C. The eon that includes the last ~half billion years and multicellular eukaryotic life
D. A short period of only a few thousand years
E. Only the time of the dinosaurs
Select an answer
p.5
Explanation
The Phanerozoic includes the last ~half billion years and encompasses multicellular eukaryotic life; it is subdivided into Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras.
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1 / 36
p.5
The Phanerozoic eon is best described as:
C
p.7
Which trait increases the probability that an organism will be fossilized?
C
p.4
Approximately when did the first prokaryotes appear according to the deck timeline?
B
p.8
Which type of fossil provides evidence of an organism's behavior (e.g., tracks, burrows)?
D
p.8
Which statement best describes a "preserved fossil"?
B
p.9
Relative dating using sedimentary strata can tell you:
C
p.9
Why are index fossils useful in relative dating?
A
p.3
Why do many biologists consider viruses to be nonliving?
C
p.3
Phylogenetic placement of viruses in the Tree of Life is problematic because:
A
p.5
The term "Precambrian" refers to which time interval?
D
p.11
What is the half-life of carbon-14 (14C) approximately?
A
p.12
Plate tectonics theory states that Earth's crust is composed of:
B
p.16
The distribution of Glossopteris fossils across South America, Africa, India, Antarctica, and Australia supports:
D
p.18
The "Big Five" mass extinctions are defined because each eliminated:
B
p.19
The Permian mass extinction ("Great Dying") is notable because:
A
p.14
Around when did the supercontinent Pangaea form?
C
p.21
Which major group went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous (K–Pg) boundary?
B
p.22
Which of the following provides strong evidence for the Cretaceous (K–Pg) mass extinction being caused by an asteroid impact?
C
p.23
The current, human-driven mass extinction is commonly called the:
D
p.24
How long can recovery of biodiversity take after a mass extinction?
B
p.25
Adaptive radiation typically follows which of the following scenarios?
A
p.33
Protocells are best described as:
C
p.35
The "RNA world" hypothesis proposes that early self-replicating systems were based on:
A
p.37
What are stromatolites, and why are they significant?
B
p.38
Banded iron formations (BIFs) are evidence that:
D
p.39
One major consequence of the Great Oxygenation Event was:
A
p.38
Approximately when did atmospheric oxygen begin to accumulate during the Great Oxygenation Event (GOE)?
C
p.13
Continental drift can promote biodiversity change primarily by:
A
p.4
The "Cambrian explosion" refers to:
A
p.6
Fossils are most commonly found in which type of rock?
B
p.25
Which example best illustrates adaptive radiation after the extinction of competitors?
C
p.10
Radiometric (absolute) dating is based on:
B
p.30
The Miller–Urey experiment showed that:
B
p.2
What does "homeostasis" refer to in biological systems?
A
p.28
Which is the correct first step in the hypothesized chemical origin-of-life sequence?
A
p.2
Which of the following is NOT one of the generally accepted features used to define life?
