Study Guide (Part 1) for the Evolution Unit Test

1.  Who is Charles Darwin and what did he do?
2.  Evolution involves change…describe what things change and how things change.
3.  What is a common ancestor?
4.  What evidence do fossils provide for evolution?
5.  Define homologous structures and analogous structures. Give examples!
6.  What do homologous structures show about two organisms?
7.  What is a vestigial organ? Give two examples of vestigial organs (p. 108 & 109 BSCS).
8.  How do we compare two organisms’ DNA, and what does it mean if their DNA is similar?
9.  What is a cladogram, and how can we use it to determine common ancestry?
10.  How do human embryos compare to embryos of other animals?
11.  What is the difference between an adaptation, a variation, and a mutation?
12.  Why is it beneficial for variation (differences) to exist in a population?
Hint- Think about the moths and what happened when the forest blackened.
13.  Give three examples of adaptations some organisms have evolved to have.
14.  What is natural selection?
15.  What MUST be present in order for natural selection to occur?
16.  How do scientists use gel electrophoresis in order to determine how closely two organisms are related?
17.  What is the difference between ACQUIRED traits and INHERITED traits?
18.  List the five kingdoms of life.
19.  List one example of an organism from each kingdom of life.
20.  Can two animals from DIFFERENT species mate and produce a fertile offspring? Why or why not? (Ex: MULES)
21.  What is the most effective way to prove that two organisms are related?
Explain the cladogram below:

Amphibians were the first vertebrates to live on land. The ancestors of amphibians were probably lobe-finned fish. The diagram below shows this development of amphibians over time. Explain the process that explains how an early amphibians developed over time:

Use the following data in order to explain which species is most likely related to the common ancestor:

Use the table below in order to explain what animals are most closely related: