Answer Key

Chapter Test B 23. Protista: mostly unicellular

Multiple Choice organisms that have a
1. b nucleus
24. The domain Eukarya
2. a
3. d includes organisms whose
4. b cells have a nucleus
5. b and membrane-bound
6. c organelles. Bacteria
7. c and Archaea are both
prokaryotes—single-celled
8. a organisms without nuclei
9. c or membrane-bound
10. b organelles—but their cell
11. b walls are different. Archaea
12. d are known for living in
13. c extreme environments.
14. c 25. The tree of life has changed
15. b many times. It changes
Short Answer when new discoveries
16. Linnaean taxonomy reveal new differences or
17. It focuses on physical similarities within groups.
similarities alone. Physical
similarities between two
species are not always
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a result of the species

being closely related.
It was created before
technology allowed us to
study organisms at the
molecular level.
18. The shark is in the same
kingdom and phylum as the
other animals in the first
and second rows, but not
in the same class, order,
family, genus, or species.
19. the wolf, fox, and the dog
20. the spider
21. Accept any of the following
answers: molecular
biology, genetics, DNA, or
rRNA.
22. Eukarya

Answer Key 1
 CHAPTER THE TREE OF LIFE
17 Chapter Test B

The Tree of Life

CHAPTER 17
Multiple Choice
Choose the letter of the best answer. (15 credits)

1. Linnaean taxonomy names and classifies 5. How many nodes are shown in the
organisms based on cladogram in Figure 17.1?
A
a. common ancestry.
b. physical characteristics.
c. mutation rates.
d. ribosomal RNA sequences.
B

2. Which of the following phrases

describes a taxon?
a. a group of organisms in a
FIG. 17.1
classification system
b. a group of species that share no a. three c. five
derived characters with others in a b. four d. six
group
c. a group that can breed and produce 6. In the cladogram in Figure 17.1, what
offspring represents the common ancestor of all
the included species?
d. a group that is larger than a kingdom
or a domain a. the line farthest left in section A
b. the line farthest right in section A
3. Which of the following contains the
c. the lowest node on the cladogram
most members?
d. the highest node on the cladogram
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a. genus c. family
b. order d. class 7. Which type of molecular clock is used
to measure evolutionary time between
4. In the Linnaean system of classification, the most distantly related organisms?
a species is most commonly defined as
a. amino acid
a. the commonly used name for an
b. nuclear DNA
organism.
c. ribosomal RNA
b. a group of organisms that can breed
d. mitochondrial DNA
and produce offspring.
c. the most general taxon of the
classification system.
d. a group with similar physical
characteristics.

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McDougal Littell Biology
 CHAPTER TEST B, CONTINUED

8. The goal of cladistics is to classify 12. Carl Woese divided the kingdom Monera
The Tree of Life

species according to into Bacteria and Archaea based on his

CHAPTER 17

a. the order in which they descended

finding that the two groups
from a common ancestor. a. are unicellular.
b. their ability to produce offspring. b. are prokaryotic.
c. the geological time in which they c. live in different types of
appeared on Earth. environments.
d. mutations in their DNA. d. have very different rRNA.

9. Which domain contains all organisms 13. Figure 17.2 shows differences between
that have a nucleus? humans and other animals at a molecular
a. Bacteria c. Eukarya level. By this measure, which listed
b. Archaea d. Protista species is least related to humans?
Amino Acid Differences Compared with
Human Protein X
10. In cladistics, an outgroup refers to
Chimpanzee 0
organisms that share Horse 5
Pig 10
a. physical characteristics with all Mouse 15
members of a group. Rabbit 20
b. no derived characters with other Frog 22
Turtle 28
groups being studied.
FIG. 17.2
c. the ability to breed and produce
offspring with each other. a. rabbit c. turtle
d. a common ancestor with other b. mouse d. chimpanzee
members of a group.
14. Which of the following is the most
11. Modern classification is mainly based specific taxon shared by the ashy-headed

Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company.

on goose, Chloephaga poliocephala, and
a. molecular clocks. the ruddy-headed goose, Chloephaga
b. phylogeny.
rubidiceps?
c. taxonomy. a. kingdom c. genus
d. dichotomous keys. b. species d. order

15. Molecular clocks based on

mitochondrial DNA comparisons
are best used to classify
a. clades.
b. closely related species.
c. distantly related species.
d. domains.

344 Chapter Test B Assessment Book

McDougal Littell Biology
 CHAPTER TEST B, CONTINUED

Short Answer Use the diagram below to answer items 16–20. (5 credits)

The Tree of Life

CHAPTER 17
FIG. 17.3

16. What type of classification system is depicted?

Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company.

17. What are some limitations of this type of classification system?

18. Why is the shark shown in the first and second rows, but not in any of the other rows?

19. Which animals are in the family called Canidae?

20. According to the classification in Figure 17.3, which animal would appear to be the
least closely related to the wolf?

Assessment Book Chapter Test B 345

McDougal Littell Biology
 CHAPTER TEST B, CONTINUED

Use the diagram below to answer items 21–25.

The Tree of Life

(5 credits)
CHAPTER 17

FIG. 17.4

Domain Bacteria Archaea Eukarya

Kingdom Bacteria Archaea Fungi
Plantae
Animalia

21. This table classifies organisms into one of three domains. What is the basis of this
classification system?

22. A unicellular organism with a nucleus belongs to which domain?

23. Name the kingdom missing from the chart and describe the type of organisms you
would find in this kingdom.

24. Give a brief description of each domain.

25. Why does this chart represent a work in progress? What type of change might take place?

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346 Chapter Test B Assessment Book

McDougal Littell Biology