WorksheetsEvolution Test Review
Total questions: 52
Worksheet time: 26mins
The opossum, which is native to North America, and the kangaroo, which is native to Australia, are marsupials. The fact that both these mammals incubate their immature offspring in a pouch provides evidence that they:
Belong to the same species
Must move great distances to eat
Are descended from a common ancestor
Have very similar skeletal structures
In North America, the Eastern Spotted Skunk mates in late winter and the Western Spotted Skunk mates in late summer. Even though their geographic ranges overlap, the species do not mate with each other. What most likely prevents these two species from interbreeding?
Gametic isolation
Behavioral isolation
Geographic isolation
Temporal isolation
Populations of the same species of seal live on islands too far apart to swim between them for mating. This describes what type of isolating mechanism?
Behavioral isolation
Temporal isolation
Geographic isolation
Gametic isolation
Mechanical isolation
Tail length in mice varies within a population. Scientists observed a change in the distribution of tail lengths in a mouse population over time. Based on the graph, what has most likely happened to the allele for the shortest tail lengths?
The allele changed from being dominant to being recessive
The allele for short and long tail lengths was equally beneficial for the mice
The allele for shorter tail length was less beneficial for the mice
The allele for longer tail length was less beneficial for the mice
The skeletons of mammalian forelimbs represent variations of a structure. An analysis of DNA from these organisms would indicate that:
They have identical DNA because they have a common ancestor
Their DNA sequences show many similarities due to a common ancestor
Their DNA sequences are vastly different because they did not evolve from a common ancestor
They all have the same number of chromosomes
A mutation occurs in the genes that code for coat color in deer. The mutation is favorable and allows the deer to camouflage from their predators. How will the deer population likely change based on this mutation?
The allele for the camouflaged trait will increase in the deer population
The allele for the camouflaged trait will decrease in the deer population
There will not be an allele change in the population
The deer population will decrease as the allele frequency changes
Species of birds have elaborate courtship dances and females select the best dancers as mates. This describes what type of isolating mechanism?
Behavioral isolation
Temporal isolation
Geographic isolation
Gametic isolation
Mechanical isolation
Varieties of oak trees produce pollen that does not mix with each other. Therefore, the different varieties can’t pollinate one another. This describes what type of isolating mechanism?
Behavioral isolation
Temporal isolation
Geographic isolation
Gametic isolation
Mechanical isolation
Which condition is essential for natural selection to result in a new species?
An environment that does not change
A long life span
An inherited variation
Unlimited resources
The white cattail is a hybrid species of plant that is a result of the cross between the broad-leaved cattail and the narrow-leaved cattail. Over time, the white cattail has established itself in the wetlands of Midwestern states. Which of these explains the success of the white cattail?
Hybridization produces offspring traits that allow different species to survive in extreme environments.
Hybrid species display more adaptations due to their reduced genetic diversity.
Inherited traits passed on from parental generations make hybrid species more susceptible to disease.
Favorable genes from parental generations provide advantageous characteristics to the hybrid species.
Which location provided Charles Darwin with the most evidence for the Theory of Evolution?
Christ’s College in Cambridge
His father’s medical practice
Galapagos Islands
South Africa
There are two types of snails - those with shells that coil to the left and those with shells that coil to the right. Snails with left coiling shells are unable to mate with snails that have right coiling shells. This describes what type of isolating mechanism?
Behavioral isolation
Temporal isolation
Geographic isolation
Gametic isolation
Mechanical isolation
It is most probable that Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was highly influenced by which of the following lines of evidence?
Biochemistry and Fossils
Fossils and Anatomy
Embryology and Biochemistry
Embryology and Anatomy
The alleles of the individuals best suited to a particular environment tend to:
Increase in a population over time
Decease in a population over time
Stay the same over time
Fluctuate according to the weather
Cetaceans are whales and their relatives. The diagram shows some fossils of cetaceans. Which statement provides the best evidence that Ambulocetus natans is an ancestor of Basilosaurus isis?
Similar nitrogenous bases are found in the DNA of each fossil
Homologous structures occur in each fossil
The youngest fossil is larger than the older fossils
The fossils were found in different locations
Which structure is a vestigial structure in humans?
Thumb
Tail bone
Ears
All of the above
What are the random effects that can occur when a small population settles in an area away from the rest of the population and interbreeds, producing unique genetic variations?
Bottleneck effect
Founder effect
Habitat isolation
Isolating mechanisms
What is a structure that is reduced in size and function but may have been used in an ancestor?
Homologous structure
Analogous structure
Vestigial structure
Acquired structure
The bird wing and the butterfly wing have the same function but different structures. Which type of anatomical structure do they represent?
Homologous structure
Analogous structure
Vestigial structure
Acquired structure
Which of the following is most likely to have caused the change in the population from 1950 to 1990 shown in the graphs below?
A new predator prefers dark tan crabs
A new predator prefers light tan crabs
A new beach color makes medium tan crabs the least visible to predators
A new beach color makes medium tan crabs the most visible to predators
According to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, individuals survive because:
Individuals acquire new physical characteristics during their lifetime.
Individuals have an ability to choose to change their genes to fit the environment.
Individuals have naturally occurring mutations that can lead to better characteristics.
Individuals adapt to decrease their chances of surviving environmental pressures.
The arctic fox changes color with the seasons. Their coats are white in the winter and brown in the spring and summer. This describes what type of adaptation?
Morphological
Behavioral
Physiological
Camouflage
Mimicry
A harmless scarlet king snake and a venomous eastern coral snake have similar band patterns, as shown below. This is known as mimicry. The purpose of this adaptation in the scarlet king snake is to:
Make it easier for the scarlet king snake to attract prey
Allow the scarlet king snake to blend in with its environment
Make it easier for the scarlet king snake to interbreed with the other snakes
Protect the scarlet king snake from predators by scaring them away
Goldfish who are put into cold water will swim faster to maintain their internal body temperature. This describes what type of adaptation?
Morphological
Behavioral
Physiological
Camouflage
Mimicry
Sharks have large, sharp teeth to catch prey. This describes what type of adaptation?
Morphological
Behavioral
Physiological
Camouflage
Mimicry
What is one way that natural selection differs from genetic drift?
Natural selection causes the frequencies of alleles in a population to change
Natural selection affects smaller populations more often than larger populations
Natural selection results from some individuals producing more offspring than others
Natural selection depends on some traits helping individuals survive in their environment
Recently, due to climate change, bears have been found in the Arctic Circle that are hybrids between grizzly bears and polar bears. Before climate change, which type of isolating mechanism kept these two species from breeding?
Mating and breeding in different habitats
Production of a non viable embryo or fetus
Inability of sperm to reach the egg during mating
Failure of the fertilized egg to implant in the uterus
The cladogram shows the evolution of land plants as indicated by fossil records. Which discovery would challenge the validity of this cladogram?
A vascular plant that's 300 million years old
A fern fossil that's 425 million years old
Cuticle layers that developed 425 million years ago
A species of green algae that has existed for one million years
Imagine that DNA replication and cell division were completely error-free and that cell DNA were completely protected from substances that cause mutations. How would natural selection be affected?
It would become more efficient, since it removes mutations from the populations
It would become ineffective, since it depends on variations within populations
It would become unnecessary, since organisms would be better adapted to their environment
It would become more obvious, since it would improve on organisms with better cell protection
Dolphins are cetaceans. The fact that they have bones in their flippers resembling fingers of mammals suggest what?
Cetaceans evolved from fish
Cetaceans evolved from land mammals
Cetaceans are still mammals and only have mammalian traits
Cetaceans are still fish and only have fish-liked traits
The gene for color in Peppered Moth populations is represented by the letter B. Black moths have the dominant gene, and light/speckled moths are homozygous recessive. After the clean air act was passed and trees became lighter in color, which statement best describes the allele frequency of the Peppered Moths?
The number of moths with the “B” allele increased over several generations
The number of moths with the “b” allele decreased over several generations
The number of moths with the “b” allele increased over several generations
A population bottleneck temporarily reduced the population size of the “B” alleles by one-tenth
After examining the fossil record, scientists have determined that scorpions today are much smaller than their extinct ancestors. For example, Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, a giant scorpion species that lived 255 million to 460 million years ago, was 2.5 meters long. Which of the following conclusions is supported by this information?
Scorpions do not appear in their original state in the fossil record
Scorpions living today have increased their numbers since they first appeared
Scorpions in the fossil record are smaller than their descendants are
Scorpions have changed as a result of natural selection
The diagram shows light- and dark-colored beetles that live on a tree. Which result is most likely to occur to the beetle population due to predation over time?
The dark-colored beetles will move to a different type of tree.
The number of light-colored beetles in the population will increase.
The number of light-colored beetles will decrease.
There will be more dark-colored beetles than light-colored beetles.
Short Answer: For over a century, scientists have debated whether the giant panda was more closely related to bears or to the red panda. Using the 3 pieces of evidence shown below, fill in the rest of the CER to give pieces of evidence that support the claim and proper reasoning. (4 points) CLAIM: The Giant Panda is most closely related to the Red Panda Which of the following best supports the claim that the Giant Panda is most closely related to the Red Panda? A) Both species share similar DNA sequences and have a unique thumb structure. B) The Giant Panda and Red Panda live in the same habitat and eat bamboo exclusively. C) The Giant Panda and Red Panda have similar fur color and size. D) Both species are classified as bears in scientific taxonomy.
Both species share similar DNA sequences and have a unique thumb structure.
The Giant Panda and Red Panda live in the same habitat and eat bamboo exclusively.
The Giant Panda and Red Panda have similar fur color and size.
Both species are classified as bears in scientific taxonomy.
Fitness in terms of evolution refers to:
The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment
The physical strength of an organism
The speed at which an organism can run
The intelligence level of an organism
Some adaptations are helpful in one environment, but could be harmful in other environments. Complete the table below showing adaptations, environments and adaptation types.
Adaptation: Dark-colored peppered moths
Helpful Environment: _______________________
Harmful Environment: _______________________
Adaptation Type: Camouflage
Helpful Environment: Polluted forests
Harmful Environment: Clean forests
Helpful Environment: Clean forests
Harmful Environment: Polluted forests
Helpful Environment: Rainforests
Harmful Environment: Deserts
Helpful Environment: Urban areas
Harmful Environment: Rural areas
Some adaptations are helpful in one environment, but could be harmful in other environments. Complete the table below showing adaptations, environments and adaptation types.
Harmful Environment: Environments without great-horned owls Adaptation Type: Mimicry
Harmful Environment: Environments with abundant water Adaptation Type: Camouflage
Harmful Environment: Environments with tall trees Adaptation Type: Hibernation
Harmful Environment: Environments with constant sunlight Adaptation Type: Migration
What are the variations that exist in this beetle population?
The variations are the color of the beetles: green and brown.
The variations are the size of the beetles: large and small.
The variations are the shape of the beetles: round and oval.
The variations are the pattern on the beetles: striped and spotted.
How do the beetles overproduce?
By laying up to 600 eggs each year.
By migrating to new habitats every month.
By eating twice their body weight daily.
By living for over 10 years.
Based on the data above, which color is the most favorable trait in this environment?
Green
Red
Blue
Yellow
Which type of adaptation is enabling better survival for the green beetles in a jungle environment?
Camouflage
Migration
Hibernation
Mimicry
The beetle’s environment is changed as a prolonged dry season wipes out a large proportion of their population and creates a desert in the beetle’s environment. There are now only 300 beetles remaining. Of these 300 beetles, 230 are green and 70 are brown. Half of the new beetle population lives on the North side of the desert, and half of the population lives on the South side of the desert. (5 points) a. Which type of genetic drift event has occurred?
Bottleneck effect
Founder effect
Gene flow
Natural selection
Which type of reproductive isolation mechanism is the desert that is separating half of the beetles from each other?
Geographic isolation
Temporal isolation
Behavioral isolation
Mechanical isolation
How will the dry season, which has created more brown trees in the normally lush green jungle environment, affect the beetles over future generations?
Beetles with brown coloring will become more common as they blend in better with the environment.
Beetles will stop reproducing due to lack of green trees.
Beetles will migrate to other jungles with more green trees.
Beetles will become extinct immediately after the dry season.
The beetle’s environment is changed as a prolonged dry season wipes out a large proportion of their population and creates a desert in the beetle’s environment. There are now only 300 beetles remaining. Of these 300 beetles, 230 are green and 70 are brown. Half of the new beetle population lives on the North side of the desert, and half of the population lives on the South side of the desert. (5 points) Is it possible for a green beetle to adapt and become a brown beetle
Yes
No
Hundreds of years pass and the two beetle populations are now no longer able to interbreed. If the reason they cannot breed is because the North side beetles mate in May and the South side beetles mate in April, what type of reproductive isolation mechanism is this?
Temporal isolation
Behavioral isolation
Geographical isolation
Mechanical isolation
Which of the following is an example of natural selection in action?
Fish swimming in schools to avoid predators
Dark-colored moths becoming more common in polluted forests
All birds migrating south for winter
Humans using selective breeding to produce larger fruits
What type of adaptation allows an animal to blend in with its surroundings to avoid predators?
Physiological adaptation
Migration
Camouflage
Mimicry
Which isolating mechanism prevents two species from interbreeding due to differences in mating seasons?
Geographic isolation
Temporal isolation
Behavioral isolation
Mechanical isolation
Which of the following best describes the role of mutations in evolution?
Mutations always decrease an organism's chance of survival
Mutations introduce genetic variation that can lead to adaptation
Mutations only occur in response to environmental changes
Mutations prevent natural selection from occurring
What is the primary reason that homologous structures are considered evidence for evolution?
They result from convergent evolution
They are always found in animals that live in similar environments
They indicate a shared ancestry among different organisms
They perform identical functions in all species
Which process can lead to the formation of a new species when populations are separated by a physical barrier?
Gene flow
Geographic isolation
Artificial selection
Hybridization
