INTRODUCTION TO EVOLUTION EXAM ESSAYS
*What is the meaning and importance of multiple lines of evidence to whale
evolution? Name three features that place whales with mammals and not with fish.
Provide five pieces of evidence that demonstrate that whales descended from land
dwelling animals.
Summarize the diamond back rattlesnake story.
Is it theoretically possible for all organisms on earth to be so perfectly adapted that
evolution will cease? Explain your answer.
Could the fossil record disprove that evolution has occurred? If so how?
Explain Lamarck’s theory of evolution, and tell what he was right about and what he
was wrong about.
What is artificial selection? Give an example. What does it have to do with natural
selection?
Many people wrongly believe that the phrase “survival of the fittest” means the
strong survive. What does this phrase really mean biologically?
Why are vestigial structures better evidence of evolutionary change than perfectly
adapted ones?
How did Malthus, Lyell, and Adam Smith each influence Charles Darwin in his
formation of his theory of natural selection? Be specific in showing how Darwin
fashioned their findings to specific aspects of his theory.
State the theory of natural selection in your own words. Illustrate the theory by using
one of the following as an example - insect resistance to DDT, bacterial resistance to
antibiotic, the peppered moth story.