Evolution Test Review

Darwin noticed that many organisms seemed well suited to

• being preserved as fossils.
• providing humans with food.
• surviving in the environments in which they lived.
• swimming from South America to the Galapagos Islands.

Lamarck’s ideas about evolution include the concept that differences among the traits of organisms arise as a result of

• continual increases in population size.
• the actions of organisms as they use or fail to use body structures.
• an unchanging local environment.
• the natural variations already present within the population of organisms.

When a dairy farmer chooses to breed the cows that give the most milk in the herd, the farmers are following the principle of

• descent with modification
• artificial selection
• natural selection
• acquired characteristics

Each of the following is a condition necessary for natural selection to occur EXCEPT

• Population size is very large.
• Fitness varies among individuals
• There is heritable variation among members of the population.
• More offspring are produced than survive.

Which statement about the members of a population that live long enough to reproduce is consistent with the theory of evolution by natural selection?

• They transmit characteristics acquired by use and disuse to their offspring.
• They are the ones that are best adapted to survive in their environment.
• They tend to produce fewer offspring than others in the population.
• They will perpetuate unfavorable changes in the species.

If there was a drought, and only birds with large beaks survived to reproduce, this would be an example of which type of selection?

• Disruptive
• Stabilizing
• Directional
• Artificial

Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record as

• evidence that Earth was very young.
• useful support for his theory.
• interesting but unrelated to the evolution of modern species.
• evidence that traits are acquired through use or disuse.

Modern sea star larvae resemble some primitive vertebrate larvae. This similarity may suggest that primitive vertebrates

• share a common ancestor with sea stars.
• evolved from sea stars.
• evolved before sea stars.
• belong to the same species as sea stars.

Molecular evidence in support of natural selection includes

• the nearly universal genetic code.
• the presence of vestigial structures.
• a tendency toward perfect, unchanging DNA in various species.
• the transmission of acquired characteristics by DNA.

Which characteristic of Galápagos finches helped the Grants show the results of natural selection?

• the color of their feathers
• the length and shape of their wings
• the size and shape of their beaks
• the curve of their claws