View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Leanchoilia have that makes it look bizarre?
(a) A very large mouth.
(b) A trivalve.
(c) Two toothy fins.
(d) Two appendages that split into three whip-like extensions.

2. How can scientists describe the structure of evolutionary inference?
(a) Fairly easy.
(b) Quite complex.
(c) Quite simple.
(d) Fairly intuitive.

3. What are Derek Briggs and Simon Conway Morris described as?
(a) Anxious.
(b) Apathetic.
(c) Nervous.
(d) Brilliant.

4. What are the two Ps?
(a) Predilect and prominent.
(b) Promotion and progressive.
(c) Progression and Promise.
(d) Primitive and precursor.

5. What did Naraoia lead Whittington to do?
(a) Begin a new class called Trilobitoidea.
(b) Dismiss Naraoia as a fluke.
(c) Dismiss the entire class Trilobitoidea as artificial.
(d) Combine two classes to create Trilobitoidea.

6. What new view did Whittington now understand?
(a) Many Burgess fossils cannot be placed in any known taxonomy.
(b) Many Burgess fossils fit within one known taxonomy.
(c) No Burgess fossils fit within any known taxonomy.
(d) Few Burgess fossils cannot be placed in any known taxonomy.

7. What did Whittington first think about Naraoia?
(a) It is the cousin of Yohoia.
(b) It is a unique form of trilobite.
(c) It is the grandfather of Marella.
(d) It is the first trilobite.

8. What is the third stage of the fauna?
(a) The Cambrian explosion.
(b) The introduction of the spine.
(c) The Pre-Cambrian explosion.
(d) The introduction of the egg.

9. What does Gould say represents the Burgess message?
(a) Naraoia.
(b) Opabinia.
(c) Scthyoria.
(d) Yohoia.

10. What did Morris publish while still in graduate school?
(a) 5 papers on new phyla.
(b) 6 monographs.
(c) 4 papers.
(d) 7 articles.

11. How many major contingencies along the path toward human development does Gould guide the reader through?
(a) Seven.
(b) Four.
(c) Nine.
(d) Eight.

12. What kind of interpretation did Morris want of the Burgess Shale fossils?
(a) Grand.
(b) Radical.
(c) Lenient.
(d) Morose.

13. What is the subtitle for this segment of the book?
(a) Completion and Codification of an Argument
(b) Omission and Codiication of an Argument
(c) Timelines and Codification of an Argument
(d) Completion and Codiication of an Argument

14. What complex creature did Morris decide to focus on?
(a) Phylomari.
(b) Normaia.
(c) Wiwaxia.
(d) Trixolo.

15. What does Chapter 4 argue that the story of history is about?
(a) Philosophy.
(b) Historicity.
(c) Majority.
(d) Contingency.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Anomalocaris appear to represent?

2. What is the problem with the Burgess Shale in relation to many of the similarities and distinctions?

3. When did prokaryotic cells exist?

4. What does the second stage of contingency describe?

5. How can Odaraia be described?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 476 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample