BIO 152 EXAM 1 WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS 2025
What are vestigial structures? What are some examples?
correct answers >> Structures that are non-functional (but
functional in related species).
Some examples:
- Human appendix, tail bones, wisdom teeth
-Hip bones of whales and snakes
-Plastids in parasitic plants
Evidence for Common Ancestry? (4) correct answers >> 1.
Geographic distributions
2. Fossil record
3. (unexpected) similarities among living species 4. Treelike
patterns of variation among living
(and extinct forms)
Which of the following facts provides the clearest evidence for CA
over SA? (From Lecture 2):
(a) 100 Ma fossil have been found whose leaves are almost
indistinguishable from living redwoods
(b) Kangaroos and wallabies are only found in Australia
,(c) Fig flowers are tiny and require a specific species of wasp to
pollinate them
(d) Octopi and squid have superbly functional eyes that can form
a very clear image and both species use these eyes when hunting
correct answers >> The answer is (b) b/c kangaroos are very
similar looking to wallabies and it would be very unlikely under SA
that these 2 species would have only ended up in Australia.
Which of of these bio-geographic patterns provides the least
direct evidence for common ancestry?
(a) The giant panda is only found in the bamboo forests of China .
(b) All 115 species of lobeliad found in Hawaii are more closely
related to each other than to any plants from other landmasses
(c) All the monkeys in South America have prehensile tails,
monkeys in the rest of the world do not
(d) Front-fanged snake species are found throughout Africa but
the snakes in Madagascar are not front-fanged correct
answers >> The answer is (a) b/c it only refers to one species.
Common ancestry is not shown.
Which of the following most clearly supports the common
ancestry of all living vertebrates?
,(a) In all vertebrate eyes the nerve cells are in front of the retina
meaning that light must pass through nerves before hitting the
retina. Octopuses have nerve cells behind the retina.
(b) Vertebrate eyes (like octopuses) are able to form a clear
image by focusing a lens. Most non-vertebrate animals have no
eyes or simpler eyes that can just detect light and darkness
(c) Vertebrates that live in caves typically have eyes that are
much reduced and perhaps non-functional and the same is true of
some deep see octopuses (which are not vertebrates) correct
answers >> The answer is (a): The fact that the same, "badly
designed" feature is shared by all vertebrates is hard to explain
EXCEPT by common ancestry
What kind of bio-geographic data provides evidence for common
ancestry?
(a) When we observe different looking species living in different
parts of the world, each adapted to their environment.
(b) When we observe a taxon whose living species all live in one
part of the world, even though they are well able to live
elsewhere.
(c) When distantly related species are found living sympatrically
correct answers >> The answer is (a): This suggests that all
species in this taxon share an innovation that evolved after it
diverged from lineages in other geographic areas. The lack in
those other areas is not because the trait would not be useful but
because the ancestors lacked the trait and it never arose.
, The fact that the same basic arrangement of bones is used to
build such diverse structures as the wing of a bat, a whale's
flipper, and a horse's foreleg is commonly raised as evidence of
evolution. Why?
(a) The sharing of this arrangement by organisms with such
different ways of life is best explained by descent from common
ancestry
(b) This arrangement of bones is the best structure on bio-
mechanical grounds for flying, swimming, and running
(c) None of the substantive answers are correct (the sharing of
the same arrangement of bones does not provide evidence of
evolution) correct answers >> The answer is (a)
Which of the following facts provides the clearest evidence for
common rather than separate ancestry?
(a) Whale flippers and dolphin flippers have a similar bone
arrangement and are used for a similar function
(b) Some orchid flowers are very well suited to pollination by
particular kinds of insects
(c) The coelacanth fish looks almost indistinguishable from fossils
in 200-million-year-old rocks
ANSWERS 2025
What are vestigial structures? What are some examples?
correct answers >> Structures that are non-functional (but
functional in related species).
Some examples:
- Human appendix, tail bones, wisdom teeth
-Hip bones of whales and snakes
-Plastids in parasitic plants
Evidence for Common Ancestry? (4) correct answers >> 1.
Geographic distributions
2. Fossil record
3. (unexpected) similarities among living species 4. Treelike
patterns of variation among living
(and extinct forms)
Which of the following facts provides the clearest evidence for CA
over SA? (From Lecture 2):
(a) 100 Ma fossil have been found whose leaves are almost
indistinguishable from living redwoods
(b) Kangaroos and wallabies are only found in Australia
,(c) Fig flowers are tiny and require a specific species of wasp to
pollinate them
(d) Octopi and squid have superbly functional eyes that can form
a very clear image and both species use these eyes when hunting
correct answers >> The answer is (b) b/c kangaroos are very
similar looking to wallabies and it would be very unlikely under SA
that these 2 species would have only ended up in Australia.
Which of of these bio-geographic patterns provides the least
direct evidence for common ancestry?
(a) The giant panda is only found in the bamboo forests of China .
(b) All 115 species of lobeliad found in Hawaii are more closely
related to each other than to any plants from other landmasses
(c) All the monkeys in South America have prehensile tails,
monkeys in the rest of the world do not
(d) Front-fanged snake species are found throughout Africa but
the snakes in Madagascar are not front-fanged correct
answers >> The answer is (a) b/c it only refers to one species.
Common ancestry is not shown.
Which of the following most clearly supports the common
ancestry of all living vertebrates?
,(a) In all vertebrate eyes the nerve cells are in front of the retina
meaning that light must pass through nerves before hitting the
retina. Octopuses have nerve cells behind the retina.
(b) Vertebrate eyes (like octopuses) are able to form a clear
image by focusing a lens. Most non-vertebrate animals have no
eyes or simpler eyes that can just detect light and darkness
(c) Vertebrates that live in caves typically have eyes that are
much reduced and perhaps non-functional and the same is true of
some deep see octopuses (which are not vertebrates) correct
answers >> The answer is (a): The fact that the same, "badly
designed" feature is shared by all vertebrates is hard to explain
EXCEPT by common ancestry
What kind of bio-geographic data provides evidence for common
ancestry?
(a) When we observe different looking species living in different
parts of the world, each adapted to their environment.
(b) When we observe a taxon whose living species all live in one
part of the world, even though they are well able to live
elsewhere.
(c) When distantly related species are found living sympatrically
correct answers >> The answer is (a): This suggests that all
species in this taxon share an innovation that evolved after it
diverged from lineages in other geographic areas. The lack in
those other areas is not because the trait would not be useful but
because the ancestors lacked the trait and it never arose.
, The fact that the same basic arrangement of bones is used to
build such diverse structures as the wing of a bat, a whale's
flipper, and a horse's foreleg is commonly raised as evidence of
evolution. Why?
(a) The sharing of this arrangement by organisms with such
different ways of life is best explained by descent from common
ancestry
(b) This arrangement of bones is the best structure on bio-
mechanical grounds for flying, swimming, and running
(c) None of the substantive answers are correct (the sharing of
the same arrangement of bones does not provide evidence of
evolution) correct answers >> The answer is (a)
Which of the following facts provides the clearest evidence for
common rather than separate ancestry?
(a) Whale flippers and dolphin flippers have a similar bone
arrangement and are used for a similar function
(b) Some orchid flowers are very well suited to pollination by
particular kinds of insects
(c) The coelacanth fish looks almost indistinguishable from fossils
in 200-million-year-old rocks
