Question 14
Question
True or false? There are no alternative theories to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Question 15
Question
True or false? Scientists have discovered that the crater in Chicxulub was caused by an asteroid 65mya due to bands of iridium running around the crater.
Question 16
Question
Which of these are types of environmental isolation?
Answer
-
Formation of a new mountain range
-
Building a canal splitting two fields in half
-
One area of grassland becoming warmer than others
-
Introducing trees with wider canopies into one area of forest
Question 17
Question
Which stage follows isolation in the process of speciation?
Answer
-
Natural selection
-
Inability to interbreed
-
Mutation
-
Evolution
Question 18
Question
Which organisms are most likely to breed?
Answer
-
Those with favourable alleles for the environment
-
Those with hindering alleles for the environment
-
Those with neutral alleles for the environment
Question 19
Question
True or false? The defining feature of a species is that it can interbreed with no other.
Question 20
Question
What is meant by the term endemic?
Answer
-
Relating to organisms that live in only one area
-
A disease concentrated in one area
-
Relating to organisms that live on peninsulas