Following the publication of On the Origin of Species, the evolutionary principle of ________ was quickly accepted by most scientists, but the importance of __________ would not be accepted by most authorities until midway through the twentieth century.

The principle of common descent with modification holds that groups of living things can undergo modifications that, over time, can lead to the formation of new _______ and that all living things on Earth are descended from a _______.

The principle of natural selection holds that some traits will confer a _______ to individual organisms and that these traits will accordingly become more _______ over time in a population of organisms.

Evolutionary theory supports the idea that humans are _______ other organisms and thus are not _______ from other living things.

Using evolutionary principles, explain why large ears might be expected to evolve in a terrestrial plant eater such as a rabbit or deer but not in an aquatic mammal such as a seal.

In science, a theory is:

a. an untested hypothesis.

b. a general set of principles, supported by evidence, that explains some aspect of the natural world.

c. speculation about the natural world, based on general knowledge of a field.

d. an observation.

e. the first idea proposed to explain some aspect of the natural world.

Which of the following are central ideas in the theory of evolution by natural selection? (List all that apply.)

a. Organisms vary in traits that affect their reproduction.

b. Descent with modification occurs over generations.

c. Evolution has a goal.

d. Traits that confer a reproductive advantage will become more common in populations over time.

e. Traits that are acquired during the life of an individual contribute to evolution.

Which of the following observations provide evidence for evolution? (List all that apply.)

a. Monkey and trilobite fossils are never found in the same fossil beds.

b. Athletic training can produce an increase in muscle mass.

c. DNA sequences of genes shared by various species vary in accordance with predictions about how closely related those species are.

d. The genetic code is nearly universal.

e. Species whose adult forms look very different may have similar features in embryonic life.

Some of the following structures are homologous with each other. Which ones are they, and which two do not belong to this group?

a. whale flipper

b. insect leg

c. bat wing

d. cat forelimb

e. octopus tentacles

Discoveries in the field of __________ provided key evidence needed for natural selection to be widely accepted as the mechanism of evolution (select one).

a. radiometric dating

b. fossils

c. genetics

d. DNA sequencing

e. medicine