Human Evolution vs. Creationism Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. It is generally believed by many Biblical Creationists that all animals were created about the same time as human beings. Thus, this would mean that most, if not all, dinosaur species lived at the same time as the earliest humans. On the other hand, evolutionary biologists would claim that which of the following choices is best supported by the available evidence?

Answer: Just about all types of dinosaurs became extinct around 65 million years ago.

There is overwhelming evidence that a large meteorite blasted into the earth's atmosphere and exploded near the Yucatan Peninsula about 65 million years ago. Fossils of most species of dinosaurs tend to be 65 million years old or, in most cases, millions of years older. Also, geological evidence supports this idea. Consider this: the element Iridium is very rare in most rocks of earthly origin. Whereas, Iridium tends to be relatively abundant in many types of meteors.

Interestingly enough, there is a thin layer of Iridium rich earth that can be found all over our planet with approximately the same geological age of 65 million years! Dinosaurs bones are rarely found in younger layers above this Iridium layer (known as the K-T Boundary). Finally, there is no verifiable evidence that dinosaurs roamed the earth with the earliest humans.

2. According to many Biblical Creationists, human evolution makes no sense because human beings did not evolve from apes or monkeys. We are very different from such creatures and nothing in the Bible even suggests this is our origin. Which of the following choices best fits the position taken by the majority of evolutionary biologists regarding our pre-human origins?

Answer: Apes and humans had a common ancestor that split into different evolutionary branches about five to ten million years ago.

Congratulations if you got this one correct. Pages and pages of text could be written about this subject. However, here are a few critical points: for a long time evolutionists had to depend on morphological evidence. That is, if two animals has very similar skeletal structures, than they probably came from the same evolutionary family. So, for example, if you look at the skeleton of a modern human, a gorilla, and a chimpanzee ...it is very easy to see how similar they are in many ways. Then, if you look at the skulls of other members of the hominid family: Homo erectus, Homo habilis, Home neandertalensis,etc. you can see many similarities to modern human beings. And yet, they also reveal the hint of more apelike features: the brow ridge, the slopping forehead, the teeth. So it is from morphology (forms) that the human evolutionary "tree" was first developed.

However, just because two creatures look a great deal alike does not make them of the same family. The real breakthrough came from genetics. By carefully comparing the DNA found in humans, apes, and even Neaderthals our family history over millions of years is revealing itself.

3. According to most Creationists, God created human beings about six to ten thousand years ago. Whereas, most evolutionary biologists tend to believe that Homo sapiens (Modern Humans) first emerged as a distinct species about when?

Answer: 120,000 to 400,000 years ago.

The key with this question is to pay particular attention to the words: "Homo sapiens" and "a distinct species". First of all, there may have been creatures who were somewhat human-like even three million years ago in the sense that they were bi-pedal (walked upright).

But they had very apelike jaws and teeth. Also, they had very small brains -- far below the norm for modern humans. (Enlargement of the brain occurred very recently in our evolution.) Finally, 44 to 68 thousand years does not work because the fossil record and complex studies of DNA sequences points to modern humans having an emergence at least 150 thousand year ago. Probably much older.

4. If you strongly believe in the idea of biological evolution, as first presented by Charles Darwin in 1859, there is at least a 90% certainty you are either an atheist or an agnostic.

Answer: False

It might surprise some people to find out that a belief in biological evolution does not automatically mean that you do not believe in God or some kind of "Higher Power". One of the most famous paleontologists of the first half of the 20th Century was a man named Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, a mystic and a Roman Catholic Priest.

Also, a poll taken by Newsweek magazine found that 40% of the American public agreed that "Man has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process, including man's creation."

5. True or false: Both Creationists and students of biological evolution have one thing in common. They both tend to have fixed, rigid, and relatively unchanging principles that shape their system of belief. For Creationists, their principles come directly from the teachings in the Old Testament. Whereas, nearly all of the principles and concepts embraced by evolutionists come directly from Darwin's original research findings with very few modifications.

Answer: False

This is definitely false. Science is an ongoing process of new discovery, new evidence, testing, questioning of assumptions, etc. Darwin's ideas have been greatly modified and improved upon tremendously during the past sixty to seventy years. In fact, the field of genetics as opened up a new universe of questions that demand answers. Science must always remain open to new possibilities.

On the other hand, it is true that Creationists tend to stick with the same principles and the same basic ideas because they mainly use the Old Testament writings for their inspiration. New discoveries in science are seen as having little if any impact on the fundamental truths found in the Old Testament, according to Creationists.

6. When you look at the level of education completed by Americans, there does not appear to be a strong correlation with a belief in some form of evolution vs. a belief in some form of creationism. Thus, on average, believers both have about the same level of education.

Answer: False

This is false. In fact, there is a strong correlation with the level of education achieved and whether or not a person finds biological evolution to be valid. A poll taken of Americans in 1991 found that amongst college graduates the percentage who agreed that evolution was valid (either with or without the hidden guidance of God or a higher power) was over 70%. Whereas, amongst Americans who did NOT have a high school diploma, 65% believed that God created humans as they are now at one moment in time. And, this event took place no earlier than 10,000 years ago.

Note: a similar poll taken in 1997 revealed basically the same results. (Source: The Gallup Organization)

7. Starting in 1997 scientists were able to extract mitochondrial DNA from a Neanderthal bone. They claimed that the results showed that the Neanderthal is not the same species as modern humans (Homo sapiens). Creationists argue that this experiment proved nothing because the conclusions are based on only one sample and DNA degrades very quickly - - even within a few thousand years. Do the Creationists have a valid and reasonable argument?

Answer: No

Creationists do not have a well founded argument. The mitochondrial DNA from the Neanderthal bone was independently tested at two universities. Their work yielded exactly the same mitochondrial DNA sequence. In addition, other Neanderthal bone samples have since been tested and yielded very similar results. Thus, numerous tests have shown that Neanderthal is a very different species. Also, it is important to point out that mitochondrial DNA is only passed on thru the mother's side and, fortunately, much of the material can endure for many thousands of years.

8. Based upon the most research findings in paleoanthropology, which of the following four choices below is generally considered to be the most immediate and the most direct ancestor of earliest Homo sapiens?

Answer: Homo heidelbergensis

Of the four choices the correct one is "Homo heidelbergensis". They lived about 800,000 to 400,000 years ago. Considered to a direct and relatively recent ancestor of Homo sapiens. Homo neanderthalensis lived about 200,000 to 25,000 years ago. Extensive DNA research clearly indicates that humans did NOT evolve from Neanderthals. Whereas, Austrolopithecus afarensis is a direct ancestor of humans - - it was not the most recent, having lived four to three million years ago. Finally, Australopithecus africanus is more apelike than A. afarensis, and is not considered a direct ancestor. Fossil evidence indicates that this creature lived about 3.3 to 2.5 million years ago.

9. Many creationists believe that Neanderthals were just modern humans who were deformed by such diseases as rickets and arthritis. Whereas, most evolutionists assert that rickets could not have produced a Neanderthal. Signs of Rickets are easily detectable on long bones of the body and are not seen in Neanderthal bones. Therefore, to say that Neanderthals look the way they do because of Rickets makes no sense. In light of the above two positions on Neanderthal bones, which of the following four choices is correct?

Answer: The Evolutionists' position - as stated above.

Extensive DNA research on Neanderthal bones confirms the conclusion of evolutionists on this matter. Also, the curved long bones in the Neanderthal have nothing in common with the way rickets can distort bones. Furthermore, thousands of years of rickets and/or arthritis cannot alter the genetic code of humans to turn them into Neanderthals. That is total nonsense.

Remember: a Creationist can NEVER accept the idea of a proto-human, or a creature that is similar to a modern human being - - but with a slightly different genetic code. That is totally unacceptable to them. Thus, they have tried to explain away these Human "cousins" as being nothing more than victims of disease.

10. The study of various skull fragments, grave sites, DNA research, etc. have shown that early Homo sapiens and Neanderthals had a great deal in common during the tens of thousands of years they both lived in Europe. The choices below list many of their common traits. Select the trait that they probably did NOT have in common.

Answer: Over many thousands of years both species exhibited considerable improvement and innovation in designing stone tools.

Oddly, over 50,000 years the Neanderthals exhibited very little innovation. No significant change or improvement occurred in their stone tools during that time period. This is just another indication that they are a different species.

Source: Author RSKimball

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Comparing the findings of human evolution with the beliefs of "Biblical Creationism". Test your knowledge and learn something about critical thinking at the same time. Your feedback is welcomed.

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