Evolution Test

Woodpeckers that feed on insects that live in the bark of the local trees have three different beak sizes; small, medium, and large.  Which of the following environmental changes would favor the survival of the long-beaked woodpeckers?

• A new insect species that lives deep in the bark invades the local tree population

• Windy weather causes a decrease in the thickness of the tree bark

• A long drought causes a decline in the local tree population

• A new woodpecker predator invades the ecosystem

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HS-LS4-B-1

The table below shows data gathered from a field study on a population of salamanders.  The substrate color generally defines the rocks and other surfaces found in the area.  The salamanders hunt insects for food and are the prey of larger reptiles, birds, and mammals.

 Based on the data reported from Area E, what would you identify as the substrate color?

• Light

• Dark

• Light/Dark

• Not enough information given

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HS-LS4-C-2

Starting in 1954, commercial fishers in the northwest Pacific were paid by weight, rather than by the individual fish, for pink salmon. The fishers increased the use of a type of net that selectively catches larger fish.  Which of the following effects did this change in fishing technique most likely have on the salmon population over the next 20 years?

• The average body size of the salmon population decreased significantly

• The average body size of the males in the salmon population increased, and the females stayed the same

• The average body size of the salmon population increased significantly

• The average body size of the females in the salmon population increased, and the males stayed the same

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HS-LS4-C-4

According to natural selection, light colored tree trunks would favor

• 1. Medium colored moths

• Dark colored moths

• 1. Light colored moths

• Both b and c

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HS-LS4-B-1

Today’s whales and alligators both have pelvic and hind leg bones, yet these bones only function in alligators.

This similarity between whales and alligators supports the idea that

• whales evolved from alligators

• alligators evolved from whales

•  alligators and whales share a common ancestor

• alligators and whales share the same genetic mutations

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HS-LS4-A-1

Mutations are essential to evolution. Every genetic feature in every organism was, initially, the result of a mutation. Which of the following statements about mutations is true? CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY.

• Mutation are harmful

• Mutations occur randomly

• Mutations cause organisms to evolve

• Mutations are beneficial

The wings of a bat and a bird share a similar function but have different structures, suggesting that they did not evolve from a common ancestor. What type of structures are the wings?

• homologous structures

• fossilized structures

• vestigial structures

• analogous structures

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HS-LS4-A-1

The diagram below shows the embryos and the adult forms of animals from different classification groups. What do the embryos suggest about these three animals?

• The animals are not related

• The animals share a common ancestor and are therefore related

• Fish are more closely related to humans than chickens

• Fish and chickens are closely related, but humans are not related to either fish or chickens

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HS-LS4-A-1

Which of the following is a risk of overusing antibiotics?

• Bacteria may become resistant to the antibiotics, causing them to be ineffective

• Antibiotics increase the rate of infection

• Bacteria can only be killed by antibiotics once

• Antibiotics can cause other disease to develop

A particular bird species found in North America obtains most of its food energy by catching and eating insects. A mutation arises in this bird population that increases the length of its beak. Although many mutations are harmful, this mutation has increased the ability of the bird to catch and eat certain insects. Which of these is the most likely outcome of this mutation?

• The insects that are eaten by this bird are likely to become extinct

• Longer beaks will result in the birds eating other, more useful, food items

• Other bird species will be more likely to also develop longer beaks in order to compete

• Individual birds with the mutation will be more likely to survive and reproduce than birds without the mutation