1.) Researchers from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History retrieved samples of fossil plants from an ancient lake bed in Patagonia. They used Carbon-14 radiometric dating to estimate the age of these plant fossils (the half life of Carbon-14 is 5730 years). They determined that these fossils are about 14,325 years old. Approximately what percentage of the parent isotope (C14) remains in these fossils?
a 50% (1 half life)
b 37.5% (1.5 half lives)
c 25% (2 half lives)
d 18.75% (2.5 half lives)
2.) A paleontologist is radiometrically dating three rocks from three different sites using the Potassium-Argon "clock", which has a half life of 1.25 billion years. The data she has obtained is shown in the table below. Based upon these data, which rock is the oldest?
Rock being test
Amount of parent element (Potassium) present Rock A 75% Rock B 12.5% Rock C 26.25%
a. rock a
b. rock b
c. rock c
d. you cannot determine this from the info given
3.) Which of the following statements about natural selection is most accurate?
a Natural selection causes beneficial mutations.
b Natural selection creates populations that are perfectly adapted to their habitat.
c In a population undergoing natural selection, only the strongest individuals survive.
d Natural selection is due to differential survival and reproduction.
1.) Researchers from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History retrieved samples of fossil plants from an ancient lake bed in Patagonia. They used Carbon-14 radiometric dating to estimate the age of these plant fossils (the half life of Carbon-14 is 5730 years). They determined that these fossils are about 14,325 years old. Approximately what percentage of the parent isotope (C14) remains in these fossils?
| a | 50% (1 half life) |
| b | 37.5% (1.5 half lives) |
| c | 25% (2 half lives) |
| d | 18.75% (2.5 half lives) |
2.) A paleontologist is radiometrically dating three rocks from three different sites using the Potassium-Argon "clock", which has a half life of 1.25 billion years. The data she has obtained is shown in the table below. Based upon these data, which rock is the oldest?
| Rock being test | Amount of parent element (Potassium) present |
| Rock A | 75% |
| Rock B | 12.5% |
| Rock C | 26.25% |
a. rock a
b. rock b
c. rock c
d. you cannot determine this from the info given
3.) Which of the following statements about natural selection is most accurate?
| a | Natural selection causes beneficial mutations. |
| b | Natural selection creates populations that are perfectly adapted to their habitat. |
| c | In a population undergoing natural selection, only the strongest individuals survive. |
| d | Natural selection is due to differential survival and reproduction. |
Related textbook solutions
Related questions
It's a quiz for my life science class.
QUESTION 1
Organisms that have descended from the same initial group and have the ability to interbreed belong to the same
| A. | species. | |
| B. | family. | |
| C. | class. | |
| D. | genus. | |
| E. | order. |
5 points
QUESTION 2
The simplest entity that exhibits all of the properties of life is called a(n)
| A. | molecule. | |
| B. | cell. | |
| C. | organism. | |
| D. | tissue. |
5 points
QUESTION 3
In populations, adaptation usually arises through
| A. | responsiveness. | |
| B. | heredity. | |
| C. | metabolism. | |
| D. | natural selection. | |
| E. | development. |
5 points
QUESTION 4
Scientists have found that ancient fossils
| A. | are less similar to present-day organisms than more recent fossils. | |
| B. | are just as similar to present-day organisms as more recent fossils. | |
| C. | are more similar to present-day organisms than more recent fossils. | |
| D. | are very similar to present-day organisms. | |
| E. | bear no resemblance to present-day organisms. |
5 points
QUESTION 5
What is the term that describes the study of the relationship between living things and components of their environment?
| A. | herpetology | |
| B. | analogy | |
| C. | zoology | |
| D. | ecology | |
| E. | ichnology |
5 points
QUESTION 6
Characteristics usually associated with life include all of the following except:
| A. | motility. | |
| B. | a high degree of organization. | |
| C. | lack of change from generation to generation. | |
| D. | reproduction. | |
| E. | responsiveness to stimuli. |
5 points
QUESTION 7
The scientific name for the black-footed ferret is Mustela nigripes. The name Mustela indicates the _____________________ to which the organisms belongs.
| A. | phylum | |
| B. | class | |
| C. | family | |
| D. | species | |
| E. | genus |
5 points
QUESTION 8
Which of the following is considered to be the most basic living unit?
| A. | organ system | |
| B. | molecule | |
| C. | organelle | |
| D. | cell | |
| E. | tissue |
5 points
QUESTION 9
Which of the following concepts best describes the wide variety of dog species we observe, ranging from the domesticated golden retriever or the basset hound, to the wild dogs of Africa, to foxes?
| A. | preadaptation | |
| B. | special creation | |
| C. | inheritance of acquired characteristics. | |
| D. | taxonomy | |
| E. | evolution |
5 points
QUESTION 10
If an ecologist is studying the cycling of carbon through a particular environment (which involes the movement of carbon through living things as well as through rock, air, and water), the scientist is studying at what level of ecology?
| A. | organismal | |
| B. | community | |
| C. | ecosystem | |
| D. | population | |
| E. | biosphere |
5 points
QUESTION 11
Which list is organized from smallest to largest level of organization of life?
| A. | organisms, organ systems, organs, tissues, cells, organelles | |
| B. | organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms | |
| C. | organelles, tissues, cells, organ systems, organs, organisms | |
| D. | tissues, cells, organelles, organs, organ systems, organisms | |
| E. | cells, tissues, organ systems, organelles, organs, organisms |
5 points
QUESTION 12
When examining the hierarchy of life, which of the following terms is most inclusive?
| A. | biosphere | |
| B. | population | |
| C. | species | |
| D. | ecosystem |
5 points
QUESTION 13
The units of inheritance are
| A. | evolutions. | |
| B. | heredities. | |
| C. | genes | |
| D. | twins. | |
| E. | metabolic activities. |
5 points
QUESTION 14
Organisms that undergo asexual reproduction
| A. | require another organism to reproduce. | |
| B. | are usually very complex. | |
| C. | produce offspring that are different from each other. | |
| D. | do not require energy to reproduce. | |
| E. | produce offspring that are identical to each other and to the parent. |
5 points
QUESTION 15
All the living organisms in a particular area at a particular time make up a
| A. | biosphere. | |
| B. | community. | |
| C. | biosystem. | |
| D. | population. | |
| E. | ecosystem. |
5 points
QUESTION 16
The first step in the scientific method is to
| A. | identify a problem. | |
| B. | predict the results of an experiment. | |
| C. | propose a solution. | |
| D. | draw a conclusion. | |
| E. | perform an experiment. |
5 points
QUESTION 17
Young multicelled organisms usually start out small, then grow in size, and increase in complexity. This process is called:
| A. | heredity. | |
| B. | metabolism. | |
| C. | development. | |
| D. | evolution. | |
| E. | heredity. |
5 points
QUESTION 18
To maintain order within their cells and organs, all living things must
| A. | carry on metabolism. | |
| B. | reproduce. | |
| C. | constantly change. | |
| D. | be able to move. | |
| E. | extract energy from sunlight. |
5 points
QUESTION 19
Which of the following includes Highest levels of hierarchy?
| A. | family | |
| B. | phylum | |
| C. | domain | |
| D. | kingdom | |
| E. | order |
5 points
QUESTION 20
Fungi are classified into which domain?
| A. | Archaea | |
| B. | Eukarya | |
| C. | Bacteria | |
| D. | Fungi |
