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Chapter 15	Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

Section 15–1 The Puzzle of Life’s Diversity (pages 369–372)

Key Concepts
· What was Charles Darwin’s contribution to science?

· What pattern did Darwin observe among organisms of the Galápagos Islands?

Introduction (page 369)

1. The process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms is called 	.
2. Awell-supported explanation of phenomena that have occurred in the natural world is a(an) 	.

Voyage of the Beagle (pages 369–370)

3. Circle the letter of each sentence that is true about Charles Darwin. a. He was born in 1809.
b. He was an English naturalist.

c. He was 42 when he began the voyage on the Beagle.

d. The voyage lasted five years and took him around the world.

4. Label the Galápagos Islands on the map below.

North America

Atlantic Ocean

British Isles

Europe

Asia

Pacific

Ocean

South	Africa America

Australia

Cape Horn
Darwin’s voyage

Cape of Good Hope

N	New

W	E	Zealand

S

0	2000 km

0      1000 mi

5. Is the following sentence true or false? Darwin was looking for a scientific explanation

for the diversity of life on Earth. 	

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Darwin’s Observations (pages 370–372)

6. Circle the letter of each observation that Darwin made. a. An enormous number of species inhabit Earth.
b. Many organisms seem to be poorly suited to their environment.

c. The same sorts of animals are always found in the same ecosystems in different parts of the world.

d. Some species that lived in the past no longer live on Earth.

7. The preserved remains of ancient organisms are called 	. 8. As Darwin studied fossils, what new questions arose?

9. How did Darwin explain differences in shell shape of tortoises from Hood Island and Isabela Island?

10. Darwin observed that small brown birds on the Galápagos Islands differed in the shape of their 	.

The Journey Home (page 372)

11. What did Darwin think about on his journey home to England?

12. After he returned to England, what hypothesis did Darwin develop to explain his findings?

Reading Skill Practice

You can focus on the most important points in a section by turning the headings into questions and then trying to find the answers as you read. For each heading in Section 15–1, first write the heading as a how, what, or why question. Then, find and write the answer to your question. Do your work on a separate sheet of paper.

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