Deck 3: Developmental Adjustment and Epigenetic Change

Question 1

Which of the following is innate, always adaptive, caused by natural selection, and realized in the next generation?

A) Developmental adjustment
B) Genetic adaption
C) Epigenetic change
D) Transgenerational epigenetic change
E) Epigenetic adaptation

Answer 1

B

Question 2

While some scientists advocate for replacing the term 'developmental adjustment' with 'epigenetic adjustment,' others argue that:

A) there is no evidence that ALL development adjustments are epigenetically controlled.
B) implementing new terminology is unnecessary and self-centered.
C) 'epigenetic adjustment' is already a blanket phrase referencing an unusually wide array of genetic mechanisms.
D) 'transgenerational epigenetic adjustment' is a more suitable option.
E) Actually nobody has made an argument against this: scientists all agree that the term 'epigenetic adjustment' should replace 'developmental adjustment' .

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Transgenerational epigenetic change is:

A) an acquired deficieny
B) realized in the present generation
C) always maladaptive
D) easier to document in mice, flies, and plants than in humans
E) innate and caused by natural selection.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

While of the following statements is true?

A) all development adjustments are epigenetically controlled.
B) epigenetic change is NEVER maladaptive.
C) epigenetic events can occur well after development is over
D) developmental adjustments are transgenerational.
E) 'epigenetic adjustment' is another word for 'developmental adjustment'.

Question 5

We can be certain we are seeing transgenerational epigenetic change when:

A) a hardship can be identified
B) it is realized in the present generation
C) exposures in the womb are known
D) we see it in the fourth generation and absent the initial stimulus
E) grandchildren display the trait due to a grandparent's exposure.

Question 6

Genes can be switched on or off, or silenced or promoted, by:

A) the agouti gene
B) natural selection
C) the 'gene-gift' phenomenon
D) RNA passivity
E) the environment via the epigenome

Question 7

After spending all summer lifeguarding, Cindy noticed that her skin tone was much darker than it had been during the school year. What is this an example of?

A) the agouti gene
B) the 'gene-gift' hypothesis
C) genetic adaptation
D) acclimatization
E) developmental adjustment

Question 8

In the 1850s the Dutch were the shortest people in the world. Now they are the tallest. Why?

A) genetic drift provided an infusion of 'tall genes'
B) gene flow provided an infusion of 'tall genes'
C) the standard of living increased dramatically, so that the people were, on average, much better fed
D) they discovered how to pasteurize and homogenize milk
E) a mutation in the gene for height was naturally selected for

Question 9

Mayan refugees to the USA today and European immigrants in the 1800s and early 1900s are taller than those who stayed home. Why?

A) in the USA there was/is more abundant food and better drinking water
B) they interbred with those already here in the USA
C) this is a trick question: they are not taller
D) with less adequate food, their bodies prioritized organ development over height
E) more exercise

Question 10

Comparative studies of the shapes of skeletons from diverse species demonstrate clearly that

A) The same kinds of limb bones follow different growth patterns depending on which animal owns them
B) The same kinds of limb bones follow the same kind of growth patterns no matter which animal owns them
C) Bones all grow at the same pace
D) Wings and hands are absolutely different when it comes to the bones they contain
E) Skeletons grow more, or less, depending on food supply

Question 11

Epigenetic tags are a lot like sticky notes and paper clips used in textbooks because they

A) this is a trick question because they aren't like these things at all
B) regulate the degree to which you attend to certain portions of the book's content (that is, certain genes)
C) add to the complexity
D) always fall out
E) have similar shapes

Question 12

The difference between queen bees and worker bees has most precisely to do with

A) Genetic evolution
B) Royal jelly, which affects a larval bee's epigentic tags for development
C) The kinds of plants a bee eats
D) Transgenerational epigenetic change
E) Imprinting and plasticity

Question 13

What environmental cue makes ducklings follow their mothers or 'imprints' her image on their minds?

A) they hear them calling when still in the egg and recognize the call once hatched
B) their moms are usually the first moving thing they see
C) they understand how hard it is to sit on eggs all day
D) hunger
E) scent

Question 14

Complete the following sentence: "Epigenetic research has proved that human biocultural diversity is much than scientists previously thought."

A) simpler, more straightforward
B) more fluid, plastic
C) more static, immovable
D) less variable or diverse
E) more clear-cut.

Question 15

Complete the sentence: In epigenetics, genes are "the servants of _____."

A) experience
B) heredity
C) natural selection
D) the Red Queen
E) the phenotype

Question 16

The textbook describes a study showing that London taxicab drivers' constant exposure to GPS devices correlated with hippocampus shrinkage over time. This best exemplifies:

A) epigenetic change
B) natural selection
C) 'nature' is more important than 'nurture'
D) transgenerational epigenetic adjustment
E) population variation and human diversity

Question 17

Where food is in short supply, it is more immediately advantageous for a child to:

A) stay small.
B) grow tall.
C) grow longer arms.
D) grow a bigger chest.
E) maintain lower hemoglobin levels.

Question 18

Which of the following is true regarding the differences between the genome and the epigenome?

A) Epigenetic variation is responsible for within-species differences, while genetic variation is responsible for between-species differences.
B) The epigenome is responsible for gathering proteins as directed by the genome.
C) The epigenome is subject to changes throughout the lifespan, while the genome itself is effectively constant.
D) Genetic changes can be passed down to offspring, while epigenetic changes cannot.
E) Scientists have known about these differences since well before Darwin's time.

Question 19

Which of the following shows that a baby duckling's instincts depend to at least some degree on environmental cues?

A) Ducks always follow their mothers.
B) Ducks follow the first moving body they see.
C) Even if a duck's vocal cords are cut before it hatches, it will always prefer to follow its own mother.
D) Ducks will only follow other ducks.
E) Ducks made to hatch in a laboratory at night always become nocturnal.

Question 20

Which of the following contributes to the success of Kenyan athletes?

A) the very recent introduction of a cattle economy
B) weak cultural support for an "achievement orientation"
C) delayed exposure to running (i.e., no running while children)
D) getting driven to school so that more time can be taken for practice
E) limited career options in other areas

Question 21

Are we able to attribute differences in running ability to genetics?

A) Yes, because athletic ability differs between populations, and these populations differ genetically.
B) No, because it would be ethnocentric to suggest that some populations are better than others.
C) Yes, because different kinds of muscle fibers evolved in populations that relied on more physical activity for survival.
D) No, because the relative amount of 'fast twitch' (good for sprinting) and 'slow twitch' (marathon-friendly) muscle is dependent on an individual's muscle activity and exertion.
E) Yes, because culturally biased theories relating differences to incredibly hard work and deep dedication have been disproven.

Question 22

Which of the following is an example of 'normal science'?

A) Strange or unique findings are immediately celebrated as a breakthrough.
B) Scientists strive to explain outliers (data that don't fit); these are never simply blamed on chance or faulty equipment.
C) New ideas are quickly embraced.
D) Strange or unique findings are said to reflect bias or error and are brushed off as faulty.
E) Earth shattering, paradigm-shifting discoveries are common.

Question 23

Which of the following best explains how a population's average height can increase from generation to generation in an environment where being tall does NOT provide a selective advantage?

A) cultural reasons, such as stretching exercises
B) a better diet becomes available to children
C) in reality this cannot happen
D) genetic drifting mutations occur
E) taller people are better able to see (and thus escape from) predators

Question 24

Immigrants to the United States who have had children here and in their home nations have seen that the US-born children are bigger and taller. Which of the following is NEVER a reason for this?

A) access to safe drinking water
B) access to a reliable food supply
C) genotypic changes
D) developmental adjustment
E) epigenetic adjustment

Question 25

Genetic expression is regulated by all but of the following mechanisms EXCEPT:

A) epigenetic events.
B) DNA.
C) RNA.
D) genetic determinism.
E) environmental factors.

Question 26

What does NOT account for the difference between a human head and a gorilla head?

A) the great lack of overlap between the human genome and the gorilla genome
B) differences in the pattern and order of gene activity
C) differences in the timing of growth
D) differences in gene regulation
E) differences in duration and direction of bone growth

Question 27

Please select the best example of 'developmental adjustment':

A) a DNA mutation causes an offspring to have no hair
B) a child is raised at a high elevation develops a larger chest and greater lung capacity than his twin who is raised at a lower elevation.
C) summertime tanning as a response to increased UV rays
D) a well-nourished child grows up to be shorter than she could have been
E) a giraffe baby is born with a longer neck because its parents stretched their necks to get higher leaves

Question 28

What do we call an irreversible change to an organism's growth or biochemical processes that occurs during development in response to environmental conditions?

A) developmental adjustment
B) developmental cycle
C) life cycle
D) adjusted change
E) adaptive development

Question 29

A key difference between 'genetic adaptation' and 'developmental adjustment' is that:

A) developmental adjustments are biologically heritable, while genetic adaptations are not.
B) genetic adaptations are biologically heritable, while developmental adjustments are not.
C) developmental adjustments occur prior to conception and are written into the genome.
D) there is actually no difference between the two after all.
E) developmental adjustments are transgenerational, while genetic adaptations are not.

Question 30

According to our textbook, a child who grows up in the Peruvian Andes will develop differently than he or she would have if raised at sea level. The process involved is called:

A) genetic adaptation.
B) natural selection.
C) hereditary traits.
D) developmental adjustment.
E) seasonal acclimatization.

Question 31

Another term for the malleability or the developmental range of our bodies (brains, bones, muscles) based on environmental conditions is:

A) RNA.
B) DNA.
C) plasticity.
D) developmental evolution.
E) epigenetics.

Question 32

'Developmental adjustments' induced by high altitude living include:

A) lower hemoglobin levels.
B) an increase in height.
C) greater lung/chest capacity.
D) lighter hair and eyes.
E) fewer red blood cells.

Question 33

'Developmental adjustments' induced by improved nutrition include:

A) an increase in height.
B) greater lung/chest capacity.
C) lower hemoglobin levels.
D) fewer red blood cells.
E) lighter hair and eyes.

Question 34

Humans and chimpanzees share what % of their DNA? That is, what % is identical or found in both species?

A) 50%
B) 89%
C) 99%
D) 100%
E) 0%

Question 35

The human 'genome' refers to:

A) the entire set of genes in the human population.
B) the gene pool.
C) the chromosome with the genetic information responsible for phenotypic variation.
D) the set of chemicals that turn off and on genetic information.
E) the repository of diverse genetic data kept by our government.

Question 36

Mapping the human genome revealed:

A) that humans have vastly more genes than any other species.
B) that more genes means more complexity.
C) that human genes are not very different from those of other mammals.
D) a link between the number of genes a species has and its intelligence.
E) that RNA works in the same way no matter what species is under consideration.

Question 37

In comparing a human, gorilla, zebra, and python skeleton, we saw that:

A) the regulated timing of bone growth can make a huge structural difference.
B) there are no grounds for comparison.
C) simple genetic differences completely explain skeletal differences.
D) all are members of the same species.
E) structural differences all are related to culture.

Question 38

The layer of biochemical reactions surrounding and regulating the expression of our genes is known as:

A) the phenotype layer.
B) the epigenome.
C) the bicultural layer.
D) an allele.
E) the genome.

Question 39

The 'epigenome' is best thought of as:

A) biochemical reactions that surround and regulate the expression of our genes.
B) an invention of quacks.
C) the library of genetic types kept in our nation's laboratories.
D) the biosphere.
E) the environment in which a person lives his or her life.

Question 40

Through epigenetic events:

A) the larger chests developed at higher altitudes are passed along directly to offspring.
B) changes in gene frequency are passed along from generation to generation.
C) the smaller chests developed at higher altitudes are passed along to offspring.
D) genes can be turned on or off or amplify or dampen at different times over the course of an organism's total lifetime.
E) fruit flies and monkeys are exactly the same, genetically speaking, as humans and worms.

Question 41

'Epigenetics' can be defined as the study of:

A) genetic differences.
B) the interaction between genes and their environment that brings the phenotype into being.
C) gene-genotype interaction.
D) genetic abnormalities.
E) the gene-environment interaction fueling protein synthesis.

Question 42

(genotype + epigenome) × environment =

A) time.
B) energy.
C) phenotype.
D) transgenerational change.
E) information.

Question 43

Which of the following is most important for creating species-to-species differences?

A) amino acids
B) DNA
C) diverse pattern and order of genes.
D) genomic strands
E) alleles

Question 44

When it comes to DNA, chimpanzees and humans...

A) differ by one incredibly sophisticated chromosome that is found in humans but not chimpanzees.
B) differ by only about 1%
C) are 100% the same
D) are vastly different: we share only 30% of our DNA with chimpanzees.
E) have not yet been compared

Question 45

According to epigeneticists, key differences between gorillas and humans stem from:

A) the timing of gene expression.
B) their very different genomes.
C) nature.
D) the number of genes each species carries.
E) diverse developmental adjustments.

Question 46

Genetic twins who are separated at birth:

A) must differ genotypically as adults.
B) may differ phenotypically as adults.
C) cannot differ phenotypically.
D) always differ genetically.
E) never differ.

Question 47

Strong evidence for the argument that the environment can change the expression of our genes is seen in the finding that:

A) genetically identical twins can grow into adults with very different physiques.
B) genetically identical twins are always the same pheontypically.
C) genetically identical twins are never genotypically identical.
D) children of the same parents will achieve the same height even if one child receives poor-quality food.
E) children of the same parents will have the same size chests no matter where they are raised.

Question 48

While some epigenetic changes may be reversible, other epigenetic changes:

A) may lead to developmental adjustments
B) other forms do not exist (this is a trick question)
C) do not occur in human beings.
D) are biologically determined.
E) are genetical adaptations

Question 49

Dana Dolinoy and her colleague's experiment, in which mice became obese and prone to cancer after a toxin introduced into the food supply changed the expression of the agouti gene, is an example of which of the following?

A) epigenetic change
B) how DNA determines our phenotype
C) natural selection
D) mutations in real-time
E) falsification of data

Question 50

What best explains the difference in ability between Kenyan track and field athletes (runners) and the rest of us?

A) They are born with more leg muscles than people from other populations.
B) They work very hard at running, beginning at a young age.
C) They have a gene for running that others do not have.
D) They get rides everywhere, preserving their energy for running.
E) They have many other career options.

Question 51

Data from the London taxi cab driver brain study provided a clear demonstration of:

A) genetic determinism.
B) the fact that superior technological aids, such as GPS and satellite navigational technology, increase memory.
C) epigenetically regulated plasticity.
D) the fact that drivers with GPS and satellite navigational devices will have fewer cognitive problems later in life.
E) that having an oversized hippocampus predisposes a person to be attracted to the job of taxi cab driver.

Question 52

The idea that bodily changes brought on through experience in one generation could be passed on to the next is called:

A) Lamarckism.
B) Darwinism.
C) natural selection.
D) genetic determinism.
E) cultural determinism.

Question 53

The growing interest in an updated version of 'Lamarckism':

A) mirrors natural selection.
B) is supported by epigenetics.
C) only affects the genotype.
D) is genetically determined.
E) demonstrates that science can NOT experience paradigm shifts.

Question 54

Which of the following is the best example of 'genetic adaptation'?

A) If a person who is not naturally strong works hard to build up a fit muscular physique, his or her children will be born strong and fit.
B) A giraffe that is born with a long neck will eat better and therefore survive better than a giraffe with a short neck, and then reproduce more giraffes with long necks, who in turn will be more likely to survive to produce offspring.
C) A giraffe that stretches its neck by reaching upwards to eat will have babies with longer necks than babies born to giraffes who do not stretch their necks.
D) A blacksmith who develops his or her arm muscles through hard work at the forge may have children who end up with strong arms, too, if they take on blacksmithing.
E) Runners from Kenya and Jamaica are born with a genetic advantage that makes them more likely to win in Olympic track and field events

Question 55

Which of the following is the best example of a 'paradigm shift'?

A) when science slowly and progressively rejected the idea that the earth is round
B) normal science
C) the assumption that strange findings reflect broken equipment or a mistake in the analysis
D) the recent switch from the understanding that genes are blueprints to the understanding that genes can be switched on and off
E) falsification of data

Question 56

The phrase 'paradigm shift' refers to:

A) very large changes in developmental or genetic patterns.
B) a radical shift in scientific thinking whereby scientists change from following one set of assumptions to following another.
C) gradual changes in scientific knowledge.
D) the point at which one species turns into another.
E) when a young goose flying south (or north) thinks an airplane is its mother.

Question 57

Which of the following can entail or result in biological changes in subsequent generations?

A) natural selection
B) developmental adjustment
C) epigenetic change
D) a and c
E) everything listed

Question 58

In which way can epigenetics be called a 'paradigm'?

A) There is sound empirical evidence to support epigenetics.
B) Epigenetics interprets genetic patterns (paradigms) in light of the environment.
C) Epigenetics operates above the sub-paradigmatic level, in the genetic code.
D) It is a framework that allows us to interpret scientific data.
E) This is a trick question; epigenetics can NOT be called a paradigm.

Question 59

'Epigenetic change' is:

A) environmentally generated phenotypic change that sometimes may overlap with 'developmental adjustment'.
B) realized in the next generation.
C) unaffected by prenatal and childhood exposure.
D) never reversible
E) profoundly debilitating.

Question 60

'Transgenerational epigenetic change' is:

A) passed along because it is tagged onto, not in, our genes
B) realized in this generation only.
C) unaffected by prenatal and childhood exposure.
D) the same as developmental adjustment.
E) the same as genetic adaptation.

Question 61

Which of the following is true?

A) Genetic adaptations may be passed down to subsequent generations.
B) Developmental adjustments, but NOT transgenerational epigenetic changes, may be passed down to subsequent generations.
C) Epigenetic changes, but NOT genetic adaptations, may be passed down to subsequent generations.
D) Neither epigenetic changes nor genetic adaptations may be passed down to subsequent generations.
E) Epigenetic changes and developmental adjustments are both passed down to subsequent generations.

Question 62

Thomas Kuhn (who wrote about how science works) referred to the duck-rabbit illusion to demonstrate how scientists can:

A) determine the age of small mammal and bird fossils.
B) experience a paradigm shift.
C) study the evolution of human vision.
D) use language to communicate important technical information.
E) examine human consciousness.

Question 63

According to Thomas Kuhn (who wrote about how science works), scientific cultures are normally very:

A) culturally conservative (driven by tradition and habit).
B) radical and open to 'the new.'
C) gradualist (advancing knowledge in steady small steps over time).
D) faith-based.
E) relativist.

Question 64

Which equation best describes how 'phenotypes' are created?

A) genotype + environment
B) genotype + epigenome
C) (genotype + epigenome) x environment.
D) phenotype + epigenome + environment
E) (genotype - epigenome) x environment