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Evolution and QA review

Total questions: 45

Worksheet time: 33mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What would most likely happen in a population that is approaching the carrying capacity of its environment?

a)

Competition for available resources among individuals would increase.

b)

The numbers of individuals dying in the population would decrease.

c)

The numbers of individuals born in the population would increase.

d)

There would be more food available to the surviving individuals.

2.

The white-tailed deer population in some areas has grown too large because there are no natural predators. This loss of a natural predator for the deer, has led to what in the deer population?

a)

The deer become overpopulated.

b)

Deer no longer live that area.

c)

all of these options

d)

Underpopulation of deer.

3.

Female cowbirds often lay their eggs in the nest of wrens, which unwittingly raise the young cowbirds as their own. Because the baby cowbird is bigger than the other birds it is fed first and gets to eat more than the other birds. The other birds in the nest may therefore starve. The relationship between the baby cowbirds and wren bird is an example of

a)

commensalism

b)

competition

c)

parasitism

d)

mutualism

4.

Which of the following is NOT a form of symbiosis?

a)

parasitism

b)

mutualism

c)

commensalism

d)

successionism

5.

What do environmental scientists currently attribute a major portion of global warming/climate change (the greenhouse effect) to?

a)

the release of nitrogen from decaying garbage in landfills

b)

the release of carbon from burning fossil fuels

c)

the pollution of the atmosphere from nuclear power plants

d)

the release of nitrogen from burning fossil fuels

6.

Many biologists who study living systems of the world are concerned about the loss of biodiversity, due to extinctions related to human impact. What they are worried about is

a)

an environmental catastrophe, such as a major meteor impact with the earth.

b)

an increase of incidences of genetic mutation in earth’s animals and plants.

c)

a reduction of the variety of species of plants and animals on the earth.

d)

a reduction of the total numbers of animals and plants on the earth.

7.

Wildfires sometimes are caused by lightning, when this happens in nature, many organisms

a)

undergo mutualism

b)

become overpopulated

c)

remain in the area.

d)

are left without their habitats.

8.

Clownfish live within the protective tentacles of the sea anemone. In return, the sea anemone receives cleaning. What kind of symbiosis does this represent?

a)

competition

b)

commensalism

c)

parasitism

d)

mutualism

9.

Using the food web, determine a possible outcome if frogs were removed.

a)

butterfly populations would increase, while lavender and corn populations would increase

b)

Rat and wolf populations would increase, while python and grasshopper populations decrease

c)

corn populations would decrease, grasshopper populations would increase, and python populations would decrease

d)

Eagle populations would decrease, Thrush populations would decrease, and dragonfly populations would increase

10.

What can you infer from the image?

a)

the Human is more evolved than the Rabbit

b)

They are all evolved from each other

c)

Humans evolved from fish

d)

The organisms have common ancestry

11.

Changes in the amount of DDT runoff into local tributaries eventually worked it's way through the food web and caused Bald Eagle eggs to become soft and pliable. This could lead to...

a)

The extinction of eagle species.

b)

Increases in the number of individuals of some eagle species

c)

Eagle nation fans to riot

d)

The emergence of new eagle species over time

12.

On his travels, Darwin noticed that a particular species of bird had adapted its beak shape to fill multiple niches. Why did this arise?

a)

competition for limited resources

b)

the potential for a species to increase in number

c)

the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction

d)

the proliferation of organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment

13.

Peppered Moths are normally white with black speckles across the wings. This patterning makes it well camouflaged against lichen-covered trees. There is also a naturally occurring genetic mutation which causes some moths to have almost black wings. These black forms are not as well camouflaged and are more likely to be eaten by birds and other predators. However, during The Industrial Revolution, massive amounts of coal were burned resulting in soot accumulation on local trees. What happened to the moths in response to this environmental shift?

a)

mutated peppered moths were able to survive better and spread throughout the population

b)

The mutated peppered moths were predated at a higher rate

c)

normal peppered moths were predated on less often

d)

normal peppered moths were predated on more often until they mutated their coloration trait and spread throughout the population

14.

We are currently undergoing a mass extinction over 1000 times higher than "normal" extinction levels. What is thought to be the cause of this extinction event?

a)

Earthquakes

b)

Meteorite Strikes

c)

Human Impact

d)

Global Warming

e)

Wildfires

15.

Long ago, whales evolved from land mammals. Use the image to help identify which piece of evolutionary evidence best illustrates the ancestry

a)

Analogous Structures

b)

Evolutionary Embryology

c)

DNA Evidence

d)

Homologous Structures

e)

Vestigial Structures

16.

Which best describes the relationship seen in the following image?

a)

homologous structures, uncommon ancestry

b)

analogous structures, common ancestry

c)

homologous Structures, common ancestry

d)

vestigial structures, spontaneous speciaition

17.

GermX kills 99.9% of germs. Why do .1% of germs survive?

a)

.1% of germs survive because germs are able to reproduce very quickly

b)

.1% of germs have a genetic mutation that allows them to survive the chemical onslaught

c)

.1% survive because they are sexually selected for dthe proliferation of germs is so high that germX is unable to reach all of them

d)

the proliferation of germs is so high that germX is unable to reach all of them

18.

Male Peacocks are vibrantly colored and have unnecessarily long tail feathers for flying. In fact, the length of their tail feathers impedes their flight abilities and their vibrancy sticks out like succulent orange in the vast greenery (to potential predators anyway). Why, then, would the peacock have evolved to be so easily preyed upon?

a)

Reproductive Isolation

b)

Geographic Isolation

c)

Live fast, die young

d)

Sexual selection

19.

The species of finches that Darwin observed differed in the shape of their beaks. According to Darwin, all of

these species probably

a)

had migrated from Africa

b)

ate the same diet.

c)

had a common ancestor

d)

had descended from similar birds in Africa

20.

The process by which a population becomes better suited to its environment is known as

a)

variation.

b)

adaptation.

c)

acclimation.

d)

accommodation

21.

According to Darwin, evolution occurs

a)

because of natural selection

b)

so rapidly that it can be observed easily.

c)

during half-life periods of 5,715 years.

d)

only through artificial selection

22.

The major idea that Darwin presented in his book The Origin of Species was that

a)

species change over time by natural selection.

b)

species may change in small ways but cannot give rise to new species.

c)

animals change, but plants remain the same over time

d)

species change over time and never compete with each other

23.

Natural selection is the process by which

a)

the age of selected fossils is calculated

b)

organisms with traits well suited to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than organisms less suited to the same environment.

c)

acquired traits are passed on from one generation to the next.

d)

All of these

24.

Natural selection could not occur without

a)

gradual warming of the Earth.

b)

competition for unlimited resources.

c)

stable environments.

d)

genetic variation in species

25.

Since natural resources are limited, all organisms

a)

have inherited characteristics.

b)

display vestigial structures.

c)

must migrate to new habitats.

d)

must compete for resources.

26.

Refer to the illustration. An analysis of DNA from these organisms would indicate that

a)

they all have the same number of chromosomes.

b)

they have identical DNA.

c)

they all have the same number of bones.

d)

their nucleotide sequences show many similarities.

27.

Refer to the illustration above. The similarity of these structures is one form of evidence that the organisms

a)

share a common ancestor

b)

evolved instantaneously.

c)

all grow at different rates.

d)

live for a long time.

28.

Refer to the illustration. The bones labeled “X” can be referred to as

a)

sequential structures.

b)

analogous structures

c)

vestigial structures

d)

homologous structures.

29.

Which of the following is most likely a vestigial structure?

a)

a fossil of a snail

b)

flower color

c)

the beak of a finch

d)

the human tailbone

30.

Homologous structures in organisms provide evidence that the organisms

a)

have a skeletal structure.

b)

share a common ancestor.

c)

must have lived at different times.

d)

are now extinct.

31.

The beak of a bird and the beak of a giant squid evolved independently and serve the same function. The beaks are

a)

divergent structures

b)

homologous structures.

c)

analogous structures

d)

hybrid structures.

32.

Evidence that evolution occurs includes all of the following except

a)

similarities and differences in proteins and DNA sequences between organisms.

b)

the fossil record.

c)

homologous structures among different organisms.

d)

acquired characteristics.

33.

The accumulation of differences between populations that once formed a single population is called

a)

coevolution

b)

divergent evolution.

c)

adaptation.

d)

cumulative differentiation.

34.

The process in which two or more species become more adapted over time to each other’s presence is called

a)

competition.

b)

coevolution.

c)

radiation.

d)

divergence.

35.

Over millions of years, plants and their pollinators have

a)

become competitive.

b)

crossbred

c)

become parasites.

d)

coevolved.

36.

While the shark and dolphin are similar in appearance, dolphins evolved from ancestors that were very different from sharks. The current similarity between sharks and dolphins is an example of

a)

coevolution.

b)

biogeography.

c)

convergent evolution.

d)

divergent evolution.

37.

Artificial selection has been used by humans to

a)

speed up the process of divergent evolution.

b)

study the process of coevolution.

c)

slow down the process of convergent evolution.

d)

stop evolution in domestic animals.

38.

Which of the following conditions can cause evolution to take place?

a)

genetic drift

b)

nonrandom mating

c)

All of these

d)

migration

39.

Speciation can occur as a result of geographic isolation because

a)

the biological concept of species defines individuals that do not interbreed as members of different species.

b)

members of a species can no longer find mates.

c)

populations that live in different environments may be exposed to different selection pressures.

d)

All of these

40.

What type of speciation occurs when new species arise as a result of geographic isolation?

a)

sympatric speciation

b)

postzygotic speciation

c)

prezygotic speciation

d)

allopatric speciation

41.

Reproductive isolation differs from geographic isolation in that

a)

geographic isolation never leads to speciation, whereas reproductive isolation sometimes does.

b)

reproductive isolation only occurs after fertilization, whereas geographic isolation occurs before fertilization.

c)

members of two species in which reproductive isolation occurs never try to interbreed, whereas geographically isolated ones do.

d)

members of the same species are not physically separated in reproductive isolation, whereas they are separated in geographic isolation.

42.

Which of the following is an example of postzygotic isolation?

a)

A mating call is not recognized by a potential mate.

b)

Mating times of potential mates differ

c)

Offspring of two individuals of interbreeding species die early.

d)

None of these

43.

What type of population is most susceptible to loss of genetic variability as a result of genetic drift?

a)

large populations

b)

medium-sized populations

c)

small populations

d)

populations that fluctuate in size

44.

A change in the frequency of a particular gene in one direction in a population is called

a)

directional selection.

b)

acquired variation.

c)

chromosome drift.

d)

stabilizing selection.

45.

Which of the following is not a form of prezygotic isolation?

a)

different months of flowering of two wildflower species

b)

species-specific recognition proteins on the surfaces of egg and sperm cells

c)

different courtship rituals of different species

d)

the formation of a sterile hybrid between two species