Question 1

A taxon that includes a common ancestor, all descendants of that ancestor, and no other organisms is considered to be

Accepted Answer

A)  paraphyletic. 
B)  polyphyletic. 
C)  synapomorphous. 
D)  monogamous. 
E)  monophyletic.

Question 2

Tribolium castaneum is a beetle found in flour and other stored products. Tribolium is the name of the _______ to which this beetle belongs.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Tribolium castaneum is a beetle found in...

Question 3

Studies testing the creation of phylogenies of phage T7 showed that

Accepted Answer

A)  phylogenetic methods accurately reconstruct the evolutionary history of phage T7. 
B)  phylogenetic methods perform poorly in reconstructing evolutionary history. 
C)  the molecular clock is invalid. 
D)  Both a and c 
E)  Both b and c

Question 4

Which of the following statements about HIV is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  HIV in humans forms a clade. 
B)  All HIV variants in humans were derived from viruses in chimpanzees. 
C)  HIV likely entered the human population from hunters who cut themselves as they were skinning primates. 
D)  Both a and b 
E)  Both a and c

Question 5

Any taxon that consists of all the evolutionary descendants of a common ancestor is called a _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Any taxon that consists of all the...

Question 6

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the diagram below of a phylogenetic tree. 
-The position of which of the following pairs of taxa could be reversed without changing the meaning of the tree?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mouse and pigeon 
B)  Crocodile and lizard 
C)  Crocodile and pigeon 
D)  All of the above 
E)  None of the above

Question 7

Which of the following is the smallest taxon?

Accepted Answer

A)  Kingdom 
B)  Family 
C)  Phylum 
D)  Class 
E)  Order

Question 8

Our system of classification is derived from one developed by the eighteenth-century Swedish biologist _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Our system of classification is derived from...

Question 9

What accounts for HIV's rapid rate of evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)  Its poor repair system causes it to have a high mutation rate. 
B)  It is subject to strong stabilizing selection. 
C)  Many viral particles are transmitted upon each infection. 
D)  Both b and c 
E)  None of the above

Question 10

Which of the following statements about homologous traits is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  Some behaviors of animals may be considered to be homologous traits. 
B)  DNA and protein sequences may be considered to be homologous traits. 
C)  A homologous trait is shared by two or more species and is inherited from a common ancestor. 
D)  Homologous traits are also referred to as "derived traits." 
E)  The wings of bats and birds are not homologous.

Question 11

As adaptions for flight, the wings of bats and the wings of birds are an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  synapomorphy. 
B)  evolutionary reversal. 
C)  monophyly. 
D)  paraphyly. 
E)  convergent evolution.

Question 12

Which of the following is the largest taxon?

Accepted Answer

A)  Genus 
B)  Family 
C)  Species 
D)  Order 
E)  Class

Question 13

Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Most of the species of animals and plants on Earth have been formally described. 
B)  New species are continually being discovered. 
C)  Our knowledge of the "Tree of Life" is nearing completion. 
D)  There are about one million species living on Earth. 
E)  None of the above

Question 14

A taxon that includes the common ancestor and some, but not all, of its descendants, is said to be _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A taxon that includes the common ancestor...

Question 15

Species of plants that have evolved mechanisms to prevent self-fertilization are said to be

Accepted Answer

A)  selfing. 
B)  self-incompatible. 
C)  synapomorphous. 
D)  synchronous. 
E)  None of the above

Question 16

Which of the following concepts adds a dimension of time to a phylogenetic analysis?

Accepted Answer

A)  Maximum likelihood 
B)  Parsimony 
C)  Synapomorphy 
D)  Occam's razor 
E)  A molecular clock

Question 17

When constructing phylogenetic trees, biologists often rely on the principle of _______, which states that the preferred phylogeny is the one that requires the fewest homoplasies.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When constructing phylogenetic trees, biologists often rely...

Question 18

Which of the following statements about biological classification is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  Taxonomists use biological classification to show evolutionary relationships among organisms. 
B)  Separate rules for classification were established by botanists and zoologists. 
C)  The same binomial name may be given to two different organisms as long as they are in different phyla. 
D)  Classifications should be monophyletic. 
E)  A monophyletic group may be removed from a phylogenetic tree with a single "cut."

Question 19

Mitochondrial DNA is most useful for phylogenetic analysis

Accepted Answer

A)  in the study of relatively ancient relationships. 
B)  for groups with few species that have survived to the present. 
C)  of closely related species. 
D)  of prokaryotes. 
E)  Both a and b

Question 20

Studies reconstructing the opsin gene of the common ancestor of birds, dinosaurs, and crocodiles showed that the

Accepted Answer

A)  opsin was red shifted. 
B)  opsin was blue shifted. 
C)  common ancestor was likely nocturnal. 
D)  Both a and c 
E)  Both b and c

Exam 22: Reconstructing and Using Phylogenies