Unit 4 Multiple Choice Questions

Welcome to your Unit 4 Multiple Choice Questions

The evolutionary theory proposed by Charles Darwin was:

Change in populations through time as a result of mutations

The spontaneous generation of new organisms

The passing on of genes from one generation to the next

Change in populations through time as a response to environmental change

The development of characteristics by organisms in response to need

The wing of the bat and the fore-limb of the dog are said to be homologous structures. This indicates that:

They have the same function

Bats evolved from a lineage of dogs

They are structures which are similar due to common ancestry

The limb bones of each are anatomically identical

They have a different ancestry but a common function

Using radioactive dating techniques, the first life seems to have appeared on the earth about:

10 thousand years ago

270 million years ago

3.3 billion years ago

4.5 million years ago

10 billion years ago

Which of the following phrases best describes the process of evolution?

The development of man from monkey-life ancestors

The change of simple to complex organisms

The development of characteristics in response to need

Change of populations through time

The change of populations solely in response to natural selection

Marine mammals have many structural characteristics in common with fishes. The explanation that evolutionary theory would give for this similarity is:

Fish evolved structures similar to those already existing in mammals

Marine mammals evolved directly from the fishes

Marine mammals never developed use of limbs

Marine mammals adapted to an environment similar to that of the fishes

An alternation in the arrangement of nucleotides in a chromosome, possibly resulting in either a structural or physiological change in the organism, is called:

Genetic drift

Natural selection

Gene flow

A recessive gene

A mutation

It is thought that there was a rapid evolutionary rate once animal life invaded land from the oceans. The explanation given for this rapid evolution is:

There were many potential habitats for new forms to fill

The land was a perfect haven for life

There were many climatic changes occurring at that time

Radiation from the sun caused many mutations

The ocean was too stable and limited to allow for evolution to occur

The first animals to settle on land probably had which one of the following characteristics?

They were quite mobile to escape from predators

They were partially dependent upon water for survival

They were capable of completely adapting to the terrestrial environment in their life span

They had wings for flight from one habitat to another

They were quite adept at feeding on specific terrestrial plants

Two islands are found in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, isolated from any other land mass. These two islands were at one time connected by a land bridge and are of recent origin. They have identical plant and animal life and are separated by 50 miles of ocean. Assuming different selection pressures, which of these island populations would be most likely to be reproductively isolated, possibly allowing for species divergence?

Dandelions, with airborne seeds

Coconuts with floating seeds

Birds

Butterflies

Mice

The population of Red Tailed Black Cockatoo has been drastically reduced by the actions of man. Which of the following most likely threatens their ability to continue to evolve in response to the pressures of their environment?

There is no longer the prospect of over-reproduction

There is no longer the prospect of a struggle for limited resources

There is a lack of genetic variation for selection to act upon

There is no longer the prospect of a trait conferring a reproductive advantage

There is no longer the prospect of genetic drift occurring

A sudden major climatic change would most likely initially result in:

A rapid increase in adaptive radiation

A rapid increase in extinction rates

A sharp increase in numbers of species

An increase in mutation rates

Plants and animals developing new characteristics in order to cope with environmental changes

The most compelling evidence for large-scale evolutionary change or macroevolution is:

Kettlewell's release-recapture experiment with peppered moths

The fossil record

The occurrence of mass extinctions

Domestication of plants and animals

The observed increase of mutation rates across all species

When first proposed, Darwin's theory of natural selection did not fully explain how evolution could occur. This was due to:

Darwin's failure to recognize the tendency for organisms to over-reproduce

Darwin's initial overemphasis of the significance of genetic drift

The fact that accurate mechanisms explaining genetic inheritance were not widely known

The absence of accurate descriptions of the embryological development of most plants and animals

The absence of biochemical techniques to determine the genetic similarities between species

The presence of tropical rain forest fossil forms in Canada can best be explained by:

A shifting of environmental requirements by these types of species

A major climatic shift on the earth

A drifting of continents in a northward direction

An uplifting of lowland areas

A long term constancy of climate Individuals within a species tend to be genetically different.

The primary mechanism generating this individual variability is:

meiosis

mitosis

polyploidy

duplications

asexual reproductio

The extinct species Archaeopteryx had characteristics of both birds and reptiles. This is an example of a(n):

convergent species

trace fossil

archetype

intermediate form

polymorphic species

The earliest fossils found in the geologic record are:

fungi

bacteria

small photosynthesizing plants

seed plants

protozoa

Radiometric dating techniques rely on the fact that:

The bony portions of organisms decompose at a known rate

Organisms which lived earlier in time will tend to be found in sediments below organisms which lived more recently

The magnetic field of the earth has reversed its polarity at known time intervals in geological time

The earth contains elements which change into other elements at a constant known rate

During the decomposition process organic matter is converted into radioactive elements at a known rate

Which of the following best represents Lamarck's ideas on the evolutionary process?

Survival of the fittest

Inheritance of acquired characteristics

Neutral drift

Punctuated equilibrium

Assortive mating

Which of the following is not a part of Darwin's theory of natural selection?

Individuals of a population vary

Organisms tend to over-reproduce themselves

There are limited resources for which individuals compete

Modifications an organism acquires during its lifetime can be passed to its offspring

Variations possessed by individuals of a population are heritable

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Unit 4 Multiple Choice Questions

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