CHEM 121 MODULE 4 EXAM QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS – LATEST 2026/2027 UPDATE | GRADED A+ -
PORTAGE LEARNING
What did Aristotle believe about fixity/evolution of species? Answer:
Believed in evolution, but believed species varied in complexity, made a
ladder to explain it
What is a fossil? Answer: Any trace of an organism that lived in the
past
*** Must be from an extinct species ***
What is the fossil record? Answer: all fossils found & described in
scientific literature
Who came up with the idea that parts of the body are designed to
work together? Answer: Georges Cuvier
Why were Egyptian remains thought to have proven fixity? Answer:
Because animals were anatomically identical, and the remains were
over 1000 years old. At the time, the earth was thought to be 6000
years old, so they were thinking in the wrong timeframe
,Which three Europeans originally questioned fixity? Answer:
Georges Louis Leclerc
Erasmus Darwin
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
What problems arose that brought species fixity into question?
Answer: 1. Diversity of flora and fauna observed by explorers
2. The fossil record
Who was the first person in recorded history to use comparative
anatomy to develop a system to classify animals? Answer: Georges
Cuvier
What did George Louise Leclerc believe? Answer: Suggested living
things change through time, but rejected the idea of speciation,
uncertain of his beliefs
* At one point, publicly rejected the notion that one species could turn
into another to avoid ostracism
What did Erasmus Darwin believe? Answer: Believed that evolution
occurred(?)
Aware that modern species were different from fossil types
Observed plant/animal breeding and inheritance
, Did not know what caused evolution
Cuvier is known as the father of _____. Answer: Paleontology
What did Jean-Baptiste Lamarck believe? Answer: -INHERITANCE OF
ACQUIRED CHARACTERISTICS
-Believed that fossils were strong evidence of gradual change in
organisms over time
-Simple (old) --> new (complex)
What three important concepts did Lamarck propose? Answer: 1.
New species appeared gradually
2. All species have changed, but rates of change are unequal
3. Species do not reappear after extinction
What four key beliefs did Lamarck have? Answer: -Life gradually
changed and was still changing
-Living things change to be better suited to their environments
-Organisms are related
-Life evolved from few simple organisms to many complex organisms
ANSWERS – LATEST 2026/2027 UPDATE | GRADED A+ -
PORTAGE LEARNING
What did Aristotle believe about fixity/evolution of species? Answer:
Believed in evolution, but believed species varied in complexity, made a
ladder to explain it
What is a fossil? Answer: Any trace of an organism that lived in the
past
*** Must be from an extinct species ***
What is the fossil record? Answer: all fossils found & described in
scientific literature
Who came up with the idea that parts of the body are designed to
work together? Answer: Georges Cuvier
Why were Egyptian remains thought to have proven fixity? Answer:
Because animals were anatomically identical, and the remains were
over 1000 years old. At the time, the earth was thought to be 6000
years old, so they were thinking in the wrong timeframe
,Which three Europeans originally questioned fixity? Answer:
Georges Louis Leclerc
Erasmus Darwin
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
What problems arose that brought species fixity into question?
Answer: 1. Diversity of flora and fauna observed by explorers
2. The fossil record
Who was the first person in recorded history to use comparative
anatomy to develop a system to classify animals? Answer: Georges
Cuvier
What did George Louise Leclerc believe? Answer: Suggested living
things change through time, but rejected the idea of speciation,
uncertain of his beliefs
* At one point, publicly rejected the notion that one species could turn
into another to avoid ostracism
What did Erasmus Darwin believe? Answer: Believed that evolution
occurred(?)
Aware that modern species were different from fossil types
Observed plant/animal breeding and inheritance
, Did not know what caused evolution
Cuvier is known as the father of _____. Answer: Paleontology
What did Jean-Baptiste Lamarck believe? Answer: -INHERITANCE OF
ACQUIRED CHARACTERISTICS
-Believed that fossils were strong evidence of gradual change in
organisms over time
-Simple (old) --> new (complex)
What three important concepts did Lamarck propose? Answer: 1.
New species appeared gradually
2. All species have changed, but rates of change are unequal
3. Species do not reappear after extinction
What four key beliefs did Lamarck have? Answer: -Life gradually
changed and was still changing
-Living things change to be better suited to their environments
-Organisms are related
-Life evolved from few simple organisms to many complex organisms
