Standardized Test Prep

Multiple Choice

1. Useful index fossils are found

   1. in a small area for a short time.

   2. in a small area for a long time.

   3. over a large area for a short time.

   4. over a large area for a long time.

2. What happens if the rate of extinction in a clade is greater than the rate of speciation?

   1. The clade will eventually become extinct.

   2. The clade will continue to exist.

   3. The species in the clade will become more varied.

   4. The number of species in the clade will stay the same.

3. Which of the following is evidence for the endosymbiotic theory?

   1. Mitochondria and chloroplasts contain DNA similar to bacterial DNA.

   2. Mitochondria and chloroplasts have similar functions in the cell.

   3. Mitochondria and chloroplasts have no DNA of their own.

   4. Mitochondria and chloroplasts can live independently when removed from the eukaryotic cell.

4. Carbon–14 is NOT useful for dating most fossils because

   1. it has a very long half-life.

   2. it has a very short half-life.

   3. most organisms contain more potassium than carbon.

   4. it is found only in certain rock layers.

5. The movement of continents has played a significant role in evolution because

   1. continents move rapidly and some organisms cannot adjust.

   2. without the movement of continents, there would be no water on Earth.

   3. the movement of continents has caused environments to change.

   4. all mass extinctions are the result of continental drift.

Questions 6 and 7

The graph shows the decay of radioactive isotopes. Use the information in the graph to answer the questions that follow.

d

6. The half-life of thorium-230 is 75,000 years. How long will it take for ⅞ of the original amount of thorium-230 in a sample to decay?

   1. 75,000 years

   2. 225,000 years

   3. 25,000 years

   4. 150,000 years

7. The half-life of potassium-40 is about 1.3 billion years. After four half-lives have passed, how much of the original sample will be left?

   

Open-Ended Response

8. How does the process by which sedimentary rock forms allow scientists to determine the relative ages of fossils?

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