Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

1. Natural selection as a mechanism of evolution that acts on variants within populations and
ultimately leads to the evolution of different species was proposed by
A) Mendel
B) Lyell
C) Mathus
D) Darwin
E) Founder

2. Features that increase the likelihood of survival and reproduction by an organism in a

particular environment are called
A) genes
B) alleles
C) mutations
D) adaptations
E) selection

3. The gene pool includes

A) all of the fitness within a population
B) all of the individuals within a population
C) all of the mutations within a population
D) all of the adaptations within a population
E) all of the alleles of genes within a population

4. The founder principle explains how rare alleles and a combination of alleles may be enhanced
in new
A) populations
B) clines
C) bottleneck areas
D) migratory areas
E) genomes

5. A restriction in genetic variability caused by a drastic reduction in population size is called a

A) founder effect
B) Hardy-Weinberg effect
C) bottleneck effect
D) polymorphic effect
E) adaptive effect

6. The genetic contribution of an individual to succeeding generations, compared with that of

other individuals in the population, is known as
A) variation
B) microevolution
C) marcoevolution
D) fitness

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

E) adaptive makeup

7. Darwin proposed that natural selection occurs in an environment by

A) favoring heritable features that make the organism better suited to survive and reproduce
B) producing a constant number of offspring while in that environment
C) surviving for a fixed amount of time
D) resisting the environment and keeping the environment from changing
E) all of the above

8. The Hardy-Weinberg equations only hold true, that is, a population is only in equilibrium
A) when immigration in and out of the area are held constant
B) when changes only take place over long periods of time
C) when it includes episodes of extinction
D) when the population is designed to survive in new habitats
E) when all of the Hardy-Weinberg assumptions are correct

9. In the Hardy-Weinberg equations the frequencies of 2 alleles in a population (where there are
only 2 alleles to consider) can be designated as
A) a and b
B) p and q
C) p2 and q2
D) 2pq
E) all of the above

10. The frequency of a particular allele within a population can be changed, over time, by
A) genetic outflow
B) gene expression
C) selection
D) steroid interaction
E) random mating

11. The genetic preservation of the features that increase the likelihood of survival and
reproduction of some individuals within a population is called the process of
A) natural selection
B) creation of new species
C) genetic drift
D) outcrossing
E) increasing evolutionary resistance

12. Which of the following describes Darwin's explanations for evolution?

A) new species formation is through adaptational changes; populations are independent of
environment; learned experiences pass on to the next generation
B) adaptational changes accumulate; natural selection is responsible for changes within a
population
C) new species formation is spontaneous; populations are independent of environment; learned
experiences pass on to the next generation

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

D) all of the above

E) a and b

13. Hardy-Weinberg pointed out that the original proportions of the genotypes in a population
will remain constant from generation to generation if certain assumptions are met. These are
A) the population is very large and random mating is occurring
B) no gene mutation and migration takes place
C) no selection occurs
D) a, b, and c
E) a and b only

14. For a gene with two alternative alleles, A (frequency p) and a (frequency q), the term in the
algebraic form of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the heterozygote genotype frequency is
A) p2
B) q2
C) 2pq
D) (p+q)2
E) 2Aa

15. Which one of the following is not an agent of natural evolutionary change?
A) mutation
B) migration
C) genetic drift
D) non-random mating
E) artificial selection

16. The phenomenon in which rare alleles become more common in new populations is called
A) founder effect
B) gene flow
C) genetic drift
D) assortative mating
E) mutation

17. In small populations, frequencies of certain alleles may change by chance alone. Such
random change in the frequency of alleles is called
A) mutation
B) migration
C) genetic drift
D) nonrandom mating
E) selection

18. The type of non-random mating that causes the frequencies of particular genotypes to differ
greatly from those predicted by the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is called
A) mutation
B) migration
C) genetic drift

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

D) assortative mating
E) selection

19. There are 5 agents of evolutionary change

A) mutation, point mutation, transposition, deletion, crossing over
B) mutation, gene flow, nonrandom mating, genetic drift, selection
C) founder principle, bottleneck effect, genome effect, gene flow, selection pressure
D) gene flow, Hardy-Weinberg effect, p 2, q 2, mutation
E) there are more than 5 agents, all of the above cause evolution change

20. In order for natural selection to occur within a population, three conditions must be met.
These include
A) phenotypic differences resulting from environmental conditions
B) frequent mutations that are inherited
C) low rates of immigration
D) phenotypic variations that are genetic
E) all of the above

21. When selection acts to eliminate one extreme from an array of phenotypes it is called
A) natural selection
B) stabilizing selection
C) disruptive selection
D) directional selection
E) artificial selection

22. The total of all of alleles in the entire population can be thought of as
A) an allele mixture
B) a gene pool
C) a genetic melting pot
D) a genome
E) variant genes

23. Certain small towns in the western United States have remained isolated and inbred since
their settlement many years ago. Some alleles are more common in these communities as
compared to the rest of the population. This effect is known as
A) artificial selection
B) directional selection
C) disrupting selection
D) Hardy-Weinberg principle
E) founder principle

24. Cheetahs have been through a genetic bottleneck; evidence for this is that
A) little natural selection occurs in this species
B) the body is long, thin, and graceful
C) there is very little genetic variability
D) these cats are members of an endangered species

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

E) they originally came from small areas of Africa

25. Which of the following characteristics are found in a species?

A) members are generally similar genotypically
B) members mate with other members
C) members do not usually mate outside the species
D) sterile offspring usually result from mating outside the species
E) all of the above

26. In some instances environmental change causes a situation where one phenotype is favored
for a period of time, and then a different phenotype is favored. This oscillating selection causes
A) the maintenance of genetic variation in the population
B) extinction of the rarer genotypes because of uneven selection
C) an increase in point mutations
D) high population increase to maintain phenotypic variation
E) both b and d

27. In disruptive selection, over time

A) a population goes extinct
B) the most extreme outliers of a population are eliminated (e.g., the largest beaks and smallest
beaks are eliminated)
C) the population is strongly selected for in one direction (e.g., larger beak size)
D) the population is strongly selected for in two directions (e.g., larger beak size and smaller
beak size)
E) a population increases its variation (e.g., a wide selection of all beak sizes)

28. In directional selection, over time

A) a population goes extinct
B) the most extreme outliers of a population are eliminated (e.g., the largest beaks and smallest
beaks are eliminated)
C) the population is strongly selected for in one direction (e.g., larger beak size)
D) the population is strongly selected for in two directions (e.g., larger beak size and smaller
beak size)
E) a population increases its variation (e.g., a wide selection of all beak sizes)

29. Natural selection adjusts the shape of the beaks among Darwin's finches in response
A) to the available food supply
B) to the available nest building material supplies
C) to the availability of potential mating partners
D) to remove ectoparasites from their feathers
E) to improve their feather preening abilities

30. A technique used in dating a rock can be used to accurately predict the age of the fossils
occurring in the rocks. This technique involves
A) fossil dating
B) successive rock layering

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

C) radioactive isotope decay

D) structural geology
E) developmental geology

31. The evolution of similar forms in different lineages when exposed to the same selective
pressures is
A) called divergence
B) called convergence
C) referred to as successive homologies
D) referred to as descent
E) also known as natural selection

32. Domestication of dogs has led to

A) a variety of homologous structures
B) a variety of phenotypes
C) a variety of mutations
D) a variety of analogous structures
E) all of the above

33. Industrial melanism is a term describing

A) the color change in humans working in the industrialized world
B) the tendency of individuals containing higher proportions of melanin to work in industries
more
C) the evolutionary process in which initially light-colored organisms become dark as a result of
natural selection
D) the darker moths having higher reproductive success because of their pigmentation
E) the widespread implementation of pollution controls

34. The shape of the beaks of Darwin's finches, industrial melanism, and sickle-cell disease are
often cited as examples of the process of ________ leading to evolutionary change
A) artificial selection
B) coevolution
C) scientific creationism
D) founder effect
E) natural selection

35. The fossil record, today,

A) can be dated only with one layer in relation to older layers below and younger layers above,
no actual dates can be estimated
B) can be dated reasonably well, using Uranium decay and half-life positrons
C) can be dated reasonably well, using radioactive isotopes with known half-lives
D) can be dated precisely, to within a single year, using radioactive isotopes
E) can be dated precisely, to within a single year, using cyclotrons and positron emitters

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

36. Natural selection has favored the dark form of the peppered moth in areas subject to severe
air pollution, perhaps because on darkened trees they are less easily seen by moth-eating birds.
As pollution abated the light forms were favored because of
A) selection
B) migration
C) mutation
D) genetic drift
E) bottleneck effect

37. Evidence for evolution includes all of the following except

A) the fossil record
B) homologous structures
C) the molecular record
D) point mutation
E) vestigial structures

38. Evidence for evolution can be obtained by examining presently-existing species through
studies on
A) early development
B) vestigial structures
C) patterns of distribution
D) convergence
E) all of the above

39. Progressive changes in fossils of different ages provides one of the strongest lines of
evidence for
A) extinction
B) evolution
C) coevolution
D) adaptation
E) mutation

40. The molecular record suggests that a series of evolutionary changes is tied to a progressive
accumulation of
A) extinctions
B) alterations of DNA sequences
C) modifications of the environment
D) somatic mutations
E) structural modifications

41. In the case of the toothed whales, the fossil record

A) shows they evolved from fish
B) shows they evolved from swimming dinosaurs
C) shows they evolved from a land mammal
D) has fragmentary evidence that cannot be explained
E) has no evidence about how they evolved

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

42. Which of the following embryonic developmental features of the human suggest evolution
from other vertebrates?
A) lanugo, fine fur
B) gill slits
C) long bony tail
D) a, b, and c
E) a and b only

43. Structures which are derived from the same body part in a common ancestor but may have
different appearances and functions are called
A) analogous structures
B) homologous structures
C) vestigial structures
D) embryonic structures
E) homozygous structures

44. The reasons that 'scientific creationism' should not be labeled as science include
A) it is not supported by any empirical observations
B) it does not obtain its principles from observation, as does science
C) its assumptions lead to no hypotheses that could be tested and possibly disproven
D) the idea of creation by a supernatural agency lies outside the realm of science
E) all of the above

45. The wings of birds and butterflies are examples of structures that resemble each other and
have similar function, but are the result of parallel evolution in separate lineages. These
structures are called
A) analogous structures
B) homologous structures
C) vestigial structures
D) embryonic structures
E) homozygous structures

46. Which of the following is not a vestigial trait in humans?

A) ear-wiggling muscles
B) muscles that make body hairs stand on end
C) fingers
D) appendix
E) wisdom teeth

47. Which of the following illustrate shared ancestry by anatomical comparison studies?
A) same organ has evolved to carry out different function
B) organ loses its function altogether
C) different organs evolve in similar ways when subjected to the same selective pressures
D) a, b, and c
E) a and b only

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

48. Many organisms possess structures that have no apparent function, but they resemble
structures of presumed ancestors. This is the study of
A) the fossil record
B) the molecular record
C) homology
D) development
E) vestigial structures

49. The observation that different geographical areas sometimes exhibit plant and animal
communities of similar appearance, even though the individual plants and animals are not closely
related, is called
A) the fossil record
B) homology
C) convergent evolution
D) divergent evolution
E) adaptation

50. The evolution of different forms in the same lineage when exposed to different selective
pressures is called
A) convergence
B) homology
C) phylogeny
D) analogy
E) divergence

51. Peppered moths are cited as examples of natural selection that has been observed in the last
one hundred years. Which statement best describes why?
A) Peppered moths exhibit two distinct morphological types (dark and light colored wings). The
dark ones are favored by birds and are thus selected against in nonpolluted forests.
B) Peppered moths exhibit two distinct morphological types (dark and light colored wings). The
dark ones are not liked by birds and are thus safe in nonpolluted forests.
C) Peppered moths exhibit two distinct morphological types (dark and light colored wings). The
light ones are favored by birds and are thus selected against in nonpolluted forests.
D) Peppered moths exhibit two distinct morphological types (dark and light colored wings).
Birds favor the dark ones and light ones and neither morph has an advantage.

52. A friend of yours is trying to understand the concept of convergent evolution. Which of the
following choices would you choose to give as an acceptable answer?
A) Convergent evolution occurs when two species living in the same area become reproductively
isolated.
B) Convergent evolution occurs when two species living in different areas become reestablished
and are able to reproduce.
C) Convergent evolution occurs when two species living in the same area are competing for the
same resource thus causing one to evolve away from the other.

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

D) Convergent evolution occurs when two species living in different areas evolve similarities
through natural selection acting on those characteristics.

53. As a biologist if you were to see a sign describing evolution as “just a theory,” you would
think that
A) evolution is a theory that is supported with a tremendous amount of evidence
B) evolution is just a collection of facts without a central theme and this is not a theory
C) evolution is what Darwin proposed to account for all the changes he observed in the finches
so it is a hypothesis of his, not a theory
D) evolution occurred in the past, but it is not occurring in the present, so it cannot be a theory

54. You see a sign on a door that reads “Homologous Structures Inside.” You go in and find
A) structures of animals that appear to have evolved from different parts of their bodies
B) structures of animals that have difference appearances and functions but seems to have
evolved from the same body part in a common ancestor
C) structures of animals that have the same appearances and functions but obviously no common
ancestor
D) structures of animals that have different appearances and functions but different ancestors

55. Radioactive isotopes are used in dating materials from the distant past. Which of the
following statements is accurate about radioactive dating techniques?
A) It gives relative ages of rock strata.
B) It gives exact ages of rock strata.
C) It uses a technique in which the degree of radioactive decay is measured, the younger the rock
the more radioactive decay.
D) It uses a technique in which the degree of radioactive decay is measured, the older the rock
the more radioactive decay.
E) It does not work well with fossil remains that have not absorbed radiation because scientists
cannot measure the radiation with any degree of certainty.

56. The basic unit of evolution and taxonomy is the

A) hybrid
B) population
C) species
D) human being
E) zygote

57. Two groups of organisms that differ from one another in one or more characteristics and do
not hybridize extensively if they occur together in nature are considered to be different
A) races
B) species
C) kingdoms
D) hybrids
E) cohabitants

58. Once species have formed, they keep their identity by

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

A) developmental differences
B) genetic blocks
C) isolating mechanisms
D) somatic mutations
E) structural modifications

59. In the southeastern U.S., two species of wild lettuce (Lactuca) do not usually form hybrids,
because they bloom at different seasons. The means of isolation appears to be
A) behavioral
B) temporal
C) geographical
D) mechanical
E) ecological

60. A classical example of adaptive radiation is seen in

A) dark colored moths
B) mules
C) Darwin's finches
D) Hawaiian finches
E) mainland birds

61. All of the following describe species except

A) all hybrids tend to be fertile
B) they are groups of organisms that differ from each other in one or more characteristics
C) they do not hybridize freely with other species
D) individuals within a given species can interbreed freely
E) they share gene flow

62. Adaptive radiation is best described as

A) existence of groups of closely related species recently evolved from a common ancestor
B) existence of groups of distantly related species recently evolved from a common ancestor
C) existence of groups of closely related species recently evolved from different ancestors
through hybridization
D) existence of individuals of closely related species that originated in different areas within
diverse habitats, but that have rejoined as a single species

63. Speciation is a two-part process. Of the choices given, select the one that reflects the two-part
process.
A) Initially identical populations must mate and maintain reproductive isolating mechanisms.
B) Initially identical populations must diverge and evolve reproductive isolating mechanisms to
remain separate.
C) Initially evolve reproductive isolation, then and only then move to different habitats.
D) Initially evolve mechanisms to diverge, and then remain closely related by reproductive
isolating mechanisms that fail.

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

64. In the taxonomic hierarchical system for grouping organisms, the next higher group to a
family is
A) genus
B) order
C) class
D) species
E) phylum

65. Characteristics between the branch points of a cladogram that are shared by all organisms
above the branch point and are not present in any below it are called
A) homologous characters
B) analogous characters
C) ancestral characters
D) derived characters
E) novel characters

66. Characteristics that have arisen in organisms as a result of common evolutionary descent are
said to be
A) homologous characteristics
B) analogous characteristics
C) adaptive characteristics
D) derived characteristics
E) novel characteristics

67. Most biologists now recognize and use a newer system for classification of all organisms that
identify
A) two kingdoms
B) three kingdoms
C) four kingdoms
D) five kingdoms
E) six kingdoms

68. Eukaryotic organisms are classified into a total of

A) one kingdoms
B) two kingdoms
C) three kingdoms
D) four kingdoms
E) six kingdoms

69. Eukaryotic cells acquired mitochondria and chloroplasts by

A) endosymbiosis
B) exocytosis
C) pinocytosis
D) mutation
E) natural selection

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70. All living organisms share all of the following features in common except
A) carry out metabolism
B) transfer energy with ATP
C) encode hereditary information in DNA
D) are composed of one or more cells
E) containing organelles

71. The binomial system of classification of organisms was developed by

A) Darwin
B) Linnaeus
C) Wallace
D) Griffith
E) Schleidin

72. The biological name of an organism in the binomial system contains two parts, the genus and
the
A) species
B) phylum
C) kingdom
D) order
E) family

73. In that any one group fits within a more inclusive group, the biological classification systems
are
A) evolutionary
B) hierarchical
C) inclusive
D) numerical
E) programmed

74. Of the following, the correct order from largest, most inclusive group to smallest, most
specific group, is
A) species, genus, family, class, order
B) species, family, genus, class, order
C) class, genus, order, family, species
D) class, order, family, genus, species
E) class, family, order, genus, species

75. The largest, most inclusive grouping in the classification scheme is

A) genus
B) family
C) kingdom
D) class
E) order

76. The number of domains living organisms can be divided into is

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5

77. The three multicellular eukaryotic kingdoms, animalia, plantae, and fungi differ in
A) morphologies
B) motility
C) modes of nutrition
D) a and c only
E) a, b, and c

78. Though a diverse group, all archaebacteria share certain characteristics which
A) lack peptidoglycan cell walls
B) possess very unusual lipids
C) contain characteristic ribosomal RNA sequences
D) some of their genes contain introns
E) all of the above are true

79. Which of the following cannot be included in the main categories of archaebacteria?
A) methanogens
B) extreme thermophiles
C) extreme halophiles
D) nitrogen fixers
E) a and d

80. The first eukaryotes appeared about

A) 4.5 billion years ago
B) 1.5 billion years ago
C) 15 million years ago
D) 1.5 million years ago
E) 15,000 years ago

81. Two principal organelles of eukaryotes that share features with one another and with bacteria
from which they apparently were derived are the
A) flagella and cilia
B) microfilaments and microtubules
C) mitochondria and chloroplasts
D) rough ER and smooth ER
E) plasma membrane and nuclear membrane

82. Pinus in the scientific name Pinus ponderosa is the

A) phylum
B) class
C) family

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

D) genus
E) species

83. An organism has just been located and needs to be placed into one of the domains of life. The
characteristics that have been reported are multicellular and autotrophic. Based on your
knowledge, which domain should this organism be placed?
A) Monera
B) Archaebacteria
C) Bacteria
D) Eukarya
E) Protista

84. If two organisms are in the same phylum and the same order, then they also belong to the
same
A) class
B) family
C) genus
D) species
E) subspecies

85. A friend asks you the difference in kingdoms and domains. You respond.
A) “Domains are larger and more inclusive than kingdoms. There are three domains into which
the six kingdoms can be divided.”
B) “Domains are within the six kingdoms and are not actually recognized by most biologists.”
C) “Kingdoms have been around much longer and include all six domains.”
D) “Kingdoms and domains are really the same thing since they both contain all life forms.”
E) “The three domains and six kingdoms are important to a few taxonomists, but mainstream
biologists stick with the more familiar five kingdom approach.”

86. One day after a biology class you have some confusion about the difference between
phylogeny and systematics. Which friend is right?
A) Friend A states that systematics and phylogenies are really the same, one is more recent than
the other is, but basically they are the same.
B) Friend B says that the way he remembers is that systematics is the same as cladistics and
cladistics is reconstructing clades, which ultimately lead to the development of phylogenies.
C) Friend C argues that systematics is the actual collecting and cataloguing of specimens into
museums which can be used later by scientists to construct clades and phylogenies.
D) Friend D says that the way she remembers is that systematics is the reconstruction and study
of phylogenies.

87. The evolutionary sequence in the development of a complex character can be best analyzed
through
A) homoplasies
B) phylogenetics
C) taxonomy
D) classification

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Biol 178 Principles of Biology Study Questions Exam 5: Evolution and Classification

E) synapomorphies

88. A phylogenetically based taxonomy is important not only in creating a logical way to name
organisms, but also in learning about ________ of organisms using information in related
species.
A) physiology
B) behavior
C) development
D) a, b, and c
E) none of the above

89. Which of the following statements is accurate about the chart of morphological data? The "1"
in the box means the trait is present and the "0" indicates that the trait is absent.

A) All organisms in this chart share all of the derived characteristics.

B) Only the gorilla and humans share all of the derived characteristics.
C) The lamprey is the only outgroup since it shares none of the derived characteristics.
D) The salamander and the tiger are outgroups because they only share two of the derived
characteristics (jaws and lungs).
E) The shark is an outgroup since it only has one of the derived characteristics (jaws).

90. Which statement is an accurate description of the characteristics found in the examples below
that relate to the three Domains of life?
A) Archaea and Eukarya share the characteristic of membrane bound organelles.
B) Bacteria and Archaea share the characteristic of nuclear envelope.
C) Eukarya and Bacteria share the characteristic of membrane bound organelles.
D) Archaea and Eukarya share the characteristic of peptidoglycans in cell walls.
E) Archaea and Bacteria share the characteristic of branched membrane lipid structure.

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