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Question 1

Adaption

Answer 1

a characteristic that improves an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment

Question 2

species

Answer 2

a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring

Question 3

evolution

Answer 3

the process in which inherited characteristics within a population change over generations such that new species sometimes arise

Question 4

fossil

Answer 4

the remains or physical evidence of an organism preserved by geological processes

Question 5

fossil record

Answer 5

a historical sequence of life indicated by fossils found in layers of the earth’s crust

Question 6

trait

Answer 6

a genetically determined characteristic

Question 7

selective breeding

Answer 7

the human practice of breeding animals or plants that have certain desired characteristics

Question 8

natural selection

Answer 8

the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less adapted individuals do; a theory to explain the mechanism of evolution

Question 9

Generation time

Answer 9

the period between the birth of one generation and the birth of the next generation

Question 10

speciation

Answer 10

the formation of new species as a result of evolution

Question 11

relative dating

Answer 11

any method of determining whether an event or object is older or younger than other events or objects

Question 12

absolute dating

Answer 12

any method of measuring the age of an object or event in years