Amplify Natural Selection Quiz

Imagine you are designing an experiment to test the effect of a new nutrient on the growth rate of bacteria. How would you ensure your results are due to natural selection and not random chance?

• Use only one bacterium

• Include a control group and replicate the experiment multiple times

• Change the temperature every hour

• Only measure results once

During an internship, you are asked to analyze data from an experiment on natural selection. Which skill is most important?

• Memorizing the names of all organisms

• Interpreting graphs and identifying trends

• Drawing random pictures

• Writing a fictional story

Which scientist is most closely associated with the theory of natural selection?

• Isaac Newton

• Charles Darwin

• Albert Einstein

• Gregor Mendel

You are asked to present your findings from an engineering internship project that used natural selection principles. Which of the following best demonstrates strategic thinking in your presentation?

• Listing random facts about evolution

• Explaining how your methods amplified natural selection and supported your results with evidence

• Reading the project title only

• Showing unrelated pictures

What is a key factor that allows natural selection to drive evolutionary change in a population?

• All individuals have the same survival rate

• The environment remains constant

• There is genetic variation among individuals

• All individuals are clones

In a simulation of natural selection, which factor would most likely lead to an increase in a specific trait within a population?

• Consistently applying a selection pressure favoring that trait

• Introducing a new, unrelated species

• Randomly changing the simulation parameters

• Removing all selection pressures

What is the main purpose of natural selection in evolution?

• To increase genetic diversity randomly

• To favor traits that help organisms survive and reproduce

• To eliminate all mutations

• To ensure all organisms are identical

You are given a population of beetles with green and brown colors. Birds prefer to eat green beetles. What is the likely outcome after several generations?

• The population will have more green beetles

• The population will have more brown beetles

• The population will have only green beetles

• The population will disappear

Which of the following is a basic requirement for natural selection to occur?

• All individuals must be identical

• There must be variation in traits

• The environment must never change

• Only one species must exist

A population of insects is exposed to a new pesticide. After several generations, most insects are resistant. What does this demonstrate about natural selection?

• Natural selection favors traits that increase survival in a changed environment

• All insects will eventually die

• Pesticides have no effect on evolution

• Only large insects survive