WorksheetsBiology- Evolution Test Review
Total questions: 50
Worksheet time: 4hrs 10mins
Which phrase best describes evolution?
Development of characteristics that organisms need in response to changes in environmental conditions
Change in populations from simple to complex organisms
Change in populations from complex to simpler organisms
Genetic change in populations that gives rise to new life forms from common ancestors
The tongue of frog species X is sticky and it evolved by natural selection for trapping flying insects. Other frogs have less sticky tongues. The sticky tongue of species X is an example of
a fossil
adaptive radiation
an adaptation
a co-opted feature
The organisms shown below are all vertebrates. What conclusion is supported by the structural similarities of the bones in the forelimbs of these organisms?
The organisms changed from simple to complex
The organisms share a common ancestor
The organisms evolved by punctuated equilibrium
The organisms evolved by the inheritance of acquired characteristics
Scientists found the fossilized remains of a mammal’s jaw and leg. What additional information do scientists need to hypothesize the age of the fossil?
The rest of the skeleton
The continent where the fossils were found
A stratigraphic layer where the fossils were found
The climate at the time the mammal died
Monkeys and apes have blood proteins more similar to each other than either is to the blood proteins of horses. What does this similarity suggest about monkeys and apes as compared to horses?
Only monkeys and apes can interbreed
Monkeys and apes live in the same habitat
Monkeys and apes share a more recent common ancestor
Monkeys and apes evolved at the same time
Which of the following best describes adaptive radiation?
The relatively rapid evolution from a common ancestor of multiple species that occupy newly available environments.
The relatively slow evolution from a common ancestor of multiple species when food and water are limited.
The relatively rapid evolution from a common ancestor of multiple species when the environment induces new mutations.
The relatively slow evolution from a common ancestor of multiple species that randomly change in newly available environments.
Natural selection of bird beak sizes and shapes is most likely to occur when ____
The birds cooperate to find and share food.
Many of the birds fight with one another and the physically strongest ones win.
There is a shortage of food and so the birds must compete with one another.
There is more than enough food to meet all the birds’ needs.
How did the different beak types first evolve in the Galapagos finches?
Changes in beak size and shape occurred because the birds needed to be able to eat different kinds of food to survive.
There was natural variation in the finch beak structures. When there was a fit between beak structure and available food, those birds had an increased chance for survival and reproduction.
The environment induced mutations and genetic changes to the size and shape of the finch beaks.
The finches’ beaks randomly changed a little bit in size and shape with each successive generation. Over time this produced a range of sizes and shapes
What type of variation in finches is passed to their descendants?
Behaviors that are chosen during a finch’s lifetime.
Only characteristics that are beneficial during a finch’s lifetime.
Characteristics that are genetically determined.
Characteristics that are positively influenced by the environment during a finch’s lifetime
On the Galapagos Islands, finch populations with different beak shapes and sizes became distinct species. These species were distributed on the various islands. What statement explains why they became distinct species?
Finch populations were variable. Individuals whose features were best suited to the available food supply on each island reproduced most successfully.
Finch populations were essentially alike. The varied environments on the islands induced genetic changes in individuals based on the available food supply.
Individual finches on each island gradually developed the beaks they needed during their lifetime.
Species of finches developed different beak types because they needed them to obtain food.
A change in structure, behavior, or physiology that enhances survival and reproductive success in a particular environment is called ____
adaptation
mimicry
genetic drift
gene flow
Which of the following can occur when a population is geographically isolated from another population?
replication
speciation
convergence
mimicry
Which statement is NOT part of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection?
Individuals in a population of a species vary in many ways.
Some individuals possess features that increase their probability to survive compared to individuals lacking these features.
More offspring are produced within a population of a species than can generally survive.
Changes in the environment cause beneficial mutations
Individuals with traits that give them a higher probability of surviving and reproducing at a rate greater than other individuals in an environment become more common in the population. What is this part of the evolutionary mechanism called?
Genetic drift
Mutation
Gene flow
Natural selection
Three different species of salamanders are found on five neighboring islands. These three species are similar to one species found on a nearby continent. Salamanders eat a variety of insects and plants. Evolution is most likely to occur when____
there is an abundant amount of food.
there are a variety of food sources.
there is competition for resources.
None of the above
What is most likely to happen to the lizards of a certain species when the food supply is limited?
Lizards cooperate to find food and share what they find with the other lizards.
The lizards learn to eat another food supply.
Genetic changes that would allow lizards to eat new food sources are likely to be produced.
Lizards unable to compete for food will die of starvation and malnutrition.
The different species of mice living in three areas have varying body sizes. Which statement most likely explains the variations according to the theory of natural selection?
The mice needed to change in order to survive, so favorable new traits developed.
The mice wanted to become different in size, so favorable new traits gradually appeared in the population.
Mutation and sexual recombination both created new variations in mouse body sizes.
The environment caused genes for body size to change in the mice.
Which statement best describes a trait in frogs that is likely to be inherited by offspring?
A parent frog learns to catch a certain kind of insect. The offspring of this frog can inherit this skill.
A parent frog develops strong fingers while eating prey. The offspring of this frog can inherit this trait.
A parent frog broke its finger crawling over rocks. The offspring of this frog can inherit broken fingers.
A parent frog is born with an extra finger. The offspring of this parent can inherit extra fingers.
Which of the following did NOT influence Darwin’s ideas about natural selection?
Ideas about geological change
Ideas about genetics
Ideas on population growth and competition
Ideas about common ancestry
The mole rat is an animal with long claws and teeth for digging deep holes. Scientists think the ancestors of the mole rat lived above ground and had shorter claws and teeth. Which of the following processes resulted in the long claws and teeth that are traits of the mole rat?
Natural selection
Selective breeding
Genetic engineering
Asexual reproduction
Which of the following can be a cause of the extinction of a species?
Land degradation
Disease
Environmental change
All of these
“Biodiversity” refers to the idea that ____
taxa can be classified in a hierarchy of levels.
species vary at the ecosystem, species, and genetic levels.
not every individual in a species is identical.
every individual in a species is similar.
Geologic time periods are determined by:
The origin and extinction of taxa
An equal number of years
The depth of sediments in rock layers
The activity of volcanoes
A paleontologist is most likely to study:
Animal behavior
Biochemistry
Human genetics
Fossils
The Galapagos finches are a group of closely related species of birds. Over time, specialized beaks have evolved for each species in new environments. This is an example of which of the following?
Adaptive radiation
Coevolution
Co-option
Sexual selection
Approximately 99% of the information in human DNA is shared by chimpanzee DNA. This is evidence of which of the following?
As chimpanzees evolve, they will become more similar to humans.
Chimpanzees and humans share a common ancestor.
Humans evolved from chimpanzees.
All of these
Which of the following is necessary in order for speciation to occur?
A large number of mutations accumulating within a population.
Reproductive isolation of populations of organisms.
A reduction in the number of individuals in a population.
Geographic isolation of populations of organisms.
The tree below shows the phylogenetic relationships of seven taxa. Which of the following is NOT a clade (a group that includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants)?
B + C
G + H
B + C + E
B + C + E + F + G + H
According to geological evidence the earth is
hundreds of years old
thousands of years old
millions of years old
billions of years old
Over long periods of time, some taxa have become extinct, while new taxa have evolved. These changes together are known as
adaptation
macroevolution
taxonomy
artificial selection
A scientist digs in an undisturbed field and finds a leg bone of dinosaur A about 6 meters below the surface. She keeps digging and finds a jawbone of dinosaur B about 15 meters below the surface. Based on this information, which is the MOST likely conclusion?
Dinosaur A lived before dinosaur B.
Dinosaur B lived before dinosaur A.
Both dinosaurs are from the same geologic time period.
No conclusion can be made.
Which of the following taxa have existed on Earth for the longest period of time?
Single-celled organisms
Multicellular organisms
Reptiles
Mammals
A man lifts weights and exercises until he is very muscular. He works out with the hope that his unborn children will also be physically muscular. A problem with his idea is that ____
characteristics that are acquired during one’s lifetime cannot be passed onto offspring.
not all offspring want to be muscular, and this desire can be passed onto offspring.
these characteristics may make the offspring less likely to survive.
not all offspring need to be muscular, and this need can be passed onto offspring.
Which of the following statements about the DNA of two species is TRUE?
The more similar the DNA, the more distant the common ancestor is likely to be.
The more similar the DNA, the more recent the common ancestor is likely to be.
The more different the DNA, the more likely it is that their common ancestor is extinct.
You cannot conclude anything about common ancestry using DNA evidence.
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Extinct organisms may be related to living taxa.
Extinct organisms may be related to other extinct taxa.
Neither option
Both extinct organisms may be related to living taxa AND extinct organisms may be related to other extinct taxa.
Based on the evidence in the diagram below, the taxon that lived the most recently is ____
a
b
c
d
To determine the time span during which the species of fish shown in the diagram below lived, you should ____
measure the length of the fish.
measure how far down the plant remains were found.
compare the fish to the plant.
compare this column to columns from other locations.
Which of the following lists taxa from earliest to latest in the fossil record?
Bacteria, fish, mammals
Bacteria, mammals, fish
Fish, bacteria, mammals
Mammals, fish, bacteria
Every so often, the yellow butterflies that live in a pine forest have a red offspring. The red butterflies are more likely to be seen and eaten by predators, and are less likely to survive and reproduce. This process is known as ____
evidence
mutation
variation
natural selection
Every so often, the yellow butterflies that live in a pine forest have a red offspring. The red butterflies are more likely to be seen and eaten by predators. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
The red butterflies are possibly a result of mutation.
The red butterflies most likely needed to change in order to survive an environmental condition other than predation.
The red butterflies have no effect on the variation within the butterfly population.
None of the above.
A population of large fish eats the smaller brown fish that live near the bottom of the ocean. Every so often, the brown fish have a green offspring, which are more easily seen and eaten by predators. The brown fish survive in the ocean because____
they need to be brown in order to survive and reproduce.
they swim faster than the green fish
their coloring makes them more fit than the green fish
none of the above
Every so often, the green moths in a population that lives in a pine forest have a brown offspring. The brown moths are more likely to be seen and eaten by predators. If increased pollution caused the pine trees in the forest to be heavily covered with brown particles, what is most likely to happen?
The green moths would survive, but would become covered in brown particles.
The green moths would decide to have more offspring in order to survive.
The green moths would be less likely to be eaten by the birds. Over time, the moth population would still have more green moths.
The brown moths would be less likely to be eaten by the birds. Over time, the moth population would have more brown moths.
Which of the following is FALSE?
Humans have had no effect on the biodiversity of organisms on Earth.
Variation in species between ecosystems is a product of evolution.
Biodiversity is a product of evolution.
Evolutionary processes can maintain biodiversity.
Which of the following statements explains genetic variation? Genetic variation arises____
when organisms need to change in order to survive in a new environment.
through mutation and sexual recombination.
from environmental changes that affect organisms.
from traits acquired during the lifetime of an organism.
Parrot P has a larger bill than other parrots of the same species. When Parrot P breeds, some of its offspring also have larger bills. Parrot P’s large bill is most likely the result of
a mutation
natural selection
a change in diet
inheritance of an acquired habit
Variation is the result of ____
an organism consciously adapting to its environment.
randomly-occurring mutations.
both
neither
A female giraffe with a short neck is having a difficult time reaching the leaves on the taller trees. According to the theory of natural selection, which of the following is possible?
Because the giraffe stretches to reach the taller trees, her neck grows longer and her offspring all have longer necks.
Because the giraffe decides that she should have offspring with longer necks she looks for a mate with a long neck.
Although the giraffe survives on leaves from shorter trees her offspring with longer necks are more likely to survive.
Although the giraffe survives on leaves from shorter trees her offspring all have longer necks.
Male northern elephant seals fight with one another once a year. Unsuccessful males are less likely to mate than successful males. This is an example of which of the following?
Adaptive radiation
Homology
Analogy
Sexual selection
The striking molecular similarities found among diverse species of living taxa can be explained by common ancestry.
true
false
Biodiversity at any time on Earth is the result of both the evolution and extinction of taxa.
true
false
