Content Benchmark L.12.D.6
Students know the concepts of natural and artificial selection. E/S
Sample Test Questions
1st Item Specification: Explain how naturally occurring genetic variations may result in
reproductive advantages.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
1. What term describes the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment?
A. Evolution
B. Fitness
C. Artificial selection
D. Natural selection
2. An individual in a population that is considered the most fit would
A. live the longest.
B. consume the most food.
C. produce the most fertile offspring.
D. be the strongest and the fastest.
3. Which of the following is NOT one of Darwin’s key points in the theory of natural selection?
A. Variation naturally exists within a species.
B. More offspring are produced than will survive.
C. Organisms compete for limited resources.
D. Organisms can inherit acquired characteristics.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
4. Use the picture below to answer the question that follows.
(From http://school.discoveryeducation.com/quizzes6/muskopf/evolution1.html)
What statement below would an evolutionary biologist use to explain why Bird 1 has a
larger beak than the other birds shown?
A. Bird 1 stretched its beak more than Bird 2, Bird 3, and 4 causing its beak to grow.
B. Bird 1 encountered larger seeds and grew a larger beak to eat the large seeds.
C. A random mutation caused Bird 2, Bird 3, and Bird 4 to develop smaller beaks.
D. Some birds naturally have larger beaks and it was beneficial in Bird 1’s environment.
5. Which of the following does NOT explain why evolution is described as the “unifying theory
of biology”?
A. It verifies the existence of an intelligent designer.
B. It explains how organisms have changed over time.
C. It provides a model to interpret relationships among organisms.
D. It offers an explanation for the diversity of life on the planet.
6. The graphs below represent the different types of selection that populations may experience.
Use the graphs to answer the question that follows.
Graph 1
Graph 2
Graph 3
Graph 4
(From http://gregladen.com/wordpress/?p=171)
Which graph will most likely result in the formation of two separate species over time?
A. Graph 1
B. Graph 2
C. Graph 3
D. Graph 4
2nd Item Specification: Describe how humans use artificial selection to produce desired
traits in other organisms.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
7. The process of domesticating dogs and cats occurred through
A. artificial selection.
B. natural selection.
C. disruptive selection.
D. stabilizing selection.
8. Which of the following statements describes a benefit of artificial selection? Selectively bred
organisms
A. are more susceptible to disease or changes in the environment.
B. provide farmers with high yielding crops resulting in more profits.
C. alter the gene frequencies compared to those found in natural populations.
D. may have shorter life spans compared to animals that were not bred.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
9.
Which of the following is most likely an unintentional example of artificial selection?
A. The increasing occurrence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in hospitals.
B. The flowers from a red and white carnation are cross-pollinated by a bee.
C. A farmer crosses two tomato plants to yield larger, red, frost-resistant tomatoes.
D. A female peacock selects a mate based upon the size of his large tail feathers.
10. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and kale are vegetables that have different
appearances, but all belong to the same species, Brassica oleracea. What is the best
explanation for why the Brassica oleracea has developed so many varieties?
A. Pollinators such as bees and birds selectively visited certain flower types.
B. The variety of vegetables is due to thousands of years of natural selection.
C. The vegetables belong to different species and were classified incorrectly.
D. Farmers have selectively bred the plant species to produce the variations.
Content Benchmark L.12.D.6
Students know the concepts of natural and artificial selection. E/S
Answers to Sample Test Questions
1. B, DOK Level 1
2. C, DOK Level 1
3. D, DOK Level 1
4. D, DOK Level 2
5. A, DOK Level 2
6. C, DOK Level 2
7. A, DOK Level 1
8. B, DOK Level 1
9. A, DOK Level 2
10. D, DOK Level 2