PCB4674 Evolution Test 1 2026 – FSU
1. Which of the following is the best definition of biological evolution?
A. The development of an individual over its lifetime
B. The process of species becoming more complex over time
C. A change in the genetic composition of a population over generations
D. The movement of organisms from one habitat to another
Answer: C
Rationale: Evolution occurs at the population level and refers specifically to changes in
allele frequencies or genetic makeup over time.
2. Who independently proposed a theory of natural selection similar to Charles
Darwin?
A. Alfred Russel Wallace
B. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
C. Charles Lyell
D. Thomas Malthus
Answer: A
Rationale: Alfred Russel Wallace co-discovered the principle of natural selection and sent
his manuscript to Darwin in 1858.
3. Which mechanism of evolution is non-random and leads to adaptation?
A. Mutation
B. Genetic drift
C. Gene flow
D. Natural selection
Answer: D
,Rationale: While mutation, drift, and flow can change allele frequencies, natural selection
is the only one that systematically leads to adaptation.
4. What term describes structures that are similar because of shared ancestry?
A. Analogous structures
B. Vestigial structures
C. Convergent structures
D. Homologous structures
Answer: D
Rationale: Homology refers to similarity resulting from common ancestry, such as the
forelimbs of mammals.
5. Lamarck’s theory of evolution was based on which primary idea?
A. Inheritance of acquired characteristics
B. Differential reproductive success
C. Random genetic mutations
D. Survival of the fittest
Answer: A
Rationale: Lamarck proposed that traits used or disused during an organism’s life could be
passed to offspring, which is now known to be largely incorrect.
6. The geological concept of uniformitarianism suggests that:
A. Species do not change over time
B. The Earth was created in a single catastrophic event
C. Earth’s features were formed by slow, continuous processes still operating today
D. Fossils are placed in the ground by supernatural forces
Answer: C
Rationale: Uniformitarianism, championed by Lyell, implies the Earth is much older than
previously thought, providing time for evolution.
, 7. A remnant of a structure that may have had an important function in a
species’ ancestors but has no clear function today is a:
A. Homologous structure
B. Vestigial structure
C. Analogous structure
D. Adaptive structure
Answer: B
Rationale: Vestigial structures like the human appendix or whale pelvic bones are
evidence of ancestral traits.
8. Convergent evolution leads to the development of:
A. Homologous traits
B. Synapomorphies
C. Analogous traits
D. Common ancestors
Answer: C
Rationale: Convergent evolution occurs when unrelated species independently evolve
similar traits due to similar environmental pressures.
9. In a phylogenetic tree, what does a node represent?
A. An extant species
B. The terminal branch
C. The rate of mutation
D. The common ancestor of the descendants
Answer: D
Rationale: Nodes represent speciation events and the most recent common ancestor of the
lineages branching from them.
1. Which of the following is the best definition of biological evolution?
A. The development of an individual over its lifetime
B. The process of species becoming more complex over time
C. A change in the genetic composition of a population over generations
D. The movement of organisms from one habitat to another
Answer: C
Rationale: Evolution occurs at the population level and refers specifically to changes in
allele frequencies or genetic makeup over time.
2. Who independently proposed a theory of natural selection similar to Charles
Darwin?
A. Alfred Russel Wallace
B. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
C. Charles Lyell
D. Thomas Malthus
Answer: A
Rationale: Alfred Russel Wallace co-discovered the principle of natural selection and sent
his manuscript to Darwin in 1858.
3. Which mechanism of evolution is non-random and leads to adaptation?
A. Mutation
B. Genetic drift
C. Gene flow
D. Natural selection
Answer: D
,Rationale: While mutation, drift, and flow can change allele frequencies, natural selection
is the only one that systematically leads to adaptation.
4. What term describes structures that are similar because of shared ancestry?
A. Analogous structures
B. Vestigial structures
C. Convergent structures
D. Homologous structures
Answer: D
Rationale: Homology refers to similarity resulting from common ancestry, such as the
forelimbs of mammals.
5. Lamarck’s theory of evolution was based on which primary idea?
A. Inheritance of acquired characteristics
B. Differential reproductive success
C. Random genetic mutations
D. Survival of the fittest
Answer: A
Rationale: Lamarck proposed that traits used or disused during an organism’s life could be
passed to offspring, which is now known to be largely incorrect.
6. The geological concept of uniformitarianism suggests that:
A. Species do not change over time
B. The Earth was created in a single catastrophic event
C. Earth’s features were formed by slow, continuous processes still operating today
D. Fossils are placed in the ground by supernatural forces
Answer: C
Rationale: Uniformitarianism, championed by Lyell, implies the Earth is much older than
previously thought, providing time for evolution.
, 7. A remnant of a structure that may have had an important function in a
species’ ancestors but has no clear function today is a:
A. Homologous structure
B. Vestigial structure
C. Analogous structure
D. Adaptive structure
Answer: B
Rationale: Vestigial structures like the human appendix or whale pelvic bones are
evidence of ancestral traits.
8. Convergent evolution leads to the development of:
A. Homologous traits
B. Synapomorphies
C. Analogous traits
D. Common ancestors
Answer: C
Rationale: Convergent evolution occurs when unrelated species independently evolve
similar traits due to similar environmental pressures.
9. In a phylogenetic tree, what does a node represent?
A. An extant species
B. The terminal branch
C. The rate of mutation
D. The common ancestor of the descendants
Answer: D
Rationale: Nodes represent speciation events and the most recent common ancestor of the
lineages branching from them.
