Evolutionary Relationships — Unit test

Question 8 • Basic Biology S2

A scientist observes fossil evidence that leads her to believe that certain organisms have a common ancestor.Which observation most likely led to this conclusion?

Answer

She observed older fossils that contained many of the same minerals as the newer ones.

She found skeletons of modern organisms in the same area as fossilized organisms.

She observed a fossil with skeletal structures similar to certain modern organisms.

She found several fossils in rock layers directly below other fossils of similar size.

Explanation

Similar skeletal structures in a fossil and in modern organisms are evidence that they may share an inherited body plan from a common ancestor. Minerals in fossils can reflect how they were preserved, not how organisms are related. Finding modern skeletons nearby or fossils of similar size in different rock layers does not by itself show common ancestry.

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