Evolution Exam 1 – Study Guide & Revision Notes
Define biological evolution
A) Any process by which populations of organisms change over time.
B) Any change in the inherited traits of a population that occurs from one generation to the
next.
C) Change within a lineage due to natural selection and other mechanisms.
D) All of the above - ANS ✔✔D
What type of evidence has been used to infer that whales evolved from mammals that used to
live on land (rather than from fishes, for example)?
A) Whales share traits with other mammals, like needing to breather air and giving birth to live
young that feed on milk.
B) Whales still have developmental genes for traits they no longer have, like hind legs.
C) Fossils of early whales display combinations of traits that reveal a gradual transition from
terrestrial to aquatic life.
D) All of the above. - ANS ✔✔D
Why do baleen whales still have genes for building teeth?
A) These genes are now used to make baleen.
B) Their ancestors had teeth, and they inherited these genes from them, even though the genes
no longer function.
C) Their descendants might need teeth, so evolution keeps the genes around.
D) Evolution can't take aways genes, only add new ones. - ANS ✔✔B
,What makes hemagglutinin important in the evolution of influenza virus?
A) It allows a virus to attack the red blood cells of its host.
B) It is the basic building block of virus cell walls.
C) It allows the virus to bind to the cells of its host.
D) All of the above. - ANS ✔✔C
Which of the following is a true statement?
A) The ancestors of whales needed more food than could be found on land, so they evolved
features that allowed them to survive in water.
B) Whales and humans share a common ancestor.
C) Mutations always cause the improvement of a trait.
D) Viruses mutate because they want to have the best adapted hemagglutinin throughout their
evolution. - ANS ✔✔B
Which of the following is NOT a place that scientists look for evidence of evolution?
A) The fossil remains of extinct animals.
B) Comparison of homologous traits in various species.
C) Chance during an individual organisms lifetime.
D) Change across generations in wild populations. - ANS ✔✔C
Which of these statements about phenotype is true?
, A) Individuals that adjust their phenotypes in response to their environment cannot be favored
by natural selection.
B) Natural selection does not act on phenotypes.
C) An individuals behavior is not part of its phenotype.
D) An individuals phenotype is a result of its genes and the environment in which it develops. -
ANS ✔✔D
Why do scientists overwhelmingly accept the theory of evolution?
A) Because the theory has overwhelming evidentiary support?
B) Because the theory explains and predicts independent lines of evidence.
C) Because scientists have tested and retested its predictions.
D) All of the above. - ANS ✔✔D
Which of the following best describes natural selection?
A) Natural selection is a mechanism that allows individuals to pass on to their offspring those
traits that are favorable.
B) Natural selection occurs when heritable characteristics cause some individuals to survive and
reproduce more successfully than others.
C) Natural selection is a mechanism that allows for greater reproductive success in all species
within a given environment.
D) All of the above. - ANS ✔✔B
Why is influenza a worldwide threat?
A) Because influenza has the potential to kill millions of people
from a single outbreak.
Define biological evolution
A) Any process by which populations of organisms change over time.
B) Any change in the inherited traits of a population that occurs from one generation to the
next.
C) Change within a lineage due to natural selection and other mechanisms.
D) All of the above - ANS ✔✔D
What type of evidence has been used to infer that whales evolved from mammals that used to
live on land (rather than from fishes, for example)?
A) Whales share traits with other mammals, like needing to breather air and giving birth to live
young that feed on milk.
B) Whales still have developmental genes for traits they no longer have, like hind legs.
C) Fossils of early whales display combinations of traits that reveal a gradual transition from
terrestrial to aquatic life.
D) All of the above. - ANS ✔✔D
Why do baleen whales still have genes for building teeth?
A) These genes are now used to make baleen.
B) Their ancestors had teeth, and they inherited these genes from them, even though the genes
no longer function.
C) Their descendants might need teeth, so evolution keeps the genes around.
D) Evolution can't take aways genes, only add new ones. - ANS ✔✔B
,What makes hemagglutinin important in the evolution of influenza virus?
A) It allows a virus to attack the red blood cells of its host.
B) It is the basic building block of virus cell walls.
C) It allows the virus to bind to the cells of its host.
D) All of the above. - ANS ✔✔C
Which of the following is a true statement?
A) The ancestors of whales needed more food than could be found on land, so they evolved
features that allowed them to survive in water.
B) Whales and humans share a common ancestor.
C) Mutations always cause the improvement of a trait.
D) Viruses mutate because they want to have the best adapted hemagglutinin throughout their
evolution. - ANS ✔✔B
Which of the following is NOT a place that scientists look for evidence of evolution?
A) The fossil remains of extinct animals.
B) Comparison of homologous traits in various species.
C) Chance during an individual organisms lifetime.
D) Change across generations in wild populations. - ANS ✔✔C
Which of these statements about phenotype is true?
, A) Individuals that adjust their phenotypes in response to their environment cannot be favored
by natural selection.
B) Natural selection does not act on phenotypes.
C) An individuals behavior is not part of its phenotype.
D) An individuals phenotype is a result of its genes and the environment in which it develops. -
ANS ✔✔D
Why do scientists overwhelmingly accept the theory of evolution?
A) Because the theory has overwhelming evidentiary support?
B) Because the theory explains and predicts independent lines of evidence.
C) Because scientists have tested and retested its predictions.
D) All of the above. - ANS ✔✔D
Which of the following best describes natural selection?
A) Natural selection is a mechanism that allows individuals to pass on to their offspring those
traits that are favorable.
B) Natural selection occurs when heritable characteristics cause some individuals to survive and
reproduce more successfully than others.
C) Natural selection is a mechanism that allows for greater reproductive success in all species
within a given environment.
D) All of the above. - ANS ✔✔B
Why is influenza a worldwide threat?
A) Because influenza has the potential to kill millions of people
from a single outbreak.
