Evolution Quiz

Darwin stated that life forms show descent with modification. This means that:

• new life forms descend from old life forms but they do not change

• modification among descendants occurs only in the first generation

• functional changes never occur in descendants

• structural changes occur from one group of descendants to the next

In the course of natural selection, best adapted organisms tend to ________ and therefore produce ________ offspring.

Which statement is in agreement with Darwin's theory of evolution?

• More offspring are produced than can possibly survive

• The organisms that are most fit are always those with the greatest physical strength

• Mutations are always beneficial

• Acquired characteristics are inherited

Variations in organisms that are best adapted to a particular environment tend to ________.

Since natural resources are limited, all organisms:

• must migrate to new habitats

• must compete for resources

• display vestigial structures

• have a species half-life

Using the diagram below, which of the following assumptions is made by biologists with regards to the fossils found at the various levels?

• An animal can burrow into any layer and become fossilized.

• Fossil communities had the same physical environment as the present living community.

• Fossil D is younger than Fossil F

• Fossil B is older than Fossil D

Which of the following pairs of organisms would represent convergent evolution?

• Lions and Tigers; similar DNA suggests their recent common ancestry

• Shark and Whale; although unrelated, their aquatic environments helped them develop similar traits

• Flower and Tree; the environment resulted in the merger of separate species into one.

• Dog and Wolf; domestication of the dog led to reproductive isolation

Which statement most accurately expresses the theories of evolution proposed by Lamarck?

• Mutations cannot cause new variations in populations

• Acquired characteristics can be inherited

• Natural selection will always kill off the weaker species

• Overproduction can increase the survival rate of an organism

Biogeography is the study of:

• how different species can interbreed.

• how extinct species can be related to living species.

• where species live now and where their ancestors lived in the past.

• how animals that live in similar climates are closely related.

In the early stages of development, the embryos of birds and reptiles resemble each other in many ways. This resemblance suggests that they:

• Are the same species

• Are adapted for life in the same habitat

• Share a common ancestry

• Are both animal-like bacteria