BIOL180 Lesson 7 Quiz – Evolution and
Natural Selection Exam Practice
Questions And Correct Answers
(Verified Answers) Plus Rationale 2026
Q&A| Instant Download Pdf
1. Which statement best describes biological evolution?
A. Individual organisms change their genetic makeup during their lifetime.
B. Populations experience changes in allele frequencies over generations.
C. Evolution always results in more complex organisms.
D. Evolution occurs because organisms consciously adapt to their
environment.
Rationale: Evolution is defined as the change in allele frequencies within a
population across successive generations. Individuals do not evolve;
populations do.
2. What is natural selection?
A. The random change of DNA sequences
B. The movement of individuals into a population
C. The process by which individuals with advantageous heritable traits
leave more offspring
D. The creation of new genes by environmental need
,Rationale: Natural selection favors individuals with beneficial inherited
characteristics, increasing the frequency of those traits in future
generations.
3. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was strongly influenced by
observations made during his voyage aboard the:
A. HMS Victory
B. HMS Endeavour
C. HMS Beagle
D. RMS Titanic
Rationale: Darwin developed many of his ideas while traveling on the HMS
Beagle, particularly after studying organisms on the Galápagos Islands.
4. Which scientist independently proposed a theory of evolution by
natural selection at about the same time as Darwin?
A. Gregor Mendel
B. Alfred Russel Wallace
C. Louis Pasteur
D. James Watson
Rationale: Alfred Russel Wallace independently reached similar conclusions
about natural selection, prompting the joint presentation of their ideas.
5. Which observation best supports the concept of natural selection?
A. All individuals within a species are genetically identical.
B. Organisms produce exactly enough offspring to replace themselves.
C. Individuals vary in heritable traits that affect survival and reproduction.
D. Environmental conditions remain constant over time.
Rationale: Natural selection requires heritable variation that influences
reproductive success.
, 6. A mutation that increases an organism's reproductive success is most
likely to:
A. Disappear immediately
B. Harm the entire population
C. Increase in frequency over generations
D. Prevent future mutations
Rationale: Beneficial mutations tend to become more common because
individuals carrying them produce more offspring.
7. Which of the following is the original source of new genetic variation?
A. Genetic drift
B. Gene flow
C. Mutation
D. Natural selection
Rationale: Mutations create new alleles, providing the raw material upon
which evolutionary mechanisms act.
8. Which process introduces alleles into a population through migration?
A. Mutation
B. Genetic drift
C. Gene flow
D. Artificial selection
Rationale: Gene flow occurs when individuals or gametes move between
populations, transferring alleles.
9. Genetic drift has the greatest effect in:
A. Very large populations
B. Small populations
Natural Selection Exam Practice
Questions And Correct Answers
(Verified Answers) Plus Rationale 2026
Q&A| Instant Download Pdf
1. Which statement best describes biological evolution?
A. Individual organisms change their genetic makeup during their lifetime.
B. Populations experience changes in allele frequencies over generations.
C. Evolution always results in more complex organisms.
D. Evolution occurs because organisms consciously adapt to their
environment.
Rationale: Evolution is defined as the change in allele frequencies within a
population across successive generations. Individuals do not evolve;
populations do.
2. What is natural selection?
A. The random change of DNA sequences
B. The movement of individuals into a population
C. The process by which individuals with advantageous heritable traits
leave more offspring
D. The creation of new genes by environmental need
,Rationale: Natural selection favors individuals with beneficial inherited
characteristics, increasing the frequency of those traits in future
generations.
3. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was strongly influenced by
observations made during his voyage aboard the:
A. HMS Victory
B. HMS Endeavour
C. HMS Beagle
D. RMS Titanic
Rationale: Darwin developed many of his ideas while traveling on the HMS
Beagle, particularly after studying organisms on the Galápagos Islands.
4. Which scientist independently proposed a theory of evolution by
natural selection at about the same time as Darwin?
A. Gregor Mendel
B. Alfred Russel Wallace
C. Louis Pasteur
D. James Watson
Rationale: Alfred Russel Wallace independently reached similar conclusions
about natural selection, prompting the joint presentation of their ideas.
5. Which observation best supports the concept of natural selection?
A. All individuals within a species are genetically identical.
B. Organisms produce exactly enough offspring to replace themselves.
C. Individuals vary in heritable traits that affect survival and reproduction.
D. Environmental conditions remain constant over time.
Rationale: Natural selection requires heritable variation that influences
reproductive success.
, 6. A mutation that increases an organism's reproductive success is most
likely to:
A. Disappear immediately
B. Harm the entire population
C. Increase in frequency over generations
D. Prevent future mutations
Rationale: Beneficial mutations tend to become more common because
individuals carrying them produce more offspring.
7. Which of the following is the original source of new genetic variation?
A. Genetic drift
B. Gene flow
C. Mutation
D. Natural selection
Rationale: Mutations create new alleles, providing the raw material upon
which evolutionary mechanisms act.
8. Which process introduces alleles into a population through migration?
A. Mutation
B. Genetic drift
C. Gene flow
D. Artificial selection
Rationale: Gene flow occurs when individuals or gametes move between
populations, transferring alleles.
9. Genetic drift has the greatest effect in:
A. Very large populations
B. Small populations
