Evolution Mastering Bio Exam with
correct Answers
The Galápagos Islands are cooled by the _____. - Answer -Humboldt Current
How many finch species did Darwin send to the British Museum? - Answer -13
Darwin's thinking while on the Beagle was greatly influenced by his reading of a book
written by _____. - Answer -Lyell
Which of these is a consequence of uniformitarianism? - Answer -Earth is very old.
Uniformitarianism holds that geologic processes occur today in much the same way as
they did in the past.
The Argentinean pampas are a type of _____. - Answer -grassland
At the fossil site at Punta Alta, Darwin found evidence _____. - Answer -of extinction
Patagonia is a _____. - Answer -desert
His experiences with Fuegians and slavery convinced Darwin that differences among all
peoples are primarily _____ differences. - Answer -cultural
Species in hot climates tend to _____ compared to species in cold climates. - Answer -
have larger surface-to-volume ratios
In the Andes, at elevations of 12,000 feet, Darwin collected fossilized marine shells. The
existence of marine shells at this altitude provided evidence that _____. - Answer -the
deposit had been gradually uplifted to its present location
The Galápagos Islands are located _____. - Answer -Off the coast of Ecuador
Why were the Galápagos Islands so important to Darwin's formulation of natural
selection? - Answer -Each island in the Galápagos possessed unique species.
How are adaptations beneficial to organisms? - Answer -Adaptations help organisms
survive and reproduce in a particular environment.
, Why was Darwin's acceptance of an ancient, continuously changing Earth so important
in his development of his ideas about evolution? - Answer -Darwin hypothesized that
species changed gradually, over long spans of time, in response to diverse and
changing habitats.
Blue-footed boobies have webbed feet and are comically clumsy when they walk on
land. Evolutionary scientists view these feet as - Answer -the outcome of a tradeoff:
webbed feet perform poorly on land, but are very helpful in diving for food.
The core theme of biology, which explains both the unity and diversity of life, is - Answer
-evolution
Aristotle believed that - Answer -species are fixed (permanent) and perfect.
Darwin found that many of the species on the Galápagos islands - Answer -resembled
species on the nearest mainland.
Who developed a theory of evolution almost identical to Darwin's? - Answer -Wallace
The human immune system cannot effectively suppress the HIV virus on its own. What
key feature of HIV makes it so hard to beat? - Answer -The HIV virus has an extremely
high rate of mutation.
Imagine that four people are infected with HIV from a common source (an infected
blood sample). Initially, the patients' HIV populations are genetically identical. By the
time they develop full-blown AIDS, how would the viral populations of the four patients
compare? - Answer -Each patient's viral population would be unique, specifically
adapted to deal with—and overcome—his or her unique immune system responses.
As proposed by Darwin, what sorts of traits are favored by natural selection? - Answer -
Heritable traits that help individuals survive and reproduce more successfully than
others in the same population.
Natural selection is best described as _____. - Answer -a filtering process that fine-
tunes the traits of populations by sorting among existing, randomly produced variations
HIV has become an important source of mortality for humans. If AIDS persists as a
major factor for humans for many generations in the future, natural selection theory
predicts that _____. - Answer -any heritable traits that help humans survive and
reproduce in the presence of AIDS should become more frequent over time
In artificial selection, humans provide the selective pressure for species to change and
shape the evolution of various breeds. What provides the selective pressure in natural
selection? - Answer -the environment
correct Answers
The Galápagos Islands are cooled by the _____. - Answer -Humboldt Current
How many finch species did Darwin send to the British Museum? - Answer -13
Darwin's thinking while on the Beagle was greatly influenced by his reading of a book
written by _____. - Answer -Lyell
Which of these is a consequence of uniformitarianism? - Answer -Earth is very old.
Uniformitarianism holds that geologic processes occur today in much the same way as
they did in the past.
The Argentinean pampas are a type of _____. - Answer -grassland
At the fossil site at Punta Alta, Darwin found evidence _____. - Answer -of extinction
Patagonia is a _____. - Answer -desert
His experiences with Fuegians and slavery convinced Darwin that differences among all
peoples are primarily _____ differences. - Answer -cultural
Species in hot climates tend to _____ compared to species in cold climates. - Answer -
have larger surface-to-volume ratios
In the Andes, at elevations of 12,000 feet, Darwin collected fossilized marine shells. The
existence of marine shells at this altitude provided evidence that _____. - Answer -the
deposit had been gradually uplifted to its present location
The Galápagos Islands are located _____. - Answer -Off the coast of Ecuador
Why were the Galápagos Islands so important to Darwin's formulation of natural
selection? - Answer -Each island in the Galápagos possessed unique species.
How are adaptations beneficial to organisms? - Answer -Adaptations help organisms
survive and reproduce in a particular environment.
, Why was Darwin's acceptance of an ancient, continuously changing Earth so important
in his development of his ideas about evolution? - Answer -Darwin hypothesized that
species changed gradually, over long spans of time, in response to diverse and
changing habitats.
Blue-footed boobies have webbed feet and are comically clumsy when they walk on
land. Evolutionary scientists view these feet as - Answer -the outcome of a tradeoff:
webbed feet perform poorly on land, but are very helpful in diving for food.
The core theme of biology, which explains both the unity and diversity of life, is - Answer
-evolution
Aristotle believed that - Answer -species are fixed (permanent) and perfect.
Darwin found that many of the species on the Galápagos islands - Answer -resembled
species on the nearest mainland.
Who developed a theory of evolution almost identical to Darwin's? - Answer -Wallace
The human immune system cannot effectively suppress the HIV virus on its own. What
key feature of HIV makes it so hard to beat? - Answer -The HIV virus has an extremely
high rate of mutation.
Imagine that four people are infected with HIV from a common source (an infected
blood sample). Initially, the patients' HIV populations are genetically identical. By the
time they develop full-blown AIDS, how would the viral populations of the four patients
compare? - Answer -Each patient's viral population would be unique, specifically
adapted to deal with—and overcome—his or her unique immune system responses.
As proposed by Darwin, what sorts of traits are favored by natural selection? - Answer -
Heritable traits that help individuals survive and reproduce more successfully than
others in the same population.
Natural selection is best described as _____. - Answer -a filtering process that fine-
tunes the traits of populations by sorting among existing, randomly produced variations
HIV has become an important source of mortality for humans. If AIDS persists as a
major factor for humans for many generations in the future, natural selection theory
predicts that _____. - Answer -any heritable traits that help humans survive and
reproduce in the presence of AIDS should become more frequent over time
In artificial selection, humans provide the selective pressure for species to change and
shape the evolution of various breeds. What provides the selective pressure in natural
selection? - Answer -the environment
