Section #: 22.4
Early Life on Earth
Practice Test
1.
What event caused the extinction of acritarchs near the end of the Proterozoic?
a.
global warming
b.
the Varagnian glaciation
c.
formation of ozone
d.
outgassing
Hint
2.
__________ are the building blocks of proteins.
a.
Amino acids
b.
Cyanide molecules
c.
DNA and RNA
d.
Formaldehyde molecules
Hint
3.
According to the figure, in which era or eon did life first emerge?
Era or Eon
Period
End Date
(million of years ago)
Length
(in million of years)
Life On Earth
Cenozoic
Quaternary
---
2
Humans
Neogene
1.6
64
Mammals diversify
Paleogene
23
80
Mesozoic
Cretaceous
66
Dinosaurs become extinct
Jurassic
146
62
Birds
Triassic
208
37
Dinosaurs, mammals
Paleozoic
Permian
245
45
Seed plants
Pennsylvanian
(carboniferous)
290
33
Reptiles diversify
Mississippian
(carboniferous)
323
39
Reptiles
Devonian
362
46
Amphibians
Silurian
408
31
Land invertebrates and plants
Ordovician
439
71
Fishes
Cambrian
510
30
Marine invertebrates
Proterozoic Eon
(Precambrian)
540
1960
Multicellular organisms
Archean
(Precambrian)
2500
2100
Early bacteria
4600
Birth of earth
a.
Mesozoic
b.
Paleozoic
c.
Proterozoic
d.
Archean
Hint
4.
What did organisms of Earth's first 4 billion years have in common?
a.
They were multi-celled organisms.
b.
They breathed oxygen.
c.
They were single-celled organisms.
d.
They were photosynthetic.
Hint
5.
According to the table, what were the first organisms to evolve on Earth?
Event Or First Evidence In Fossil Record
Approximate Geological Time
Bacteria
3 b.y.b.p
Green algae
1 b.y.b.p
Jellyfish
600 m.y.b.p
Ediacara organisms
550 m.y.b.p
Eurypterids*
510 m.y.b.p
Horn corals*
500 m.y.b.p
First vertebrates
480 m.y.b.p
Spiders
400 m.y.b.p
Sharks
400 m.y.b.p
First jawed fish*
380 m.y.b.p
Ferns
350 m.y.b.p
Earthworms
300 m.y.b.p
Great Permian Extinction Event
250 m.y.b.p
Drastic geographic and climatic changes
248 m.y.b.p
First dinosaurs*
220 m.y.b.p
First mammals
210 m.y.b.p
Ginkgo biloba
200 m.y.b.p
Abundant ammonites*
180 m.y.b.p
Archaeopteryx*
140 m.y.b.p
First flowering plants
120 m.y.b.p
Ants
100 m.y.b.p
Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event
66 m.y.b.p
Camel
35 m.y.b.p
Grass
20 m.y.b.p
Australopithecus afarensis (“Lucy”)
4 m.y.b.p
a.
jellyfish
b.
green algae
c.
bacteria
d.
ediacara organisms
Hint
6.
Fossils of __________ from late Proterozoic rocks are found in all parts of the world.
a.
the Burgess Shale fauna
b.
trilobites
c.
the Ediacaran fauna
d.
corals
Hint
7.
The energy and nutrients necessary for the origin of life can be found near __________.
a.
hydrothermal vents
b.
trenches
c.
transform faults
d.
magma chambers
Hint
8.
What were the type of life-forms that existed before the Proterozoic?
a.
eukaryotes
b.
prokaryotes
c.
fungi
d.
algae
Hint
9.
Which type of cell shown in the figure existed first?
a.
both came into existence at the same time
b.
it is impossible to tell
c.
A
d.
B
Hint
