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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the current estimate of the number of species that have lived on Earth since the beginning of life on our planet?
(a) 32 trillion.
(b) 27 million.
(c) 421 thousand.
(d) 30 billion.

2. The internal workings of cells are:
(a) Identical from one cell to the next.
(b) Not understood very well.
(c) Exceedingly simplistic.
(d) Understood perfectly.

3. Alan Thorne's multiregional hypothesis asserts that modern man evolved from:
(a) Four primary regions in northern Asia.
(b) Seven families in seven regions across the globe.
(c) Ongoing movement between cultures and regions.
(d) Three primary regions in Africa.

4. What is a biped?
(a) A creature that walks on two legs.
(b) A specific nerve found in the upper leg.
(c) A tendon connecting the leg to the pelvis.
(d) A large bone found in legs of mammals.

5. Of all the elements occurring naturally on Earth, how many does the author say are central to life?
(a) 10.
(b) 1.
(c) 20.
(d) 6.

Short Answer Questions

1. Scientists now believe that life began on Earth how long ago?

2. How many chromosomes are there inside a human cell's nucleus?

3. The author states that one scientist claimed there is less genetic diversity among the entire human population than there is among a:

4. Somewhere between three and two million years ago, how many hominid species co-existed before vanishing abruptly?

5. Scientist Jean de Charpentier was a specialist on what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are bipeds? What are some of the unique challenges they face because of their structure?

2. What is a hominid? Describe some of the hominids that existed in the past.

3. What are cyanobacteria? How did they affect the environment billions of years ago?

4. What does a Swedish DNA study reveal about the origins of modern man?

5. Why does Bryson say that fossils represent only a tiny fraction of life on Earth?

6. What type of scientific work did the monk and scientist Gregor Mendel do?

7. Describe the presence of bacteria in humans.

8. How are traits determined genetically?

9. What does the author say about radioactive waste being dumped into oceans?

10. How long do human cells live?

(see the answer keys)

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