TEKS HS Biology - BIOL.7B Fossil Records
Quiz by Biology - Texas Education Agency
High School
Biology(2017)(ARCHIVED)
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
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5 questions
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- Q1After examining the fossil record, scientists have determined that scorpions today are much smaller than their extinct ancestors. For example, Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, a giant scorpion species that lived 255 million to 460 million years ago, was 2.5 meters long. Which of the following conclusions is supported by this information?Scorpions do not appear in their original state in the fossil recordScorpions living today have increased their numbers since they first appearedScorpions in the fossil record are smaller than their descendants areScorpions have changed as a result of natural selection60sBIOL.7b
- Q2The cladogram shows the evolution of land plants as indicated by fossil records.Which discovery would challenge the validity of this cladogram?A large aquatic vascular plant about 200 million years oldA fossil of a fern more than 425 million years oldA moss species that has existed for less than 380 million yearsA species of algae that has existed for less than one million years60sBIOL.7b
- Q3This diagram of the fossil record represents changes in mollusks over millions of years. How can the pattern of change in the fossil record best be explained?The mollusks were not well adapted to their environment. The length of the mollusks' shells changed gradually over time. The mollusks in the original population that had small shells died over a period of many yearsThe mollusks were well adapted to their environment. Humans introduced a new species of mollusk that was not adapted to this environment. The introduced mollusk outcompeted the native mollusk speciesThe mollusks were well adapted to their stable environment. A large, sudden change occurred in their environment. After the change the mollusks with the bigger shells were better adapted for the new environmentThe mollusks were well adapted to their stable environment. The mollusks hybridized with a smaller species of mollusk. A new species of mollusk with a bigger shell resulted60sBIOL.7b
- Q4The graph shows the number of taxa of reptiles whose fossilized tracks have been found. Which statement is best supported by these data?Reptiles adapted to a terrestrial environment during the Cretaceous periodA great extinction occurred during the Jurassic periodEnvironmental conditions for speciation were most favorable for reptiles during the Permian periodCompetition for food and shelter among reptile species was very low during the Triassic period60sBIOL.7b
- Q5Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould researched the lenses of the eyes of fossil trilobites of different species. In 1972 they published a paper in which they described the tendency of a species to remain the same until a sudden change in the environment causes a new related species to appear. Which hypothesis was most challenged by the work of Eldredge and Gould?Redi's hypothesis that spontaneous generation does not occurDarwin's hypothesis that the development of species is a slow, gradual processHaeckel's hypothesis that embryological development mimics the evolution of speciesWallace's hypothesis that geography affects the distribution of species60sBIOL.7b
