Biology 1010 Exam 3 questions with
complete solutions 2025/2026
place these levels of classification in order from least inclusive to most inclusive: class, domain,
family, genus, kingdom, order, phylum, species - correct answer ✔✔species, genus, family,
order, class, phylum, kingdom, domain
Which of the following is a true statement about Charles Darwin?
a. He was the first to discover that living things can change or evolve
b. He based his theory on the inheritance of acquired traits
c. He proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution
d. He was the first to realize that Earth is more than 6,000 years old. - correct answer ✔✔c. He
proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution.
How did the insights of Lyell and other geologists influence Darwin's thinking about evolution? -
correct answer ✔✔Lyell and other geologists presented evidence for the gradual change of
geologic features over millions of years. Darwin applied this idea to suggest that species evolve
through the slow accumulation of small changes over long periods of time.
In a population with two alleles for a particular genetic locus, B and b, the allele frequency of B
is 0.7. If this population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, what is the frequency of
heterozygotes? What is the frequency of homozygous dominants? What is the frequency of
homoaygous recessives? - correct answer ✔✔Bb: 0.42; BB: 0.49; bb: 0.09
Define fitness from an evolutionary perspective - correct answer ✔✔The fitness of an individual
(or of a particular genotype) is measured by the relative number of alleles that it contributes to
the gene pool of the next generation compared with the contribution of others. Thus, the
number of fertile offspring produced determines an individual's fitness.
, Which of the following processes is the ultimate source of the genetic variation that serves as
raw material for evolution?
a. sexual reproduction
b. mutation
c. genetic drift
d. natural selection - correct answer ✔✔b. mutation
As a mechanism of evolution, natural selection can be most closely equated with
a. random mating
b. genetic drift
c. unequal reproductive success
d. gene flow - correct answer ✔✔c. unequal reproductive success
Compare and contrast how the bottleneck effect and the founder effect can lead to genetic drift
- correct answer ✔✔Both effects result in populations small enough for significant sampling
error in the gene pool for the first few generations. A bottleneck event reduces the size of an
existing population in a given location. The founder effect occurs when a new, small population
colonized a new territory.
In a particular bird species, individuals with average-sized wings are more likely to survive
severe storms than other birds in the same population with longer or shorter wings. Of the
three general outcomes of natural selection (directional, disruptive, or stabilizing), this example
illustrates _____. - correct answer ✔✔stabilizing selection
Distinguish between microevolution, speciation and macroevolution - correct answer
✔✔Microevolution is a change in the gene pool of a population, often associated with
adaptation. Speciation is an evolutionary process in which one species splits into two or more
species. Macroevolution is evolutionary change above the species level, for example, the origin
of evolutionary novelty and new taxonomic groups and the impact of mass extinctions on the
diversity of life and its subsequent recovery. Macroevolution is marked by major changes in the
history of life, and these changes are often noticeable enough to be evident in the fossil record.
complete solutions 2025/2026
place these levels of classification in order from least inclusive to most inclusive: class, domain,
family, genus, kingdom, order, phylum, species - correct answer ✔✔species, genus, family,
order, class, phylum, kingdom, domain
Which of the following is a true statement about Charles Darwin?
a. He was the first to discover that living things can change or evolve
b. He based his theory on the inheritance of acquired traits
c. He proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution
d. He was the first to realize that Earth is more than 6,000 years old. - correct answer ✔✔c. He
proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution.
How did the insights of Lyell and other geologists influence Darwin's thinking about evolution? -
correct answer ✔✔Lyell and other geologists presented evidence for the gradual change of
geologic features over millions of years. Darwin applied this idea to suggest that species evolve
through the slow accumulation of small changes over long periods of time.
In a population with two alleles for a particular genetic locus, B and b, the allele frequency of B
is 0.7. If this population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, what is the frequency of
heterozygotes? What is the frequency of homozygous dominants? What is the frequency of
homoaygous recessives? - correct answer ✔✔Bb: 0.42; BB: 0.49; bb: 0.09
Define fitness from an evolutionary perspective - correct answer ✔✔The fitness of an individual
(or of a particular genotype) is measured by the relative number of alleles that it contributes to
the gene pool of the next generation compared with the contribution of others. Thus, the
number of fertile offspring produced determines an individual's fitness.
, Which of the following processes is the ultimate source of the genetic variation that serves as
raw material for evolution?
a. sexual reproduction
b. mutation
c. genetic drift
d. natural selection - correct answer ✔✔b. mutation
As a mechanism of evolution, natural selection can be most closely equated with
a. random mating
b. genetic drift
c. unequal reproductive success
d. gene flow - correct answer ✔✔c. unequal reproductive success
Compare and contrast how the bottleneck effect and the founder effect can lead to genetic drift
- correct answer ✔✔Both effects result in populations small enough for significant sampling
error in the gene pool for the first few generations. A bottleneck event reduces the size of an
existing population in a given location. The founder effect occurs when a new, small population
colonized a new territory.
In a particular bird species, individuals with average-sized wings are more likely to survive
severe storms than other birds in the same population with longer or shorter wings. Of the
three general outcomes of natural selection (directional, disruptive, or stabilizing), this example
illustrates _____. - correct answer ✔✔stabilizing selection
Distinguish between microevolution, speciation and macroevolution - correct answer
✔✔Microevolution is a change in the gene pool of a population, often associated with
adaptation. Speciation is an evolutionary process in which one species splits into two or more
species. Macroevolution is evolutionary change above the species level, for example, the origin
of evolutionary novelty and new taxonomic groups and the impact of mass extinctions on the
diversity of life and its subsequent recovery. Macroevolution is marked by major changes in the
history of life, and these changes are often noticeable enough to be evident in the fossil record.
