Deck 2: What Is Evolution

Question 1

The term adaptive radiation refers to the situation in which

A) cosmic radiation results in adaptive mutations.
B) multiple species come to occupy the same habitat.
C) one species develops into multiple species.
D) species A drives other species B from its habitat.

Answer 1

one species develops into multiple species.

Question 2

Darwin's thinking began with the assumption that

A) acquired characteristics are passed on to offspring.
B) heritable variations can and do occur in nature.
C) organisms contain an inner drive to improve over time.
D) the number of species remains constant over time.

Answer 2

heritable variations can and do occur in nature.

Question 3

Originally, all humans lived in hunter-gatherer societies, but by _____ years ago about half of all humans were engaged in some form of agriculture.

A) 500
B) 5,000
C) 50,000
D) 500,000

Answer 3

5,000

Question 4

According to philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn, a paradigm refers to the

A) evidence we gather and how we evaluate it.
B) tests we perform and the methods we use.
C) theories we propose and the hypotheses we test.
D) topics we study and the questions we ask.

Question 5

Vestigial structures retain previous physiology that is

A) adaptive but not functional.
B) both adaptive and functional.
C) neither adaptive nor functional.
D) not adaptive but is functional.

Question 6

Which of the following was NOT something Darwin discovered on the Galápagos Islands?

A) Birds on one of the islands were different from those on the other islands.
B) Different species occupied identical habitats on the east and west sides of an island.
C) Some 100 new species of flowering plants existed only on these islands.
D) The people on these islands were well adapted to their environment.

Question 7

When doing science, we must not only consider what evidence supports our hypothesis, we must also consider

A) what evidence would be require to refute our hypothesis.
B) what results other researchers have obtained.
C) whether the evidence is of the right kind.
D) whether the evidence was obtained in an ethical manner.

Question 8

Through the process of adaptation, organisms will

A) appear to fit closely with their environment.
B) become more and more similar to each other.
C) seek new environments to exploit.
D) take on the characteristics of their parents.

Question 9

The present-day eye evolved from a structure that detected

A) gross changes in light but not specific images and colors.
B) regions of relative warmth or coldness.
C) specific images but not changes in light or color.
D) two-dimensional but not three-dimensional images.

Question 10

During Darwin's voyage on the Beagle, his thinking was greatly influenced by

A) James' Principles of Psychology.
B) Lyell's Principles of Geology.
C) Malthus' Principle of Population.
D) Spencer's Principles of Biology.

Question 11

What amazed Darwin about the Galápagos Islands was the

A) number of new plant and animal species.
B) similar of species there to those in Europe.
C) wide variety of fish species.
D) white cliffs created by small volcanic eruptions.

Question 12

The fusiform face area (FFA), located in the ____ lobe, is a complex set of brain structures for making, recognizing, and discriminating between facial expressions.

A) frontal
B) occipital
C) parietal
D) temporal

Question 13

In addition to natural selection, Darwin proposed that species could evolve through _____ selection.

A) artificial
B) habitat
C) kin
D) sexual

Question 14

Which of the following statements about evolution is NOT correct?

A) Evolution emerges from the close interaction of organisms with their environment.
B) Evolution guides the organism toward better solutions to fundamental problems.
C) Evolution leads to the development of new species and the extinction of others.
D) Evolution results in heritable changes in a population over many generations.

Question 15

_____ independently developed a theory of evolution similar to Darwin's.

A) Alfred Wallace
B) Gregor Mendel
C) Richard Dawkins
D) Thomas Kuhn

Question 16

For Darwin, humans and other animals differed

A) behaviorally but not physiologically.
B) both physically and mentally.
C) only in degree of functioning.
D) to a greater degree than expected.

Question 17

"How does the process of facial perception work?" is an example of a(n) _____ question.

A) operative
B) phylogenetic
C) proximate
D) ultimate

Question 18

The biological concept of species is defined as a group that

A) bears distinct characteristics that make it different from other groups.
B) has a unique feature shared by all members of the group by not by any other groups.
C) only breeds among the group and does not seek to breed with other groups.
D) shares a unique ecological niche not exploited by any other groups.

Question 19

The scientific principle of parsimony states that

A) a hypothesis cannot be precise unless it is expressed mathematically.
B) scientists should strive to remove all biases from their experiments.
C) similar processes should be explained by the same fundamental principles.
D) theories are not proven until they are tested in controlled laboratory settings.

Question 20

Decartes argued that humans and animals

A) expressed similar emotions.
B) varied only in degree of functioning.
C) were biologically similar.
D) were qualitatively different.

Question 21

Watson argued that the proper study of psychology was

A) behavior.
B) consciousness.
C) development.
D) emotion.

Question 22

The best-fit line through the values on a scatter plot is called a(n) _____.

Question 23

Galton laid the groundwork for the future study of

A) animal intelligence and reasoning.
B) individual differences in ability.
C) the mechanisms of heredity.
D) sexual selection in primates.

Question 24

William James disagreed with other scholars of his day in his belief that humans had _____ instincts than other animals.

A) far fewer
B) far more
C) more complex
D) simpler

Question 25

For Freud, the sexual _____ was the major driving force for human life and interaction.

Question 26

Morgan's Canon directs that scientific explanations should be as _____ as possible.

A) complex
B) elegant
C) far-reaching
D) simple

Question 27

The biogenetic law, stated as "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny," means that _____ can be seen as paralleling the evolutionary history of the species.

A) changes over the lifespan
B) development from conception
C) related species
D) the range of abilities in a group

Question 28

"Why do peacocks have colorful tails?" is an example of a(n) _____ question.

Question 29

_____ is a process that results in heritable changes in a population over many generations.

Question 30

Evolution by natural selection can only work when there is _____, giving some organisms a survival and reproductive advantage over others.

Question 31

The tendency for ideas that are presented together in time to be mentally called forth together is known as _____.

Question 32

Kuhn pointed out that, at different periods in the history of science, some questions are overemphasized and others ignored; he called the topics we study and the types of questions we ask a(n) _____.

Question 33

In Freud's theory, _____ refers to the ability of higher cognitive functions to inhibit the experience of lower ones.

Question 34

Freud believed the nervous system was capable of retaining and discharging a type of energy he called _____.

Question 35

Jung referred to the universal patterns of thought that are available to all humans as _____.

Question 36

William James was particularly interested in the _____ aspects of psychological processes.

A) behavioral
B) functional
C) physiological
D) structural

Question 37

Jung's idea of the collective unconscious reflects the manner in which the expressive predispositions of current-day humans are the result of

A) evolutionary pressures on our ancestors.
B) multiple interactions in modern society.
C) repeated exposure to mass media.
D) sympathetic and empathetic processes.

Question 38

According to Jung, the _____ reflects the manner in which the expressive predispositions of current-day humans are the result of evolutionary pressures on our ancestors.

Question 39

Sigmund Freud incorporated Darwin's emphasis on instinct into his work, but he emphasized _____ over _____.

A) genetics, environment
B) sexual selection, natural selection
C) mutation, adaptation
D) phylogeny, ontogeny

Question 40

The manner in which males and females choose to mate is known as _____, and this is also an important factor in evolution.

Question 41

Trace the development of Darwin's thinking on evolution. Include a discussion of thinking on evolution in Darwin's time, the voyage of the Beagle, the influence of Lyell and Malthus, and the ideas of Wallace.

Question 42

Discuss how Galton, Freud, Jung, and James extended Darwin's theory to the study of human cognitive processes.

Question 43

Discuss the roles of natural selection and sexual selection in the evolution of species.

Question 44

In response to those who said humans were different from other animals in that they lacked instincts, James replied, "Man has a far greater variety of _____ than any lower animal."

Question 45

The _____, located in the temporal lobe, is a complex set of brain structures for making, recognizing, and discriminating between facial expressions.

Question 46

Watson said the proper study of psychology was _____ and not the mind.

Question 47

During the first half of the twentieth century, there was a movement in psychology away from evolutionary thinking. What was the dominant school of thought during this time, and who were its main proponents? Discuss their key ideas and those ideas ran counter to evolutionary thinking.

Question 48

Prior to 10,000 years ago, there was no agriculture, and all humans lived in _____ societies.

Question 49

What is the name of the ship that Darwin traveled to the Galápagos Islands on?

Question 50

The peppered moth in England is commonly used to illustrate natural selection in action. Explain.

Question 51

Organisms may retain previous physiology that is neither adaptive nor functional; these are called _____.

Question 52

Skinner developed a process of shaping behavior through reinforcement is known as _____.

Question 53

Newton suggested that the same forces that cause rocks to fall to the earth in England will also cause rocks to fall in Africa or Asia; this is an example of the scientific principle of _____.