Intro to Evolution

What was the prevailing belief prior to the time of Lyell and Darwin?

• Earth is millions of years old, and populations are unchanging.
• Earth is millions of years old, and populations rapidly change.
• Earth is millions of years old, and populations gradually change.
• Earth is a few thousand years old, and populations are unchanging.

During a study session about evolution, one of your fellow students remarks, "The giraffe stretched its neck while reaching for higher leaves; its offspring inherited longer necks as a result." Which statement is most likely to be helpful in correcting this student's misconception?

• Disuse of an organ may lead to its eventual disappearance.
• Spontaneous mutations can result in the appearance of new traits.
• Only favorable adaptations have survival value.
• Characteristics acquired during an organism's life are generally not passed on through genes.

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Which of the following represents an idea that Darwin learned from the writings of Thomas Malthus?

• Populations tend to increase at a faster rate than their food supply normally allows.
• Earth changed over the years through a series of catastrophic upheavals.
• The environment is responsible for natural selection.
• Technological innovation in agricultural practices will permit exponential growth of the human population into the foreseeable future.

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Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the bones in the wing of a bird?

• bony rays in the tail fin of a flying fish
• bones in the hind limb of a kangaroo
• bones in the flipper of a whale
• chitinous struts in the wing of a butterfly

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It has been observed that organisms on islands are different from, but closely related to, similar forms found on the nearest continent. This is taken as evidence that

• island forms and mainland forms have identical gene pools.
• the island forms and mainland forms are converging.
• common environments are inhabited by the same organisms.
• island forms and mainland forms descended from common ancestors.

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Within six months of effectively using methicillin to treat S. aureus infections in a community, all new infections were caused by MRSA. How can this result best be explained?

• The drug caused the S. aureus DNA to change.
• A patient must have become infected with MRSA from another community.
• Some drug–resistant bacteria were present at the start of treatment, and natural selection increased their frequency.
• S. aureus can resist vaccines.

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The gradual change in species over time is...

• Evolution

• Natural Selection

• Adaptation

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What evidence of evolution? Humans and sea stars both have radial cleavage in the early embryonic development.

• comparative embryology
• comparative anatomy
• comparative biochemistry
• geographic distribution

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Who had a theory similar to Darwin (struggle for existence)?

• Wallace
• Lamarck
• Lyell
• Malthus

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a bird that can easily outcompete other birds for food and that can produce many eggs has a high

• sexuality
• mutation rate
• fitness
• adaptability

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