SFSU BIOL 240 EXAM I (VERSION 1) EXAM
2025/2026 WITH 100% ACCURATE ANSWERS
1. If you were presented with two evolutionary trees that connect to different
letters, what conclusion could you draw about their relationship?
They represent different evolutionary lineages.
They are identical in structure.
They depict the same species.
They are from the same taxonomic rank.
2. Linnaeus used a hierarchical system for arranging organisms into ascending
groups of increasing inclusiveness. Which of the following lists the correct
order of the seven mandatory ranks from most inclusive to least inclusive?
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Species, Genus, Family
Kingdom, Phylum, Order, Class, Family, Genus, Species
Kingdom, Class, Phylum, Order, Family, Genus, Species
Kingdom, Phylum, Family, Class, Order, Genus, Species
3. Describe the relationship between the discoveries in cell biology and the
theory of evolution proposed by Darwin and Wallace.
Darwin and Wallace's theories were based solely on anatomical
studies, not on cell biology.
Cell biology was irrelevant to the understanding of evolution
proposed by Darwin and Wallace.
, Discoveries in cell biology provided a deeper understanding of
the mechanisms of heredity and variation, which are essential for
evolutionary theory.
Cell biology discoveries contradicted the ideas of Darwin and
Wallace about evolution.
4. Neither Darwin nor Wallace provided a novel mechanism accounting for
the transmission of patterns of variation across generation, which is known
today as:
genes
karyotype
pangenesis
inheritance
5. If environmental changes allowed for increased interaction between large
and small sandflies, what evolutionary outcome might occur over time?
Complete reproductive isolation of the two types
Hybridization leading to a new population
Increased viability of only large sandflies
Decreased genetic variation in the population
6. Beak size is a genetically determined characteristic that dictates the type
and size of food that a bird species consumes, thereby influencing the
population's fitness. Studies of many bird species have shown that the
frequency distribution of beak size in a population changes in response to
changes in the environment, specifically the type and size of food present,
from year to year. These changes in beak size are an example of:
adaptation/directional selection
, gene flow
convergent evolution
disruptive selection
7. If a population of insects experiences a significant change in its
environment, which evolutionary process is likely to occur as a result of
changes in allele frequencies?
Gene flow
Mutation
Natural selection
Genetic drift
8. What are the three key components necessary for natural selection to
occur?
Survival of the fittest, environmental stability, and trait dominance
Adaptation, genetic drift, and gene flow
Genetic mutation, environmental change, and reproductive isolation
Variation in traits, hereditability of traits, difference in reproductive
success for individuals with different traits
9. Describe the relationship between Darwin's theory of evolution and the
subsequent discovery of genetic mechanisms.
Genetic mechanisms were known before Darwin's time.
Darwin's theory was complete without the need for genetic
mechanisms.
2025/2026 WITH 100% ACCURATE ANSWERS
1. If you were presented with two evolutionary trees that connect to different
letters, what conclusion could you draw about their relationship?
They represent different evolutionary lineages.
They are identical in structure.
They depict the same species.
They are from the same taxonomic rank.
2. Linnaeus used a hierarchical system for arranging organisms into ascending
groups of increasing inclusiveness. Which of the following lists the correct
order of the seven mandatory ranks from most inclusive to least inclusive?
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Species, Genus, Family
Kingdom, Phylum, Order, Class, Family, Genus, Species
Kingdom, Class, Phylum, Order, Family, Genus, Species
Kingdom, Phylum, Family, Class, Order, Genus, Species
3. Describe the relationship between the discoveries in cell biology and the
theory of evolution proposed by Darwin and Wallace.
Darwin and Wallace's theories were based solely on anatomical
studies, not on cell biology.
Cell biology was irrelevant to the understanding of evolution
proposed by Darwin and Wallace.
, Discoveries in cell biology provided a deeper understanding of
the mechanisms of heredity and variation, which are essential for
evolutionary theory.
Cell biology discoveries contradicted the ideas of Darwin and
Wallace about evolution.
4. Neither Darwin nor Wallace provided a novel mechanism accounting for
the transmission of patterns of variation across generation, which is known
today as:
genes
karyotype
pangenesis
inheritance
5. If environmental changes allowed for increased interaction between large
and small sandflies, what evolutionary outcome might occur over time?
Complete reproductive isolation of the two types
Hybridization leading to a new population
Increased viability of only large sandflies
Decreased genetic variation in the population
6. Beak size is a genetically determined characteristic that dictates the type
and size of food that a bird species consumes, thereby influencing the
population's fitness. Studies of many bird species have shown that the
frequency distribution of beak size in a population changes in response to
changes in the environment, specifically the type and size of food present,
from year to year. These changes in beak size are an example of:
adaptation/directional selection
, gene flow
convergent evolution
disruptive selection
7. If a population of insects experiences a significant change in its
environment, which evolutionary process is likely to occur as a result of
changes in allele frequencies?
Gene flow
Mutation
Natural selection
Genetic drift
8. What are the three key components necessary for natural selection to
occur?
Survival of the fittest, environmental stability, and trait dominance
Adaptation, genetic drift, and gene flow
Genetic mutation, environmental change, and reproductive isolation
Variation in traits, hereditability of traits, difference in reproductive
success for individuals with different traits
9. Describe the relationship between Darwin's theory of evolution and the
subsequent discovery of genetic mechanisms.
Genetic mechanisms were known before Darwin's time.
Darwin's theory was complete without the need for genetic
mechanisms.
