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Biology Test 10 Prep Quiz - Evolution

Total questions: 29

Worksheet time: 21mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which of the following are vestigial organs? (Choose all correct answers.)

a)

wisdom teeth

b)

teeth in chickens

c)

erector pili muscle

d)

extra fins on whales

2.

How do scientists explain the biodiversity found on Earth today?

a)

series of mutations leading to a known outcome

b)

individual organisms finding new ways to live

c)

adaptations in populations suitable for changing environments

d)

asteroids hitting Earth carrying organisms from distant planets

3.

Homologous structures suggest _________ ancestry in different _________.

a)

opposing; regions

b)

similar; animals

c)

shared; families

d)

shared; species

4.

Which of these are part of Darwin's big idea of "tree thinking?"

a)

common ancestry

b)

hierarchical

c)

natural selection

d)

branching

5.

In a changing environment, which species will have the best chance of survival?

a)

the one with the most highly evolved individuals

b)

the one with the most genetic variation

c)

the one with the smallest body size

d)

the one with the largest population

6.

In his famous voyage on the Beagle, Darwin saw several species of finch on the Galapagos Island that were not on the mainland. What did he conclude?

a)

The Galapagos Islands had sheltered the finches from the harsh conditions found on the mainland.

b)

The species on the mainland that had originally come to the island were now extinct.

c)

Islands provided much better living conditions for finches so many types came to them.

d)

The Galapagos finches had adaptations for conditions on the island, leading to formation of new species.

7.

Two populations of squirrels live in different locations for hundreds of years. When individuals from each squirrel population are re-introduced, they no longer interbreed to form fertile young. Why?

a)

The squirrels have adapted different ways of rearing offspring.

b)

The squirrels do not have similar genes any more.

c)

Behavioral or genetic changes have occurred in the squirrels.

d)

Squirrels must live together for a certain time period first.

8.

Which of the following is an example of selective breeding?

a)

A cold winter reduces the elk population to just a few very strong individuals.

b)

Farmer John keeps the best heifers from his herd to use as breeding stock.

c)

Poachers in Mozambique have killed male elephants with tusks, leaving a higher tuskless elephant population.

d)

A dog owner does not have their mixed-breed female spayed and she has several litters of puppies.

9.

What do the limb structures of these species reveal?

a)

identical limb patterns, thus, identical DNA.

b)

vestigial limb patterns, therefore, similar evolutionary processes

c)

homologous appendages, thus, a common ancestor

d)

same limb patterns, therefore, embryonic similarities

10.

Genetic diversity is often provided by which processes? (Choose all correct answers.)

a)

mutation

b)

recombination

c)

natural selection

d)

adaptation

11.

When will the theory of evolution change?

a)

when the public votes to remove it from schools

b)

when an important scientists decides it is wrong

c)

when new evidence shows it is incorrect

d)

when scientists get tired of defending it

12.

Which of the following is an inference based on the picture?

a)

Humans descended from neanderthals.

b)

Neanderthals and humans have similar skull structures.

c)

Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis have the same cheek bone angulation.

d)

Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis share a common ancestor.

13.

Would a mountain lion be considered more closely related to a house cat or a wolf?

a)

a wolf - they both live outdoors in the wild

b)

a house cat - their body structures are very similar

c)

a wolf - they are both large carnivores

d)

a house cat - they are both easy to domesticate

14.

If you discovered five unidentified invertebrate animals , which of the following characteristics would be MOST scientifically accurate to include in a dichotomous key?

a)

color of the animals

b)

size of the animals

c)

specific location they were found

d)

number and kind of legs

15.

Carl Linnaeus, the "Father of Taxonomy", recognized two kingdoms of living things - plants and animals. Why do today’s classification systems now include six kingdoms?

a)

Linnaeus did not study living things carefully enough.

b)

New organisms have evolved on Earth.

c)

Scientists know more about living things today than Linnaeus did.

d)

Scientists today have come to the final answer on the number of kingdoms.

16.

Which of the following are atavistic traits? (Choose all correct answers.)

a)

embryonic gill slits and tails

b)

pattern of "one bone - two bones - many bones" in appendages

c)

legs on a snake

d)

chicken with teeth

17.

According to these DNA comparisons, which organisms are most closely related to #5 ?

a)

2 and 4

b)

3 and 4

c)

1 and 2

d)

1 and 3

18.

A colony of bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic and 10% of the bacteria survived. The surviving bacteria multiplied. When the second generation of bacteria was exposed to the same antibiotic, 85% survived. Which statement best explains the results of this investigation?

a)

The original surviving bacteria multiplied faster when exposed to the antibiotic.

b)

The second generation of bacteria adapted their genes to be resistant to the antibiotic.

c)

The original surviving bacteria passed a resistance to the antibiotic on to the next generation.

d)

The second generation of bacteria inherited a weakness caused by the antibiotic.

19.

Is the previous experiment with the antibiotics and bacteria an example of natural or artificial selection?

a)

Artificial Selection – humans are conducting the experiment and breeding the bacteria together.

b)

Natural Selection – while humans change the environment, the bacteria are not bred together, and they adapt to the environment.

c)

Natural Selection – while humans change the environment, the bacteria breed on their own.

d)

Artificial Selection – humans are breeding the bacteria together by changing the environment.

20.

Charles Darwin is considered the:

a)

"Father of Taxonomy."

b)

"Father of Natural Selection."

c)

"Father of Evolution."

d)

"Father of Genetic Adaptations."

21.

Which most accurately describes “survival of the fittest” in relation to natural selection?

a)

the ability to withstand extreme temperatures

b)

the amount of food an organism eats

c)

the mutation rate

d)

the ability to survive to reproduce

22.

What kind of bird is X ?

a)

Certhidea

b)

Camarhynchus

c)

Platyspiza

d)

Geospiza

23.

Which of these environmental factors affect natural selection? (Choose all correct answers.)

a)

disease

b)

geographic isolation

c)

human intervention

d)

catastrophe

24.

What defines a "species?" (Choose all correct answers.)

a)

similar characteristics

b)

able to interbreed

c)

closely related

d)

identical DNA

25.

Which of the following statements is true? (Choose all correct answers.)

a)

Dogs, wolves, and coyotes are in the genus Canis.

b)

The family Carnivora includes foxes, coyotes, wolves and dogs.

c)

Bats, whales, and lions are in the phylum Animalia.

d)

The scientific name for coyotes, wolves and dogs is Canis familiaris.

26.

According to this Venn diagram, which species have legs, can swim, and breathe air?

a)

cows, cats, geckos, chimpanzees, copperheads

b)

cows, cats, eckos, chimpanzees, dogs, sea turtles, humans, ducks

c)

whales, cottonmouths

d)

dogs, ducks, humans, sea turtles

27.

Which of these correctly shows the scientific name for the tree in Mrs. C’s backyard?

a)

liquidambar styraciflua

b)

Liquidambar styraciflua

c)

Liquidambar styraciflua

d)

liquidambar styraciflua

28.

In 1990, Carl Woese devised a classification scheme based on genetic similarity between RNA in the cells of different organisms. How can this establish a relationship between organisms?

a)

It would discover the origin of living things.

b)

It would show that RNA is more important in heredity than DNA.

c)

It would indicate that everything scientists have done so far is not correct.

d)

It would show how alike organisms are at the cellular level.

29.

Which of these are biological evidence for evolution? (Choose all correct answers.)

a)

atavism - reversion to ancestral characteristics suggest common evolutionary ancestors

b)

embryology - traits of one type of animal often appear in the embryo of another type of animal, suggesting common ancestors

c)

DNA - it allows scientists to compare DNA sequences between different organisms to show how they are related

d)

fossils - they show how organisms have changed over time