Evolution Exam 1: Fundamentals of Evolutionary Biology 2026 – FSU
1. Which of the following best defines biological evolution?
A. The process by which individuals change during their lifetime to adapt to their environment.
B. The survival of the strongest individuals in a population.
C. Change in the properties of groups of organisms over the course of generations.
D. The development of more complex organisms from simpler ones.
Answer: C
Rationale: Evolution is defined as a change in the inherited traits of a population across
generations, not changes within a single individual’s lifetime.
2. What are the three necessary conditions for natural selection to occur?
A. Mutation, migration, and genetic drift.
B. Variation, inheritance, and differential reproductive success.
C. Large population size, random mating, and no mutations.
D. Adaptation, speciation, and extinction.
Answer: B
Rationale: For natural selection to act, there must be phenotypic variation, that variation
must be heritable, and it must lead to differences in survival or reproduction.
3. A trait that is similar between two species because of common ancestry is
called a:
A. Analogy
B. Homoplasy
C. Homology
D. Convergence
Answer: C
,Rationale: Homology refers to traits inherited from a common ancestor, regardless of
current function.
4. Which concept describes a non-functional or reduced structure that was
functional in an ancestor?
A. Analogous structure
B. Atavism
C. Exaptation
D. Vestigial structure
Answer: D
Rationale: Vestigial structures are evolutionary remnants that have lost most or all of their
original function.
5. In a phylogenetic tree, a group that includes an ancestral species and all of its
descendants is:
A. Paraphyletic
B. Monophyletic
C. Polyphyletic
D. An outgroup
Answer: B
Rationale: A monophyletic group (clade) consists of an ancestor and all its descendants.
6. Which term refers to a shared derived character state used to define a clade?
A. Symplesiomorphy
B. Autapomorphy
C. Synapomorphy
D. Homoplasy
Answer: C
, Rationale: Synapomorphies are shared derived traits that provide evidence for common
ancestry within a clade.
7. What is the primary difference between Darwin’s theory and Lamarck’s
theory of evolution?
A. Darwin proposed natural selection on existing variation, while Lamarck proposed use and disuse.
B. Darwin emphasized the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
C. Darwin believed in extinction, while Lamarck did not.
D. Lamarck focused on populations, while Darwin focused on individuals.
Answer: A
Rationale: Lamarck proposed that individuals change and pass on acquired traits; Darwin
proposed that environment selects among existing heritable variations.
8. Which of the following is an example of convergent evolution?
A. The pentadactyl limb of humans and bats.
B. The flippers of a whale and the fins of a fish.
C. The different beak shapes of Galapagos finches.
D. The tail of a monkey and the tail of a cat.
Answer: B
Rationale: Convergent evolution occurs when similar traits evolve independently in
unrelated lineages due to similar selective pressures.
9. The ‘Modern Synthesis’ combined Darwinian selection with which other
field?
A. Geology
B. Embryology
C. Ecology
D. Mendelian Genetics
Answer: D
1. Which of the following best defines biological evolution?
A. The process by which individuals change during their lifetime to adapt to their environment.
B. The survival of the strongest individuals in a population.
C. Change in the properties of groups of organisms over the course of generations.
D. The development of more complex organisms from simpler ones.
Answer: C
Rationale: Evolution is defined as a change in the inherited traits of a population across
generations, not changes within a single individual’s lifetime.
2. What are the three necessary conditions for natural selection to occur?
A. Mutation, migration, and genetic drift.
B. Variation, inheritance, and differential reproductive success.
C. Large population size, random mating, and no mutations.
D. Adaptation, speciation, and extinction.
Answer: B
Rationale: For natural selection to act, there must be phenotypic variation, that variation
must be heritable, and it must lead to differences in survival or reproduction.
3. A trait that is similar between two species because of common ancestry is
called a:
A. Analogy
B. Homoplasy
C. Homology
D. Convergence
Answer: C
,Rationale: Homology refers to traits inherited from a common ancestor, regardless of
current function.
4. Which concept describes a non-functional or reduced structure that was
functional in an ancestor?
A. Analogous structure
B. Atavism
C. Exaptation
D. Vestigial structure
Answer: D
Rationale: Vestigial structures are evolutionary remnants that have lost most or all of their
original function.
5. In a phylogenetic tree, a group that includes an ancestral species and all of its
descendants is:
A. Paraphyletic
B. Monophyletic
C. Polyphyletic
D. An outgroup
Answer: B
Rationale: A monophyletic group (clade) consists of an ancestor and all its descendants.
6. Which term refers to a shared derived character state used to define a clade?
A. Symplesiomorphy
B. Autapomorphy
C. Synapomorphy
D. Homoplasy
Answer: C
, Rationale: Synapomorphies are shared derived traits that provide evidence for common
ancestry within a clade.
7. What is the primary difference between Darwin’s theory and Lamarck’s
theory of evolution?
A. Darwin proposed natural selection on existing variation, while Lamarck proposed use and disuse.
B. Darwin emphasized the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
C. Darwin believed in extinction, while Lamarck did not.
D. Lamarck focused on populations, while Darwin focused on individuals.
Answer: A
Rationale: Lamarck proposed that individuals change and pass on acquired traits; Darwin
proposed that environment selects among existing heritable variations.
8. Which of the following is an example of convergent evolution?
A. The pentadactyl limb of humans and bats.
B. The flippers of a whale and the fins of a fish.
C. The different beak shapes of Galapagos finches.
D. The tail of a monkey and the tail of a cat.
Answer: B
Rationale: Convergent evolution occurs when similar traits evolve independently in
unrelated lineages due to similar selective pressures.
9. The ‘Modern Synthesis’ combined Darwinian selection with which other
field?
A. Geology
B. Embryology
C. Ecology
D. Mendelian Genetics
Answer: D
