Question 1

Darwinian evolution proposes that

Accepted Answer

A)  species adapt and change over time based on the environment. 
B)  an individual can change within its own lifetime. 
C)  species adapt based on individual goals. 
D)  individuals determine their own biological adaptations. 
A)  species adapt and change over time based on the environment. 
B)  an individual can change within its own lifetime. 
C)  species adapt based on individual goals. 
D)  individuals determine their own biological adaptations. A

Question 2

How does genetic drift affect small populations differently than large populations?

Accepted Answer

A)  Smaller populations can be transformed into large ones if genetic drift is sufficiently nonrandom. 
B)  Since genetic drift is a random effect, it has the same outcome in large and small populations. 
C)  An entire trait and its underlying genetic basis can disappear from a small population quickly, but may be maintained in a large population. 
D)  Since there are many instances of a rare trait in the large population, it is more likely to be selected out, and disappear, in that larger population. 
A)  Smaller populations can be transformed into large ones if genetic drift is sufficiently nonrandom. 
B)  Since genetic drift is a random effect, it has the same outcome in large and small populations. 
C)  An entire trait and its underlying genetic basis can disappear from a small population quickly, but may be maintained in a large population. 
D)  Since there are many instances of a rare trait in the large population, it is more likely to be selected out, and disappear, in that larger population. C

Question 3

According to Darwin, natural selection operates at the level of

Accepted Answer

A)  individuals. 
B)  genes. 
C)  populations. 
D)  species. 
A)  individuals. 
B)  genes. 
C)  populations. 
D)  species. A

Question 4

How was Darwin influenced by Thomas Malthus's work on population growth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Darwin was interested in Malthus's examination of population changes in pea plants. 
B)  Darwin was influenced by Malthus's work on demography and population responses to food availability. 
C)  Darwin liked the concept of Latin taxonomic classification as it pertained to human groups. 
D)  Darwin was greatly influenced by research on acquired characteristics. 
A)  Darwin was interested in Malthus's examination of population changes in pea plants. 
B)  Darwin was influenced by Malthus's work on demography and population responses to food availability. 
C)  Darwin liked the concept of Latin taxonomic classification as it pertained to human groups. 
D)  Darwin was greatly influenced by research on acquired characteristics.

Question 5

Adaptive radiation occurs when

Accepted Answer

A)  one species gives rise to multiple closely related species. 
B)  several species adapt to one environment. 
C)  species adapt to environments with high radiation levels. 
D)  an individual adapts to varying environments. 
A)  one species gives rise to multiple closely related species. 
B)  several species adapt to one environment. 
C)  species adapt to environments with high radiation levels. 
D)  an individual adapts to varying environments.

Question 6

Darwin observed that adaptations

Accepted Answer

A)  resulted from supernatural forces. 
B)  did not vary among Galápagos finches living in different habitats. 
C)  were physical traits that enhanced survival and reproduction. 
D)  were peripheral to evolutionary change. 
A)  resulted from supernatural forces. 
B)  did not vary among Galápagos finches living in different habitats. 
C)  were physical traits that enhanced survival and reproduction. 
D)  were peripheral to evolutionary change.

Question 7

The scientist whose work provided the foundation for later understandings of genetics was

Accepted Answer

A)  John Ray. 
B)  Gregor Mendel. 
C)  Charles Darwin. 
D)  Robert Hooke. 
A)  John Ray. 
B)  Gregor Mendel. 
C)  Charles Darwin. 
D)  Robert Hooke.

Question 8

Mendel's plant experiments demonstrated that

Accepted Answer

A)  traits inherited from each parent blended together in the offspring. 
B)  DNA was the molecule carrying the genetic code. 
C)  peas were a poor choice for understanding basic hereditary principles. 
D)  traits are passed on from parent to offspring as discrete units. 
A)  traits inherited from each parent blended together in the offspring. 
B)  DNA was the molecule carrying the genetic code. 
C)  peas were a poor choice for understanding basic hereditary principles. 
D)  traits are passed on from parent to offspring as discrete units.

Question 9

Gene flow differs from genetic drift because it is the

Accepted Answer

A)  random change in the frequency of alleles. 
B)  random change in a gene or chromosome. 
C)  guiding force of evolution. 
D)  spread of new genetic material from one gene pool to another. 
A)  random change in the frequency of alleles. 
B)  random change in a gene or chromosome. 
C)  guiding force of evolution. 
D)  spread of new genetic material from one gene pool to another.

Question 10

Why is the work of Alfred Russell Wallace considered when discussing the theory of evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)  He was an English naturalist who had arrived at many of the same conclusions as Darwin through his own research. 
B)  His work is not considered, as he was mistakenly credited with the theory of natural selection. 
C)  He was a British dog breeder who worked on artificial selection experiments in the same way Mendel worked on sweet peas to determine inheritance. 
D)  He was the most prominent scientist of the time who opposed Darwin's work on evolution. 
A)  He was an English naturalist who had arrived at many of the same conclusions as Darwin through his own research. 
B)  His work is not considered, as he was mistakenly credited with the theory of natural selection. 
C)  He was a British dog breeder who worked on artificial selection experiments in the same way Mendel worked on sweet peas to determine inheritance. 
D)  He was the most prominent scientist of the time who opposed Darwin's work on evolution.

Question 11

Evolutionary synthesis is

Accepted Answer

A)  the concept of evolution through natural selection. 
B)  a unified theory of evolution that combines genetics with natural selection. 
C)  a combination of the inheritance of acquired characteristics and natural selection. 
D)  the combination of the theory of evolution and Linnaean taxonomy. 
A)  the concept of evolution through natural selection. 
B)  a unified theory of evolution that combines genetics with natural selection. 
C)  a combination of the inheritance of acquired characteristics and natural selection. 
D)  the combination of the theory of evolution and Linnaean taxonomy.

Question 12

The relevance of the theory of uniformitarianism is that it

Accepted Answer

A)  supports the theory of catastrophism. 
B)  proves that changes to the earth were caused by cataclysmic events like earthquakes and floods. 
C)  allowed the understanding of evidence of change in the geological past by understanding what we see in the present day. 
D)  demonstrates that the earth is 4.4 billion years old, based on geologic evidence from stratigraphic layers. 
A)  supports the theory of catastrophism. 
B)  proves that changes to the earth were caused by cataclysmic events like earthquakes and floods. 
C)  allowed the understanding of evidence of change in the geological past by understanding what we see in the present day. 
D)  demonstrates that the earth is 4.4 billion years old, based on geologic evidence from stratigraphic layers.

Question 13

How did Lamarck contribute to the theory of evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)  He discovered genetic mutation through experiments with pea plants. 
B)  He proposed the concept of natural selection after his voyage to the Galápagos Islands and his study of finches. 
C)  He proposed the first serious model of how traits are passed on from parent to offspring through inheritance of acquired characteristics, though that idea turned out to be incorrect. 
D)  He proposed a concept known today as gene flow. 
A)  He discovered genetic mutation through experiments with pea plants. 
B)  He proposed the concept of natural selection after his voyage to the Galápagos Islands and his study of finches. 
C)  He proposed the first serious model of how traits are passed on from parent to offspring through inheritance of acquired characteristics, though that idea turned out to be incorrect. 
D)  He proposed a concept known today as gene flow.

Question 14

The English demographer whose work on population growth greatly influenced Darwin's thinking on population adaptation was

Accepted Answer

A)  Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck. 
B)  Georges Cuvier. 
C)  Thomas Malthus. 
D)  Charles Lyell. 
A)  Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck. 
B)  Georges Cuvier. 
C)  Thomas Malthus. 
D)  Charles Lyell.

Question 15

James Hutton is associated primarily with

Accepted Answer

A)  adaptation. 
B)  catastrophism. 
C)  uniformitarianism. 
D)  principles of heredity. 
A)  adaptation. 
B)  catastrophism. 
C)  uniformitarianism. 
D)  principles of heredity.

Question 16

What are some of the important scientific discoveries that laid the groundwork for Darwin's theory of evolution?

Accepted Answer

Scientists working in geology, paleontol

Question 17

Thomas Hunt Morgan

Accepted Answer

A)  demonstrated that chromosomes carry genetic material in the form of genes. 
B)  studied mutations in Homo sapiens. 
C)  thought change was gradual and occurred over long time periods. 
D)  proposed the theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics. 
A)  demonstrated that chromosomes carry genetic material in the form of genes. 
B)  studied mutations in Homo sapiens. 
C)  thought change was gradual and occurred over long time periods. 
D)  proposed the theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics.

Question 18

Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species (1859) was considered an important contribution to modern science because it

Accepted Answer

A)  coined the concept of evolution. 
B)  synthesized information from diverse scientific fields in order to document evolutionary change. 
C)  was immediately and widely accepted by the scientific community as the mechanism for evolutionary change. 
D)  proposed the use of the scientific method for the first time. 
A)  coined the concept of evolution. 
B)  synthesized information from diverse scientific fields in order to document evolutionary change. 
C)  was immediately and widely accepted by the scientific community as the mechanism for evolutionary change. 
D)  proposed the use of the scientific method for the first time.

Question 19

The individual genotypes in a breeding population, taken as a whole, are the

Accepted Answer

A)  gene pool. 
B)  DNA. 
C)  phenotype. 
D)  polygene. 
A)  gene pool. 
B)  DNA. 
C)  phenotype. 
D)  polygene.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a cause of evolution in a population?

Accepted Answer

A)  inheritance of acquired traits 
B)  mutation 
C)  gene flow 
D)  genetic drift 
A)  inheritance of acquired traits 
B)  mutation 
C)  gene flow 
D)  genetic drift

Darwinian evolution proposes that

How does genetic drift affect small populations differently than large populations?

According to Darwin, natural selection operates at the level of

How was Darwin influenced by Thomas Malthus's work on population growth?

Adaptive radiation occurs when

Darwin observed that adaptations

The scientist whose work provided the foundation for later understandings of genetics was

Mendel's plant experiments demonstrated that

Gene flow differs from genetic drift because it is the

Why is the work of Alfred Russell Wallace considered when discussing the theory of evolution?

Evolutionary synthesis is

The relevance of the theory of uniformitarianism is that it

How did Lamarck contribute to the theory of evolution?

The English demographer whose work on population growth greatly influenced Darwin's thinking on population adaptation was

James Hutton is associated primarily with

What are some of the important scientific discoveries that laid the groundwork for Darwin's theory of evolution?

Thomas Hunt Morgan

Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species (1859) was considered an important contribution to modern science because it

The individual genotypes in a breeding population, taken as a whole, are the

Which of the following is NOT a cause of evolution in a population?

What Is Biological Anthropology

Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing Variation

Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics

Biology in the Present: Living People

Biology in the Present: the Other Living Primates

Primate Sociality, Social Behavior, and Culture

Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature

Primate Origins and Evolution: the First 50 Million Years

Early Hominin Origins and Evolution: The Roots of Humanity

The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo

The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern People

The Past 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, Biology

Filters

Exam 2: Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory

Darwinian evolution proposes that

How does genetic drift affect small populations differently than large populations?

According to Darwin, natural selection operates at the level of

How was Darwin influenced by Thomas Malthus's work on population growth?

Adaptive radiation occurs when

Darwin observed that adaptations

The scientist whose work provided the foundation for later understandings of genetics was

Mendel's plant experiments demonstrated that

Gene flow differs from genetic drift because it is the

Why is the work of Alfred Russell Wallace considered when discussing the theory of evolution?

Evolutionary synthesis is

The relevance of the theory of uniformitarianism is that it

How did Lamarck contribute to the theory of evolution?

The English demographer whose work on population growth greatly influenced Darwin's thinking on population adaptation was

James Hutton is associated primarily with

What are some of the important scientific discoveries that laid the groundwork for Darwin's theory of evolution?

Thomas Hunt Morgan

Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species (1859) was considered an important contribution to modern science because it

The individual genotypes in a breeding population, taken as a whole, are the

Which of the following is NOT a cause of evolution in a population?

What Is Biological Anthropology

Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing Variation

Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics

Biology in the Present: Living People

Biology in the Present: the Other Living Primates

Primate Sociality, Social Behavior, and Culture

Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature

Primate Origins and Evolution: the First 50 Million Years

Early Hominin Origins and Evolution: The Roots of Humanity

The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo

The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern People

The Past 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, Biology

Filters