wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

NEW

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Evolution Test

Total questions: 41

Worksheet time: 2hrs 3mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

In the 1800s Jean-Baptiste Lamarck offered a hypothesis about evolution called the inheritance of acquired characteristics. Which of the following is an example of how Lamarck thought animals evolved?

a)

Fish mutated the genes necessary to develop lungs and were able to eventually survive on land.

b)

Giraffes once had short necks and stretched them reaching for leaves on trees, later passing the longer neck trait to their offspring.

c)

Dark moths, once outnumbered by light moths, began to survive longer and reproduce more after the industrial revolution turned the trees black.

d)

The earth has been here so long that animals have had plenty of time to adapt to their environment through natural selection.

2.

Which of the following men developed a theory of evolution very similar to Charles Darwin’s around the same time that Darwin developed his theory?

a)

Malthus

b)

Lyell

c)

Lamarck

d)

Wallace

3.

The hip bones in a whale are examples of

a)

homologous structures

b)

analogous structures

c)

fossils

d)

vestigial structures

4.
The structures shown are_________
a)
homologous
b)
heterologous
c)
analogous
d)
vestigial
5.
The gradual change in species over time is...
a)
Evolution
b)
Nucleotide 
c)
Adaptation
d)
Natural Selection
6.
The white feathers of a snowy owl allow it to blend in with its environment during the winter months (snow). This is an example of ________________
a)
Species
b)
Environmental Change
c)
Adaptation
d)
Variation
7.
In stage one (top row) of these embryos, most of the embryos________
a)
look very similar.
b)
have very different features.
c)
show different stages of development.
d)
have only a tail if they are non-human.
8.

The hypothesis that evolution occurs at an irregular rate through geologic time is known as

a)

directional equilibrium

b)

punctuated evolution

c)

directional evolution

d)

punctuated equilibrium

9.

According to natural selection organisms with greater fitness pass their genes onto the next generation at a higher rate than other organisms. In evolutionary terms, great fitness refers to organisms _____________.

a)

Surviving Longer

b)

Reproducing more

c)

Being physically stronger

10.

Which statement best describes the process of evolution?

a)

Populations can survive in different locations on earth

b)

Environmental conditions limit the number of species on Earth

c)

Populations grow when resources are abundant

d)

The traits of a species can change over time

11.

All of the following are evidence for evolution EXCEPT for:

a)

Similar developmental patterns (embryos)

b)

Homologous structures

c)

Similarities in DNA

d)

Different genes

12.

Which of the following is NOT part of Darwin's original theory of evolution?

a)

Natural selection eliminates the least fit organisms from the population.

b)

Members of the population compete for resources.

c)

Gene mutations add more diversity to the population.

d)

Those that have the best traits survive and reproduce.

13.
According to this data, the unknown bacterial species is most closely related to: 
a)
Species I
b)
Species II
c)
Species III
d)
Species IV
14.
The diagram shows fossils in different rock layers. Which of these statements about the age of these fossils is most likely correct?
a)
Fossil A and C are the same age
b)
Fossil B is older than fossil C
c)
Fossils A is older than fossil B
d)
Fossil D is older than fossil C
15.
According to this cladogram, sharks are MOST closely related to which organism? 
a)
Amphibians
b)
Ray finned fish
c)
Crocodiles
d)
Birds
16.
According to the cladogram, which organism is most distantly related to the human?
a)
crayfish
b)
grasshopper
c)
perch
d)
frog
17.

Predict which moth would increase in population

a)

light

b)

dark

c)

There will equal amounts of dark and light

18.
Structures are similar in appearance but not in structure
a)
Vestigial 
b)
Homologous 
c)
Analogous Structures 
d)
Embryonic 
19.
__________________________acts on a population as a group and NOT on an individual member within that group.
a)
Adaptations
b)
Genetic Drift
c)
Gene Flow
d)
Natural Selection
20.
_______________________ is the moving of genes from one population to another population of a species.
a)
Genetic Drift
b)
Gene Flow
c)
Recombination
d)
Speciation
21.
Which of the following is an example of the founder effect?
a)
Bald Eagles are hunted until near extinction, population recovers.
b)
Small group of iguanas floats to an island, starts a new population.
c)
Red fox pups are more likely to survive in a snowy environment if they are born white.
d)
Farmer chooses seeds from largest apples to plant next year.  This results in larger apples from year to year.
22.
What does the picture represent?
a)
Founder Effect
b)
Mutations
c)
Bottleneck effect
d)
Gene Flow
23.

Genetic drift is change in the allele frequency of a population due to...

a)

random chance

b)

natural selection

c)

non-random mating (sexual selection)

d)

artificial selection

24.
A _____________________ involves a change in the genetic code of an organism.  Because this change occurs in the genetic code, it is passed on to future generations.
a)
Morphology
b)
Mutation
c)
Gene Flow
d)
Genetic Drift
25.
On island chains like the one shown below, animal populations that spread from the main island to the other islands can evolve into separate species. Which of the following best explains why speciation can occur in this situation? 
a)
Predators on the main island can easily migrate to follow the populations to the other islands.
b)
The physical separation of the islands from the main island limits gene flow and interbreeding between the populations.
c)
Lack of disease on the other island enables the populations to grow and change without limits.
d)
The climatic conditions of the islands allow the populations to breed all year long and produce several generations.
26.

Mimicry is a type of adaptation allowing an organism to copy traits from another organism. Why would a non venomous milk snake want to mimic a venomous coral snake?

a)

to protect itself from predators

b)

so it can attract prey

c)

so it can interbreed with a coral snake

27.
Sharks and dolphins both have streamlined bodies that allow them to move through water efficiently, this is an example of which type of evolution?
a)
Divergent
b)
Coevolution
c)
Convergent
d)
Artificial
28.
When organisms selects their mates based on traits- ex. bright coloring, feather size, and sounds
a)
Natural Selection
b)
Inbreeding
c)
Gene Flow
d)
Non-random Mating
29.

The formation of a new species as a result of an ancestral population's becoming isolated by a geographic barrier

a)

bottleneck effect

b)

speciation

c)

allopatric

d)

sympatric

30.

Form of natural selection by which the center of the curve remains in its current position; occurs when individuals near the center of a distribution curve have higher fitness than individuals at either end

a)

stabilizing selection

b)

disruptive selection

c)

directional selection

d)

vestigial selection

31.
Which of the following statements best explains why some mosquitoes survived after the first spraying?
a)
Some mosquitoes had a genetic mutation that made them resistant to the insecticide
b)
A.  All mosquitoes had a genetic mutation that made them resistant to the insecticide
c)
A.  None of the mosquitoes had a genetic mutation that made them resistant to the pesticide
32.

Which statement is true comparing natural selection and artificial selection?

a)

In natural selection, traits benefit humans and in artificial selection, the traits benefit the species

b)

In natural selection, traits benefit the species and in artificial selection, the traits benefit humans

c)

In natural and artificial selection, the process takes hundreds of years to occur

d)

In natural and artificial selection, nature determines what traits will be passed down to offspring.

33.

If a population experiences no migration, is very large, has no mutations, has random mating, and there is no selection, which of the following would you predict?

a)

The population will evolve, but much more slowly than normal

b)

The makeup of the population's gene pool will remain virtually the same as long as these conditions hold.

c)

The composition of the population's gene pool will change slowly in a predictable manner.

d)

Dominant alleles in the population's gene pool will slowly increase in frequency while recessive alleles will decrease.

e)

The population probably has an equal frequency of A and a alleles.

34.
When a population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium,  what is NOT happening to the species?
a)
Survival
b)
Reproduction
c)
Death
d)
Evolution
35.

One sex competes over obtaining mates, and only those with specific traits are successful.

a)

Male Competition

b)

Female Choice

c)

Evolution

d)

Species

36.
The hypothesis that evolution of a species occurs gradually over time as a slow and constant process is known as
a)
speciation
b)
punctuated equilibrium
c)
gradualism
d)
microevolution
37.

Choose the Type of Selection this represents: Larger squirrels can carry larger acorns to their burrows, and they outcompete smaller squirrels when acorn supplies are limited

a)

Directional

b)

Stabilizing

c)

Disruptive

38.
Which of the following must occur for speciation to happen?
a)
geographic isolation
b)
reproductive isolation
c)
temporal isolation
d)
behavioral isolation
39.
Do prezygotic isolating mechanisms occur:
a)
before the zygote
b)
after the zygote
c)
at the same time as the zygote
d)
none of these
40.

Altruism directed toward those who are related to you. The primary motive is the increased probability of shared reproductive success due to genetic relatedness.

a)

kin selection

b)

small group reciprocal altruism

c)

Handicap principle

d)

group selection

41.

The three species pictured share a common ancestor and have adapted so that each lives in a different environment. This is an example of

a)

Law of Superposition

b)

Evolutionary Arms Race

c)

Divergent Evolution

d)

Convergent Evolution