Deck 20: The Development of Evolutionary Thought

Question 1

The concept of ____, the view that slow and continuous physical processes, acting over long periods of time, produced Earth's major geological features, was proposed by ____.

A) gradualism; James Hutton
B) natural selection; Charles Darwin
C) catastrophism; Georges Cuvier
D) natural theology; Nicolaus Copernicus
E) uniformitarianism; Thomas Huxley

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The branch of biology that classifies organisms is called ____.

A) natural history
B) taxonomy
C) evolution
D) morphology
E) paleobiology

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which branch of biology examines the form and variety of organisms in their natural environment?

A) taxonomy
B) natural history
C) comparative morphology
D) biogeography
E) geology

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In the book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection , ____ proposed that natural mechanisms produce and transform the diversity of life on Earth.

A) Alfred Russel Wallace
B) Charles Lyell
C) Charles Darwin
D) Joseph Hooker
E) Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace

Question 5

The proposition that species change through time was proposed by ____.

A) Charles Darwin only
B) Jean Baptiste de Lamarck only
C) Alfred Russel Wallace only
D) Charles Darwin and Jean Baptiste de Lamarck
E) Charles Darwin, Jean Baptiste de Lamarck, and Alfred Russel Wallace

Question 6

Lamarck argued that long-legged wading birds are descended from short-legged ancestors that stretched their legs to stay dry while feeding in shallow water, and consequently produced offspring with slightly longer legs. Which mechanism did he use to support this argument?

A) principle of use and disuse
B) theory of catastrophism
C) inheritance of acquired characteristics
D) natural selection
E) evolution of vestigial structures

Question 7

Georges Cuvier and his followers developed the theory of ____, reasoning that each layer of fossils represented the remains of organisms that had died as a result of dramatic shifts in ancient environments.

A) fossilization
B) uniformitarianism
C) sedimentation
D) catastrophism
E) gradualism

Question 8

Today, all biological research is undertaken with the recognition that ____.

A) the views of evolution put forth by Charles Darwin are without error
B) all forms of life are unique, having evolved from independent ancestors
C) all living organisms share the same common ancestor
D) the products of evolution are easily predicted
E) evolution can be ignored unless the research explicitly examines evolutionary processes

Question 9

According to Lamarck's principle of use and disuse, the growth of body parts is related to____.

A) genetic changes inherited from the parents
B) how much a particular body part is used
C) microevolution through natural selection
D) spiritual influences in design
E) biogeographic location

Question 10

Pigs have feet with toes that do not touch the ground. These toes are examples of ____.

A) vestigial structures
B) evolving structures
C) homologous traits
D) deleterious mutations
E) biological gradualism

Question 11

While on the H.M.S. Beagle, Darwin observed that ____.

A) organisms on the Galápagos Islands resembled species on the mainland
B) armadillos and glyptodonts coexisted in some habitats but not others
C) similar organisms colonized similar habitats in South America and Europe
D) organisms in different South American habitats resembled each other, but did not resemble organisms in similar European habitats
E) no organisms resembled fossilized extinct animals

Question 12

Who developed the science of taxonomy?

A) Charles Darwin
B) Aristotle
C) Alfred Russel Wallace
D) Sir Isaac Newton
E) Carolus Linnaeus

Question 13

Which of Lamarck's ideas was the least influential to Darwin's evolutionary theory?

A) Species change through time.
B) New characteristics are passed from one generation to the next.
C) Organisms change in response to their environment.
D) Acquired characteristics are passed on from parents to offspring.
E) Specific mechanisms exist that foster evolutionary change.

Question 14

Structures in an organism that have no current function are referred to as ____.

A) homologous
B) vestigial
C) mutualistic
D) fossils
E) convergent

Question 15

A scientist who examines the distributions of species around the world is most likely studying ____.

A) taxonomy
B) paleobiology
C) biogeography
D) natural theology
E) natural history

Question 16

Fossils in the deepest layers of sedimentary rocks are typically ____ compared to fossils in the more shallow layers.

A) relatively large and fragile
B) those that resemble living organisms
C) those that resemble dinosaurs
D) larger and more complex
E) relatively small and simple

Question 17

A concept presented by Charles Lyell, called ____, contends the geological processes that sculpted Earth's surface over long periods of time are exactly the same as the processes observed today.

A) catastrophism
B) sedimentation
C) orthogenesis
D) gradualism
E) uniformitarianism

Question 18

Biological evolution occurs in ____ when specific processes cause genomes of organisms to differ from those of their ancestors.

A) individuals
B) populations
C) communities
D) phenotypes
E) genotypes

Question 19

When fossils were first discovered, some scientists suggested they were the remains of extinct organisms. This idea conflicted with the views of natural theologians who____.

A) believed that body plans were perfect
B) did not believe in the stratification of rocks
C) did not believe extinctions ever occurred
D) believed fossils in the uppermost layers were those of living organisms
E) believed fossils in each different rock layer were similar to one another

Question 20

As a young child, you preferred to collect shells and insects, dig through the mud around a pond, and watch birds rather than play video games. What did you have in common with Charles Darwin?

A) an interest in history
B) an interest in evolution
C) an interest in natural history
D) an interest in geology
E) an interest in biogeography

Question 21

Why didn't Darwin's contemporaries readily accept his theory of natural selection?

A) There was strong evidence for inheritance of acquired traits.
B) There was a lack of fossil evidence.
C) Darwin did not provide a plausible theory of heredity.
D) There was strong evidence for the principle of use and disuse.
E) Darwin did not provide evidence for artificial selection

Question 22

Due to their similarities to fossilized glyptodonts, Darwin hypothesized that armadillos were ____ glyptodonts.

A) the same species as
B) unrelated to
C) living descendants of
D) coexisting in similar habitats as
E) genetically identical to

Question 23

When insect populations exposed to insecticides develop resistance to these toxic chemicals over time, it is an example of natural selection ____.

A) changing nonmorphological traits
B) altering reproductive mechanisms
C) acting in a goal-oriented manner
D) replacing morphological characteristics
E) facilitating mutations in populations

Question 24

An example of evolutionary divergence is best characterized by Darwin's observation of ____.

A) fossils along the coast of Argentina
B) body armor similarities between armadillos and fossilized glyptodonts
C) differences in appearance between nutria and beaver
D) differences in bill shape and food habits of finches
E) genotypic and phenotypic variability of species

Question 25

Before Darwin, ____.

A) no one had conceived of biological evolution
B) Lamarck wrote about biological evolution, but had the mechanism wrong
C) Malthus developed a theory of evolution
D) Lamarck proposed the idea of natural selection, but was ignored
E) Malthus demonstrated the progression of fossils in sedimentary rocks

Question 26

Which statement does NOT distinguish Darwin's theory of natural selection from earlier descriptions of biological diversity and adaptive traits?

A) Biological diversity has purely physical, rather than spiritual, origins.
B) Evolutionary change occurs in groups of organisms, rather than in individuals.
C) Spiritual explanations account for the origin but not the diversification of individuals.
D) Some organisms function better than others in a particular environment.
E) Evolution is a multistage process and natural selection eliminates unsuccessful variations.

Question 27

Which idea(s) were established well before Darwin's time?

A) Offspring frequently resemble their parents.
B) Offspring inherit genes from their parents.
C) Selective breeding improves domesticated plants and animals.
D) Offspring frequently resemble their parents, and selective breeding improves domesticated plants and animals.
E) Offspring frequently resemble their parents, offspring inherit genes from their parents, and selective breeding improves domesticated plants and animals.

Question 28

At the time of the voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle , experienced sailors could easily identify a tortoise's island of origin by the ____, supporting Darwin's observation that animals on different islands varied slightly in form.

A) site it chose to breed
B) shape of its shell
C) color of its skin
D) algae it chose to eat
E) courtship it displayed

Question 29

Darwin hypothesized that advantageous hereditary traits in nature would become more common in populations due to the process of ____.

A) inheriting acquired traits
B) use and disuse
C) selective breeding
D) artificial selection
E) natural selection

Question 30

Morphological differences between European beavers and South American ____ contributed to Darwin's thoughts on species diversification.

A) nutrias
B) iguanas
C) glyptodonts
D) armadillos
E) beavers

Question 31

Who was known as "Darwin's bulldog" because he was such a staunch advocate of Darwin's evolutionary theory?

A) Thomas Malthus
B) Thomas Huxley
C) James Hutton
D) Charles Lyell
E) Jean Baptiste de Lamarck

Question 32

Based on his experiences while aboard the H.M.S. Beagle , Darwin realized that ____ provided the only plausible explanation for his observations.

A) descent with modification
B) a metaphysical perfecting principle
C) the principle of use and disuse
D) catastrophes in ancient environments
E) inheritance of acquired characteristics

Question 33

While aboard the H.M.S. Beagle , Darwin was given a book called Principles of Geology , which primed him to apply ____ to the living world.

A) the modern synthesis and orthogenesis
B) genetics and biogeography
C) natural theology and uniformitarianism
D) catastrophism and gradualism
E) gradualism and uniformitarianism

Question 34

Darwin's inference that individuals within a population compete for limited resources was based on which observation(s)?

A) Most organisms produce more than one or two offspring.
B) Populations do not increase in size indefinitely.
C) Food and other resources are limited for most populations.
D) Most organisms produce more than one or two offspring, and populations do not increase in size indefinitely.
E) Most organisms produce more than one or two offspring, populations do not increase in size indefinitely, and food and other resources are limited for most populations.

Question 35

If we apply Darwin's theories to many characteristics that affect survival and reproduction, natural selection would cause the populations to become more different over time, a process called ____.

A) morphological deviation
B) artificial selection
C) goal orientation
D) evolutionary divergence
E) genetic modification

Question 36

Darwin's voyage took place between ____.

A) 1730 and 1735
B) 1831 and 1836
C) 1853 and 1858
D) 1878 and 1885
E) 1930 and 1938

Question 37

Darwin calculated that if reproduction was not limited, a single pair of elephants would leave roughly ____ descendants after 750 years.

A) 750
B) 15,000
C) 150,000
D) 19 million
E) 190 million

Question 38

Darwin's primary scientific achievement was identifying the ____.

A) method for estimating the age of fossils
B) idea that organisms change over time and form new species
C) process by which genes are passed from one generation to the next
D) concept of gene pools and changes in allele frequencies
E) mechanism by which populations of organisms change over time

Question 39

How did Thomas Malthus influence Darwin's thinking?

A) Darwin was convinced artificial selection could work in nature.
B) Darwin realized species typically produce more offspring than needed to replace the parent generation.
C) Darwin realized that the fate of humanity was dependent on artificial selection.
D) Darwin believed the fate of humanity was dependent on natural selection.
E) Darwin was convinced to publish his ideas about natural selection

Question 40

Genetically based characteristics that make organisms more likely to survive and reproduce are referred to as ____.

A) acquired characteristics
B) adaptive traits
C) favored characteristics
D) selective traits
E) divergent characteristics

Question 41

According to the modern synthesis, macroevolution results from ____.

A) abrupt changes in a species environment
B) the chance appearance of "hopeful monsters"
C) changes in genes that occur in spurts
D) abrupt changes in an individual's genetic makeup
E) the gradual accumulation of microevolutionary changes

Question 42

The comparison of homologous traits in living and extinct organisms is an example of ____.

A) comparative morphology
B) taxonomy
C) historical biogeography
D) paleontology
E) molecular biology

Question 43

Gregor Mendel published his work on genetics in ____.

A) 1849
B) 1858
C) 1866
D) 1887
E) 1900

Question 44

Charles Darwin did NOT study the ____ during his long career.

A) classification of barnacles
B) effects of earthworms on soil
C) response of plants to light
D) genetic basis of heritable traits
E) form of insectivorous plants

Question 45

In the 1930s and 1940s, a theory referred to as the ____integrated data from biogeography, comparative morphology, comparative embryology, paleontology, and taxonomy within an evolutionary framework.

A) genetic synthesis
B) mutationism theory
C) unification theory
D) modern synthesis
E) convergent theory

Question 46

The specific discipline that linked Mendel's and Darwin's work was ____.

A) population ecology
B) paleobiology
C) population genetics
D) biogeography
E) modern synthesis

Question 47

The forelimbs of bats and birds are ____.

A) homologous because their common ancestor had wings
B) not homologous because their similar internal bone structure evolved independently as an adaptation for flight
C) homologous because they are adapted for the same function
D) homologous because they have similar internal bone structure inherited from a common ancestor
E) not homologous because wings evolved from different ancestral organs in birds and bats

Question 48

A small evolutionary shift in the size of the bill of a finch species is an example of ____.

A) macroevolution
B) sexual selection
C) mutation
D) microevolution
E) orthogenesis

Question 49

One reason Mendel could interpret his experimental results so clearly is because ____.

A) he incorporated his spirituality into his studies
B) he analyzed complex morphological traits
C) several genes often control simple traits
D) simple traits are rarely controlled by single genes
E) a single gene often controls simple traits

Question 50

Upon Darwin's return from his voyage on the H.M.S Beagle , he spent time breeding ____.

A) dogs
B) pigeons
C) barnacles
D) goldfish
E) peas

Question 51

Monkeys in Africa and Asia most recently evolved from ____.

A) a different common ancestor than monkeys in South America
B) a shared common ancestor with monkeys in South America
C) multiple common ancestors
D) different common ancestors than one another
E) a common ancestor on a neighboring island

Question 52

Archaeopteryx is an important link between ____.

A) mammals and birds
B) lizards and birds
C) small carnivorous dinosaurs and birds
D) crocodiles and birds
E) nonflying birds and flying birds

Question 53

At first, the most important conflict between Darwin's and Mendel's theories appeared to be that ____.

A) Mendel's theory was based on experimentation while Darwin's was based on observation
B) Mendel's experiments were based on simple traits while Darwin's evidence was based on complex characteristics
C) Mendel's experiments were unbiased, while Darwin set out to prove evolution by natural selection
D) Mendel's experiments were based on peas while Darwin used a variety of examples
E) Darwin was a scientist while Mendel was a monk

Question 54

Recently discovered fossils reveal that many dinosaurian ancestors of birds had ____.

A) boneless tails
B) toothless mouths
C) enlarged forelimbs
D) wings
E) feathers

Question 55

During Mendel's time, a widely accepted theory called ____ suggested that evolution occurred in spurts rather than by gradual change.

A) catastrophism
B) uniformitarianism
C) mutationism
D) natural selection
E) genetic transformation

Question 56

In the early twentieth century, ____ discovered that genes are carried on chromosomes.

A) Thomas Hunt Morgan
B) Francis Crick
C) Gregor Mendel
D) James Watson
E) Thomas Huxley

Question 57

Which pairing between evolutionary evidence and a biological discipline is NOT correct?

A) pesticide resistance: historical biogeography
B) forelimbs of all four-legged vertebrates are homologous: comparative morphology
C) short tails of African and Asian monkeys: historical biogeography
D) gill pouches in embryos of four-limbed vertebrates: comparative embryology
E) species on islands often resemble species on the mainland: historical biogeography

Question 58

Extinction is most likely an example of ____.

A) microevolution
B) macroevolution
C) orthogenesis
D) uniformitarianism
E) gradualism

Question 59

The fossil record documents ____, providing clear evidence of ongoing change in biological lineages.

A) the occurrence of nonmorphological evolution
B) the disconnect between living and extinct organisms
C) disruptions in evolutionary processes
D) continuity in morphological characteristics
E) discontinuity in morphological features

Question 60

The modern synthesis is NOT based on ____.

A) connecting microevolution and macroevolution
B) bridging Darwinism with Mendel's work
C) focusing on population genetics
D) linking population growth with variation to explain natural selection
E) interpreting data from a variety of biological disciplines in an evolutionary framework

Question 61

Which morphological feature in lizards, mammals, and birds provides evidence of their descent from a shared ancestor?

A) ribcages positioned right behind heads in the embryonic stage
B) absence of limb buds in embryonic development
C) presence of limb buds in embryonic development
D) differences in limb structures in adults
E) vestigial hindlimbs near the base of the tail in adults

Question 62

Which statement is NOT supported by the theory of evolution?

A) Humans and apes share a common ancestry.
B) Humans and apes are descended from an apelike common ancestor.
C) Humans and apes have been evolving up until this very moment.
D) Humans and apes have stopped evolving and are stable lineages.
E) Humans and apes will continue to evolve for as long as their descendants persist.

Question 63

Evolution of embryonic pathways probably occurs most commonly through ____.

A) macroevolutionary mechanisms
B) microevolutionary mechanisms
C) protein recruitment
D) extinction
E) mutations during embryonic development

Question 65

Fossils and molecular techniques reveal that the closest ancient wolflike relatives of most modern dogs lived in ____.

A) Asia
B) Africa
C) South America
D) North America
E) Europe

Question 66

Recent advances in molecular techniques allowed paleobiologists to sequence DNA that was preserved in a woolly mammoth that died ____ years ago.

A) 27,000
B) 4,000
C) 2,700
D) 1,000
E) 500

Question 67

Early in the twentieth century, some scientists embraced the notion of orthogenesis, the idea that evolution ____.

A) is progressive but not goal-oriented
B) produces new species with the goal of improvement
C) a natural progression set in motion by the Creator
D) occurs in spurts, induced by mutations, rather than gradually
E) happens due to the inheritance of acquired characteristics

Question 68

What percentage of the species that have ever lived have become extinct?

A) 1%
B) 9%
C) 50%
D) 75%
E) 99%

Question 70

Based on molecular analyses, scientists now believe the domestication of the closest relatives of modern dogs began between ____ years ago.

A) 800 and 1,200
B) 1,000 and 3,000
C) 4,000 and 8,000
D) 9,000 and 12,000
E) 18,800 and 32,100

Question 71

A mutation in the Hoxc8 gene in the ancestor of modern snakes caused its descendants to have ____.

A) no forelimbs or necks
B) vestigial forelimbs
C) necks but not forelimbs
D) no ribcages or limbs
E) no forelimbs or hindlimbs

Question 72

Which scientist did NOT influence Darwin's writing of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection ?

A) Mendel
B) Wallace
C) Lyell
D) Malthus
E) Lamarck

Question 73

Species on oceanic islands often closely resemble species on the nearest mainland, suggesting that the island and mainland species share a common ancestry.

Question 74

New genetic variations sometimes become more common within populations because ____.

A) most parts of the genome are noncoding and available for selection
B) proteins can be "recruited" for advantageous function
C) the resulting proteins are advantageous and selected for by nature
D) adaptation occurs rapidly in the few species that have survived through time
E) mutations are able to select against genetic variations that had disadvantageous function

Question 75

To determine conclusively that the 15 Galápagos finch species are descended from a common ancestor, biologists could most effectively use ____.

A) Darwin's notebooks describing his observations
B) comparative molecular biology
C) comparative embryology
D) Mendelian genetics
E) modern historical biogeography and Darwin's observations

Question 76

Which structure(s) grow(s) just in front of animal tissues where only the Hoxc6 gene is expressed?

A) forelimbs and hindlimbs
B) hindlimbs only
C) ribs only
D) forelimbs only
E) forelimbs and ribs

Question 77

Woolly mammoths were determined to be closely related to living elephants on the basis of ____.

A) DNA sequencing of nuclear genes
B) fossilized morphological evidence
C) embryological evidence inferred from fossils
D) mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences
E) cytochrome c amino acid sequences

Question 78

The notion of orthogenesis is no longer supported because we now know that evolution proceeds as an ongoing process of dynamic adjustment, not toward any fixed goal.

Question 79

Some primitive snakes, like the ball python ( Python regius ), have vestigial forelimbs.

Question 80

Molecular techniques have revealed that ____ caused the loss of forelimbs in snakes.

A) the absence of Hoxc6 and Hoxc8 genes in snake genomes
B) selection in dinosaurian ancestors of snakes
C) the lack of useful limbs
D) mutations in limb buds
E) changes in the spatial pattern of Hoxc8 gene expression