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Quick Check - Natural Selection and Mutations

Total questions: 13

Worksheet time: 8mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is an inherited trait?

a)

A skill that is developed through practice

b)

A characteristic determined by an organism's genes

c)

an organism's place in the food web

d)

an organisms relationship to its parents

2.

When is a trait most likely to be passed on to the next generation?

a)

When it serves no purpose

b)

When it becomes an advantage to the organism's survival

c)

When it gives the organism a lot of water

d)

When it prevents the organism from finding a mate

3.

In the phrase "survival of the fittest," the term "fittest" refers to:

a)

The best-adapted organisms

b)

The biggest organisms

c)

The smartest organisms

d)

The fastest organisms

4.

When nature "selects" a variation, that means that the trait:

a)

Gets passed along from generation to generation

b)

Causes the population to shrink

c)

Has brought about a new species

d)

Helps prey escape predators

5.

Mutations are a change in what?

a)

DNA

b)

tRNA

c)

protein

d)

rRNA

6.

Due to genetic inheritance, members of a species can be slightly different from another in their traits. This is known as...

a)

Variation

b)

Overproduction

c)

Competition

d)

Evolution

7.

Mutations are__________

a)

Harmful

b)

Harmful or beneficial

c)

Neutral

d)

Harmful, neutral, or beneficial

8.
A rabbit that has short deformed legs and cannot jump or run fast would have a____
a)
Harmful mutation
b)
Beneficial mutation
c)
Neutral mutation
d)
normal life
9.
A desert animal with extra thick fur/hair would be___
a)
Harmful
b)
Neutral
c)
Beneficial
d)
Happy
10.

Mutations that cause dramatic changes in protein structure are often

a)

harmful

b)

helpful

c)

neutral

11.

Can DNA mutations(changes) be passed on to offspring?

a)

yes

b)

no

12.

Peppered moths show variation in their color, with some being dark and some being light. What causes this variation?

a)

It depends on the environment they live in

b)

The dark-colored moths will survive better in dark environments

c)

Light-colored moths have a harmful mutation

d)

There was a random mutation in the gene for color

13.

If a mutation is beneficial to an organism, this mutation is likely to...

a)

increase in the population

b)

decrease in the population

c)

go extinct

d)

have a harmful effect