There will be a test for Unit 4 on Friday, February 14, 2014 (A-day) and Tuesday, February 18, 2014 (B-day). The test will cover evolutionary theory, natural selection, primate evolution, brain structure, origins of life and classification. A study guide is provided below to assist students in preparing for the test.
Unit 4 Study Guide
1. Explain the specific mechanisms that have allowed for diversity in organisms.
2. Why doesn't the phrase “survival of the fittest” accurately reflect Darwin’s concept of evolutionary fitness?
3. Why is it said that natural selection acts on phenotypes rather than on the genetic material of an organism?
4. What are benefits and consequences of artificial selection? Compare the similarities and differences between natural selection and artificial selection.
5. While the statement “evolution is only a theory" is, strictly speaking, true, the idea it tries to convey is completely wrong. What is the idea behind this statement?
6. What is wrong with the statement “it hasn’t been proven?”
7. When might having an increasingly larger brain size no longer be a selective advantage?
8. How does the proportion of skull size relate to human cognitive ability and the development of language?
9. A larger brain means a smarter organism. Explain why this is true or false.
10. Has tool usage advanced human culture? Explain.
11. What evidence is there that humans did not descend from chimpanzees?
12. Draw a basic diagram of the brain and label the cerebrum, frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, cerebellum, brain stem, midbrain, pons and medulla oblongata.
13. Thirteen of the 20 amino acids used to make proteins in modern-day cells were made by Miller-Urey’s simulation of early Earth’s conditions. How does this result support their hypothesis?
14. Astronomers determine the composition of the atmosphere around another planet by examining the light that travels from that planet. How would finding a lot of oxygen in the atmosphere strongly suggest that it supported life?
15. Why is it important for biologists to include scientific names when reporting their research to other biologists around the
world?
16. What are some limitations of the Linnaean classification system?
17. Which two species are more closely related; Ursus maritmus, Ursus americanus or Bufo americanus? Explain your answer.
18. What role does molecular evidence play in determining how closely two species are related to each other?
