Download Evolution and Natural Selection

Name: _________________________
Date: ______________ Period: _____
Evolution and Natural Selection
Multiple Choice (2 points each)
1.
Which of the following is the best definition for a scientific theory?
a. An explanation that has been scientifically
tested and supported.
b. A group of ideas about a scientific concept.
c.
d.
An explanation that is accepted by most
people.
A specific question that can be tested using
the scientific method.
2.
The observation by Darwin that finches of different species on the Galápagos Islands have many similar physical characteristics
supports the conclusion that these finches
a. have the ability to breed with other species.
c. all eat the same type of food.
b. acquired traits through use and disuse of that
d. originated from a common ancestor.
trait.
3.
In the natural world, what is the explanation for how new species arise?
a. Two separate species – like a kangaroo and a
koala bear – mate to produce a new species
kangakoalbeararoo.
b. Variation, DNA mutations, and selection can
cause one population to adapt to an
environment in a different way than another
population.
4.
5.
6.
7.
c.
d.
If an animal changes during its lifetime, for
example a bird loses a wing in an accident, it
may then go on to produce an entire species
of one winged birds.
DNA cannot change or mutate therefore life is
in a fixed state and cannot change.
Scientific theories ___________ replaced __________.
a. cannot be; easily
b. can be; easily
c.
d.
are often; in science.
are easily; in science.
The change in ___________ in a population over time is ______________.
a. gene frequency; natural selection
b. traits; adaptation.
c.
d.
the number of individuals; selection.
gene frequency; evolution
A trait which is especially important for an organism's survival is called a(n)
a. speciation.
b. extinction.
c.
d.
adaptation.
None of the above.
c.
Evolution always results in more complex
forms of life.
None of the above.
Which of the following statements is true about Evolution?
a. Individuals cannot evolve, but populations
can.
b. Natural selection is the only mechanism for
evolution.
d.
8.
_____________ is the process where humans choose to breed animals to obtain desirable traits in the next generation.
a. Adaptive radiation
c. Adaptation
b. Artificial selection
d. Natural selection
9.
On the Galápagos Islands, Darwin saw that the plants and animals closely resembled those found on islands off the coast of
a. North America.
c. South America.
b. Africa.
d. None of the above
10. When a population of a species is split in two and the two groups separate for a long period of time, the two groups may become
a. the same species.
c. unrelated.
b. different species.
d. Identical.
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11. Individuals that are better able to cope with the challenges of their environment tend to
a. decrease in population over time.
b. leave more offspring than those more suited to the environment.
c. leave more offspring than those less suited to the environment.
d. leave fewer offspring than those less suited to the environment.
12. Which factor does not play a role in natural selection?
a. overproduction
c. variation in populations
b. speciation
d. adaptation
e.
13. The process in which organisms with traits well suited to an environment are more likely to survive and to produce offspring is
a. genetic principles.
c. artificial selection
b. natural selection.
d. origin of species.
14. Which of the following is a factor in natural selection?
a. Individuals of a population overproduce.
b. All populations are genetically diverse.
c.
d.
Individuals better able to adapt to changes
leave more offspring.
All of the above
15. This picture depicts three male sailfin mollies that live in different geographic locations. What assumption of natural selection do
these mollies represent?
a. Traits can be passed from parent to offspring.
b. There is natural variation in populations.
c. The earth is old.
d. None of the above
16. The theory of natural selection states that
a. in each generation, individuals well adapted
for their environment are more likely to live
longer and tend to produce more offspring
than the less well adapted individuals
b. individuals die completely at random with
respect to their genes
c.
d.
individuals die completely at random with
respect to their physical traits
the survival and reproductive success of
individuals depend only a small proportion on
their genetic adaptations to their
environment
17. The species of finches that Darwin found on the Galápagos Islands displayed different structural adaptations. One of the
adaptations that Darwin noted was the
a. similarities of the finches' embryos.
c. length of the finches' necks.
b. finches' differently shaped beaks.
d. number of eggs in each finches’ nest
18. In forming the theory of natural selection, Darwin most likely lacked a great understanding of
a. Geology
c. Anatomy
b. Genetics
d. Geography.
19. Who helped disprove the idea of spontaneous generation by demonstrating that maggots come from fly eggs and NOT from meat?
a. Francesco Redi
c. Lazzaro Spallanzani
b. John Needham
d. Louis Pasteur
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20. Lazzaro Spallanzani and Louis Pasteur both performed experiments hoping to disprove spontaneous generation. What conditions
existed in Pasteur’s experiment that did not exist in Spallanzani’s?
a. Air could enter the flasks but no
c. Neither air nor microorganisms could enter
microorganisms could enter.
the flasks.
b. No air could enter the flasks, but
d. Both air and microorganisms could enter the
microorganisms could enter.
flasks.
21. In an experiment, a scientist filled two open flasks, as
shown in the figures, with broth and boiled the broth
until it became clear. He then left the flasks open for
several days. Which results showed that spontaneous
generation did NOT occur?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The broth in both Flasks A and Flask B remained clear.
The broth in both Flask A and Flask B became cloudy.
The broth in Flask A remained clear, and the broth in Flask B became cloudy.
The broth in Flask A became cloudy, and the broth in Flask B remained clear.
22. John Needham performed an experiment testing spontaneous generation. He boiled chicken broth, placed it in a sterile flask, and
then sealed the flask. After a few days, Needham observed microorganisms in the flask. Based on current understanding, how was
his experiment flawed?
a. Boiling activated dormant microorganisms
c. Microorganisms entered the broth from the
present in the broth.
flask itself after the flask was sealed.
b. Boiling the broth did not kill all
d. After Needham boiled the broth,
microorganisms present.
microorganisms entered the air.
23. Which type of change exemplifies biological evolution?
a. Size of individuals
b. Size of a population
c.
d.
Gene pool of a population
Outward appearance of individuals
24. Stanley Miller and Harold Urey’s experiment recreated Earth’s hypothetical early atmosphere. What was their conclusion?
a. Spontaneous generation could not occur.
c. Organic molecules could form from inorganic
b. Earth’s early atmosphere contained oxygen
substances.
gas.
d. Many simple organisms could form from
Earth’s early atmosphere.
25. What characteristic of early autotrophs gave them an advantage over early heterotrophs?
a. They ate heterotrophs.
c. They made their own food.
b. They produced spores.
d. They reproduced asexually.
26. Which criterion is NOT necessarily true of a trait that has evolved through natural selection?
a. It is heritable.
c. It increases individuals’ lifespans.
b. It varies among individuals.
d. It influences individuals’ reproductive success.
27. Maria wanted to rid her home of cockroaches. She applied pesticide and after one day, she found many dead cockroaches. Days
after, she observed a few live cockroaches. She reapplied the pesticide, but she continued to see some live cockroaches. What best
explains the continuing presence of live cockroaches?
a. A few cockroaches exhibited pesticide
c. A few cockroaches developed pesticide
resistance due to natural variability within the
resistance after contact with it.
population.
d. A few cockroaches detected the pesticide and
b. A few cockroaches developed pesticide
avoided sprayed areas.
resistance through contact with other
resistant cockroaches.
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28. Charles Lyell’s Principles of Geology contains information about the formation of sedimentary rock. Lyell’s information supported
which of Darwin’s ideas regarding natural selection?
a. Organisms compete for resources.
c. Habitat variation makes biodiversity in the
b. Tropical biodiversity takes a great deal of
tropics possible.
time.
d. Reproductive success depends on the fitness
of a species.
29. Behaviors are either innate (inherited) or learned. Learned behaviors modify innate behaviors. Which is an example of an innate
behavior?
a. Young coyotes avoiding porcupines after the
c. Different species of male crickets producing
porcupines stick them with their quills.
distinctive songs to attract mates.
b. Chimpanzees stacking boxes to reach bananas
d. Monkeys washing sweet potatoes in a stream
hanging from the ceiling.
before eating them.
30. As part of a simulation of evolutionary process, a teacher drops 500 red and 500 green jelly beans on green grass. The red and
green jelly beans represent individuals of the same species. Students represent predators and pick up as many jelly beans as
possible in 30 seconds. Which prediction is most accurate?
a. Red individuals are more likely to survive and
c. Predators are more likely to capture green
reproduce.
individuals.
b. Green individuals are more likely to survive
d. Predators are equally likely to capture red
and reproduce.
and green individuals.
31. When comparing two populations of animals, which statement most likely indicates they are the same species?
a. They produce fertile offspring.
c. Their outward appearance is similar.
b. They inhabit the same general area.
d. They consume the same diet.
32. Which of the following conditions must be met for allopatric speciation to occur?
a. Temporal isolation
c.
b. Geographic isolation
d.
Behavioral isolation
Habitat isolation
33. Dr. Romero is raising three types of damselfishes in separate aquariums: two from the Atlantic Ocean and one from the Pacific
Ocean. This table summarizes the information she gathered through observations and breeding experiments.
Based on the most commonly accepted definition of a species, how many different species of damselfishes is Dr. Romero raising,
and which fish are they?
a.
b.
One species: Fish A, B, and C, are all members of
the same species.
Two species: Fish A and B are a single species; Fish
C is a separate species.
c.
d.
Two species: Fish A and C are a single species; Fish
B is a separate species.
Three species: Fish A, B, and C are all members of a
separate species.
34. What process of natural selection favors the extreme phenotypes of a trait and eliminates intermediate phenotypes?
a. Directional selection
c. Random selection
b. Disruptive selection
d. Stabilizing selection
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35. In Coho salmon, hooknose males are large and jack males are small. Average-sized males exist, but are rare. What statement best
explains disruptive selection in male Coho salmon?
a. Average-sized males reach the spawning
c. Hooknose males produce stronger sperm
ground first.
than jack males or average-sized males.
b. The scent of average-sized males makes them
d. The relative size of hooknose males and jack
most attractive to females.
males is an advantage during mating.
36. Most male crickets produce a mating song by rubbing together their curved wings. In a certain geographic area, parasitic flies
detected male crickets singing and deposited their larvae onto them, which killed the crickets. Eighteen generations later the
number of males with flat wings has increased to 90%. The flat-winged crickets do not sing, but are still able to mate with females,
and parasitic flies cannot detect them.
Which type of selection is occurring in this cricket population?
a.
b.
Artificial
Directional
c.
d.
Disruptive
Stabilizing
37. Horse skeleton fossils indicate that the size of horses increased over time. Which statement best explains this fossil record?
a. Smaller horses bred with larger horses,
c. Larger horses consumed the food supply of
creating hybrids
the of the smaller horses
b. Smaller horses were infected by a fatal virus
d. Larger horses produced a slightly greater
early in their history.
number of surviving offspring
38. According to fossil evidence, whales evolved from 4-legged ancestors. The modern baleen whale has forelimbs, but inspection of its
skeleton reveals only tiny vestigial hind limbs. What is the best explanation for this loss of hind limbs in the baleen whale?
a. The hind limbs adapted into flippers to help
c. Whales with shorter hind limbs swam faster
the whale swim faster.
than those with longer hind limbs
b. Random chance and genetic drift left to the
d. Some whales lost longer hind limbs to
reduction in size of hind limbs.
predators and passed that trait to their
offspring.
39. What accounts for genetic biodiversity existing in modern multicellular organisms?
a. Mutations in gametes are passed to offspring.
c.
b. Protein mutations cause DNA changes,
creating new species.
d.
Genetic mutations form when similar species
mate and reproduce.
Somatic cell DNA mutations create new
phenotypes in the population.
40. Dinosaur extinction coincided with a massive asteroid’s collision with Earth. The extreme heat of the impact killed many organisms.
The resulting dust cloud prevented photosynthesis for a long period of time, killing many other organisms. Which scenario most
likely explains how life survived on Earth after the asteroid impact?
a. The large number of dead organisms supplied
c. Microscopic organisms survived and evolved
an abundant food source for surviving
into modern forms of terrestrial and aquatic
carnivores.
life.
b. Some organisms survived the initial impact
d. The dust cloud affected terrestrial organisms,
and adapted to new food sources and
but did not affect aquatic organisms.
habitats.
41. Dinosaur species dominated Earth for over 100 million years. During this time, most mammals were small mouse-sized nocturnal
organisms. Following the mass extinction of the dinosaurs, the small mammals rapidly diversified to fill available habitats and
niches. What pattern of evolution best explains the diversification of mammals?
a. Catastrophism
b. Convergent evolution
c. Gradualism
d. Punctuated equilibrium
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