Natural Selection and Evidence for Evolution Quiz

According to the theory of evolution by natural selection, what is the most likely reason this change has probably occurred?

• The walruses wanted to adapt to the cold climate, so they learned to develop thicker fat layers.

• The walruses that had thicker fat layers were more apt to survive and live to reproduce.

• The walruses inherited a thicker fat layer from their parents.

• Each successive generation, more walruses have thicker fat layers

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Which of the following best illustrates natural selection?

• An organism with favorable genetic variations will tend to survive and breed successfully

• A population monopolizes all the resources in its habitat, forcing other species to migrate

• A community whose members work together utilizing all existing resources and migratory routes

• The largest organisms in a species receive the only breeding opportunities

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A large population of ants was sprayed with insecticide. A few of the ants survived and produced a population of ants that was resistant to this spray. What can best be inferred from this example?

• A species will adapt no matter what the environment.

• The environment has no effect on the survival of an organism.

• Insecticides cause mutations that are passed on to the next generation.

• Individuals with favorable variations survive and reproduce.

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When related species become dissimilar as they evolve, they are undergoing what type of evolution?

• Convergent evolution

• Coevolution

• Adaptive radiation

• Divergent evolution

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All the following statements concerning the theory of evolution by natural selection are true EXCEPT:

• Organisms produce far more offspring than required for replacement

• The individuals in a population show variation, survivability and in their ability to cope with environmental stress.

• The bodies of organisms in a population change by use and disuse, and the changes are inherited by the next generation.

• Some of the variation in adaptation is the result of genetic differences that may be passed on to the next generation.

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According to fossil records, the horses that lived 50 million years ago were much smaller, weaker, and slower than modern horses. Which process is most likely responsible for the changes that have led to the increased size, strength and speed in horses?

• Commensalism

• Inbreeding

• Migration

• Natural selection

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Humans have bred dozens of dog varieties from ancestral wolves. This is an example of:

• Artificial selection

• Disruptive selection

• Natural selection

• Selective selection

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During their early stages of development, the embryos of reptiles, birds, and mammals look very similar. This suggests that reptiles, birds and mammals:

• Share a common ancestor

• Live in the same environments

• Have gotten rid of their vestigial structures

• Are no longer undergoing evolution

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Vestigial structures are structures that exist in organisms that have no apparent function at all. Some examples are wings on flightless birds, leaves on some cacti, and hind leg bones in whales. How do these structures provide evidence for the theory of evolution?

• The unused structures provide evidence of evolution from a common ancestor

• Vestigial structures provide evidence that that all organisms have DNA

• These unused structures support the theory of evolution by providing evidence that DNA is universal

• These unused structures provide evidence that organisms of the past are not the same as organisms today by showing the progress of evolution

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The diagram represents the forelimb structures from four different mammals, including a bat and a human. These limbs provide evidence of common ancestry because they--

• have the same basic structure.

• perform the same function.

• are the same size.

• are parts of mammals.

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