Question 1

Which of the following could be considered the most recent common ancestor of living tetrapods?

Accepted Answer

A)   a sturdy-finned, shallow-water lobe-fin whose appendages had skeletal supports similar to those of terrestrial vertebrates
B)   an armored, jawed placoderm with two pairs of appendages
C)   an early ray-finned fish that developed bony skeletal supports in its paired fins
D)   a salamander that had legs supported by a bony skeleton but moved with the side-to-side bending typical of fishesE) B) and C)
F) C) and D)

Question 2

Why do adult urochordates (tunicates) lack notochords, even though larval urochordates have them? Larvae use notochords to ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   aid in swimming; adults are sessile and thus no longer propel themselves
B)   stiffen their bodies; in adults, the notochord is replaced by a column of bone
C)   induce tissue differentiation; in adults, tissue is already differentiated
D)   organize their nervous systems; adults' nervous systems are fully developed and do not changeE) A) and D)
F) None of the above

Question 3

Use the following information to answer the question.
Due to its system of air sacs connected to the lungs, the respiratory system of birds is arguably the most effective respiratory system of all air-breathers. Upon inhalation, air first flows into posterior air sacs, then into the lungs, and then into anterior air sacs on the way to being exhaled. Thus, there is one-way flow of air through the lungs, along thousands of tubules called parabronchi.
If the inner lining of the air sacs is neither thin nor highly vascularized, then what can be inferred about the air sacs?

Accepted Answer

A)   They must not belong to the respiratory system.
B)   They cannot be derived from endoderm.
C)   They are not efficient sites of gas exchange between air and blood.
D)   They cannot effectively moisturize the air before it reaches the lungs.E) A) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 4

Which extant chordates are postulated to be most like the earliest chordates in appearance?

Accepted Answer

A)   lancelets
B)   adult tunicates
C)   amphibians
D)   chondrichthyansE) All of the above
F) A) and C)

Question 5

Many sentences in this chapter include the words "may suggest." This phrase indicates that ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   causality of a pattern is uncertain
B)   there is no cause-and-effect association
C)   the author is explaining a well-established relationship
D)   scientists agree on the cause of a patternE) B) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 6

Suppose, while out camping in a forest, you found a chordate with a long, slender, limbless body slithering across the ground near your tent. This critter could be ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   a lamprey
B)   a mammal
C)   an amphibian
D)   a skateE) B) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 7

Which of the following statements about the geographic distribution of marsupials is accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)   they occur only in Australia and New Guinea
B)   they occur on all continents except Antarctica
C)   they occur in Australia and the Americas
D)   they occur only in AfricaE) A) and C)
F) C) and D)

Question 8

How did the evolution of the jaw contribute to diversification of early vertebrate lineages?

Accepted Answer

A)   It allowed for smaller body size.
B)   It was the first stage in the development of a bony skull.
C)   It made additional food sources available.
D)   It increased the surface area for respiration and feeding.E) B) and D)
F) None of the above

Question 9

Suppose you traveled back in time and located the first animals to have evolved feathers. You found that these animals were tree-dwelling ectotherms, able to run quickly but unable to fly. You also noticed that only males had feathers. Which hypothesis of feather evolution would these data most support? Feathers initially evolved in a role associated with ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   flight
B)   insulation
C)   courtship behavior
D)   glidingE) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 10

Arrange these groups in order from most inclusive (most general) to least inclusive (most specific) .

Accepted Answer

A)   osteichthyans, gnathostomes, lobe-fins, tetrapods, amphibians
B)   osteichthyans, gnathostomes, amphibians, tetrapods, lobe-fins
C)   gnathostomes, osteichthyans, lobe-fins, tetrapods, amphibians
D)   gnathostomes, osteichthyans, tetrapods, lobe-fins, amphibiansE) A) and D)
F) B) and D)

Question 11

Fossils of the earliest tetrapods should ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   show evidence of internal fertilization
B)   show evidence of having produced shelled eggs
C)   indicate limited adaptation to life on land
D)   feature the earliest indications of the appearance of jawsE) None of the above
F) B) and D)

Question 12

What is believed to be the most significant result of the evolution of the amniotic egg?

Accepted Answer

A)   Tetrapods are no longer tied to the water for reproduction.
B)   Tetrapods can now function with just lungs.
C)   Newborns are much less dependent on their parents.
D)   Embryos are protected from predators.E) A) and D)
F) A) and C)

Question 13

Jaws first occurred in which extant group of fishes?

Accepted Answer

A)   lampreys
B)   chondrichthyans
C)   ray-finned fishes
D)   placodermsE) A) and D)
F) C) and D)

Question 14

Which of the following taxonomic groups is the most successful?

Accepted Answer

A)   Fungi are the most successful, based on their ability to digest cellulose, the most common organic compound on Earth.
B)   Bony fishes are the most successful, based on their high species diversity (almost as many as all other vertebrates combined) .
C)   Mammals are the most successful, based on their complex mode of reproduction.
D)   All extant species are successful, based on their continuing existence.E) A) and D)
F) C) and D)

Question 15

A new species of aquatic chordate is discovered that closely resembles an ancient form. It has the following characteristics: external armor of bony plates, no paired lateral fins, and a suspension-feeding mode of nutrition. In addition to these, it will probably have which of the following characteristics?

Accepted Answer

A)   legs
B)   no jaws
C)   an amniotic egg
D)   endothermyE) None of the above
F) All of the above

Question 16

If a tunicate's pharyngeal gill slits were suddenly blocked, the animal would have trouble ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   respiring
B)   feeding
C)   moving
D)   respiring and feedingE) C) and D)
F) A) and D)

Question 17

Which of the following types of evidence would be useful in understanding if the impact of a comet caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?

Accepted Answer

A)   more DNA analyses
B)   more comparison of skeletal structures
C)   more phylogenetic studies
D)   more detailed collection of fossilsE) B) and D)
F) A) and D)

Question 18

Which of the following statements about human evolution is correct?

Accepted Answer

A)   Modern humans are the only human species to have evolved on Earth.
B)   Human ancestors were virtually identical to extant chimpanzees.
C)   Human evolution has occurred within an unbranched lineage.
D)   The upright posture and enlarged brain of humans evolved separately.E) B) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 19

As hominins diverged from other primates, which of the following appeared first?

Accepted Answer

A)   reduced jawbones
B)   an enlarged brain
C)   the making of stone tools
D)   bipedal locomotionE) A) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 20

Which clade does not include humans?

Accepted Answer

A)   synapsids
B)   lobe-fins
C)   diapsids
D)   osteichthyansE) A) and D)
F) B) and C)

Exam 34: The Origin and Evolution of Vertebrates

Correct Answer
verified

Many sentences in this chapter include the words "may suggest." This phrase indicates that ________.

Correct Answer
verified

Which extant chordates are postulated to be most like the earliest chordates in appearance?

Correct Answer
verified

Jaws first occurred in which extant group of fishes?

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following types of evidence would be useful in understanding if the impact of a comet caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following statements about the geographic distribution of marsupials is accurate?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following taxonomic groups is the most successful?

Correct Answer
verified

What is believed to be the most significant result of the evolution of the amniotic egg?

Correct Answer
verified

Why do adult urochordates (tunicates) lack notochords, even though larval urochordates have them? Larvae use notochords to ________.

Correct Answer
verified

Fossils of the earliest tetrapods should ________.

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following statements about human evolution is correct?

Correct Answer
verified

Which clade does not include humans?

Correct Answer
verified

As hominins diverged from other primates, which of the following appeared first?

Correct Answer
verified

If a tunicate's pharyngeal gill slits were suddenly blocked, the animal would have trouble ________.

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following could be considered the most recent common ancestor of living tetrapods?

Correct Answer
verified

How did the evolution of the jaw contribute to diversification of early vertebrate lineages?

Correct Answer
verified

Suppose, while out camping in a forest, you found a chordate with a long, slender, limbless body slithering across the ground near your tent. This critter could be ________.

Correct Answer
verified

Arrange these groups in order from most inclusive (most general) to least inclusive (most specific) .

Correct Answer
verified

Exam 34: The Origin and Evolution of Vertebrates

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Many sentences in this chapter include the words "may suggest." This phrase indicates that ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which extant chordates are postulated to be most like the earliest chordates in appearance?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Jaws first occurred in which extant group of fishes?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following types of evidence would be useful in understanding if the impact of a comet caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about the geographic distribution of marsupials is accurate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following taxonomic groups is the most successful?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is believed to be the most significant result of the evolution of the amniotic egg?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why do adult urochordates (tunicates) lack notochords, even though larval urochordates have them? Larvae use notochords to ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Fossils of the earliest tetrapods should ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about human evolution is correct?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which clade does not include humans?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

As hominins diverged from other primates, which of the following appeared first?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If a tunicate's pharyngeal gill slits were suddenly blocked, the animal would have trouble ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following could be considered the most recent common ancestor of living tetrapods?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How did the evolution of the jaw contribute to diversification of early vertebrate lineages?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Suppose, while out camping in a forest, you found a chordate with a long, slender, limbless body slithering across the ground near your tent. This critter could be ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Arrange these groups in order from most inclusive (most general) to least inclusive (most specific) .

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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