Multiple-Choice Questions- Chapter 2 1.

Before the 20th century, many Europeans believed that the universe was about how old? A. 4.5 billion years B. 4.5 million years C. 300 million years D. 6,000 years Answer: D 2. The determination that the universe is 6000 years old is: A. taken directly from the Bible B. based on scientific evidence C. based on a 17th-century interpretation of the Old Testament D. an invention of the scientific creationist movement Answer: C 3. The man responsible for calculating the creation of the universe at 4004 BC was: A. Archbishop James Ussher B. William Shakespeare C. Robert Hooke D. Charles Lyell Answer: A 4. European natural scientists of the 17th- and 18th-centuries were almost universally: A. atheists B. agnostics C. Jewish D. believers in a single, all-powerful god Answer: D 5. The title of Reverend John Rays 1691 book reflects how most 17th- and 18thcentury scientists viewed their role, i.e., to examine: A. The Wisdom of God as Manifested in the Works of Creation B. The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection C. The Geological Evidences of the Antiquity of Man D. Primitive Culture Answer: A 6. Before the 20th century, the goal of most natural scientists was to: A. explore natural sources of information about the Earth and the heavens B. disprove the Bible C. prove that the world was 6000 years old D. support an evolutionary theory for the origin of life on the planet

Answer: A 7 Catastrophists interpreted the geology of the world as being the result of: A. Noahs flood B. processes of gradual erosion C. a series of worldwide cataclysms D. Gods original creation Answer: C 8. Fossils provided evidence for the notion that: A. life on Earth was not static B. some animals did not survive the flood C. the Earth had witnessed a series of catastrophic events D. all plant and animal species originated at the same time Answer: A 9. The first evidence of the historical discovery of and attempted interpretation of fossils can be traced to: A. the English in the 1600s B. the French in the 1500s C. Russians before AD 1000 D. Greeks in the period 750 BC to AD 500 Answer: D 10. Adrienne Mayor suggests that the Greek myth of the half-bird, half-lion creature they called the Griffin, was based on: A. the purpose of their origin myth to unite their various tribes B. their belief in the ability of different species to mate and produce offspring C. their interpretation of the fossil bones of Protoceratops D. their philosophy that the gods were always playing tricks on people Answer: C 11. Adrienne Mayor suggests that the Pawnee story of the existence of giants at the beginning of time was inspired by: A. missionaries reading them Bible stories B. the fact that the Pawnee were members of one of the Lost Tribes of Israel C. their discovery of large hand axes D. their discovery of actual fossil bones Answer: D 12. In Adrienne Mayors view, the ancient Greeks and certain Native American tribes separately discovered the bones of large, extinct animals and, in attempting to explain these remains: A. each came up with a version of evolutionary theory that predated Darwin B. viewed them as the work of the Devil C. proposed that the bones were the remains of creatures from another world

D. viewed them at the remains of giants and other supernatural creatures Answer: D 13. Adrienne Mayor suggests that the Kiowa story of Tenocouny, a large, snakelike water monster, was inspired by: A. the Bible story of the Leviathan B. their discovery of the fossil bones of Mosasaur C. their discovery of the fossilized trunk of a Wooly Mammoth D. their hearing from missionaries the story of the sepent in the Garden of Eden Answer: B 14. Robert Hooke is credited with interpreting fossils as A. tricks of nature B. remains of plants and animals that no longer existed C. the creatures that perished in Noahs Flood D. Gods attempt to make the world appear old Answer: B 15. Uniformitarianists interpreted the geology of the world as being the result of: A. Noahs flood B. processes of gradual erosion C. a series of worldwide cataclysms D. Gods original creation Answer: B 16. French natural scientist Georges Buffon reconciled Biblical chronology with the evidence of an ancient Earth by asserting that: A. God set into motion the processes of gradual erosion that produced the Earths geology B. there had been creations previous to that depicted in Genesis C. the six days of creation were really six epochs of long duration D. evidence of an ancient Earth was part of the Devils plan to confuse people Answer: C 17. According to Scottish geologist James Hutton the uniformitarian perspective showed that: A. there was no God B. the present appearance of the Earth could not be used to explain the history of the Earth C. all life on the planet was the result of evolution D. God had created the Earth as a self-regulating system Answer: D 18. The key element required in the uniformitarian perspective and lacking in the approach taken by most who interpreted the Bible literally and who also

agreed with Bishop Usshers calculations was: A. a belief in God B. a belief in the infallibility of the Pope C. evolution D. time measured in millions not just thousands of years Answer: D 19. 19th-century uniformitarianist Charles Lyell calculated the age of the Earth by reference to: A. the number of animal species currently in the world B. the size of the deposit in the Mississippi Delta C. the number and length of generations in the Old Testament D. analysis of earthquake and volcanic activity Answer: B 20. A taxonomic system is: A. the names of all the plants and animals B. by definition, based on an evolutionary view of life C. a system of classification based on similarities and differences D. the study of the primates Answer: C 21. Linnaeuss goal in producing his taxonomic system was to: A. indicate evolutionary relationships B. apply uniformitarianism to biology C. account for those animal species that survived the flood D. scientifically describe Gods creative works Answer: D 22. Analysis of the stratigraphy of fossil discoveries in the 17th and 18th centuries showed that: A. life was basically static B. catastrophes account for changes in Earth history C. the history of life on earth was sequential D. the Linnaean taxonomy was inadequate for naming ancient plant and animal species Answer: C 23. By 1800, the major scientific question concerning Earth history was: A. whether or not change had occurred B. how change had occurred C. the role of God in guiding change D. whether change was catastrophic or uniform Answer: B

24. Lamarcks hypothesis was correct with reference to: A. the mechanism of change B. question of extinction C. the spontaneous generation of new species D. the role of adaptation Answer: D 25. Which of the following was NOT an aspect of Lamarcks hypothesis? A. extinction of species B. progressive evolution C. increasing complexity of organisms D. ability of organisms to consciously change Answer: A 26. Lamarcks hypothesis as to the mechanism of biological change is called A. natural selection B. mutation C. inheritance of acquired characteristics D. progressive evolution Answer: C 27. What was the contribution of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace to the study of biological change? A. They proved evolution. B. They provided a viable mechanism for evolutionary change. C. They discovered the laws of inheritance. D. They refuted the standard Biblical chronology. Answer: B 28. Darwin and Wallace noted that biological variation arose: A. natural selection B. because of mutations C. from the adaptive use and disuse of organs D. from some as-of-then unknown process Answer: D 29. Darwins hypothesis is known as: A. natural selection B. survival of the fittest C. inheritance of acquired characteristics D. origin of species Answer: A 30. Lamarck and Darwin DO NOT differ on: A. the possibility of extinction

B. the origin of variation C. the progressive nature of evolution D. the importance of adaptation Answer: D 31. Europeans before the Age of Exploration explained the existence of other cultures: A. in terms of Biblical history B. through the laws of cultural evolution C. as having evolved from other species of apes D. according to Greek and Roman mythology Answer: A 32. When Europeans first encountered people in the New World, they were perplexed because: A. the Bible said that there were no people in the Americas B. the Vikings had described the New World natives as savages, but many were living in a civilized setting C. some of them spoke English and had blue eyes D. they could not trace them from one of Noahs three sons Answer: D 33. Early human artifacts, such as stone tools, found by Europeans in the 17thand 18th centuries were accounted for as: A. tricks of nature B. the work of supernatural spirits C. having been made by some degraded form of humanity prior to Noahs flood D. all of the above Answer: D 34. Early human artifacts, such as stone tools, found by Europeans in the 17thand 18th -centuries were accounted for as having been: A. made by fairies B. created by lightning strikes C. made by some degraded form of humanity prior to Noahs flood D. all of the above Answer: D 35. Many Europeans were perplexed by the archaeological discovery of stone tools because: A. the Bible indicated that people had already perfected metallurgy in Noahs time B. the tools were made of stone not native to Europe C. the tools seemed too sophisticated to have been made by ancient people

D. Europeans were not perplexed by such tools; they recognized them for what they werethe weapons of ancient human beings Answer: A 36. Christian Thomsens chronological system divided human history into three ages: A. Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic B. Paleo-Indian, Archaic, Woodland C. Pliocene, Pleistocene, Holocene D. Stone, Bronze, Iron Answer: D 37. Though the primary purpose was to organize a museum collection, Christian Thomsens three age system is significant because it based its chronology on: A. an absolute dating system B. a sequence of presumed technological evolution C. on historical records D. all of the above Answer: B 38. Edward Tylor and Lewis Henry Morgan posited that primitive cultures: A. had degenerated from more advanced cultures B. were people who had fallen from the grace of God C. were stuck in a less developed level of cultural evolution D. were descendants of Noahs cursed son, Ham Answer: C 39. In the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries, direct evidence for ancient people came in the form of: A. actual bodies preserved in peat B. human fossils C. newly discovered written records D. bones of extinct animals Answer: B 40. The major difference between science and belief systems is that: A. belief systems are not useful to human societies in modern times B. it is science that now provides us with rules of behavior and answers to all our questions about the world C. because science is universal it alone provides real truths D. only scientific ideas can be tested Answer: D

41. Scientific creationism: A. has begun to seriously refute evolutionary theory B. should be given equal time in science education C. is not at all scientific D. is dangerous because it is based on religion Answer: C 42. The Paluxy River footprints include: A. dinosaur footprints B. dinosaur footprints and the footprints of giant human beings in the same stratum C. gorilla footprints D. the footprints of at least two individuals in the species Homo habilis Answer: A Essay Questions 43. How did the natural scientists or natural philosophers of the 17th and 18th centuries differ in their approach from other thinkers who sought to explain the world around them? 44. Contrast the concepts of catastrophism and uniformitarianism. 45. What did it mean when uniformitarianists said: The present is the key to the past? 46. What was Linnaeuss goal in devising his system of classification and on what basis did he classify living organisms? 47. How did the ancient Greeks and some Native American groups interpret the existence of the often large fossil bones of animals that clearly no longer existed? How did the discovery of such bones inspire elements of their creation stories? 48. How did the evidence from fossils and stratigraphy change Western views on the history of the Earth and its life? 49. What was the correct part of Jean Lamarcks hypothesis? What two parts were incorrect? 50. Discuss natural selection by contrasting it with Lamarcks idea. 51. What is scientific creationism? Is it scientific? (Heres a hint: Why isnt it scientific?)

52. Gibbons are small apes that have developed an astonishing ability to swing through the trees; they are often called natures trapeze artists. How would Linnaeus explain how gibbons developed their remarkable abilities? How might Lamarck explain it? How might Darwin explain it? 53. What was it about natural selection that probably caused Darwin to delay making his hypothesis known to the public? 54. Why were Europeans perplexed by the presence of human beings in the Americas? 55. What were some of the ways Europeans accounted for the new peoples and cultures when first discovered during the Age of Exploration? 56. How did Europeans in the 17th-and 18th-centuries initially explain chipped stone objects found buried deeply in the ground? Why were many reluctant to accept the explanation that these objects were the handiwork of ancient people? 57. Describe the ideas of Edward Tylor and Lewis Henry Morgan to explain primitive cultures and culture change. 58. Should scientific creationism be given equal time with evolutionary theory in science classes? Why or why not? 59. What was the significance of the Scopes monkey trial? 60. Pope John Paul has been quoted as stating that science tells us how heaven is and that the Bible, on the other hand, tells us how to get to heaven. What are the implications of these assertions relative to the creation/evolution controversy?