Evolving Populations Question Preview (ID: 24238)


Darwin, Survival Of The Fittest, Mutations, Reproduction. TEACHERS: click here for quick copy question ID numbers.

Darwin says that natural selection is
a) the mechanism of evolution
b) how modern species have come to exist
c) the explanation for beak variation in finches
d) all of these options

According to Darwin, evolution occurs
a) in response to use or disuse of a characteristic
b) by punctuated equilibrium
c) by natural selection
d) within an individuals lifetime

Darwin’s theory of evolution proposed
a) extinct species are not related to living species.
b) artificial variation results in some species being more fit to survive.
c) species change over time by the more favorable traits being passed down to offspring.
d) none of the above

“Survival of the fittest” is another way of describing
a) Adaptive radiation
b) Convergent evolution
c) Diversity
d) Natural Selection

Which scientist explained evolution by natural variation and natural selection?
a) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
b) Charles Lyell
c) James Hutton
d) Charles Darwin

The process by which individuals in a population that are best adapted to the environment pass their traits to their offspring is
a) Overproduction
b) Speciation
c) Natural Selection
d) Variation

Which of the following statements is true?
a) Evolution can occur in one generation over many years.
b) Evolution can only occur through thousands or millions of generations in a population.
c) Evolution can be seen in one organism in one lifetime.
d) All of the options

The evolution of beak sizes in Galapagos finches is a response to
a) How finches use their beaks for the food or seeds available.
b) The finches using the beak more, the beak changing, then passing that trait on.
c) Whether the populations interbreed
d) The nutritional content of the seeds grew smaller birds.

Which must be in place within a population in order for the theory of evolution to hold true?
a) changes in allele frequencies in random generations
b) changes in allele frequencies in successive generations.
c) changes in chromosomal frequencies in random generations.
d) changes in chromosomal frequencies in successive generations.

According to natural selection, which of the following results would be considered a beneficial mutation to an organism?
a) resistance to a virus
b) formation of cancer cells
c) inability to undergo sexual reproduction
d) stopping the production of an essential protein

Which is a conclusion drawn from the observed DNA similarities found between apes and chimpanzees?
a) Apes and chimpanzees are in the same genus.
b) Apes and chimpanzees are in the same species.
c) Apes and chimpanzees are products of artificial selection.
d) Apes and chimpanzees are thought to have evolved from a common ancestor.

A mutation occurs in a species of bird that eats seeds. The new mutation shapes the end of the beak in a new way that allows the birds to crack open seeds faster. What will most likely occur with the mutation over time?
a) Since the mutation only affects one organism, it will most likely disappear from the gene pool.
b) Since the mutation causes the bird to be better adapted, it will be passed on to its offspring, and over many generations cou
c) The mutation will be passed on to the offspring of the bird, but will stay only in the immediate family of the bird.
d) The mutation never could have existed because mutations cannot occur in DNA.

Black grasshoppers thrive in the wild, while green grasshoppers grow in limited numbers in the wild and thrive near cultivated land. The two species are eaten by the same predators and compete for the same food source. As more land is converted to fa
a) The black grasshoppers will outbreed the green grasshoppers.
b) The green grasshoppers will outnumber the black grasshoppers.
c) The black grasshoppers will find new wild lands in which to live.
d) Both grasshoppers will die out eventually from resource pressures.

Which characteristics of a population would most likely indicate the lowest potential for evolutionary change in the population?
a) asexual reproduction and few mutations
b) asexual reproduction and many mutations
c) sexual reproduction and few mutations
d) sexual reproduction and many mutations

A species of flower lives in an environment that has always had an abundance of rain but is now experiencing less rainfall each year. Which variation within the flower population would be beneficial in terms of natural selection?
a) a difference in pollen production
b) a difference in the color of petals
c) a difference in the length of the roots
d) a difference in the length of the stems

Which best illustrates the relationship between variations within a population and natural selection?
a) Natural selection acts upon a population since all members of the population are identical.
b) Organisms are able to change their genetic makeup to best adapt to a changing external environment
c) Giraffes have long necks and legs from stretching to reach food in trees. This trait was then passed to their offspring.
d) Antelopes with muscular legs are able to outrun their predators better than antelopes with poor muscle tone. Thus they lived

How might the fossil record show that an organism changed over time?
a) The species changed in each successive rock layer.
b) The species remained unchanged throughout the rock layers.
c) The species disappeared from one rock layer and reappeared in a successive rock layer.
d) The species completely disappeared from the rock layers.

What assumption is made during the relative dating of fossils?
a) Remains of extinct organisms can be compared to organisms living today.
b) By comparing rock layers, a pattern is seen of organisms becoming simpler over time.
c) Upper rock layers contain younger remains and older remains are found in deeper layers.
d) The time it takes for known radioactive materials to break down is used to age the remains.

All of the following are natural causes of extinction, except--
a) Viral outbreak
b) Meteors striking the Earth
c) New predator
d) Acid rain

Relative dating of fossils is different from radioactive dating of fossils because relative dating
a) requires the use of modern technology.
b) can provide an exact age of a fossil.
c) measures changes in fossils according to decaying isotopes.
d) requires observing the location in which the fossil was found.

Play Games with the Questions above at ReviewGameZone.com
To play games using the questions from above, visit ReviewGameZone.com and enter game ID number: 24238 in the upper right hand corner or click here.

TEACHERS / EDUCATORS
Log In
| Sign Up / Register