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Worksheets2010-2023 Chapter 16 - Darwin's Theory of Evolution
Total questions: 31
Worksheet time: 16mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Based on the adaptations Charles Darwin observed in finches and tortoises in the Galápagos, he wondered
a)
if species living on different islands had once been members of the same species.
b)
if finches and tortoises had originated from the same ancestral species.
c)
if all birds on the different islands were finches.
d)
why all tortoises on the different islands were identical.
2.
Charles Darwin’s observation that finches of different species on the Galápagos Islands have many similar physical characteristics 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.
3.
Which of the following ideas is supported by Darwin’s observation of local variation among tortoises in the Galápagos Islands?
a)
artificial selection
b)
adaptation
c)
acquired characteristics
d)
tendency towards perfection
4.
Darwin first began to formulate his concept of evolution by natural selection after
a)
experimenting with animals.
b)
observing patterns among the geographical location of certain species.
c)
reading the writings of Wallace.
d)
agreeing with Lamarck about the driving force behind evolution.
5.
People of Charles Darwin’s time understood that fossils were
a)
preserved remains of ancient organisms.
b)
available for every organism that ever lived.
c)
unrelated to living species.
d)
evidence for the evolution of life on Earth.
6.
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.
7.
In the 1800s, Charles Lyell emphasized that
a)
the human population will outgrow the available food supply.
b)
all populations evolve through natural selection.
c)
Earth is a few thousand years old.
d)
past geological events must be explained in terms of processes observable today.
8.
James Hutton’s and Charles Lyell’s work was important to Darwin because these scientists
a)
explained volcanoes and earthquakes.
b)
explained all geologic events on Earth.
c)
suggested that Earth was old enough for evolution to have occurred.
d)
refuted the work of Lamarck, which was based on misunderstandings.
9.
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed that organisms
a)
have an innate tendency toward complexity and perfection.
b)
have an innate tendency to become simpler as time passes.
c)
inherit all of the adaptations they display.
d)
belong to species that never change.
10.
Which is a major concept included in Lamarck’s evolutionary hypothesis?
a)
Change is the result of survival of the fittest.
b)
Body structures can change according to the actions of the organism.
c)
A small population size decreases the rate of evolution.
d)
Artificial selection is the basis for evolution.
11.
In an experiment, suppose that the wings of fruit flies were clipped short for fifty generations. The fifty-first generation emerged with normal-length wings. This observation would tend to disprove the idea that evolution is based on
a)
inheritance of natural variations.
b)
inheritance of acquired characteristics.
c)
natural selection.
d)
survival of the fittest.
12.
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.
13.
Darwin realized that the economist Malthus’s theory of population control
a)
applied only to humans.
b)
could be generalized to any population of organisms.
c)
could be generalized only when populations lived in crowded conditions.
d)
explained why the number of deaths exceeded that of births.
14.
When a farmer breeds only his or her best livestock, the process involved is
a)
natural selection.
b)
artificial selection.
c)
artificial variation.
d)
survival of the fittest.
15.
According to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, individuals who survive are the ones best adapted for their environment. Their survival is due to the
a)
possession of adaptations developed through use.
b)
possession of inherited adaptations that maximize fitness.
c)
lack of competition within the species.
d)
choices made by plant and animal breeders.
16.
Each of the following is a condition necessary for natural selection to occur EXCEPT
a)
more offspring are born than can survive.
b)
population size is very large.
c)
fitness varies among individuals.
d)
there is heritable variation among members of the population.
17.
Which statement about the members of a population that live long enough to reproduce is consistent with the theory of evolution by natural selection?
a)
They transmit characteristics acquired by use and disuse to their offspring.
b)
They tend to produce fewer offspring than others in the population.
c)
They are the ones that are best adapted to survive in their environment.
d)
They will perpetuate unfavorable changes in the species.
18.
According to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, the individuals that tend to survive are those that have
a)
characteristics their parents acquired by use and disuse.
b)
characteristics that plant and animal breeders value.
c)
the greatest number of offspring.
d)
variations best suited to environmental conditions.
19.
Which of the following phrases best describes the results of natural selection?
a)
the natural variation found in all populations
b)
unrelated species living in different locations
c)
changes in the inherited characteristics of a population over time
d)
the struggle for existence undergone by all living things
20.
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.
21.
The principle of common descent helps explain why
a)
well-adapted species have many offspring.
b)
conditions in an organism’s environment ensures the organism’s survival.
c)
birds and reptiles share a number of inherited characteristics.
d)
tigers are so different from cheetahs.
22.
Darwin’s concept of natural selection was NOT influenced by
a)
the work of Charles Lyell.
b)
knowledge about the structure of DNA.
c)
his collection of specimens.
d)
his trip on the H.M.S. Beagle.
23.
Biogeography is the study of
a)
where species and their ancestors live.
b)
how extinct species can be related to living species.
c)
how different species can interbreed.
d)
how animals that live in the same area are closely related.
24.
The number and location of bones of many fossil vertebrates are similar to those in living vertebrates. This is evidence in support of which of the following concepts?
a)
Lamarck’s tendency towards perfection
b)
common descent
c)
analogous structures
d)
the inheritance of acquired traits
25.
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.
26.
Similar patterns of embryological development in different but related organisms are responsible for the formation of
a)
homologous structures.
b)
analogous structures.
c)
Hox genes.
d)
intermediate fossil forms.
27.
Which characteristic of Galápagos finches helped the Grants show the results of natural selection?
a)
the color of their feathers
b)
the length and shape of their wings
c)
the size and shape of their beaks
d)
the curve of their claws
28.
Charles Darwin noted that some animal species, such as flightless birds, could be found in similar environments on different continents.
a)
true
b)
false
29.
According to Lamarck, geological forces acting today are the same ones that have been acting in the past.
a)
true
b)
false
30.
Evidence that the surface of a mountain was once under the sea includes the presence of marine fossils on the mountain.
a)
true
b)
false
31.
In natural selection, humans, rather than the environment, select the variations of traits to be passed to offspring.
a)
true
b)
false
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