Deck 21: The Evidence for Evolution

Question 1

In comparing artificial and natural selection,which of the following statements is true?

A)Artificial selection is slower than natural selection.
B)Artificial selection is reversible;natural selection is not.
C)Artificial selection can produce maladaptive structures,natural selection cannot.
D)Artificial selection cannot produce changes as large as changes produced by natural selection.
E)In artificial selection,the magnitude of the selection pressure can be varied;in natural selection,it cannot.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Natural selection has favored the dark form of the peppered moth in areas subject to severe air pollution,perhaps because on darkened trees moth-eating birds see them less easily.As pollution abated,the light forms were favored because

A)they were less visible after the lichens returned.
B)of migration from more polluted areas.
C)of mutation.
D)they were preyed on more.
E)of a bottleneck effect.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The evidence for industrial melanism as being due to an increase in the dark allele was provided from field tests carried out by

A)Kettlewell.
B)Lamarck.
C)Darwin.
D)Tutt.
E)WallacE.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In a hypothetical study,equal numbers of marked dark and light moths are released in polluted and unpolluted woodlands and recaptured 10 days later.According to the industrial melanism hypothesis,which of the following results is unexpected?

A)More marked dark moths should be recaptured in polluted woodlands than in unpolluted woodlands.
B)Fewer marked light moths should be recaptured in polluted woodlands than in unpolluted woodlands.
C)Fewer marked dark moths should be recaptured in unpolluted woodlands than in polluted woodlands.
D)More marked light moths should be recaptured in unpolluted woodlands than in polluted woodlands.
E)Fewer unmarked dark moths should be captured in polluted woodlands than unmarked light moths.

Question 5

In studying the medium ground finch on Daphne Major,the Grants noted that each generation of finches had beaks:

A)best suited for their parents' environment.
B)best suited for their current environment.
C)smaller than those of the previous generation.
D)larger than those of the previous generation.

Question 6

In experiments using artificial selection to change the number of bristles in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster,the resulting population of flies

A)Bristle number is likely determined by multiple genes.
B)Some experiments used directional selection.
C)Some experiments used disruptive selection.
D)Large changes in bristle number took place within 35 generations.
E)At the end of the experiment,were unable to interbreed with wild type flies.

Question 7

Industrial melanism is a term

A)describing the color change induced by living in industrialized areas.
B)explaining that the darker moths have higher mutation rates because of industrialization.
C)describing the evolutionary process in which initially light-colored organisms become dark as a result of natural selection.
D)explaining that the darker moths having higher reproductive success because of their pigmentation.
E)describing the widespread implementation of pollution controls.

Question 8

Natural selection varies the shape of the beaks among Darwin's finches in response to:

A)the available food supply.
B)the available nest building material supplies.
C)the availability of potential mating partners.
D)the presence of ectoparasites on their feathers.
E)the need to improve their feather preening abilities.

Question 9

Which one of the following "alternate" hypotheses might also explain industrial melanism?

A)Dark moths are more resistant to the toxic effects of pollution than light moths.
B)Dark moths emigrate out of polluted areas to escape the pollution.
C)Pollution kills important tree species that peppered moths depend on for egg laying.
D)Because dark moths absorb more heat they are more active and better able to avoid bird predation.
E)Birds used the marks that Kettlewell placed on the moths when he released them to help them find and capture the moths.

Question 10

Progressive changes in fossils of different ages provides one of the strongest lines of evidence for

A)extinction.
B)evolution.
C)coevolution.
D)adaptation.
E)mutation.

Question 11

Considerably more phenotypic variation exists in domesticated varieties of species like dogs and cabbages than exists in non-domesticated species like lions and maple trees.Which one of the following statements best explains why this is true?

A)There is no selection and mating is random under domestication.
B)During domestication,very high rates of mutation are induced.
C)Genetic drift is important because domestication involves small populations.
D)Many domesticated varieties would not survive in the natural worlD.
E)Domesticated species exhibit "hybrid vigor" (heterosis).

Question 12

Some of the most dramatic evidence for evolution has come from human agriculture.One of the most highly artificially selected crop plants is

A)peas.
B)tomatoes.
C)potatoes.
D)corn.
E)asparagus.

Question 13

Domestication of dogs has led to

A)a variety of homologous structures.
B)a variety of phenotypes.
C)a variety of mutations.
D)a variety of reproductively isolated breeds.
E)a variety of different species.

Question 14

A technique used in dating a rock can be used to accurately predict the age of the fossils occurring in the rocks.This technique involves

A)fossil dating.
B)successive rock layering.
C)radioactive isotope decay.
D)structural geology.
E)developmental geology.

Question 15

The shape of the beaks of Darwin's finches and industrial melanism are often cited as examples of the process of _______________ leading to evolutionary change.

A)artificial selection
B)coevolution
C)intelligent design
D)founder effect
E)natural selection

Question 16

Charles Darwin argued that evolution is accomplished by the process of natural selection.Which of the following is not important to the concept of natural selection?

A)Most organisms are capable of producing more offspring than typically survive.
B)Phenotypic variation that an organism acquires in its lifetime is passed on to its offspring.
C)Phenotypic variation exists within populations.
D)Phenotypic variation can influence reproductive success.
E)Phenotypic variation within a species is due in part to inherited characteristics.

Question 17

Which of the following seems to be least important in understanding the basis for industrial melanism?

A)abundance of lichens on trees
B)greater camouflage of the dark moths on trees in polluted woodlands
C)darkening of bark surfaces by pollutants
D)greater crypticity of the light moths on trees in unpolluted woodlands
E)differential predation by birds

Question 18

Which aspect of natural selection is illustrated by figure 21.1b?

A)Variation must exist in the population.
B)Variation among individuals must be genetically transmissible to the next generation.
C)Variation among individuals leads to differences in lifetime reproductive success.
D)More individuals are produced each generation than the environment can support,resulting in competition for survival.

Question 19

Industrial melanism involving the peppered moths (Biston sp. )is cited as an example of natural selection that has been observed in the last one hundred years.Recall that the peppered moth exhibits two distinct morphological types with dark and light colored wings.Which of the following statements about changes in these two types of moths as a result of industrial melanism is true?

A)The dark forms are selected against in nonpolluted forests.
B)The dark forms are distasteful to birds and are thus safe in polluted forests.
C)The light forms are selected against in nonpolluted forests.
D)Birds prey more on the dark forms in polluted forests
E)Dark forms emigrate from nonpolluted forests to polluted forests.

Question 20

Today,the fossil record

A)can be dated only with one layer in relation to older layers below and younger layers above,no actual dates can be estimated.
B)can be dated reasonably well only with uranium-238.
C)can be dated reasonably well using a variety of radioactive isotopes with known half-lives.
D)can be dated precisely,to within a single year,using radioactive isotopes.
E)can be dated precisely,to within a single year,using DNA hybridization.

Question 21

Which one of the following is not important to the concept of homology?

A)Homologous features must be found in a common ancestor.
B)It can include anatomical,physiological,or molecular features.
C)Features must share a common developmental pattern.
D)Species with homologous features must be relateD.
E)None of the features being compared can be vestigial.

Question 22

Evidence for evolution can be obtained by examining presently existing species through studies on each of the following except one.Select the exception.

A)early development
B)vestigial structures
C)patterns of distribution
D)convergence
E)analogous structures

Question 23

You see a sign on a door that reads "Homologous Structures Inside." You go in and find

A)structures of animals that appear to have evolved from different parts of their bodies.
B)structures of animals that have difference appearances and functions but seem to have evolved from the same body part in a common ancestor.
C)structures of animals that have the same appearances and functions but obviously no common ancestor.
D)structures of animals that have different appearances and functions but different ancestors.

Question 24

During growth in the mother's uterus,human embryos and fetuses exhibit characteristics of other vertebrates,suggesting that humans are related to the other forms.This represents which of the following lines of evolutionary evidence?

A)fossil record
B)homology
C)convergent evolution
D)biogeography
E)development

Question 25

Which one of the following statements about the evolutionary divergence of horses in North America is false?

A)Most changes are seen as adaptations for life in grassland habitats.
B)The general trends during horse evolution are increase in body size,lengthening of limbs,reduction of digits on both sets of limbs,and tooth development for a grazing life style.
C)Global climate change during the Miocene and early Oligocene epochs caused many of the changes in the evolution of horses.
D)Horse evolution is unusual in that rates of change were uniform and constant throughout most lineages.
E)Living lineages of horses show much less diversity than existed in the past.

Question 26

Which of the following does not illustrate shared ancestry by anatomical comparison studies?

A)same structure has evolved to carry out different function
B)structure loses its function altogether
C)different structures evolve in similar ways when subjected to the same selective pressures
D)structure becomes vestigial
E)structures found to be homologous

Question 27

When ancient rocks are arranged in the order of their age,a progressive series of changes are seen.This represents which of the following lines of evolutionary evidence?

A)fossil record
B)homology
C)convergent evolution
D)biogeography
E)development

Question 28

The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,600 years.A fossil that has one-eighth the normal proportion of carbon-14 to carbon-12 is probably

A)2,800 years old.
B)5,600 years old.
C)11,200 years old.
D)16,800 years olD.
E)22,400 years old.

Question 29

The most precise method of obtaining estimates of the absolute ages of geological deposits is

A)measure rates of sedimentary rock formation.
B)measure the ratios of various radioactive isotopes in the deposits.
C)apply the principle of superposition (younger deposits above older deposits).
D)make salinity measurements in ocean sediment deposits.
E)study the sequence of fossil types in the deposits.

Question 30

In the case of the toothed whales,the fossil record

A)shows they evolved from fish.
B)shows they evolved from swimming dinosaurs.
C)shows they evolved from a land mammal with hooves.
D)has fragmentary evidence that cannot be explaineD.
E)has no evidence about how they evolved.

Question 31

Structures that are derived from the same body part in a common ancestor but may have different appearances and functions are called

A)analogous structures.
B)homologous structures.
C)vestigial structures.
D)embryonic structures.
E)homozygous structures.

Question 32

A rock contains 18 mg of the radioactive isotope carbon-14.The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,600 years.How many half-lives and years will it take before the carbon-14 decays to less than 4 mg?

A)1 half-lives;5,600 years
B)2 half-lives;11,200 years
C)3 half-lives;16,800 years
D)4 half-lives;22,400 years
E)9 half-lives;50,400 years

Question 33

All vertebrates contain a similar pattern of organs,indicating that they are related to one another.This represents which of the following lines of evolutionary evidence?

A)fossil record
B)homology
C)convergent evolution
D)biogeography
E)development

Question 34

The side toes of a horse,the pelvis of the whale,and the human appendix are all examples of

A)analogous structures.
B)homologous structures.
C)vestigial structures.
D)homeotic mutations.
E)acquired structures.

Question 35

Which of the following features of ancient horses is not an adaptation for living on open grasslands?

A)multiple toes
B)complex patterns of ridges on molar and premolars
C)lengthening of limbs
D)increase in body size
E)high-speed locomotion

Question 36

Radioactive isotopes are used in dating materials from the distant past.Which of the following statements about radioactive dating techniques is true?

A)It gives the general ages of rock stratA.( $\pm$ 1 million years).
B)It gives exact ages of rock strata.( $\pm$ 1 year).
C)It uses a technique in which the degree of radioactive decay is measured,the younger the rock the more radioactive decay.
D)It uses a technique in which the degree of radioactive decay is measured,the older the rock the more radioactive decay.
E)It does not work well with fossil remains that have not absorbed radiation.

Question 37

Many organisms possess structures that have no apparent function,but they resemble structures of presumed ancestors.This is the study of

A)the fossil record.
B)the molecular record.
C)homology.
D)development.
E)vestigial structures.

Question 38

Which one of the following features of Archaeopteryx clearly demonstrates that it was on the evolutionary line leading from dinosaurs to birds?

A)egg-laying ability
B)teeth
C)feathers
D)bony tail
E)claws on forelimbs

Question 39

The wings of birds and butterflies are examples of structures that resemble each other and have similar function,but are the result of parallel evolution in separate lineages.These structures are called

A)analogous structures.
B)homologous structures.
C)vestigial structures.
D)embryonic structures.
E)homozygous structures.

Question 40

The evolution of similar forms in different lineages when exposed to the same selective pressures is

A)called divergence.
B)called convergence.
C)referred to as successive homologies.
D)referred to as descent.
E)also known as natural selection.

Question 41

Evolution is said to violate the second law of thermodynamics.Which of the following statements best describes why this is not true?

A)Evolution does not always produce more complex forms;sometimes less complex forms arise.
B)Because evolution is a random process,it does not require an input of energy.
C)Earth is not a closed system;it constantly receives an input of energy from the sun.
D)Living organisms are not subject to the second law.
E)The disorder generated by extinction balances the order created by evolution.

Question 42

It could be said that today's Australian marsupials and today's placental mammals have

A)undergone divergent evolution.
B)undergone selective advantage.
C)undergone heterozygote advantage.
D)undergone convergent evolution.
E)developed homologous structures.

Question 43

Which one of the following is not true about species that show convergent evolution?

A)Do not share a recent common ancestor.
B)Must be found in the same biogeographical region.
C)Subject to similar selection pressures.
D)Have similar phenotypes.
E)Can share homologous structures.

Question 44

A biologist seeing a sign describing evolution as "just a theory" would think that

A)evolution is a theory that is supported with a tremendous amount of evidence.
B)evolution is just a collection of facts without a central theme and this is not a theory.
C)evolution is what Darwin proposed to account for all the changes he observed in the finches so it is a hypothesis,not a theory.
D)evolution occurred in the past,but it is not occurring in the present,so it cannot be a theory.

Question 45

After 35 generations (about 1 year's time),the two populations R and S were studied.Researchers found

A)no change was seen;it's much too soon.
B)some slight increase of bristle numbers was already evident.
C)a vast,overlapping range of bristle numbers was seen.
D)a slight increase in bristles in S,a slight decrease in R,with a little overlap in the middle ranges.
E)a huge increase in S,a huge decrease in R,with no overlap whatsoever.

Question 46

Which of the following is the best reason that the origin of species according to creation science should not be included in the curriculum of biology courses?

A)It is not a scientifically testable theory.
B)It has proven to be false.
C)It has been superseded by more modern theories.
D)It is contrary to the beliefs of most scientists.
E)It constitutes the teaching of religion.

Question 47

When you compare Australian marsupials to placental mammals today

A)the marsupials are all very primitive,having changed very little during the last 70 million years.
B)the marsupials are very similar to placental mammals in the ways they have adapted to similar ecological niches.
C)the marsupials have evolved much more rapidly than placental mammals and are more highly adapted.
D)the marsupial fossils look remarkably similar to the placental mammals of today.
E)living marsupials are little changed from the earliest marsupial fossil forms.

Question 48

The observation that different geographical areas sometimes exhibit plant and animal communities of similar appearance,even though the individual plants and animals are not closely related,is called

A)the fossil record.
B)homology.
C)convergent evolution.
D)divergent evolution.
E)adaptation.

Question 49

The "scientific creationism" view includes all of the following beliefs except

A)biblical account of the origin of the earth is literally true.
B)the earth is much younger than most scientists believe.
C)all species of organisms were individually created.
D)the organisms did not change from their original appearance.
E)extinct species are replaced with new ones.

Question 50

The marsupials in Australia closely resemble the placental animals of the rest of the world,which argues that parallel selection has occurred.This represents which of the following lines of evolutionary evidence?

A)fossil record
B)homology
C)convergent evolution
D)biogeography
E)development

Question 51

Inhabitants of oceanic islands resemble forms of the nearest mainland but show some differences,which suggests that they have evolved from mainland migrants.This represents which of the following lines of evolutionary evidence?

A)fossil record
B)homology
C)convergent evolution
D)biogeography
E)development

Question 52

Which of the reasons does not explain why "scientific creationism" cannot be considered a science?

A)It is not supported by any empirical observations.
B)It does not obtain its principles from observation,as does science.
C)Its assumptions lead to no hypotheses that could be tested and possibly disproved.
D)The idea of creation by a supernatural agency lies outside the realm of science.
E)Only non-scientists believe it.

Question 53

Which of the following is an example of convergent evolution?

A)Australian marsupials and placental mammals of other continents
B)analogous organs of horses,antelopes,and deer
C)homologous organs of apes and humans
D)skull bones of vertebrates
E)all of the species in a genus of placental mammals

Question 54

The pattern of wet years and dry years shown will probably move the population toward

A)all having larger beaks.
B)all having smaller beaks.
C)having intermediate size beaks.
D)having two,distinct populations.
E)maintaining abundant variation in beak depth.

Question 55

Which statement best describes the correlation between beak depths of Geospiza fortis on the Galápagos island Daphne major and the dryness of the environment?

A)Birds with large beaks are favored during wet years.
B)Birds with small beaks are favored in dry years.
C)Birds with large beaks are favored during dry years.
D)Birds with either size beak (large or small)are favored equally.

Question 56

Evidence for evolution includes all of the following except

A)the fossil record.
B)homologous structures.
C)the molecular record.
D)intelligent design.
E)vestigial structures.

Question 57

The convergence in form seen in sharks,tuna,and dolphins best relates to

A)a recent shared common ancestor.
B)dissimilar selection pressures.
C)the physical properties of water.
D)the need to escape fast-moving predators.
E)intelligent design.

Question 58

A friend is trying to understand the concept of convergent evolution.Which one of the following statements best describes this concept?

A)Convergent evolution occurs when two species living in the same area become reproductively isolated.
B)Convergent evolution occurs when two species living in different areas become reestablished and are able to reproduce.
C)Convergent evolution occurs when two species living in the same area are competing for the same resource thus causing one to evolve away from the other.
D)Convergent evolution occurs when two species living in different areas evolve similarities through natural selection acting on those characteristics.

Question 59

A major implication of this study of Drosophila is

A)absolutely no data to prove or disprove the theory of evolution.
B)it takes thousands to millions of generations to see evolutionary change,if at all.
C)dramatic variation may be present within a population,but may not be observable unless strong selection occurs.
D)dramatic mutations may occur within a population under strong selection.
E)although evolutionary change was observed,this would not be expected in higher organisms such as micE.