Chapter 17
Student: _________________________________________________________
1. Which of the following would NOT be involved in natural selection?
A. competition for resources
B. having successful offspring
C. variation in DNA sequences
D. embryological similarities
2. A difference between artificial selection and natural selection would be:
A. traits or adaptations are not predetermined in natural selection.
B. the environment determines the better adaptation for natural selection.
C. the traits chosen in artificial selection do not necessarily lead to better survival of an organism.
D. all of the choices are differences between artificial and natural selection.
3. Two fossilized remains are found and scientists assume the two organisms are different but related. Which of
the following would be best to use to determine the relatedness of these two organisms?
A. homologous structures
B. vestigial structures
C. biogeography
D. all of the choices could be examined to determine relatedness.
4. Darwin's theory of natural selection to explain evolution is also known as
A. descent with modification.
B. inheritance of acquired characteristics.
C. uniformitarianism.
D. catastrophism.
5. Which is predicted by the theory of special creation?
A. Species change by adaptation to their environment.
B. Vestigial organs should be similar to functional forms in ancestral species.
C. There should be no nonfunctional structures in organisms perfectly adapted to their environment.
D. Fossils should show differences in species as they change over time.
6. "Evolution" is a Latin term that comes from the root word meaning
A. species.
B. new.
C. anti-religious.
D. fossils.
E. unrolling.
7. Which of the following ideas was most commonly held in the eighteenth century?
A. evolution by natural selection over time
B. genetic change through mutation
C. the fixity of species
D. changes in a species through adaptation to the environment
8. What is the scala naturae?
A. a species of horse
B. the first theory of evolution
C. a ladder of life, with humans at the top
D. another name for the theory of special creation
9. An idea that could be traced back to Plato is that
A. hybrids showed that species could be changed with time.
B. variation was due to imperfections in copies of some perfect ideal form.
C. artificial selection of animals by humans proves that evolution can occur.
D. acquired characteristics could be passed from parents to offspring.
E. worldwide catastrophes caused extinction, followed by creation of new species.
10. Linnaeus developed his classification system for organisms according to
A. a theory of descent by modification.
B. Darwin's theory of evolution.
C. Lamarck's theory of evolution.
D. a theory of special creation and fixity of species.
11. Which naturalist wrote a 44-volume natural history on plants and animals, and also suggested migration,
environmental influences, isolation, and overcrowding might affect how organisms descend with modifications?
A. Darwin
B. Lamarck
C. Cuvier
D. Lyell
E. Leclerc
12. Erasmus Darwin, in his discussion of evolutionary possibilities, included all of the following EXCEPT
A. changes during the development of organisms.
B. artificial selection in animal breeding.
C. vestigial organs.
D. comparative anatomy of mammals.
13. Cuvier addressed the comparative anatomy of fossils in a theory of life changes called
A. paleontology.
B. the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
C. the evolution of species.
D. catastrophism.
E. uniformitarianism.
14. The Greek root words meaning "ancient," "having existed," and "study of" form the basis for the term
A. evolution.
B. anthropology.
C. biogeography.
D. paleontology.
E. homology.
15. The Greek root word underlying "catastrophism" means
A. change-over-time.
B. extinction.
C. calamity or misfortune.
D. attracted to the past.
E. having different ancestry.
16. Lamarck's theory of evolution included the idea that
A. there is a natural force in all living things that pushes them toward perfection.
B. local catastrophes cause mass extinctions of species.
C. species are only produced through special creation.
D. species are fixed and unchanging over time.
17. Cutting off the tails of mice over several generations should cause the tails of their offspring to become
shorter, according to the ideas of which of these scientists?
A. Darwin
B. Lamarck
C. Cuvier
D. Lyell
18. Who was the author of the book Principles of Geology, which presented arguments to support a theory of
geological change, proposed by James Hutton, that the earth was subject to slow but continuous erosion and
uplift?
A. Leclerc
B. Lamarck
C. Cuvier
D. Lyell
19. Hutton's theory of geological change included all except
A. catastrophic extinction of species.
B. slow cycles of erosion and uplift.
C. production of layers of sediment through slow deposition.
D. extreme geological change occurring over a long period of time.
20. Lamarck's ideas on evolution were adopted by some Russian scientists, including Michurin and Lysenko in
Stalinist Russia. Their textbooks printed Lysenko's assertions that a wheat plant could be made cold-hardy by
conditioning in cold storage, or that workmen who develop strong muscles would produce children who would
be born stronger. Which of the major premises of evolution by natural selection was violated?
A. The organisms vary in traits.
B. The variation is inherited.
C. More young are born than can survive.
D. Some individuals are better adapted to the environment.
21. Most of Darwin's observations about changes in species over time and in different environments took place
in and near
A. North America.
B. Africa.
C. South America.
D. Asia.
E. Australia.
22. Natural selection was independently proposed as a means of evolution by Darwin and
A. Lyell.
B. Wallace.
C. LeClerc.
D. Lamarck.
23. The Greek root words meaning "life," "earth," and "writing" form the basis for the term
A. analogy.
B. anthropology.
C. biogeography.
D. paleontology.
E. homology.
24. Darwin's observation that there were Patagonian hares but no rabbits in South America was most closely
related to his consideration of
A. comparative anatomy.
B. biogeography.
C. the fossil record.
D. comparative embryology.
E. comparative biochemistry.
25. Darwin's opinion that living forms must be descended from extinct forms was most closely related to his
consideration of
A. comparative anatomy.
B. biogeography.
C. the fossil record.
D. comparative embryology.
E. comparative biochemistry.
26. A line of evidence NOT considered by Darwin in his development of the theory of natural selection is
A. comparative anatomy.
B. biogeography.
C. the fossil record.
D. comparative biochemistry.
27. The organisms examined by Darwin on the Galápagos Islands that were most important in his development
of the theory of natural selection were
A. rabbits and hares.
B. plants and fungi.
C. tortoises and finches.
D. snails and fish.
E. monkeys and armadillos.
28. When he arrived at the Galápagos Islands, Darwin did not observe the amazing tool-using "woodpecker
finch" that can modify twigs to pry out grubs. Because there are no true woodpeckers on the Galápagos Islands,
this behavior allows this finch to exploit an untapped food source. However, not all members of this species
exhibit this behavior, which is probably learned from watching other finches. Therefore,
A. young isolated at hatching will not know how to do this.
B. it is probably not "hardwired" in the brain as a behavior passed on genetically.
C. there must be a great advantage to reaching this food source for this learned behavior to be repeated by most
descendants of each generation.
D. as an acquired characteristic, in a strict sense this is not part of the adaptive radiation of finches on the
Galápagos.
E. All of the choices are correct.
29. Which is NOT one of the preconditions in a population where natural selection is at work?
A. There is variation that can be inherited in a population.
B. The population becomes adapted to its environment.
C. Many more individuals are produced by a population than can survive and reproduce.
D. Adaptive characteristics in some individuals make them more likely to survive and reproduce.
30. Which of the following is/are true about natural selection?
A. It acts on genotypes rather than phenotypes.
B. It assures the survival of each fit individual.
C. On average, it favors the survival of more young with adaptive characteristics.
D. It always selects for more complex forms.
E. All of the choices are correct.
31. The Latin root words providing the meaning underlying the term "adaptation" mean
A. change-over-time.
B. toward a suitable fit.
C. calamity or misfortune.
D. based on fossils.
E. not very apt.
32. Newly-found fossils like Archaeopteryx offer additional evidence linking
A. reptiles and mammals.
B. fish and amphibians.
C. birds and mammals.
D. birds and reptiles.
E. amphibians and reptiles.
33. Transitional forms are seen in the fossil record that link all of these groups EXCEPT
A. birds and reptiles.
B. reptiles and amphibians.
C. fish and amphibians.
D. mammals and birds.
E. mammals and reptiles.
34. The fossil record clearly shows a series of species that link very early forms with the modern
A. rat.
B. dog.
C. owl.
D. cow.
E. horse.
35. What evidence would be studied by a biogeographer?
A. continental drift or the movement of tectonic plates over time
B. amount of genetic similarity among current populations
C. ocean currents and wind patterns
D. ranges of animals and ability to migrate
E. All of the choices are correct.
36. The Greek root word for "homologous" means
A. change-over-time.
B. trace or footprint.
C. of equal length.
D. agreeing or corresponding.
E. change-in-function.
37. The Latin root word for "vestigial" means
A. change-over-time.
B. trace or footprint.
C. inoperable or not-working.
D. agreeing or corresponding.
E. change-in-function.
38. Homologous structures such as the bones in wings, flippers, and arms are most closely concerned with
A. comparative anatomy.
B. biogeography.
C. the fossil record.
D. comparative embryology.
E. comparative biochemistry.
39. Birds and insects both have wings, but we do not consider this similarity as evidence of relatedness because
A. bird wings function on different physics principles of lift.
B. insect wings are vestigial.
C. the wings are not homologous structures with a common ancestral origin.
D. they did not evolve in the same region or live at the same time period.
E. there is no fossil link between these groups.
40. Comparisons are made among a broad range of organisms for similarities in amino acid sequences.
However, it is necessary to use
A. structural proteins.
B. basic biochemical molecules that are universal.
C. blood type molecules.
D. similarities only based on available dietary proteins.
E. There are no restrictions, any amino acids for any structure would provide a legitimate comparison among
organisms.
41. In comparing the number of differences in amino acids for cytochrome c: between a moth and a rattlesnake
there are 31 different amino acids in the sequence, between a moth and a dog there are only 25, and there are 6
differences between a dog and a horse. Therefore,
A. this is sufficient evidence to prove the moth is more closely related to the dog than to the horse.
B. dogs had to evolve earlier than horses, since moths are more primitive.
C. evolution used to be considered a unifying theory until biochemical data showed only differences.
D. added to anatomical similarities and fossil records, this provides additional evidence for interpreting their
relatedness.
E. biochemical information is not relevant to the evolution of organisms.
42. The post Darwinian view of the world included
A. the age of the Earth is billions of years old.
B. species are related by descent.
C. interplay of random variations and conditions of the environment produced environmental adapation.
D. All of the choices are correct.
43. Among the evidence that Darwin examined
A. was that adaptation of various species to various environments results in diversity.
B. was that slow processes caused the Earth's massive geological changes that indicate that the Earth is very
old.
C. was that species change over time.
D. All of the choices are correct.
44. When previous adaptations in a species are no longer useful to a changed environment,
A. natural selection toward that form of the species occurs.
B. extinction of the species occurs.
C. fitness is observed.
D. All of the choices are correct.
45. Darwin observed that
A. members of a population vary in their functional, physical and behavioral characteristics.
B. there is a constant struggle for survival of organisms.
C. organisms differ in fitness.
D. All of the choices are correct.
46. The organisms that are most fit in the population
A. capture the majority of resources and thus produce more offspring.
B. are the factors determining fitness differs for different populations.
C. may be side-stepped by humans applying artificial selection by the breeder selection of traits in a species.
D. All of the choices are correct.
47. Of the following, which is NOT evidence of evolution?
A. fossil record
B. biogeographical distribution
C. anatomical and biochemical evidence
D. catastrophism
48. An example of Lamark's idea of inheritance of acquired characteristics could be drug resistance in bacteria;
once exposed to the drug, resistance develops and is passed onto subsequent generations.
True False
49. Darwin was the only scientist to propose the theory of natural selection.
True False
50. Evolution can be described as the change of species over time.
True False
51. Darwin produced the first known theory to explain evolution.
True False
52. Linnaeus, who developed the binomial system of naming species, was a strong supporter of the theory of
evolution.
True False
53. A major intellectual revolution occurred with the development of Darwin's theory of natural selection to
explain the evolution of species.
True False
54. Darwin began his voyage on the Beagle in 1861.
True False
55. Charles Darwin was the first one to consider environment, migration, overcrowding, and isolation of
populations as factors that could influence evolution.
True False
56. Erasmus Darwin, Charles Darwin's grandfather, suggested the possibility of evolutionary descent in his
writings.
True False
57. Darwin considered variations in a population to be the raw materials of evolution.
True False
58. The Galápagos Islands contain many different kinds of birds that are all very similar to those of North and
South America.
True False
59. Lyell was a biologist who first suggested that variation provided the means by which populations adapt to
their environment.
True False
60. Darwin's book On the Origin of Species was first published in 1889 and was an immediate bestseller.
True False
61. One of the unifying theories of biology is the theory of evolution.
True False
62. The study of the geographic distribution of life forms on the Earth is biodiversity.
True False
63. Erasmus Darwin first proposed the idea of inheritance of acquired characteristics.
True False
64. Georges Cuvier found the study of paleontology.
True False
65. Explain the historical view of evolution and species formation before Darwin.
66. Describe the concept of catastrophism and how it explained changes in organisms.
67. Explain Lamarck's theory of evolution.
68. Briefly describe Darwin's theory of natural selection and its consequences in a population.
69. Describe and briefly discuss the significance of five lines of evidence that support Darwin's theory of natural
selection.
70. Discuss why, though Darwin and Wallace published the theory of natural selection at the same time, Darwin
is usually considered its originator.
71. When we compare amino acid differences to estimate the evolutionary "distance" between organisms, what
assumptions are being made about the rate at which mutations occur over time?
Chapter 17 KEY
1. D
2. D
3. D
4. A
5. C
6. E
7. C
8. C
9. B
10. D
11. E
12. D
13. D
14. D
15. C
16. A
17. B
18. D
19. A
20. B
21. C
22. B
23. C
24. B
25. C
26. D
27. C
28. E
29. B
30. C
31. B
32. D
33. D
34. E
35. E
36. D
37. B
38. A
39. C
40. B
41. D
42. D
43. D
44. B
45. D
46. D
47. D
48. TRUE
49. FALSE
50. TRUE
51. FALSE
52. FALSE
53. TRUE
54. FALSE
55. FALSE
56. TRUE
57. TRUE
58. FALSE
59. FALSE
60. FALSE
61. TRUE
62. FALSE
63. FALSE
64. TRUE
65. Answers will vary.
66. Answers will vary.
67. Answers will vary.
68. Answers will vary.
69. Answers will vary.
70. Answers will vary.
71. Answers will vary.