The Origin of Birds: Quiz Results

1. Transitional fossils are fossilized remains of organisms, sometimes referred to as transitional forms, that show intermediate, or transitional, features between an ancestral species and its descendants. No transitional fossils had been discovered when Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species, but Darwin predicted that some would eventually be found. Which of the following statements best reflect Darwin’s reasoning for this prediction?

  1. Individual organisms can change into new species through transitional forms. An example would be an individual fish becoming a new land animal. Therefore, fossils of transitional forms probably exist.
  2. All present-day species evolved from preexisting species. There must have been transitional forms with features of both the present-day species and the preexisting species from which they evolved, which could be found in fossils.
  3. The fossils of every species that ever existed will eventually be discovered, and it is likely that some transitional fossils will be among them.
  4. Throughout life’s history, the evolution of new, major groups of organisms occurred over long periods of time and in many steps. Therefore, there are probably fossils, like transitional fossils, that show some of these steps.

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2. The 150-million-year-old Archaeopteryx has many characteristics associated with birds, such as feathered wings. It also has characteristics associated with living reptiles. Which of the following characteristics is present in both Archaeopteryx and most living reptiles?

  1. wings supported by elongated fourth digits
  2. claws on the ends of each digit and a long bony tail
  3. the presence of a beak with no teeth
  4. large size and the ability to fly

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3. Scientists used to think that all dinosaurs were large and slow-moving. Which discovery overturned this idea and helped convinced the scientific community that birds evolved from dinosaurs?

  1. Fossils of pterosaurs confirmed that these reptiles had hollow bones and wings.
  2. Fossils of the small theropod dinosaur Deinonychus showed that it walked on two legs and had a large sickle-shaped claw used for slashing.
  3. A fossil of Compsognathus, a turkey-sized dinosaur discovered around the same time as Archaeopteryx, showed that it had features similar to those of Archaeopteryx.
  4. Fossils of Archaeopteryx, which was about the size of a modern-day raven, showed that it had wings and a jaw with teeth, and that it walked on two feet.

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4. Jack Horner’s discovery in 1978 provided evidence to support the hypothesis that dinosaurs are the ancestors of modern-day birds. What did this evidence show?

  1. Some dinosaur species nested and cared for their young in colonies, like birds do.
  2. The bones of dinosaurs are solid but light, like those of birds.
  3. Many dinosaur species are omnivorous, similar to birds.
  4. Neither birds nor therapod dinosaurs have a wishbone, but other dinosaur species do.

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5. Which of the following pieces of evidence support the hypothesis that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs? Select all that apply.

  1. Birds and theropods have S-shaped necks.
  2. Birds and most theropods can fly.
  3. Birds and many theropods have feathers.
  4. Birds and theropods have long bony tails.

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6. Which of the following statements about birds is best supported by the film?

  1. Feathered birds, which were capable of flight, evolved after the extinction of dinosaurs.
  2. Dinosaurs and birds are both endothermic, or warm-blooded.
  3. The evolution of feathers and other characteristics of birds occurred in a simple linear sequence.
  4. Out of the many bird species that lived in the past, only toothless birds survived the global mass extinction that occurred 66 million years ago.

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7. Which of the following pieces of evidence led scientists to propose that the first feathers had a function other than flight? Select all that apply.

  1. Archaeopteryx had feathers and could probably fly.
  2. Some living birds have feathers but do not fly.
  3. Bats fly but do not have feathers.
  4. Feathered theropods were not capable of flight.

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8. Transitional forms, such as Archaeopteryx, have a mix of traits associated with two different groups of species. How do transitional forms support the theory of evolution?

  1. Transitional forms provide evidence that species descend with modification from other species.
  2. DNA from the fossils of transitional forms provides information about how ancient organisms are related.
  3. Transitional forms are evidence that Earth has a long history, spanning billions of years.
  4. The fossils of transitional forms allow us to reconstruct a complete history of life on Earth.

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