Question 1

What is the significance of the human eye in the history of research on evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)  William Paley proved that since the human eye was clearly designed for seeing, it was evidence for a heavenly designer. 
B)  Human eyes are far more advanced than the eyes of other mammals and are an example of rapid, recent evolution. 
C)  Differences between human eyes and other animals' eyes are explained as different adaptations shaped by natural selection. 
D)  Since the human eye is made of soft tissue, and has no fossil record, the study of the eye does not inform evolutionary thinking. 
A)  William Paley proved that since the human eye was clearly designed for seeing, it was evidence for a heavenly designer. 
B)  Human eyes are far more advanced than the eyes of other mammals and are an example of rapid, recent evolution. 
C)  Differences between human eyes and other animals' eyes are explained as different adaptations shaped by natural selection. 
D)  Since the human eye is made of soft tissue, and has no fossil record, the study of the eye does not inform evolutionary thinking.

Question 2

Using the rate of change that the Grants observed in the medium ground finch, and assuming a selection event only occurs once every century, how rapidly would you predict that a species of finch like the large ground finch could evolve?

Accepted Answer

A)  It would take millions of years for only beak size to evolve. 
B)  The medium ground finch could evolve into the large ground finch in 20 years. 
C)  Natural selection could produce a new species of ground finch in a few thousand years. 
D)  Because selection generally pushes constantly in one direction, a new species of ground finch could evolve in a single century. 
A)  It would take millions of years for only beak size to evolve. 
B)  The medium ground finch could evolve into the large ground finch in 20 years. 
C)  Natural selection could produce a new species of ground finch in a few thousand years. 
D)  Because selection generally pushes constantly in one direction, a new species of ground finch could evolve in a single century.

Question 3

Charles Darwin is known for his revolutionary argument that

Accepted Answer

A)  plants and animals are not designed by God and do not change over time. 
B)  plants and animals change slowly over time. 
C)  fossil plants and animals changed, but existing plants and animals do not. 
D)  plants and animals are created by chance and then evolve through divine intervention. 
A)  plants and animals are not designed by God and do not change over time. 
B)  plants and animals change slowly over time. 
C)  fossil plants and animals changed, but existing plants and animals do not. 
D)  plants and animals are created by chance and then evolve through divine intervention.

Question 4

Despite its detrimental nature, cannibalism can evolve in a wide range of species by natural selection if

Accepted Answer

A)  cannibalistic groups are ferocious enough to scare predators away. 
B)  individuals who cannibalize have higher fitness than those who do not. 
C)  natural selection is always immoral. 
D)  cannibalistic individuals kill off the rest of their population and have no mates left with which to reproduce. 
A)  cannibalistic groups are ferocious enough to scare predators away. 
B)  individuals who cannibalize have higher fitness than those who do not. 
C)  natural selection is always immoral. 
D)  cannibalistic individuals kill off the rest of their population and have no mates left with which to reproduce.

Question 5

Theoretical studies of the evolution of the eye revealed that

Accepted Answer

A)  approximately 1,800 incremental changes of 1% could allow the eye to evolve from a single photo receptor to a spherical gradient lens. 
B)  it would take more than 10 million years for the eye to evolve in an aquatic species with a short generation time. 
C)  it was built by artificial selection in no more than 500 years. 
D)  after 1,800 changes, an eye would still be in the photo receptor phase. 
A)  approximately 1,800 incremental changes of 1% could allow the eye to evolve from a single photo receptor to a spherical gradient lens. 
B)  it would take more than 10 million years for the eye to evolve in an aquatic species with a short generation time. 
C)  it was built by artificial selection in no more than 500 years. 
D)  after 1,800 changes, an eye would still be in the photo receptor phase.

Question 6

Which of the following provides an example of why Jenkin called Darwin's ideas incompatible?

Accepted Answer

A)  Tall and short individuals are not able to breed with one another because they look different. 
B)  If tall and short individuals breed with one another, all of their offspring will be short, and variation will disappear. 
C)  If tall and short individuals breed with one another, all of their offspring will be tall, and variation will disappear. 
D)  If tall and short individuals breed with one another, all offspring will be intermediate in height, and variation will disappear. 
A)  Tall and short individuals are not able to breed with one another because they look different. 
B)  If tall and short individuals breed with one another, all of their offspring will be short, and variation will disappear. 
C)  If tall and short individuals breed with one another, all of their offspring will be tall, and variation will disappear. 
D)  If tall and short individuals breed with one another, all offspring will be intermediate in height, and variation will disappear.

Question 7

Many of Darwin's contemporaries argued that discontinuous variation is the reason that complex traits evolve. However, Darwin reasoned that discontinuous traits do not play a major role because

Accepted Answer

A)  since they lack continuity, discontinuous traits would be rapidly selected against. 
B)  discontinuous traits, although common, are rarely inherited. 
C)  the probability of several novel mutations that work together arising at once is so high that there are mechanisms that immediately destroy them. 
D)  the probability of several novel mutations that work together to make a functioning trait arising all at once is almost zero. 
A)  since they lack continuity, discontinuous traits would be rapidly selected against. 
B)  discontinuous traits, although common, are rarely inherited. 
C)  the probability of several novel mutations that work together arising at once is so high that there are mechanisms that immediately destroy them. 
D)  the probability of several novel mutations that work together to make a functioning trait arising all at once is almost zero.

Question 8

How fast does evolution by natural selection take place?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is such a slow process that a single adaptation requires millions of years. 
B)  It is so slow that it cannot be seen in the fossil record. 
C)  It is fast enough that several new species can evolve from other forms in a few million years. 
D)  It is so rapid that new species often evolve in a matter of decades. 
A)  It is such a slow process that a single adaptation requires millions of years. 
B)  It is so slow that it cannot be seen in the fossil record. 
C)  It is fast enough that several new species can evolve from other forms in a few million years. 
D)  It is so rapid that new species often evolve in a matter of decades.

Question 9

Achondroplasia is a genetic adaptation that causes affected individuals to be much shorter than other people. This adaptation is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  convergence. 
B)  gene flow. 
C)  discontinuous variation. 
D)  outbreeding. 
A)  convergence. 
B)  gene flow. 
C)  discontinuous variation. 
D)  outbreeding.

Question 10

When does selection produce evolutionary change relatively quickly? Provide at least two pieces of evidence to support your answer.

Accepted Answer

Selection can produce evolutionary chang

Question 11

Darwin originally went to school to become a ________ but ended up at ________ and after graduation studied ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  doctor; Cambridge; natural history 
B)  ship's captain; Portsmouth navy yard; sailing 
C)  preacher; University of Edinburgh; religion 
D)  doctor; Harvard University; genetics 
A)  doctor; Cambridge; natural history 
B)  ship's captain; Portsmouth navy yard; sailing 
C)  preacher; University of Edinburgh; religion 
D)  doctor; Harvard University; genetics

Question 12

The body morphology of the marsupial wolf of Tasmania is very similar to that of the placental wolves of Eurasia. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  blending inheritance. 
B)  convergent evolution. 
C)  essentialism. 
D)  continuous variation. 
A)  blending inheritance. 
B)  convergent evolution. 
C)  essentialism. 
D)  continuous variation.

Question 13

A complex adaptation like the human eye exists in its present form because

Accepted Answer

A)  past organisms evolved and utilized a transitional form of the modern eye. 
B)  extreme forms of variation allowed it to evolve in a single jump. 
C)  it was created by a chance mutation. 
D)  many organisms have eyes. 
A)  past organisms evolved and utilized a transitional form of the modern eye. 
B)  extreme forms of variation allowed it to evolve in a single jump. 
C)  it was created by a chance mutation. 
D)  many organisms have eyes.

Question 14

What three conditions did Darwin conclude are necessary for natural selection to take place? Support your answer by either providing a real example from the chapter or coming up with a reasonable hypothetical example of how evolution operates. Be sure to discuss the role of the environment in your answer.

Accepted Answer

To answer this question, students must b

Question 15

Darwin understood that

Accepted Answer

A)  populations of organisms will grow until they are checked by the limited supply of resources in the environment. 
B)  populations of organisms will grow until individuals stop reproducing in order to control population. 
C)  populations of organisms maintain a steady state, just below the maximum allowed by the environment. 
D)  as soon as a population has filled its environment, it will evolve into a new species. 
A)  populations of organisms will grow until they are checked by the limited supply of resources in the environment. 
B)  populations of organisms will grow until individuals stop reproducing in order to control population. 
C)  populations of organisms maintain a steady state, just below the maximum allowed by the environment. 
D)  as soon as a population has filled its environment, it will evolve into a new species.

Question 16

How has an understanding of artificial selection aided our current comprehension of natural selection?

Accepted Answer

Darwin drew from principles of artificia

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of blending inheritance?

Accepted Answer

A)  A tall individual marries a short individual, and all of their offspring are intermediate in height. 
B)  All of the domestic breeds of dogs that are alive today are descended from a wolf ancestor. 
C)  Offspring from two unrelated species of cats have similar saber-toothed adaptations. 
D)  A red-headed individual marries an individual with black hair, and all of their offspring have black hair. 
A)  A tall individual marries a short individual, and all of their offspring are intermediate in height. 
B)  All of the domestic breeds of dogs that are alive today are descended from a wolf ancestor. 
C)  Offspring from two unrelated species of cats have similar saber-toothed adaptations. 
D)  A red-headed individual marries an individual with black hair, and all of their offspring have black hair.

Question 18

Even though natural selection was named after the artificial selection that plant and animal breeders use, it really refers to the

Accepted Answer

A)  survival of the physically fit. 
B)  reproduction of traits from generation to generation. 
C)  selective retention of variation in a population. 
D)  variable ability of species to survive and reproduce. 
A)  survival of the physically fit. 
B)  reproduction of traits from generation to generation. 
C)  selective retention of variation in a population. 
D)  variable ability of species to survive and reproduce.

Question 19

Under what circumstances is selection not directional? Illustrate your answer with at least one example. Use your answer to explain why scientists must understand stabilizing selection in order to accurately describe evolutionary processes.

Accepted Answer

Dramatic changes in the environment (lik

Question 20

Adaptations are defined as the components of an individual organism that

Accepted Answer

A)  allow it to survive and reproduce. 
B)  allow it to evolve more rapidly. 
C)  occur by random chance alone. 
D)  absolutely never change. 
A)  allow it to survive and reproduce. 
B)  allow it to evolve more rapidly. 
C)  occur by random chance alone. 
D)  absolutely never change.

What is the significance of the human eye in the history of research on evolution?

Using the rate of change that the Grants observed in the medium ground finch, and assuming a selection event only occurs once every century, how rapidly would you predict that a species of finch like the large ground finch could evolve?

Charles Darwin is known for his revolutionary argument that

Despite its detrimental nature, cannibalism can evolve in a wide range of species by natural selection if

Theoretical studies of the evolution of the eye revealed that

Which of the following provides an example of why Jenkin called Darwin's ideas incompatible?

Many of Darwin's contemporaries argued that discontinuous variation is the reason that complex traits evolve. However, Darwin reasoned that discontinuous traits do not play a major role because

How fast does evolution by natural selection take place?

Achondroplasia is a genetic adaptation that causes affected individuals to be much shorter than other people. This adaptation is an example of

When does selection produce evolutionary change relatively quickly? Provide at least two pieces of evidence to support your answer.

Darwin originally went to school to become a but ended up at and after graduation studied .

The body morphology of the marsupial wolf of Tasmania is very similar to that of the placental wolves of Eurasia. This is an example of

A complex adaptation like the human eye exists in its present form because

Darwin understood that

How has an understanding of artificial selection aided our current comprehension of natural selection?

Which of the following is an example of blending inheritance?

Even though natural selection was named after the artificial selection that plant and animal breeders use, it really refers to the

Under what circumstances is selection not directional? Illustrate your answer with at least one example. Use your answer to explain why scientists must understand stabilizing selection in order to accurately describe evolutionary processes.

Adaptations are defined as the components of an individual organism that

Genetics

The Modern Synthesis

Speciation and Phylogeny

Primate Diversity and Ecology

Primate Mating Systems

The Evolution of Cooperation

Primate Life Histories and the Evolution of Intelligence

From Tree Shrew to Ape

The Earliest Hominins

Early Homo and H Erectus 26-1 Ma

The Neanderthals and Their Contemporaries

Homo Sapiens and the Evolution of Modern Human Behavior

Human Genetics and Variation

Evolution and Human Behavior

Culture, Cooperation, and Human Uniqueness

Filters

Exam 1: Adaptation by Natural Selection

What is the significance of the human eye in the history of research on evolution?

Using the rate of change that the Grants observed in the medium ground finch, and assuming a selection event only occurs once every century, how rapidly would you predict that a species of finch like the large ground finch could evolve?

Charles Darwin is known for his revolutionary argument that

Despite its detrimental nature, cannibalism can evolve in a wide range of species by natural selection if

Theoretical studies of the evolution of the eye revealed that

Which of the following provides an example of why Jenkin called Darwin's ideas incompatible?

Many of Darwin's contemporaries argued that discontinuous variation is the reason that complex traits evolve. However, Darwin reasoned that discontinuous traits do not play a major role because

How fast does evolution by natural selection take place?

Achondroplasia is a genetic adaptation that causes affected individuals to be much shorter than other people. This adaptation is an example of

When does selection produce evolutionary change relatively quickly? Provide at least two pieces of evidence to support your answer.

Darwin originally went to school to become a ________ but ended up at ________ and after graduation studied ________.

The body morphology of the marsupial wolf of Tasmania is very similar to that of the placental wolves of Eurasia. This is an example of

A complex adaptation like the human eye exists in its present form because

Darwin understood that

How has an understanding of artificial selection aided our current comprehension of natural selection?

Which of the following is an example of blending inheritance?

Even though natural selection was named after the artificial selection that plant and animal breeders use, it really refers to the

Under what circumstances is selection not directional? Illustrate your answer with at least one example. Use your answer to explain why scientists must understand stabilizing selection in order to accurately describe evolutionary processes.

Adaptations are defined as the components of an individual organism that

Genetics

The Modern Synthesis

Speciation and Phylogeny

Primate Diversity and Ecology

Primate Mating Systems

The Evolution of Cooperation

Primate Life Histories and the Evolution of Intelligence

From Tree Shrew to Ape

The Earliest Hominins

Early Homo and H Erectus 26-1 Ma

The Neanderthals and Their Contemporaries

Homo Sapiens and the Evolution of Modern Human Behavior

Human Genetics and Variation

Evolution and Human Behavior

Culture, Cooperation, and Human Uniqueness

Filters

Darwin originally went to school to become a but ended up at and after graduation studied .