Question 1

Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the bones in the wing of a bird?

Accepted Answer

A)  cartilage in the dorsal fin of a shark 
B)  bones in the hind limb of a kangaroo 
C)  chitinous struts in the wing of a butterfly 
D)  bony rays in the tail fin of a flying fish 
E)  bones in the flipper of a whale 
A)  cartilage in the dorsal fin of a shark 
B)  bones in the hind limb of a kangaroo 
C)  chitinous struts in the wing of a butterfly 
D)  bony rays in the tail fin of a flying fish 
E)  bones in the flipper of a whale

Question 2

About 13 different species of finches inhabit the Galápagos Islands today, all descendants of a common ancestor from the South American mainland that arrived a few million years ago. Genetically, there are four distinct lineages, but the 13 species are currently classified among three genera. The first lineage to diverge from the ancestral lineage was the warbler finch (genus Certhidea). Next to diverge was the vegetarian finch (genus Camarhynchus), followed by five tree finch species (also in genus Camarhynchus) and six ground finch species (genus Geospiza).
-If the six ground finch species have evolved most recently, then which of these is the most logical prediction?

Accepted Answer

A)  They should be limited to the six islands that most recently emerged from the sea. 
B)  Their genomes should be more similar to each other than are the genomes of the five tree finch species. 
C)  They should share fewer anatomical homologies with each other than they share with the tree finches. 
D)  The chances of hybridization between two ground finch species should be less than the chances of hybridization between two tree finch species. 
A)  They should be limited to the six islands that most recently emerged from the sea. 
B)  Their genomes should be more similar to each other than are the genomes of the five tree finch species. 
C)  They should share fewer anatomical homologies with each other than they share with the tree finches. 
D)  The chances of hybridization between two ground finch species should be less than the chances of hybridization between two tree finch species.

Question 3

How many separate species, both extant and extinct, are depicted in this tree?

Accepted Answer

A)  two 
B)  three 
C)  four 
D)  five 
E)  six 
A)  two 
B)  three 
C)  four 
D)  five 
E)  six

Question 4

What was the prevailing belief prior to the time of Lyell and Darwin?

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth is a few thousand years old, and populations are unchanging. 
B)  Earth is a few thousand years old, and populations gradually change. 
C)  Earth is millions of years old, and populations rapidly change. 
D)  Earth is millions of years old, and populations are unchanging. 
E)  Earth is millions of years old, and populations gradually change. 
A)  Earth is a few thousand years old, and populations are unchanging. 
B)  Earth is a few thousand years old, and populations gradually change. 
C)  Earth is millions of years old, and populations rapidly change. 
D)  Earth is millions of years old, and populations are unchanging. 
E)  Earth is millions of years old, and populations gradually change.

Question 5

A high degree of endemism is most likely in environments that are

Accepted Answer

A)  easily reached and heterogeneous. 
B)  isolated and heterogeneous. 
C)  isolated and homogeneous. 
D)  isolated and extremely cold. 
E)  easily reached and homogeneous. 
A)  easily reached and heterogeneous. 
B)  isolated and heterogeneous. 
C)  isolated and homogeneous. 
D)  isolated and extremely cold. 
E)  easily reached and homogeneous.

Question 6

Structures as different as human arms, bat wings, and dolphin flippers contain many of the same bones, these bones having developed from very similar embryonic tissues. How do biologists interpret these similarities?

Accepted Answer

A)  by identifying the bones as being homologous structures 
B)  by the principle of convergent evolution 
C)  by proposing that humans, bats, and dolphins share a common ancestor 
D)  Three of the statements above are correct. 
E)  Two of the statements above are correct. 
A)  by identifying the bones as being homologous structures 
B)  by the principle of convergent evolution 
C)  by proposing that humans, bats, and dolphins share a common ancestor 
D)  Three of the statements above are correct. 
E)  Two of the statements above are correct.

Question 7

A biologist studied a population of squirrels for 15 years. During that time, the population was never fewer than 30 squirrels and never more than 45. Her data showed that over half of the squirrels born did not survive to reproduce, because of both competition for food and predation. In a single generation, 90% of the squirrels that were born lived to reproduce, and the population increased to 80. Which inference(s) about this population might be true?

Accepted Answer

A)  The amount of available food may have increased. 
B)  The parental generation of squirrels developed better eyesight due to improved diet; the subsequent squirrel generation inherited better eyesight. 
C)  The number of predators that prey upon squirrels may have decreased. 
D)  A and C could be true. 
E)  A, B, and C could be true. 
A)  The amount of available food may have increased. 
B)  The parental generation of squirrels developed better eyesight due to improved diet; the subsequent squirrel generation inherited better eyesight. 
C)  The number of predators that prey upon squirrels may have decreased. 
D)  A and C could be true. 
E)  A, B, and C could be true.

Question 8

The following questions refer to Figure 19.1, which shows an outcrop of sedimentary rock whose strata are labeled A-D.
   Figure 19.1
-If x indicates the fossils of two closely related species, neither of which is extinct, then their remains may be found in how many of these strata?

Accepted Answer

A)  one stratum 
B)  two strata 
C)  three strata 
D)  four strata 
A)  one stratum 
B)  two strata 
C)  three strata 
D)  four strata

Question 9

Logically, which of these should cast the most doubt on the relationships depicted by an evolutionary tree?

Accepted Answer

A)  None of the organisms depicted by the tree ate the same foods. 
B)  Some of the organisms depicted by the tree had lived in different habitats. 
C)  The skeletal remains of the organisms depicted by the tree were incomplete (in other words, some bones were missing). 
D)  Transitional fossils had not been found. 
E)  Relationships between DNA sequences among the species did not match relationships between skeletal patterns. 
A)  None of the organisms depicted by the tree ate the same foods. 
B)  Some of the organisms depicted by the tree had lived in different habitats. 
C)  The skeletal remains of the organisms depicted by the tree were incomplete (in other words, some bones were missing). 
D)  Transitional fossils had not been found. 
E)  Relationships between DNA sequences among the species did not match relationships between skeletal patterns.

Question 10

What must be true of any organ that is described as vestigial?

Accepted Answer

A)  It must be analogous to some feature in an ancestor. 
B)  It must be homologous to some feature in an ancestor. 
C)  It must be both homologous and analogous to some feature in an ancestor. 
D)  It need be neither homologous nor analogous to some feature in an ancestor. 
A)  It must be analogous to some feature in an ancestor. 
B)  It must be homologous to some feature in an ancestor. 
C)  It must be both homologous and analogous to some feature in an ancestor. 
D)  It need be neither homologous nor analogous to some feature in an ancestor.

Question 11

Which of the following is not an observation or inference on which natural selection is based?

Accepted Answer

A)  There is heritable variation among individuals. 
B)  Poorly adapted individuals never produce offspring. 
C)  Species produce more offspring than the environment can support. 
D)  Individuals whose characteristics are best suited to the environment generally leave more offspring than those whose characteristics are less well suited. 
E)  Only a fraction of an individual's offspring may survive. 
A)  There is heritable variation among individuals. 
B)  Poorly adapted individuals never produce offspring. 
C)  Species produce more offspring than the environment can support. 
D)  Individuals whose characteristics are best suited to the environment generally leave more offspring than those whose characteristics are less well suited. 
E)  Only a fraction of an individual's offspring may survive.

Question 12

Ichthyosaurs were aquatic dinosaurs. Fossils show us that they had dorsal fins and tails, as do fish, even though their closest relatives were terrestrial reptiles that had neither dorsal fins nor aquatic tails. The dorsal fins and tails of ichthyosaurs and fish are

Accepted Answer

A)  homologous. 
B)  examples of convergent evolution. 
C)  adaptations to a common environment. 
D)  Three of the responses above are correct. 
E)  Two of the responses above are correct. 
A)  homologous. 
B)  examples of convergent evolution. 
C)  adaptations to a common environment. 
D)  Three of the responses above are correct. 
E)  Two of the responses above are correct.

Question 13

Which of the following pieces of evidence most strongly supports the common origin of all life on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  All organisms require energy. 
B)  All organisms use essentially the same genetic code. 
C)  All organisms reproduce. 
D)  All organisms show heritable variation. 
E)  All organisms have undergone evolution. 
A)  All organisms require energy. 
B)  All organisms use essentially the same genetic code. 
C)  All organisms reproduce. 
D)  All organisms show heritable variation. 
E)  All organisms have undergone evolution.

Question 14

Evolutionary trees such as this are properly understood by scientists to be

Accepted Answer

A)  theories. 
B)  hypotheses. 
C)  guesses. 
D)  dogmas. 
E)  facts. 
A)  theories. 
B)  hypotheses. 
C)  guesses. 
D)  dogmas. 
E)  facts.

Question 15

Two plant species live in the same biome but on different continents. Although the two species are not at all closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of

Accepted Answer

A)  parallel evolution. 
B)  convergent evolution. 
C)  allopatric speciation. 
D)  introgression. 
E)  gene flow. 
A)  parallel evolution. 
B)  convergent evolution. 
C)  allopatric speciation. 
D)  introgression. 
E)  gene flow.

Question 16

If two modern organisms are distantly related in an evolutionary sense, then one should expect that

Accepted Answer

A)  they live in very different habitats. 
B)  they should share fewer homologous structures than two more closely related organisms. 
C)  their chromosomes should be very similar. 
D)  they shared a common ancestor relatively recently. 
E)  they should be members of the same genus. 
A)  they live in very different habitats. 
B)  they should share fewer homologous structures than two more closely related organisms. 
C)  their chromosomes should be very similar. 
D)  they shared a common ancestor relatively recently. 
E)  they should be members of the same genus.

Question 17

Which of the following statements best describes theories?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are nearly the same things as hypotheses. 
B)  They are supported by, and make sense of, many observations. 
C)  They cannot be tested because the described events occurred only once. 
D)  They are predictions of future events. 
A)  They are nearly the same things as hypotheses. 
B)  They are supported by, and make sense of, many observations. 
C)  They cannot be tested because the described events occurred only once. 
D)  They are predictions of future events.

Question 18

Catastrophism, meaning the regular occurrence of geological or meteorological disturbances (catastrophes), was Cuvier's attempt to explain the existence of

Accepted Answer

A)  evolution. 
B)  the fossil record. 
C)  uniformitarianism. 
D)  the origin of new species. 
E)  natural selection. 
A)  evolution. 
B)  the fossil record. 
C)  uniformitarianism. 
D)  the origin of new species. 
E)  natural selection.

Question 19

Which of the five common ancestors, labeled V-Z, has been most successful in terms of the percent of its derived species that are extant?

Accepted Answer

A)  V 
B)  W 
C)  X 
D)  Y 
E)  Z 
A)  V 
B)  W 
C)  X 
D)  Y 
E)  Z

Question 20

Both ancestral birds and ancestral mammals shared a common ancestor that was terrestrial. Today, penguins (which are birds) and seals (which are mammals) have forelimbs adapted for swimming. What term best describes the relationship of the bones in the forelimbs of penguins and seals, and what term best describes the flippers of penguins and seals?

Accepted Answer

A)  homologous; homologous 
B)  analogous; homologous 
C)  homologous; analogous 
D)  analogous; analogous 
A)  homologous; homologous 
B)  analogous; homologous 
C)  homologous; analogous 
D)  analogous; analogous

Exam 19: Descent With Modification

Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the bones in the wing of a bird?

How many separate species, both extant and extinct, are depicted in this tree?

What was the prevailing belief prior to the time of Lyell and Darwin?

A high degree of endemism is most likely in environments that are

Structures as different as human arms, bat wings, and dolphin flippers contain many of the same bones, these bones having developed from very similar embryonic tissues. How do biologists interpret these similarities?

The following questions refer to Figure 19.1, which shows an outcrop of sedimentary rock whose strata are labeled A-D. Figure 19.1 -If x indicates the fossils of two closely related species, neither of which is extinct, then their remains may be found in how many of these strata?

Logically, which of these should cast the most doubt on the relationships depicted by an evolutionary tree?

What must be true of any organ that is described as vestigial?

Which of the following is not an observation or inference on which natural selection is based?

Ichthyosaurs were aquatic dinosaurs. Fossils show us that they had dorsal fins and tails, as do fish, even though their closest relatives were terrestrial reptiles that had neither dorsal fins nor aquatic tails. The dorsal fins and tails of ichthyosaurs and fish are

Which of the following pieces of evidence most strongly supports the common origin of all life on Earth?

Evolutionary trees such as this are properly understood by scientists to be

Two plant species live in the same biome but on different continents. Although the two species are not at all closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of

If two modern organisms are distantly related in an evolutionary sense, then one should expect that

Which of the following statements best describes theories?

Catastrophism, meaning the regular occurrence of geological or meteorological disturbances (catastrophes), was Cuvier's attempt to explain the existence of

Which of the five common ancestors, labeled V-Z, has been most successful in terms of the percent of its derived species that are extant?

Introduction: Evolution and the Foundations of Biology

The Chemical Context of Life

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Transport and Cell Signaling

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

Gene Expression: From Gene to Protein

Regulation of Gene Expression

Development, Stem Cells, and Cancer

Viruses

Genomes and Their Evolution

Phylogeny

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

Broad Patterns of Evolution

Early Life and the Diversification of Prokaryotes

The Origin and Diversification of Eukaryotes

The Colonization of Land by Plants and Fungi

The Rise of Animal Diversity

Plant Structure and Growth

Resource Acquisition, Nutrition, and Transport in Vascular Plants

Reproduction and Domestication of Flowering Plants

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Homeostasis and Endocrine Signaling

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Reproduction and Development

Neurons, Synapses, and Signaling

Nervous and Sensory Systems

Motor Mechanisms and Behavior

Population Ecology and the Distribution of Organisms

Species Interactions

Ecosystems and Energy

Global Ecology and Conservation Biology

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