Question 1

Which of the following would violate the assumptions of the molecular clock?

Accepted Answer

A) comparison of genes of a species that lives deep in the ocean with relatives that live on the surface and are exposed to strong mutation-inducing ultraviolet radiation 
B) comparison of genes for homologous structures across many species 
C) comparison of many genes in many species of insects that undergo metamorphosis 
D) assuming that organisms in competitive environments have the same rate of mutation as those in noncompetitive environments 
A) comparison of genes of a species that lives deep in the ocean with relatives that live on the surface and are exposed to strong mutation-inducing ultraviolet radiation 
B) comparison of genes for homologous structures across many species 
C) comparison of many genes in many species of insects that undergo metamorphosis 
D) assuming that organisms in competitive environments have the same rate of mutation as those in noncompetitive environments

Question 2

In the axolotl, development is altered. Adult axolotls retain features (external gills and aquatic life)that were juvenile in its ancestors, a phenomenon known as

Accepted Answer

A) "evo-devo." 
B) paedomorphosis. 
C) punctuated evolution. 
D) homology. 
A) "evo-devo." 
B) paedomorphosis. 
C) punctuated evolution. 
D) homology.

Question 3

Miller was the first to show that

Accepted Answer

A) amino acids and other organic molecules could have formed under conditions thought to resemble those of early Earth. 
B) the earliest forms of life were photosynthetic. 
C) eukaryotic life evolved from early prokaryotes. 
D) the earliest forms of life had an RNA genome. 
A) amino acids and other organic molecules could have formed under conditions thought to resemble those of early Earth. 
B) the earliest forms of life were photosynthetic. 
C) eukaryotic life evolved from early prokaryotes. 
D) the earliest forms of life had an RNA genome.

Question 4

Which of the following options correctly lists the varieties of life in the order that they appear in the geologic record, from earliest to most recent?

Accepted Answer

A) reptiles, land arthropods, plants and fungi on land, flowering plants 
B) land arthropods, plants and fungi on land, flowering plants, reptiles 
C) plants and fungi on land, land arthropods, reptiles, flowering plants 
D) plants and fungi on land, land arthropods, flowering plants, reptiles 
A) reptiles, land arthropods, plants and fungi on land, flowering plants 
B) land arthropods, plants and fungi on land, flowering plants, reptiles 
C) plants and fungi on land, land arthropods, reptiles, flowering plants 
D) plants and fungi on land, land arthropods, flowering plants, reptiles

Question 5

Plants and fungi first became established on land during the

Accepted Answer

A) Archaean. 
B) Proterozoic. 
C) Paleozoic. 
D) Cenozoic. 
A) Archaean. 
B) Proterozoic. 
C) Paleozoic. 
D) Cenozoic.

Question 6

A spot where two continental plates are sliding past one another may be prone to

Accepted Answer

A) volcanoes. 
B) earthquakes. 
C) tsunamis. 
D) wildfires. 
A) volcanoes. 
B) earthquakes. 
C) tsunamis. 
D) wildfires.

Question 7

In accordance with the principle of parsimony, scientists prefer

Accepted Answer

A) phylogenetic trees that minimize the number of evolutionary changes. 
B) phylogenetic trees in which adaptations repeatedly arise, disappear, and reappear. 
C) phylogenetic trees with many small clades to those with a few major clades. 
D) the Linnaean system of nomenclature to the use of common names. 
A) phylogenetic trees that minimize the number of evolutionary changes. 
B) phylogenetic trees in which adaptations repeatedly arise, disappear, and reappear. 
C) phylogenetic trees with many small clades to those with a few major clades. 
D) the Linnaean system of nomenclature to the use of common names.

Question 8

Mass extinctions

Accepted Answer

A) remove many species, but they are usually replaced within a million years or less by an even greater diversity of life. 
B) mainly serve to "weed out" poorly adapted organisms and make room for new, better adapted species. 
C) remove well-adapted species and groups from the Earth, so that it may take millions of years for species diversity to recover. 
D) are caused by human activity and did not occur prior to the expansion of the Earth's human population. 
A) remove many species, but they are usually replaced within a million years or less by an even greater diversity of life. 
B) mainly serve to "weed out" poorly adapted organisms and make room for new, better adapted species. 
C) remove well-adapted species and groups from the Earth, so that it may take millions of years for species diversity to recover. 
D) are caused by human activity and did not occur prior to the expansion of the Earth's human population.

Question 9

Structures that evolved from the same structure in a common ancestor are

Accepted Answer

A) homologous. 
B) heterologous. 
C) analogous. 
D) convergent adaptations. 
A) homologous. 
B) heterologous. 
C) analogous. 
D) convergent adaptations.

Question 10

Scientists evaluating the Cretaceous mass extinction have concluded that

Accepted Answer

A) an asteroid impact was probably the triggering event for the extinction. 
B) only an extraterrestrial impact could have caused such a big extinction event. 
C) climate change would not have been involved in producing the extinctions. 
D) ecological factors such as disease and competition probably caused the dinosaurs to go extinct. 
A) an asteroid impact was probably the triggering event for the extinction. 
B) only an extraterrestrial impact could have caused such a big extinction event. 
C) climate change would not have been involved in producing the extinctions. 
D) ecological factors such as disease and competition probably caused the dinosaurs to go extinct.

Question 11

The model of species selection is analogous to natural selection. In this analogy, ________ are like individuals within a population, and ________ is analogous to reproduction.

Accepted Answer

A) major groups of organisms; extinction 
B) species; speciation 
C) genes; gene duplication 
D) families; interbreeding 
A) major groups of organisms; extinction 
B) species; speciation 
C) genes; gene duplication 
D) families; interbreeding

Question 12

It is estimated that the modern continents began to take shape

Accepted Answer

A) 1)3 million years ago. 
B) 650 million years ago. 
C) 65 million years ago. 
D) 6,000 years ago. 
A) 1)3 million years ago. 
B) 650 million years ago. 
C) 65 million years ago. 
D) 6,000 years ago.

Question 13

A/An ________ has been used to estimate that HIV-1 M first spread to humans in the 1930s.

Accepted Answer

A) parsimony analysis 
B) epidemiological study 
C) outgroup comparison 
D) molecular clock 
A) parsimony analysis 
B) epidemiological study 
C) outgroup comparison 
D) molecular clock

Question 14

Geological evidence indicates that two landmasses became separated by a deep ocean channel 45 million years ago and have been moving apart ever since. You are studying a group of organisms that is widespread as a native part of the biota on both of the landmasses. What can you conclude about the group's evolutionary history?

Accepted Answer

A) The group's ancestors were definitely present on the original landmass. 
B) The group's ancestors cannot have been present on the original landmass. 
C) If the group's ancestors could not move across the open ocean, it is very likely that they were present on the original landmass. 
D) The group's ancestors must have independently colonized each of the landmasses from a third location within the past 45 million years. 
A) The group's ancestors were definitely present on the original landmass. 
B) The group's ancestors cannot have been present on the original landmass. 
C) If the group's ancestors could not move across the open ocean, it is very likely that they were present on the original landmass. 
D) The group's ancestors must have independently colonized each of the landmasses from a third location within the past 45 million years.

Question 15

The ¹⁴C:¹²C ratio can be used to date fossils that are up to approximately how old?

Accepted Answer

A) 100 million years 
B) 7 million years 
C) 75,000 years 
D) 7,500 years 
A) 100 million years 
B) 7 million years 
C) 75,000 years 
D) 7,500 years

Question 16

Divergence time estimates based on molecular clocks are

Accepted Answer

A) best interpreted with caution, since they depend on assumptions that are difficult to test. 
B) likely to be correct plus or minus a few decades. 
C) usually worthless since we cannot directly observe divergence times unless we invent a time machine. 
D) more reliable than divergence dates that are based on analysis of the fossil record. 
A) best interpreted with caution, since they depend on assumptions that are difficult to test. 
B) likely to be correct plus or minus a few decades. 
C) usually worthless since we cannot directly observe divergence times unless we invent a time machine. 
D) more reliable than divergence dates that are based on analysis of the fossil record.

Question 17

Which highly reactive gas was probably absent from the Earth's primitive atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) methane 
B) carbon dioxide 
C) O₂ (oxygen gas) 
D) water vapor 
A) methane 
B) carbon dioxide 
C) O₂ (oxygen gas) 
D) water vapor

Question 18

Bos primigenius, the name of the cow, represents

Accepted Answer

A) the domain and kingdom names, which go in boxes A and B, respectively. 
B) the class and kingdom names, which go in boxes H and I, respectively. 
C) the genus and species names, which go in boxes A and B, respectively. 
D) the class and phylum names, which go in boxes H and I, respectively. 
A) the domain and kingdom names, which go in boxes A and B, respectively. 
B) the class and kingdom names, which go in boxes H and I, respectively. 
C) the genus and species names, which go in boxes A and B, respectively. 
D) the class and phylum names, which go in boxes H and I, respectively.

Question 19

A systematist includes a lizard in a phylogenetic analysis of relationships among bird families. In this analysis, the lizard would be treated as

Accepted Answer

A) the ingroup. 
B) the outgroup. 
C) a derived group. 
D) an analogous group. 
A) the ingroup. 
B) the outgroup. 
C) a derived group. 
D) an analogous group.

Question 20

A current leading hypothesis about the first system of inheritance in the earliest life-forms involves

Accepted Answer

A) self-replicating DNA molecules (the "DNA world" hypothesis). 
B) self-replicating RNA molecules aided by ribozymes. 
C) proteins that served as templates for RNA molecules, leading to the formation of DNA. 
D) self-replicating polypeptides aided by ribosomes. 
A) self-replicating DNA molecules (the "DNA world" hypothesis). 
B) self-replicating RNA molecules aided by ribozymes. 
C) proteins that served as templates for RNA molecules, leading to the formation of DNA. 
D) self-replicating polypeptides aided by ribosomes.

Exam 15: Tracing Evolutionary History

Which of the following would violate the assumptions of the molecular clock?

In the axolotl, development is altered. Adult axolotls retain features (external gills and aquatic life)that were juvenile in its ancestors, a phenomenon known as

Miller was the first to show that

Which of the following options correctly lists the varieties of life in the order that they appear in the geologic record, from earliest to most recent?

Plants and fungi first became established on land during the

A spot where two continental plates are sliding past one another may be prone to

In accordance with the principle of parsimony, scientists prefer

Mass extinctions

Structures that evolved from the same structure in a common ancestor are

Scientists evaluating the Cretaceous mass extinction have concluded that

The model of species selection is analogous to natural selection. In this analogy, ________ are like individuals within a population, and ________ is analogous to reproduction.

It is estimated that the modern continents began to take shape

A/An ________ has been used to estimate that HIV-1 M first spread to humans in the 1930s.

The ¹⁴C:¹²C ratio can be used to date fossils that are up to approximately how old?

Divergence time estimates based on molecular clocks are

Which highly reactive gas was probably absent from the Earth's primitive atmosphere?

Bos primigenius, the name of the cow, represents

A systematist includes a lizard in a phylogenetic analysis of relationships among bird families. In this analysis, the lizard would be treated as

A current leading hypothesis about the first system of inheritance in the earliest life-forms involves

Biology: Exploring Life

The Chemical Basis of Life

The Molecules of Cells

A Tour of the Cell

The Working Cell

How Cells Harvest Chemical Energy

Photosynthesis: Using Light to Make Food

The Cellular Basis of Reproduction and Inheritance

Patterns of Inheritance

Molecular Biology of the Gene

How Genes Are Controlled

DNA Technology and Genomics

How Populations Evolve

The Origin of Species

Microbial Life: Prokaryotes and Protists

The Evolution of Plant and Fungal Diversity

The Evolution of Invertebrate Diversity

The Evolution of Vertebrate Diversity

Unifying Concepts of Animal Structure and Function

Nutrition and Digestion

Gas Exchange

Circulation

the Immune System

Control of Body Temperature and Water Balance

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Reproduction and Embryonic Development

Nervous Systems

the Senses

How Animals Move

Plant Structure, Growth, and Reproduction

Plant Nutrition and Transport

Control Systems in Plants

the Biosphere: an Introduction to Earths Diverse Environments

Behavioral Adaptations to the Environment

Population Ecology

Communities and Ecosystems

Conservation Biology

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The model of species selection is analogous to natural selection. In this analogy, are like individuals within a population, and is analogous to reproduction.