ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
What is the significance of the rise in atmospheric oxygen at ~600 million years ago? -
CORRECT ANSWER - D) It may help explain the Cambrian explosion.
The dinosaurs lived during the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. The last trilobites went
extinct about 240 million years ago. What can you conclude? - CORRECT ANSWER - B)
Trilobites predated the dinosaurs.
What is the significance of the finding that sponge choanocytes are very similar to
choanoflagellates? - CORRECT ANSWER - It identified the likely ancestor from which
animals evolved.
Looking at the animal phylogeny shown below, choose a correct statement. - CORRECT
ANSWER - D) The Deuterostomes include both vertebrates and invertebrate animals.
Despite the diversity in body form across animals, they all share a similar set of master control
genes that orchestrate the developmental process, called Hox genes. - CORRECT
ANSWER - A) True
What result would you predict from mutation of the Hox genes illustrated below? - CORRECT
ANSWER - C) disruption to the body plan
A letter from your research partner says: "I'm enclosing two new, never-before-seen species - a
fungus and an animal. We'll be famous! Be sure to feed each of them according to my
instructions."
Unfortunately, the labels fell off the vials. Which is the animal and which is the fungus?
Vial A -- A multicellular eukaryote with cell walls visible in the thin mycelia. It has mitochondria
but lacks chloroplasts.
, Vial B -- A small multicellular organism with gap junctions between the epithelial cells, muscles,
and a simple nervous system. - CORRECT ANSWER - Vial A- fungus
Vial B- animal
On the rainforest floor you discover a small multicellular organism. You've never seen anything
like it, and are not sure if it is an animal or plant. Which of the following characteristics can help
you distinguish an animal from a plant? Select all that apply. - CORRECT ANSWER - B-
neurons
C- gap junctions
D- heterotrophic
H- lack of cell walls
I- muscles
J- motile
The end of which period marked the largest mass extinction recorded, eliminating approximately
95% of the species living at that time? - CORRECT ANSWER - A) Permian
How do events like extreme volcanic eruptions and meteor strikes on the earth increase
biological diversity? - CORRECT ANSWER - A) cause mass extinctions followed by
adaptive radiations of survivors to fill empty niches
_______________________ are scientists who study prehistoric life. - CORRECT
ANSWER - Paleontologists
Which of the following is NOT a major hypothesis as to how the Cambrian explosion could have
come about? - CORRECT ANSWER - E) increased accuracy of DNA replication
The __________________ ended about 543 million years ago and immediately preceded the
Cambrian period. - CORRECT ANSWER - Ediacaran