Evidence for Evolution Quiz

By andrew widhalm

Last updated almost 5 years ago

21 Questions

Artificial selection:   (kate)

choosing to breed cows that produce the most milk

choosing to breed the fastest horses

planting parts of a plant to get an altered result

all of the above

What is the term for a feature that allows an organism to survive better in its environment?

variation

adaptation

homologous chromosome

vestigial structure

If two species have similar DNA sequences, it would indicate that they

share a common ancestor.

are not closely related.

will have similar fitness.

have no evolutionary relationship.

The above diagram provides a good example of

vestigial structures

analogous structures

homologous structures

inheritance of acquired traits

If a similar diagram to the one above was constructed comparing the wing of a bird, the wing of a bat, and the wing of an insect, the insect wing would serve to illustrate an example of

a vestigial structure

a homologous organ

a possible ancestor to the flying vertebrates

an analogous structure

 For questions #16-19 use the scenario below to help answer.  A biologist spent many years researching the rate of evolutionary change in the finch populations of a group of islands. It was determined that the average beak size (both length and mass) of finches in a certain population increased dramatically during an intense drought between 1981 and 1987. During the drought, there was a reduction in the number of plants producing thin-walled seeds.

Which of the following procedures was most likely followed to determine the change in beak size?

A few finches were trapped in 1981 and again in 1987, and their beak sizes were compared.

The beak size in fifteen finches was measured in 1987, and the beak size in the original finches was determined by estimation.

The beak size in a large number of finches was measured every year from 1981 to 1987.

Finches were captured and bred in 1981, and the beak size of the offspring was measured.

Which of the following statements might best explain the increase in average beak size in the finch population during the drought?

Finches with bigger beaks are better able to crack thick-walled seeds and produce more surviving offspring

Finches with bigger beaks can attack and kill finches with smaller beaks.

Finches with bigger beaks possess more powerful flight muscles and are able to find more food.

Finches that crack large seeds develop larger beaks over time.

Which of the following best describes the mechanism behind the change in beak size in the finch population?

The formation of two new finch species from a single parent species

A change in gene frequencies in the finch population due to selective pressure from the environmental change

A new allele appearing in the finch population as a result of mutation

The achievement of dynamic equilibrium in the finch population as a result of homeostasis

The biologist discovered that from 1988 to 1993, the average beak size declined to pre-1981 levels. The reversal in beak size from 1988 to 1993 was most likely related to which of the following events?

A loss of food supply for the finches

The end of the drought

An increase in drought conditions

An increase in predators consuming finches

10.

DNA sequences can be used to determine the evolutionary relationships of species because

organisms with similar anatomy will develop similar DNA sequences by convergent mutations

DNA sequences for proteins never change, so two species that have the same protein will have the same DNA sequence

natural selection causes organisms that live in similar environmental conditions to have the same mutations in their DNA sequences

mutations occur randomly in DNA at a steady rate, so the number of DNA difference is equivalent to the time since a pair of species that shared a common ancestor

11.

The remnant of an organ that had a function in an early ancestor is known as a(n)

analogous structure

homologous structure

vestigial structure

fossil structure

12.

In the reading above, what is the meaning of the term "selective advantage"?

13.

Explain what environmental factor influenced the change in color of the peppered moth.

14.

Describe the trend of the peppered moth using the graph above.

15.

Based on the graph above, in which year were both colored moths equal?

16.

Define: Homologous structures    (kate)

structures that are reduced forms of functional structures in other organisms

set of one maternal and one paternal chromosome that pair up during meiosis

similar in construction but are not inherited from a common ancestor

anatomically similar structures inherited from a common ancestor

17.

Principle of Selection… (scotty)

 
a)States that some forms are more successful at surviving and reproducing than other
forms in a given in environment

 b) States that specific members of a population will survive for longer than others 

 c) States that parents select certain members of their offspring to parent 

 d) States that the food chain of an ecosystem selects how long an organism survives for 

18.

  What is natural selection?   (phone)

 a) Cumulative changes in groups of organisms through time  

 b) Mechanism that leads to evolution due to variation in heritable traits and differential reproduction in a population 

 c) It’s the principle of heredi 

 d) It’s a selection of animals made by the nature 

19.

Define behavioral adaptations   (enzo p)

 a. Response made by an organism to help survive and reproduce 

 b. A body process that helps an organism survive and reproduce 

 c. A feature of an organism's body that helps it reproduce 

 d. When a animals fitness is way to low and has trouble surviving 

20.

How does adaptation work?  (sebastian)

a. It is a trait shaped by natural selection that increases an organism's reproductive success

b. better adaptation to an environment leads to better evolutionary fitness

c. a cumulative change in groups of organisms through time

d. both A and B

21.

Which statement is TRUE?  (william)

a. venom production is an example of behavioral adaptation

b. poison production is an example of structural adaptation

c. camouflage is an example of physiological adaptation

d. mimicry is an example of structural adaptation