Quiz On Biological Evolution

What is a homologous structure?

• having a body part that has no known function
• similar structures in more than one organism because they evolved from a common ancestor
• similar structures that evolved independently in two living organisms to serve the same purpose
• a structure that evolved to help an organism survive in their environment

Whales live in the ocean. They do not have legs, but they do have a pelvis with small leg bones attached to it. This is evidence that:

• Whales are not well adapted to ocean life.
• Whales do not have homologous structures
• Whales evolved from animals that once lived on land
• Whales evolved from some type of fish

What is speciation?

• the ending or extinction of a single species
• the process of a single species changing gradually over time
• a single species has homologous structures with another species
• a process of some members of the species evolving into a separate species

Which one of these is an example of a vestigial organ?

• human coccyx
• human stomach
• human brain
• human liver

Dorsal fins in sharks and dolphins are an example of

• homologous structures
• vestigial structures
• water to land evolution
• analogous structures

Which of the following best describes the variation seen in peppered moths?

• individual peppered moths can vary their color to camouflage
• there are multiple species of peppered moths each with different colors
• there is one species of peppered moths with two color variations
• pepper moths come in at least 12 different colors

What is true about the embryology of vertebrae organisms?

• Embryos look the same as the adult organism
• Haeckel's drawing were completely accurate and detailed
• Embryos do not change much during development
• The more closely related two organisms are, the closer their embryology will be.

In a meadow, there are two colors of coneflowers: Pink and yellow. The bees and other pollinators seem to be more attracted to the pink flower and visit the pink flowers more often than the yellow flowers. Over time there are more pink flowers in the meadow than yellow. What principle is at work here?

• speciation
• environmental pressure
• natural selection
• homologous structures

What evidence do similarities between fossil bones and modern organisms provide?

• species that face similar environmental pressure will develop similar traits.
• homologous structures are evidence that the two species are related or shared a common ancestor
• natural selection
• adaptive structures help organisms survive in their habitat

Human beings are taller than they used to be. Over the last 150 years, humans have on average increased in height of about 10 centimeters. What principle does this provide evidence for?

• species change over time
• extinction occurs when the species cannot adapt to rapid change in environmental pressures
• homologous structures
• camouflage is an adaptive change