History of Life on Earth

The first forms of life on eart were thought to be _____.

A. single-celled plants

B. prokaryotes

C. insects

D. large animals such as dinosaurs

Which of the following is NOT a reason why fossils are especially significant in understanding the evolutionary history of insects?

A. They provide the only direct information on the ages of the lineages?

B. They reveal the pattern and timing of extinctions and radiations

C. They are quite common for insects relative to other groups.

D. They can assist in reconstructing the phylogeny of groups

E. They provide the only direct evidence of extinct lineages.

When two continents collide a(n) _____ often forms.

a. chain of volcanic islands

b. ocean trench

c. mountain range

d. ocean ridge

The study of the movement of the earth's crust is called _____.

a. paleontology

b. meteorology

c. plate tectonics

d. driftology

The time period during which life arose and the first cells came into existence is the _____.

a. Jurassic

b. Carboniferous

c. Precambrian

d. Paleocene

The primitive atmosphere had little if any _____.

a. water

b. free oxygen

c. carbon dioxide

d. nitrogen 

Approximately how long ago did LIFE first evolve on earth

a. 4.5 billion years

b. 3.5 billion years

c. 1 billion years

d. 600 million years

e. 100,000 years

The oldest fossils of eukaryotes have been estimated to be

a. 6000 years old

b. 8 billion years old

c. 4.5 billion years old

d. 1.5 billion years old

e. 1995 years old

According to geochemists which of the following would have been the most unlikely condition on the primitive Earth?

a. atmospheric cooling

b. crust formation

c. gas cloud encircling the Earth

d. high levels of oxygen

e. water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen among the early gases