Evolution Quiz
Question 1
Select one answer.
10 points
Which are homologous features?
A. similar hind leg shape in hopping animals (grasshoppers, rabbits, fleas, kangaroos, frogs, etc.)
B. similar coloration (white in winter) in various Arctic bird and mammal species
C. similar overall body shape in creatures that live underwater (streamlining)
D. similar details of bone shape and arrangement in the vertebrate forelimb
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Question 2
Select one answer.
10 points
What evolutionary response usually occurs in human host populations that have long been affected by a particular disease like malaria?
A. Humans can learn to better deal with the disease, for example by keeping away from mosquitoes. However, the basic biology of human beings cannot evolve.
B. The human host becomes more vulnerable to the disease because of the interaction between the host and the parasite.
C. The human host population evolves to be more resistant to the effects of the disease.
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Question 3
Select one answer.
10 points
A biological lineage is a group of ____________ that evolves as an independent unit.
A. cells
B. unrelatedspecies
C. populations
D. alleles
E. genes
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Question 4
Select one answer.
10 points
Sickle cell anemia is a disorder that results when a person is born homozygous for a certain hemoglobin allele (aa). What is the connection between malaria and sickle cell anemia?
A. The sickle cell allele protects against malaria in individuals that suffer from sickle cell anemia (aa homozygotes). These individuals reproduce better than average wherever malaria is common.
B. The sickle cell allele protects against malaria in heterozygotes (Aa). Therefore the allele is very frequent in regions where malaria is common.
C. The sickle cell allele makes the effects of malaria even worse; therefore it is absent from regions where malaria is common.
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Question 5
Select one answer.
10 points
Which statement best sums up the modern theory of evolution?
A. Over the past 3 billion years, thousands of different life forms have arisen from non-life. Each one started independently and they have changed in a random way over time.
B. Each major form of life was created less than 10,000 years ago. Since then species have changed somewhat to better suit them to their environment.
C. Starting from one or a few life forms over 3 billion years ago, life has branched out. As life forms change, they tend to develop traits that aid their survival and reproduction.
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Question 6
Select one answer.
10 points
The traits that are favored by natural selection improve an individual’s ability to _______.
A. meet the standards of human breeders
B. attract mates or compete for mating opportunities
C. survive and grow in a particular environment
D. mutate more rapidly so that future populations can evolve more quickly
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Question 7
Select one answer.
10 points
The Class Mammalia includes all living species with hair and mammary glands plus related fossil species; it is a complete group containing all of the descendants of a common ancestor that also had these characteristics. Therefore the Class Mammalia is a ____________.
A. clade
B. species
C. genus
D. population
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Question 8
Select one answer.
10 points
New lineages sometimes form when populations are isolated by physical (geographic) barriers. This process is known as _____________.
A. allopatric speciation
B. sympatric speciation
C. gene flow
D. sexual selection
E. natural selection
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Question 9
Select one answer.
10 points
Ideally, in modern biology a taxonomic group such as the Phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms) is…
A. a collection of unrelated species that share a few key characteristics such as a flat body shape.
B. a clade that includes all of the descendants of a common ancestor and are united by one or more inherited characteristics.
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Question 10
Select one answer.
10 points
Which statement is true about Charles Darwin?
A. He was the first to ask questions about the origins of life
B. He was the first to publish the traditional belief of evolution.
C. He was the first to propose a hypothesis for the origin of life
D. He was the first to outline the modern theory of evolution
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Question 11
Select one answer.
10 points
At the point labeled “2” in the diagram above, downward-pointing nostrils evolved. Which of the following groups should share this homologous feature with humans?
A. New world monkeys
B. Lemurs and lorises
C. Apes and Old world monkeys
D. Tarsiers
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Question 12
Select one answer.
10 points
Biomedical research is directed at finding ways to support and protect human health. Where can biologists look if they wish to learn more about the detailed inner workings of the human body?
A. Biomedical research must be done on living human subjects, cultured human tissues, or cadavers (recently deceased humans). Studies of other organisms cannot be applied to address human health concerns.
B. Biomedical research can be done on a huge range of different species – everything from yeast to worms to monkeys. Humans are related to all life forms to some degree, and we can study all of them to learn more about our bodies and cells.
C. Biomedical research can be done on humans or on a few very closely related species – primates such as monkeys and apes. Other species do not offer useful information about humans, because they are not related to us.
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Question 13
Select one answer.
10 points
Which is most likely to be a single gene pool? All of the genes and alleles that are found in…
A. all of the different species of birds that live in the State of Wisconsin.
B. all individuals of a widespread species of bird, including individuals living in Asia, Africa, North America, and Australia.
C. all individuals of a single species of bird (the Piping Plover) along the beaches of the Great Lakes in the Midwestern United States.
D. the cells of a single bird.
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Question 14
Select one answer.
10 points
Over time, technologies change. For example the internal combustion engine has begun to change rapidly in recent years with new fuel-efficient designs and modifications. This is an example of biological evolution.
A. True
B. False
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Question 15
Select one answer.
10 points
On a small island far out to sea lives an isolated population of iguanas (lizards). They are greenish brown in color. A bright pink and orange individual is born. It carries a new allele of a gene involved with pigmentation (color pattern). This new allele was probably added to the population through…
A. mutation
B. natural selection
C. sexual selection
D. genetic drift
E. gene flow
