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WorksheetsPrinciples of Evolution Review
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 1hrs 9mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
which of the folllowing is an example of a vestigial structure?
a)
the wings of a red-tailed hawk
b)
the hind limbs of a house cat
c)
the fins of sharks
d)
the wings of an ostrich
2.
What is suggested by the similarity of early embryos of different species of vertebrates?
a)
no evolutionary relationships between the groups
b)
recent common ancestry
c)
similar environments in the past
d)
evolution froma distant common ancestor
3.
An earthquake causes an ocean channel to open and separate an island into two. The species on each section are now in
a)
geographic isolation
b)
behavioral isolation
c)
disruptive selection
d)
temporal isolation
4.
What kind of isolation occurs when two populations of birds have different courtship dances?
a)
geographic
b)
sexual
c)
temporal
d)
behavioral
5.
The entire curve moves in one direction or the other. Red is previous, blue represents the change. What is this type of selection known as?
a)
Stabilizing selection
b)
Disruptive selection
c)
Directional selection
6.
Which of the following explains how natural selection can cause a trait to become more predominant in a population?
a)
Individuals with traits that are favorable in that environment can reproduce more successfully.
b)
Traits of an individual change in order to adapt to changes in enviornment.
c)
organisms select which traits they wish to inherit
d)
all of these answers
7.
Darwin's observation that finches of different species on the Galapagos have many similar physical traits supports the hypothesis that these finches
a)
have the ability to interbreed
b)
acquired traits through use and disuse
c)
all eat the same type of food
d)
descended from a common ancestor
8.
The combined genetic information (alleles) of all the members of a particular population make up a population's:
a)
gene pool
b)
niche
c)
phenotype
d)
population
9.
The number of times an allele occurs in a gene pool, compared to the total number of times all alleles for the same gene occur, is called the
a)
allele frequency
b)
genotype
c)
polygenic trait
d)
genetic drift
10.
If coat color in a rabbit population is inherited via polygenic inheritance, which process might have produced the graph shown here?
a)
disruptive selection
b)
stabilizing selection
c)
directional selection
d)
genetic equilibrium
11.
Why don't all living things become fossils?
a)
because some living things are too small
b)
because some living things are too big
c)
because some are subject to catastrophism and others are not
d)
because environmental conditions have to be just right to prevent decay
12.
James Hutton’s and Charles Lyell’s work suggests that
a)
Earth is several million years old.
b)
Earth is several thousand years old.
c)
all fossils were formed in the last 1000 years.
d)
all rocks on Earth contain fossils.
13.
The economist Thomas Malthus suggested that
a)
in the human population, people die faster than babies are born.
b)
without certain checks on population size, there would soon be insufficient food for the growing human population.
c)
in the 1700s, England needed more housing.
d)
the majority of a species’ offspring die.
14.
Charles Darwin called the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its specific environment
a)
diversity.
b)
evolution
c)
adaptation.
d)
fitness.
15.
In 1859, Charles Darwin published his revolutionary scientific ideas in a work titled:
a)
Principles of Geology
b)
Essay on the Principle of Population
c)
Evolution in Malaysia
d)
On the Origin of Species
16.
What is the advantage of having different shaped beaks?
a)
To look different from other species.
b)
To be able to eat the food readily available in the environment.
c)
To protect itself against predators.
d)
To protect itself against prey.
17.
What is the basis for all variation among organisms?
a)
Mutation
b)
Genetic Drift
c)
Migration
d)
Inbreeding
18.
What type of adaptation does this insect show?
a)
analagous structure
b)
camouflage
c)
artificial selection
d)
homologous structure
19.
Why are advantageous traits more likely to be passed onto offspring?
a)
Because organisms with those traits are more likely to survive and reproduce.
b)
Because they come from dominant alleles.
c)
Because they come from recessive alleles.
d)
Because the trait is an acquired (learned) phenotype.
20.
The frequency of alleles (the genes) in a population doesn't change over a long period of time. This population is evolving.
a)
True
b)
False
21.
Only populations can evolve.
Individuals can not evolve.
Individuals can not evolve.
a)
True
b)
False
22.
Why would a population with a large amount of genetic variation be more likely to survive a severe climate change in its environment?
a)
Individuals will only create offspring well-suited to the climate change
b)
The individuals would produce more offspring
c)
Individuals better suited to the new climate will help less-suited individuals survive
d)
Some individuals will posses traits better suited to the new climate and be more likely to pass them on
23.
Two organisms that are closely related would have
a)
a very similar DNA sequence
b)
exactly the same DNA sequences
c)
no proteins in common
d)
completely different DNA sequence
24.
Which type of selection favors the middle portion of the population.
a)
Disruptive selection
b)
Stabilizing selection
c)
Directional selection
25.
The type of genetic drift that follows the colonization of a new habitat by a small group of individuals is called
a)
the Hardy-Weinburg principle
b)
the founder effect
c)
directional selection
d)
the bottleneck effect
26.
In genetic drift, like the bottleneck and founder effect, the allele frequencies in a gene pool change because of
a)
mutations
b)
chance
c)
isolation
d)
genetic equilibrium
27.
Mutations and the genetic recombination that occurs during sexual reproduction are both sources of
a)
genetic variation
b)
stabilizing selection
c)
genetic equilibrium
d)
genetic drift
28.
Temporal isolation occurs when two different populations
a)
develop different mating behaviors
b)
become geographically separated
c)
reproduce at different times
d)
interbreed
29.
Whales are aquatic mammals that contain a pelvis bone. Even though it does not aid in its movement, the function must have been used by a common ancestor of the whale. Thus, the pelvis is referred to as a(n)
a)
vestigial structure
b)
analogous structure
c)
homologous structure
d)
none of these
30.
Structures that have different mature forms but develop from the same embryonic tissue are called
a)
analagous structures
b)
adaptations
c)
homologous structures
d)
fossils
31.
What is speciation?
a)
The change from one species into two or more distinct species.
b)
The movement of a group of organisms into a new area.
c)
The ability to mate and reproduce.
d)
The death of an entire species.
32.
A measure of how commonly a particular allele occurs in a population is known as the
a)
gene pool
b)
allele frequency
c)
mutation rate
d)
phenotype
33.
Mutations are important because they bring about
a)
death of the organism in which they develop
b)
genetic variation needed for a population to evolve
c)
benefits for the individual, not for the population
d)
Hardey-Weinberg equilibrium within a population
34.
The scientific theory of evolution is supported by different types of evidence. The diagrams below show the skeletons of two different animal species. How does comparing the skeletons of these animals provide support for the scientific theory of evolution?
a)
It provides information about the organisms' habitats.
b)
It shows possible common ancestry between organisms.
c)
It provides information to determine the organisms' ages.
d)
It shows possible chromosomal similarities between organisms.
35.
Molecular evidence in support of natural selection includes
a)
the nearly universal genetic code.
b)
the presence of vestigial structures.
c)
a tendency toward perfect, unchanging DNA in various species.
d)
the transmission of acquired characteristics by DNA.
36.
Which statement is part of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection?
a)
More offspring are produced than can possibly survive.
b)
The organisms that are the fittest are always largest and strongest.
c)
The number of offspring is not related to fitness.
d)
Acquired characteristics that are inherited are the cause of evolution.
37.
Considering the body structure of the tortoises shown in the diagram, which tortoises—a population from Pinta Island or a population from Isabela Island—might survive more successfully on Hood Island? Why?
a)
The Pinta Island tortoises would be likely to survive more successfully because they show many of the same characteristics as the Hood Island tortoises.
b)
The Isabela island tortoises because their head and neck are more protected.
c)
both of these are correct
d)
neither one of these are correct
38.
LaMarck thought that species evolved because they wanted to become better for their environment. We now know that this is false.
a)
True
b)
False
39.
What did Peter and Rosemary Grant learn about mate choice from the Galapagos finches?
a)
phenotype plays no role in mate choice
b)
finches prefer mates with beaks similar in size to their own
c)
finches prefer mates with smaller beaks than their own
d)
finches prefer mates with larger beaks than their own
40.
Mutations that occur in the reproductive organs are more likely to be passed on to future generations.
a)
True
b)
False
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