Use these questions to test your understanding. If you get them wrong, you will be linked back to the relevant part of the notes.
Be sure you study them thoroughly (don't just get a quick fix for your mistake) so your overall understanding is improved.
1. Convergent evolution means
a. All animals tend to evolve toward a single, highest form
b. Facing similar challenges, different types of animal tend to evolve toward similar solutions
c. Plants and animals are evolving toward a new type of organism
d. Conditions converged in the Cambrian era for development of a new variety of animals
e. Non-convergent forms of life are doomed to die out
2. Brain sizes
b. have tended to get smaller with time
c. have tended to get larger with time
d. have fluctuated a lot with time
e. take a big step toward smaller brains after a typical mass extinction
3. Sophisticated, thinking brains and complex nervous and sensory systems developed
a. to allow location of easily-digested foods
c. in the era of dinosaurs for the first time
d. a number of times, but earlier instances were eliminated in mass extinctions
e. in a broad variety of animal types
4. Development of civilization on Earth has waited until sophisticated, thinking brains evolved and
a. visitors from outer space passed on the basic secrets of civilized life
c. major predators such as saber-toothed tigers became extinct
e. the climate entered a mild period that made it easier to grow food
5. The number of civilizations we might be able to receive radio signals from
a. is very hard to estimate - we can only try and see what happens
b. is very large, and we should do so very soon
c. is obviously so small that we should give up trying
d. depends critically on our determining the number of stars in our galaxy
6. The probability of a "fair" coin coming up heads is 1/2. What is the probability of it coming up heads three times in a row?
a. 1/2 b. 1/4 c. 1/6 d. 1/8 e. 1/12
7. Animals with relatively large brains
a. are always capable of sophisticated thinking
b. might just be extra-good at sensing and hunting their prey
c. are at a disadvantage because of the demands the brain puts on their systems
d. generally are sea animals because of the difficulty of bearing the weight of the brain on land
e. have existed for hundreds of millions of years
8. Infant humans
a. use most of their body energy to support large and growing brains
b. are so uncoordinated because their brains are still tiny
c. have brain sizes typical of those of other mammals of similar size
d. cannot walk because their brains are too heavy
e. have brains of the primitive snatch and eat kind, like alligators
9. The biggest uncertainty in how many civilizations there are right now in other planetary systems around us is probably
a. the likelihood that even primitive life could get started on a habitable planet
b. the number of planetary systems around other stars
c. how long a civilization lasts before it dies out or destroys itself
d. whether large brains would develop once another planet had complex animals on it
e. how many stars there are that are suitable for planet systems with life
10. Science
a. can explain nearly everything
b. gives an alternative explanation for everything included in religions
c. has some major events that it cannot explain, like what happened before the Big Bang
d. will inevitably conflict with religion
e. can't explain everything just yet, but will be able to do so very soon