Practice Evolution Test
1. Which of the following principles is NOT part of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural
selection?
A. Evolution is a gradual process that occurs over long periods of time.
B. Variation occurs among individuals in a population.
C. Mutations are the ultimate source of genetic variation.
D. More individuals are born than will survive.
E. Individuals that possess the most favorable variations have the best chance of reproducing.
2. Which of the following is probably the best explanation for the fact that Antarctic penguins
cannot fly, although there is evidence that millions of years ago their ancestors could do so?
A. Penguins live on land and feed in the water; therefore they have no need to fly.
B. The Antarctic home of penguins is flat and barren; therefore there is no place to fly.
C. Ancestral penguins without large wings were better able to swim and feed in the water;
therefore they passed their genes for shorter wings structure onto their offspring.
D. Ancestral penguins did not use their wings for long periods of time; therefore today’s
penguins have only tiny, nonfunctional wings.
E. The cold and wind of Antarctica make flight impossible; therefore penguins that live there
have lost the ability to fly.
3. What is the only factor that can change allele frequencies in populations to produce adaptive
evolutionary change?
A. mutation
B. gene flow (immigration)
C. non-random mating
D. genetic drift
E. selection
4.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
How does natural selection affect the frequency of mutations?
Under conditions of high selection pressure, beneficial mutations occur more frequently
Natural selection does not affect the frequency of mutations
All mutations increase when selection pressure is high
When there is no selection pressure, mutations do not occur
Mutations occur less frequently when selection pressure is high
5. Genetic drift is increased by all of the following EXCEPT
A. small population size
B. bottleneck effects when the population size is greatly reduced, then recovers
C. founder effects when a small number of individuals are isolated and reproduce to form a new
sub-population
D. movement of individuals from one isolated population to another
E. genetic isolation of small groups within a population
6. All of the following are required for natural selection to create evolutionary change in a
population EXCEPT
A. variation in size or health of genetically identical individuals that is caused by
environmental factors
B. genetic variation exists in a population
C. individuals that have superior traits produce more offspring than less fit individuals
D. genes that produce superior traits are passed to offspring
E. differential survival and reproduction exist
7. In a small group of people living in a remote area of Kentucky, there is a high incidence of
“blue skin”, a condition that results from a variation in the structure of hemoglobin. All of the “blueskinned” residents can trace their ancestry to one couple, who were among the original settlers of
this region. The unusually high frequency of “blue skin” in the area is a example of (99:44)
A. mutation
B. genetic drift
C. natural selection
D. sexual selection
E. heterozygote advantage
8. The wing of a bat, the flipper of a whale, and the forelimb of a horse appear very different, yet
detailed studies reveal the presence of the same basic bone pattern. These structures are
examples of (94:07)
A. analogous structures
B. homologous structures
C. vestigial structures
D. balanced polymorphism
E. convergent evolution
9. Some varieties of the bacteria, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, are now resistant to penicillin. These
varieties of bacteria most probably developed as a result of… (90:50)
A. selection
B. hybrid vigor
C. coevolution
D. adaptive radiation
E. convergent evolution
10. Which of the following statements best describes the effect of a genetic drift on the gene
frequencies of a population? (90:73)
A. Genes enter a population through immigration, thus changing gene frequencies
B. Genes leave a population through emigration, thus changing gene frequencies
C. Chance alone can cause significant changes in gene frequencies of small populations
D. Mutations over time cause gene frequencies to change
E. Selection against one allele causes gene frequencies to change
11.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Which of the following is a correct statement about mutations?
They are a source of variation for evolution.
They drive evolution by creating mutation pressures.
They are irreversible.
They occur in germ cells but not in somatic cells
They are most often beneficial to the organisms in which they occur.
12. Although the seal and the penguin both have streamlined, fish-like bodies with a layer of
insulating fat, they are not closely related. This similarity results from… (94:28 modified)
A. convergent evolution
B. adaptive radiation
C. homologous evolution
D. coevolution
E. analogous evolution
13.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The bones of a human arm are homologous to structures in all of the following EXCEPT a
whale flipper
bat wing
butterfly wing
bird wing
frog forelimb
14. Milkweed is a common field plant that produces a cardiac glycoside which, like digitalis,
stimulates heart contractions. The synthesis of this compound ensures the survival of this plant
species because the glycoside is toxic to most herbivores with a notable exception — the
monarch butterfly.
Female monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed and the resulting larvae (caterpillars) feed on
milkweed leaves. An enzyme produced by the caterpillars allows them to ingest and store the
toxin without ill effects. After pupation, adult monarchs emerge with a conspicuous bright orange
and black banding pattern and retain the toxin glycoside in their systems.
Viceroy butterflies are almost identical to monarchs in possessing the conspicuous banding
pattern. However, viceroys cannot metabolize and store the toxic glycoside (90:118.120)
The banding pattern of viceroy butterflies is an example of… (90:120)
A. mimicry (where one organism looks like another increasing its fitness)
B. homology (organisms of the same origin)
C. polymorphism (many forms of one organism)
D. mutualism (a relationship between two organisms in which both organism benefit)
E. commensalism (a relationship between two organism in which one benefits and the other is
unaffected)
15. The different species of finches on the Galapagos Islands are believed to have arisen as a
result of natural selection acting on populations of finches that had experienced
A. convergent evolution
B. gene flow
C. the bottleneck effect
D. geographic isolation
E. hybrid sterility
16.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The difference in cricket calls among sub species of crickets are examples
habitat isolation
temporal isolation
physiological isolation
behavioral isolation
geographical isolation
17.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Which of the following is an example of convergent evolution?
similar amino acid sequences of hemoglobin in humans and chimpanzees
similar bones in the forelimbs of horses and bats
similar body shape of dolphins and fish
different beak shapes of Galapagos finches
similar plant species on islands and the nearest continent
18. Fossils of some intermediate forms have not been found because
A. new types of organisms can appear suddenly without progressive changes determined by
natural selection
B. fossils are very rare; fossils of only a small fraction of all species have been found
C. all fossils are the same age
D. species produced by punctuated equilibrium do not leave fossils
E. the ages of many fossils are not calculated correctly
19. For some traits (such as birth weight in mammals), natural selection favors individuals that
are average and the extremes are selected against. This is know as
A. diversifying selection
B. directional selection
C. adaptive radiation
D. disruptive selection
E. stabilizing selection
20.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
A species is defined as
a population of organisms similar in size, shape, and color
a group of organisms that live in the same habitat
a population of organisms that are able to interbreed
a population of organisms that have the same number of chromosomes
a population of organisms with a common ancestor
21. The condition in which there are barriers to successful interbreeding between individuals of
different species in the same community is referred to as (99:08)
A. latent variations
B. sterility
C. structural differences
D. geographic isolation
E. reproductive isolation
22.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
How does artificial selection produce rapid changes in the phenotype of organisms?
By changing the frequency of alleles and selecting for new combinations of traits
By stimulating the species to increase the production of new mutations
By changing the number of chromosomes
By selecting only dominant genotypes
By allowing individuals with all genetic combinations to survive and reproduce equally
23. The studies of changes between black and light color in populations of the peppered moth
show that
A. natural selection can quickly change allele frequencies and common phenotypes in a
population
B. species can always adapt to environmental changes
C. predators prefer light colored moths
D. dark colored moths are physiologically superior to light colored moths
E. natural selection produces irreversible changes
24. The embryonic development of vertebrates provides evidence for evolution because
A. each organism passes through the entire evolutionary history of its species as it develops
from a fertilized egg to a full grown individual
B. the more recently species have shared a common ancestor, the more similar their
embryological development
C. a small number of mutations can convert the embryo of one species into another species
D. the DNA sequences of embryos change as they develop
E. unrelated organisms can develop from very similar embryos
25. DNA sequences can be used to determine the evolutionary relationships of species because
A. organisms with similar anatomy will develop similar DNA sequences by convergent mutations
B. DNA sequences for proteins never change, so two species that have the same protein
will have the same DNA sequence
C. natural selection causes organisms that live in similar environmental conditions to have the
same mutations in their DNA sequences
D. 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
E. recombination moves DNA sequences to related species
26 S. L. Miller wanted to create a simulation of early earth in order to demonstrate that molecules
can on their own bond to create more complex organic like molecules. He was successful in
spontaneously creating amino acids. In S. L. Miller's classic experiment that demonstrated that a
discharge of sparks through a mixture of gases could result in the formation of a large variety of
organic compounds. All of the following gases were used in this experiment
EXCEPT__________________ because it was not part of early Earth’s atmosphere.
A. hydrogen
B. methane
C. ammonia
D. oxygen
E. water vapor
27. In certain species crosses, such as that between the horse and the donkey, offspring are
produced, but they are usually sterile. The most common explanation of this result is that
A. the chromosomes of the two species differ too much to pair properly in meiosis
B. the two species differ too much in behavior to be able to mate successfully
C. embryological development in the two species are incompatible
D. hormonal differences between the two species prevent proper development of the sex organs
or gametes
E. antibody formation in the offspring produces sterility
Questions 28-30. From the terms listed below, choose the term that best fits the description in
each numbered phrase. Each term may be used once, more than once, or not at all.
A Founder effect
B Kin selection
C Competitive exclusion
D Adaptive radiation
E Convergent evolution
28. The evolution of several species from a single species, each occupying a different niche
Adaptive Radiation
29. The establishment of a genetically unique population through genetic drift
Founder Effect
30. The independent development of similarities between unrelated groups resulting from
adaptation to similar environments
Convergent Evolution