Evolution Final Exam UPDATED Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Which of these are central components of evolutionary theory?
- Species change over time
- Species are well-suited to their environments
- Species share common ancestors
- All of the above - Correct Answer- All of the above
Methodological naturalism set the stage for the modern scientific method by:
- stating that the earth changed gradually over time
- seeking explanations for the natural world driven by physical laws
- suggesting that animals struggle for existence
- demonstrating that species are adapted to their environments - Correct Answer- seeking
explanations for the natural world driven by physical laws
Which of these assertions is Darwinian and not Lamarckian?
- Individual organisms evolve because they need to survive or use new resources
- Individuals better suited to their environment reproduce more than others and pass
beneficial characteristics to their offspring
- There is no extinction
- An individual that acquired new characteristics in its lifetime is able to transmit them to its
offspring - Correct Answer- Individuals better suited to their environment reproduce more
than others and pass beneficial characteristics to their offspring
What is the definition of evolution?
- change in allele frequences over time
- resemblance of offspring and parents
- survival of the fittest
- acquistion of beneficial characteristics - Correct Answer- change in allele frequencies over
time
,Which of these was a challenge for Darwin to explain under his theory of evolution?
- Structures of seemingly no importance
- Complex structures such as eyes
- Elaborate traits with no fitness advantage
- All of these were challenges for Darwin to explain - Correct Answer- All of these were
challenges for Darwin to explain
Under Darwin's hypothesis of common ancestry of all living things, we would expect to
observe:
- Random and unpredictable relationships among species
- Hierarchical clustering and a branching tree of life among all living things, wherein species
that appear to be more similar are more likely to be closely related
- Species independently progressing from simple to more complex over time
- Hierarchical clustering among varieties, but no predictable clustering among species -
Correct Answer- Hierarchical clustering and a branching tree of life among all living things,
wherein species that appear to be more similar are more likely to be closely related
A consequence of Malthus's ideas that populations outstrip their available resources is that:
- individuals will acquire heritable characteristics that help their offspring survive
- the individuals best able to monopolize resources will survive
- individuals vary within a population
- individuals ressemble their parents - Correct Answer- the individuals best able to
monopolize resources will survive
Transitional forms are:
- Species exceptionaly adapted to their environments
- Ecological analogues to other species
- Groups that radiated on islands
- Species with intermediate characteristics between major groups - Correct Answer- Species
with intermediate characteristics between major groups
Which is correct about Darwin's views on natural and artificial selection?
- He viewed them as essentially the same process, with only the selective agent differing
,- He viewed them as fundamentally different processes
- He thought natural and artificial selection could produce new varieties, but not new species
- He believed only artificial selection could produce new species - Correct Answer- He
viewed them as essentially the same process, with only the selective agent differing
Which of these is NOT a component of natural selection as described by Darwin?
- Individuals pass their variants on to their offspring
- Survival and reproduction are non random: individuals carrying specific variations survive
and reproduce the most
- Individuals within species are variable
- Organisms reproduce via sexual reproduction - Correct Answer- Organisms reproduce via
sexual reproduction
What is relative fitness?
- The acquistion of beneficial characteristics that improve survival
- The absolute number of offspring an individual produces
- The ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its environment
- Only the strong survive - Correct Answer- The ability of an individual to survive and
reproduce in its environment
What are ecological analogues?
- related species that exhibit different adaptations to similar environments
- unrelated species that exhibit different adaptations to different environments
- closely related species that exhibit similar adaptations to similar environments
- unrelated species that exhibit similar adaptations to similar environments - Correct Answer-
unrelated species that exhibit similar adaptations to similar environments
Which is true about natural selection?
- It acts on populations, leading them to evolve over time
- It acts on individuals, leading populations to evolve over time
- It causes individuals to evolve over time
, - It causes species to become more complex and sophisticated over time - Correct Answer- It
acts on individuals, leading populations to evolve over time
Who has higher relative fitness within its population, the brown mouse in population 1 or
population 2?
- Same fitness
- Population 2
- No fitness
- Population 1 - Correct Answer- Population 2
Superhero movies like the X-Men series often refer to the next "step" or "stage" of human
evolution. Why is this type of thinking incorrect?
- Evolutionary steps are unconstrained by physical laws, and therefore unpredictable
- Evolution is a completely random process, and it is therefore impossible to predict the next
evolutionary step of human evolution
- Evolution is not a directed process, and there are therefore no planned evolutionary "steps"
- Evolutionary steps can only happen via mutations of large effect, which are comparatively
rare - Correct Answer- Evolution is not a directed process, and there are therefore no planned
evolutionary "steps"
You notice that in a forest there are green beetles and brown beetles. The green beetles are
harder to see on leaves, and you hypothesize that they have evolved to be better adapted to
their environment than brown beetles by natural selection. What is one piece of evidence that
would support this hypothesis?
- Brown beetles produce more offspring than green beetles
- Offspring strongly resemble their parents (green beetles have green babies and brown
beetles have brown babies)
- Survival of green and brown beetles appears to be equal
- Color is environmentally determined by diet, and changes over a beetles lifetime - Correct
Answer- Offspring strongly resemble their parents (green beetles have green babies and
brown beetles have brown babies)
This figure shows reaction norms for the number of leaves on plants grown at different light
intensities. What is the correct interpretation of this figure?
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Which of these are central components of evolutionary theory?
- Species change over time
- Species are well-suited to their environments
- Species share common ancestors
- All of the above - Correct Answer- All of the above
Methodological naturalism set the stage for the modern scientific method by:
- stating that the earth changed gradually over time
- seeking explanations for the natural world driven by physical laws
- suggesting that animals struggle for existence
- demonstrating that species are adapted to their environments - Correct Answer- seeking
explanations for the natural world driven by physical laws
Which of these assertions is Darwinian and not Lamarckian?
- Individual organisms evolve because they need to survive or use new resources
- Individuals better suited to their environment reproduce more than others and pass
beneficial characteristics to their offspring
- There is no extinction
- An individual that acquired new characteristics in its lifetime is able to transmit them to its
offspring - Correct Answer- Individuals better suited to their environment reproduce more
than others and pass beneficial characteristics to their offspring
What is the definition of evolution?
- change in allele frequences over time
- resemblance of offspring and parents
- survival of the fittest
- acquistion of beneficial characteristics - Correct Answer- change in allele frequencies over
time
,Which of these was a challenge for Darwin to explain under his theory of evolution?
- Structures of seemingly no importance
- Complex structures such as eyes
- Elaborate traits with no fitness advantage
- All of these were challenges for Darwin to explain - Correct Answer- All of these were
challenges for Darwin to explain
Under Darwin's hypothesis of common ancestry of all living things, we would expect to
observe:
- Random and unpredictable relationships among species
- Hierarchical clustering and a branching tree of life among all living things, wherein species
that appear to be more similar are more likely to be closely related
- Species independently progressing from simple to more complex over time
- Hierarchical clustering among varieties, but no predictable clustering among species -
Correct Answer- Hierarchical clustering and a branching tree of life among all living things,
wherein species that appear to be more similar are more likely to be closely related
A consequence of Malthus's ideas that populations outstrip their available resources is that:
- individuals will acquire heritable characteristics that help their offspring survive
- the individuals best able to monopolize resources will survive
- individuals vary within a population
- individuals ressemble their parents - Correct Answer- the individuals best able to
monopolize resources will survive
Transitional forms are:
- Species exceptionaly adapted to their environments
- Ecological analogues to other species
- Groups that radiated on islands
- Species with intermediate characteristics between major groups - Correct Answer- Species
with intermediate characteristics between major groups
Which is correct about Darwin's views on natural and artificial selection?
- He viewed them as essentially the same process, with only the selective agent differing
,- He viewed them as fundamentally different processes
- He thought natural and artificial selection could produce new varieties, but not new species
- He believed only artificial selection could produce new species - Correct Answer- He
viewed them as essentially the same process, with only the selective agent differing
Which of these is NOT a component of natural selection as described by Darwin?
- Individuals pass their variants on to their offspring
- Survival and reproduction are non random: individuals carrying specific variations survive
and reproduce the most
- Individuals within species are variable
- Organisms reproduce via sexual reproduction - Correct Answer- Organisms reproduce via
sexual reproduction
What is relative fitness?
- The acquistion of beneficial characteristics that improve survival
- The absolute number of offspring an individual produces
- The ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its environment
- Only the strong survive - Correct Answer- The ability of an individual to survive and
reproduce in its environment
What are ecological analogues?
- related species that exhibit different adaptations to similar environments
- unrelated species that exhibit different adaptations to different environments
- closely related species that exhibit similar adaptations to similar environments
- unrelated species that exhibit similar adaptations to similar environments - Correct Answer-
unrelated species that exhibit similar adaptations to similar environments
Which is true about natural selection?
- It acts on populations, leading them to evolve over time
- It acts on individuals, leading populations to evolve over time
- It causes individuals to evolve over time
, - It causes species to become more complex and sophisticated over time - Correct Answer- It
acts on individuals, leading populations to evolve over time
Who has higher relative fitness within its population, the brown mouse in population 1 or
population 2?
- Same fitness
- Population 2
- No fitness
- Population 1 - Correct Answer- Population 2
Superhero movies like the X-Men series often refer to the next "step" or "stage" of human
evolution. Why is this type of thinking incorrect?
- Evolutionary steps are unconstrained by physical laws, and therefore unpredictable
- Evolution is a completely random process, and it is therefore impossible to predict the next
evolutionary step of human evolution
- Evolution is not a directed process, and there are therefore no planned evolutionary "steps"
- Evolutionary steps can only happen via mutations of large effect, which are comparatively
rare - Correct Answer- Evolution is not a directed process, and there are therefore no planned
evolutionary "steps"
You notice that in a forest there are green beetles and brown beetles. The green beetles are
harder to see on leaves, and you hypothesize that they have evolved to be better adapted to
their environment than brown beetles by natural selection. What is one piece of evidence that
would support this hypothesis?
- Brown beetles produce more offspring than green beetles
- Offspring strongly resemble their parents (green beetles have green babies and brown
beetles have brown babies)
- Survival of green and brown beetles appears to be equal
- Color is environmentally determined by diet, and changes over a beetles lifetime - Correct
Answer- Offspring strongly resemble their parents (green beetles have green babies and
brown beetles have brown babies)
This figure shows reaction norms for the number of leaves on plants grown at different light
intensities. What is the correct interpretation of this figure?
