Question 1

In populations that have a high degree of genetic diversity,the fundamental cause of evolutionary change is

Accepted Answer

A)  continental drift. 
B)  natural selection. 
C)  long-term climatic change. 
D)  mutation. 
A)  continental drift. 
B)  natural selection. 
C)  long-term climatic change. 
D)  mutation. B

Question 2

Humans simulate the process of natural selection when they use ________ to develop new varieties of crop plants that better meet the needs of farmers.

Accepted Answer

A)  artificial selection 
B)  cytochrome c 
C)  habitat changes 
D)  continental drift 
A)  artificial selection 
B)  cytochrome c 
C)  habitat changes 
D)  continental drift A

Question 3

All mammals have hemoglobin,but the amino acid sequences are not identical.The human sequence differs from that of the baboon,dog,gorilla,and lemur by seven,ten,one,and seven amino acids,respectively.Based on this comparative DNA analysis,which of these animals most recently shared a common ancestor with humans?

Accepted Answer

A)  the baboon 
B)  the dog 
C)  the lemur 
D)  the gorilla 
A)  the baboon 
B)  the dog 
C)  the lemur 
D)  the gorilla D

Question 4

Nonheritable genetic variations typically account for only about 10 percent of the evolutionary change in a population.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

As terrestrial organisms,both insects and vertebrates evolved legs with joints,but the last common ancestor shared by these lineages existed long before vertebrates had evolved.This knowledge makes it possible to predict that

Accepted Answer

A)  other aspects of leg anatomy, such as fingernails and the number of digits, will also be shared among the two lineages. 
B)  the DNA sequences that direct leg formation in insects and vertebrates will be very different. 
C)  future evolutionary developments in these lineages will also parallel one another. 
D)  the embryos of insects and vertebrates will share many additional developmental characteristics. 
A)  other aspects of leg anatomy, such as fingernails and the number of digits, will also be shared among the two lineages. 
B)  the DNA sequences that direct leg formation in insects and vertebrates will be very different. 
C)  future evolutionary developments in these lineages will also parallel one another. 
D)  the embryos of insects and vertebrates will share many additional developmental characteristics.

Question 6

Before the industrial revolution,scholars believed that Earth was only 6,000 years old.What evidence first suggested that this belief might NOT be correct?

Accepted Answer

A)  Scientists developed techniques to accurately determine the age of fossils. 
B)  Researchers saw bacteria undergoing natural selection at a rapid rate in the laboratory. 
C)  Geological studies showed that the slow action of rivers, glaciers, earthquakes, and volcanoes shapes Earth's surface over long periods of time. 
D)  Scholars observed that new species could evolve rapidly via artificial selection. 
A)  Scientists developed techniques to accurately determine the age of fossils. 
B)  Researchers saw bacteria undergoing natural selection at a rapid rate in the laboratory. 
C)  Geological studies showed that the slow action of rivers, glaciers, earthquakes, and volcanoes shapes Earth's surface over long periods of time. 
D)  Scholars observed that new species could evolve rapidly via artificial selection.

Question 7

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed that changes in the characteristics of a population are a result of traits acquired during an organism's lifetime being inherited by that organism's offspring.What is wrong with this proposal?

Accepted Answer

A)  Only changes in the DNA sequence of an organism can be inherited. Traits that are acquired throughout life generally do not alter DNA. 
B)  The environment chooses which traits are necessary for survival, rather than the individual. 
C)  Changes in a species occur at the individual level rather than the population level. 
D)  The inheritance of acquired traits would not lead to speciation, because it would cause all the individuals in a population to become more similar. 
A)  Only changes in the DNA sequence of an organism can be inherited. Traits that are acquired throughout life generally do not alter DNA. 
B)  The environment chooses which traits are necessary for survival, rather than the individual. 
C)  Changes in a species occur at the individual level rather than the population level. 
D)  The inheritance of acquired traits would not lead to speciation, because it would cause all the individuals in a population to become more similar.

Question 8

Which of the following statements best describes what happens in gene flow?

Accepted Answer

A)  Chance events alter a population's gene pool. 
B)  New individuals that join a population contribute their alleles to its gene pool. 
C)  Alleles that make an individual more successful move from one population to another. 
D)  Crossing-over creates new combinations of alleles during gamete formation. 
A)  Chance events alter a population's gene pool. 
B)  New individuals that join a population contribute their alleles to its gene pool. 
C)  Alleles that make an individual more successful move from one population to another. 
D)  Crossing-over creates new combinations of alleles during gamete formation.

Question 9

One of the consequences of ________ is a change in the proportions of one or more of the inherited characteristics found in the next generation,compared with the original population.

Accepted Answer

differenti

Question 10

Which of the following statements about natural selection is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is the principal cause of extinctions. 
B)  It is the principal cause of evolutionary change. 
C)  It occurs only in gametes. 
D)  It cannot occur without genetic drift. 
A)  It is the principal cause of extinctions. 
B)  It is the principal cause of evolutionary change. 
C)  It occurs only in gametes. 
D)  It cannot occur without genetic drift.

Question 11

Biological evolution can be defined as

Accepted Answer

A)  the process of direct observation. 
B)  adaptations to common descent. 
C)  the unchanging nature of life on Earth. 
D)  the change in allele frequencies in a population's gene pool over time. 
A)  the process of direct observation. 
B)  adaptations to common descent. 
C)  the unchanging nature of life on Earth. 
D)  the change in allele frequencies in a population's gene pool over time.

Question 12

The need for new alleles to confront issues like environmental change has nothing to do with the specificity or rate of ________; the process is entirely random.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The need for new alleles to confront...

Question 13

Cliff swallows with long wings have an adaptive advantage over those with short wings when the selection pressure is related to agility during flight.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Four mechanisms can change the composition of a population's gene pool,but only ________ does so by creating new alleles.

Accepted Answer

A)  genetic drift 
B)  mutation 
C)  natural selection 
D)  gene flow 
A)  genetic drift 
B)  mutation 
C)  natural selection 
D)  gene flow

Question 15

Any characteristic that improves an organism's reproductive success in its environment is called a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Any characteristic that improves an organism's reproductive...

Question 16

________ are the preserved remains of formerly living organisms.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ are the preserved remains of formerly...

Question 17

The number of different types of organisms found on Earth is primarily a result of

Accepted Answer

A)  continental drift. 
B)  Darwin's theories. 
C)  natural selection and speciation. 
D)  common descent. 
A)  continental drift. 
B)  Darwin's theories. 
C)  natural selection and speciation. 
D)  common descent.

Question 18

The term sexual dimorphism refers to a species in which

Accepted Answer

A)  the population consists of males and females. 
B)  males produce sperm and females produce ova. 
C)  the males and females differ in distinct anatomical ways, such as body size, coloration, or plumage. 
D)  natural selection produces a higher prereproduction mortality rate for one gender. 
A)  the population consists of males and females. 
B)  males produce sperm and females produce ova. 
C)  the males and females differ in distinct anatomical ways, such as body size, coloration, or plumage. 
D)  natural selection produces a higher prereproduction mortality rate for one gender.

Question 19

All the individuals that constitute any given population will be genetically identical.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

The domestication of agricultural crops,such as corn and wheat,provides direct evidence for evolution.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 14: How Evolution Works

In populations that have a high degree of genetic diversity,the fundamental cause of evolutionary change is

Humans simulate the process of natural selection when they use ________ to develop new varieties of crop plants that better meet the needs of farmers.

Nonheritable genetic variations typically account for only about 10 percent of the evolutionary change in a population.

As terrestrial organisms,both insects and vertebrates evolved legs with joints,but the last common ancestor shared by these lineages existed long before vertebrates had evolved.This knowledge makes it possible to predict that

Before the industrial revolution,scholars believed that Earth was only 6,000 years old.What evidence first suggested that this belief might NOT be correct?

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed that changes in the characteristics of a population are a result of traits acquired during an organism's lifetime being inherited by that organism's offspring.What is wrong with this proposal?

Which of the following statements best describes what happens in gene flow?

One of the consequences of ________ is a change in the proportions of one or more of the inherited characteristics found in the next generation,compared with the original population.

Which of the following statements about natural selection is true?

Biological evolution can be defined as

The need for new alleles to confront issues like environmental change has nothing to do with the specificity or rate of ________; the process is entirely random.

Cliff swallows with long wings have an adaptive advantage over those with short wings when the selection pressure is related to agility during flight.

Four mechanisms can change the composition of a population's gene pool,but only ________ does so by creating new alleles.

Any characteristic that improves an organism's reproductive success in its environment is called a(n)________.

________ are the preserved remains of formerly living organisms.

The number of different types of organisms found on Earth is primarily a result of

The term sexual dimorphism refers to a species in which

All the individuals that constitute any given population will be genetically identical.

The domestication of agricultural crops,such as corn and wheat,provides direct evidence for evolution.

The Nature of Science and the Characteristics of Life

The Chemistry of Life

Cell Structure and Internal Compartments

Cell Membranes, Transport, and Communication

Energy, Metabolism, and Enzymes

Photo Synthesis and Cellular Respiration

Cell Division

Cancer and Human Health

Patterns of Inheritance

Chromosomes and Human Genetics

DNA and Genes

From Gene to Protein

DNA Technology

The Origin of Species

The Evolution of Biodiversity

Biological Diversity, Bacteria, and Archaea

Protista, Plantae, and Fungi

Animalia

The Biosphere

Growth of Populations

Animal Behavior

Ecological Communities

Ecosystems

Global Change

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