Evolution and Natural Selection Quiz

A population of bacteria is treated with hand sanitizer. Because of genetic variation in the population, what is a possible outcome?

• The population will grow quickly.

• All of the bacteria are already resistant.

• Some may be resistant and survive.

• The population will shrink.

One of the biggest ways that a species evolves is because some organisms with some traits survive and reproduce better than others. This process is known as

• natural selection.

• convergent evolution.

• coevolution.

• artificial selection.

Genes for traits that help an organism be more successful reproductively can be expected to

• cause it to evolve into a new species.

• become more common in the future.

• cause the extinction of the species.

• not change over time.

An adaptation is

• any trait an organism possesses.

• how an organism evolves during its own lifetime.

• a trait that helps an organism survive in its environment.

• a change that is beneficial to the species.

Genetic diversity is ultimately the result of

• viruses.

• mutations.

• reproduction.

• environmental changes.

Which of the following is not an example of evolution?

• Horses becoming taller and faster over millions of years.

• Human brains becoming larger over time.

• A caterpillar going through a change into a butterfly.

• Birds developing different beak shapes.

Which of the following is not a principle of natural selection?

• Most species produce more offspring than will actually reproduce.

• Evolution will occur as an organism gets older and learns more.

• In every population, adaptations allow some organisms to survive and reproduce better than others.

• Traits that are beneficial are passed on more frequently.

Individuals that are well adapted to their environment will survive and produce ________.

During a period of droughts in the Mojave Desert, seeds that are small and easily eaten become more and more rare, leaving mostly seeds that are large with hard-cased shells behind. The only birds that can eat these particular seeds are those with large beaks. If the drought continues for several more years, what should be expected to happen as a result of natural selection?

Natural selection results in change over time by acting on traits that are ________.