QUESTIONS AND ACCURATE
ANSWERS GRADED A+ LATEST
2026 UPDATE!!
From lecture 3.1. What were the experiences that Darwin had during the 'Voyage of the
Beagle' that subsequently may have influenced his development of his theory of
evolution by natural selection? - answer-Visited Galapagos Islands
Encountered a range of human societies - including slave-holding cultures, Native
South American tribes, and others.
Observed fossils somewhat similar (but with notable differences)to creatures living in
the present day.
From lecture 3.1: Why did Darwin himself collect a range of pigeon breeds and
communicate closely with pigeon breeders? - answer-Darwin was interested in the
question of artificial selection and how it might be similar to natural selection in its
effects.
From module 3.2a and 3.2b: Which researcher scooped Darwin by independently
developing his own take on evolution by natural selection? This forced Darwin to publish
his ideas much sooner than he had planned. - answer-Alfred Russel Wallace
From lecture 3.2. Which of the following issues raised by Darwin's book continue to
resonate today? - answer-It is still an ongoing discussion as societies attempt to
reconcile religious belief with the ideas of Darwin and Wallace.
Evolutionary theory is still a useful science that continues to develop.
Geological records and fossil data continue to add depth to our understanding.
From lecture 3.3 (Evolution as a practical idea): Which of the following below are
examples of evolution relevant to human
health and agriculture? - answer-The spread of antibiotic bacteria through overuse of
antibiotics
,The advance of metastatic cancer (resistance to chemotherapy) within an individual
The development and spread of infectious viruses
The appearance and challenge of 'super weeds' - plants that herbicides cannot contain
The development of resistance in insects to insecticide chemicals
From lecture 3.3 (including the lab tour of the Huijben lab): Which of the following are
evolutionary challenges represented by the infectious disease malaria? - answer-
Mosquitoes (the vector by which malaria spreads) evolve resistance against insecticide.
The malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has evolved resistance to anti-malaria
drugs.
Population Genetics - answer-Field of biology that examines the causes and
consequences of genetic variation within a population
Mutation and Recombination - answer-The two main sources of genetic variability in a
population.
Genetic Polymorphism - answer-When within a population, a single gene has more than
one allele
Genetic Drift - answer-Allele frequency change over time due to random fluctuations
Natural Selection - answer-If genotypes have unequal fitness, then allele frequencies
will change over time. This process was first described by Charles Darwin and Alfred
Russel Wallace.
Migration - answer-Movement between populations by individuals - resulting in changes
in allele frequency
Mutation - answer-Changes in the genetic code (between generations) that result from
alterations to DNA.
, Hardy-Weinburg Equilibrium - answer-A state of equilibrium in allele frequencies - in
circumstances with no migration, mutation, natural selection, or genetic drift. Starting
point for an examination of a population's population genetics.
Founder Effect - answer-A case of genetic drift - where a small random sampling of
isolated individuals starts a new population.
From lecture 3.4: For a population with the following genotype breakdown:
AA Aa aa
20 10 10
What would the genotype frequencies be? - answer-AA = 0.50, Aa = 0.25, aa = 0.25
From lecture 3.4:
For a population with the following genotype breakdown:
AA Aa aa
20 10 10
What would the allele frequencies be? (We will say that 'A' is 'p' and 'a' is 'q' here). -
answer-p = 0.625, q = 0.375
From lecture 3.4. Calculate the allele frequencies from the given genotype frequencies.
AA Aa aa
0.08 0.46 0.46
We will say that 'p' is 'A' and 'q' is equivalent to 'a'. - answer-p = 0.31, q = 0.69
From lecture 3.4: For two alleles at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequencies of the
alleles AA, Aa, and aa are given by: - answer-AA = p2^, Aa = 2pq, aa = q2^
From lecture 3.4: Which of the following are the assumptions of Hardy-Weinberg
equilibrium? - answer-A large population size