Question 1

If a finch population with heritable,variable beak size and shape arrived on an island on which only large seeds were available as a source of food,describe the natural selection process that would follow.

Accepted Answer

A)  Finches with smaller beaks would grow larger beaks so that they could eat the large seeds. All birds will reproduce and the frequency of large beaks within the population will increase. 
B)  Finches with larger beaks will more easily eat the large seeds and thus more likely survive and produce offspring with similarly large beaks. The frequency of large beaks within the population will increase. 
C)  All of the finches with small and medium beaks will soon die; all of the finches with large beaks will survive. The frequency of large beaks within the population will increase. 
D)  Finches with smaller beaks would grow larger beaks so that they could eat the large seeds. Only these birds that grew larger beaks will reproduce and the frequency of large beaks within the population will increase. 
E)  Finches with larger beaks will more easily eat the large seeds and not need to reproduce.

Question 2

Monkeys in the New World (the Americas)have prehensile tails,strong flexible tails that grip branches and operate much like another hand while Old World (Africa and Asia)monkeys do not have such a tail.The explanation for this is

Accepted Answer

A)  monkeys in the Old World do not need a prehensile tail and therefore did not evolve one. 
B)  monkeys in the New World needed a prehensile tail and therefore evolved one. 
C)  the prehensile tail evolved in New World monkeys after the Americas separated from Africa and Asia. 
D)  the Americas are much older than Africa and Asia. There has not been enough time to evolve a prehensile tail in Africa and Asia. 
E)  a catastrophe occurred in the Old World that killed all prehensile tail monkeys leaving only non-prehensile tailed monkeys to survive.

Question 3

The sugar glider in Australia and the flying squirrel in North America are both small mammals with large expanses of loose skin between their fore- and hind-limbs allowing them to glide from tree to tree within their respective forest habitats.These two species are distantly related but are very similar in their overall appearance.Darwin's explanation for their similarity is that

Accepted Answer

A)  both are descendants from a recent common ancestor. 
B)  each have adapted in very similar ways to similar habitats. 
C)  the similarity of the two unrelated species is simply coincidence. 
D)  the two species were created to have similarities. 
E)  the two species must be related to possess such like qualities.

Question 4

The molecule cytochrome c supports the theory of evolution as biochemical evidence.Which of the following is not part of that evidence?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cytochrome c has evolved multiple times among many species. 
B)  Cytochrome c has the same function in all organisms. 
C)  The genetic code for cytochrome c differs among species. 
D)  Cytochrome c is found in a variety of organisms from yeast to humans. 
E)  Cytochrome c plays a role critical to survival.

Question 5

The fact that DNA is the molecule containing the genetic code for all life on Earth is a part of

Accepted Answer

A)  comparative anatomical evidence. 
B)  comparative embryological evidence. 
C)  biochemical evidence. 
D)  biogeographical evidence. 
E)  evidence of artificial selection.

Question 6

Natural selection results in

Accepted Answer

A)  increased genetic variation. 
B)  a decreased population size. 
C)  an increase in population size. 
D)  offspring being better adapted to their current environment. 
E)  offspring being better adapted to a future environment.

Question 7

Which of the following is not an example of artificial selection?

Accepted Answer

A)  different breeds of dogs: poodle, basset hound, chihuahua, great dane, etc. 
B)  different varieties of roses: yellow, pink, red, thorn-less, climbing, etc. 
C)  different types of tomatoes: roma, beefsteak, grape, cherry, etc. 
D)  different styles of potatoes: fried, mashed, baked, etc. 
E)  different breeds of cats: siamese, persian, rex, himalayan, american shorthair, etc.

Question 8

Georges Cuvier and his fellow catastrophists believed that

Accepted Answer

A)  species were fixed although they did change through time in response to catastrophes that occur. 
B)  when species became extinct to a local catastrophe, organisms from surrounding areas moved in to repopulate the area. 
C)  fossil strata showing change through time was explained by evolution. 
D)  species were not fixed and that they adapted in response to catastrophes that occur. 
E)  catastrophes could not explain the changes in species seen through the fossil strata.

Question 9

Which of the following concepts would not have been supported by Georges Cuvier?

Accepted Answer

A)  that the Earth was only a few thousand years old. 
B)  that the Earth and its organisms were divinely created. 
C)  that the Earth and its organisms slowly changed through time. 
D)  local catastrophes caused the extinction of many species 
E)  that species were "fixed."

Question 10

If a population lacks variation (fixed),no individual has any advantageous trait,and the environment changes for the worse.What will most likely happen to the population in terms of natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A)  The entire population will still survive and adapt to the new environment. 
B)  A portion of the population will still survive and adapt to the new environment. 
C)  The entire population will go extinct. 
D)  Artificial selection will occur since natural selection can not. 
E)  Some individuals in the population will automatically mutate in response to the environmental change so that variation will exist.

Exam 14: Darwin and Evolution