Biology 3201
Evolution Test
Name:__________________
Part A: Circle the correct answer to the following questions. (60%)
1. Whose evolutionary theories are most similar?
(A) Darwin and Wallace
(B) Lyell and Wallace
(C) Malthus and Cuvier
(D) McClintock and Cuvier
2. Which branch of comparative science describes the relationship between homologous
structures?
(A) anatomy
(B) biochemistry
(C) cytology
(D) embryology
3. Which best describes the relationship between two species that share common
ancestry?
(A) few biochemical similarities
(B) identical chromosome mutations
(C) no structural differences
(D) similar embryological development
4. Which type of selection is occurring when a reptile population lays both very large
eggs or very small eggs?
(A) directional
(B) disruptive
(C) sexual
(D) stabilizing
5. Which situation will allow gene frequencies to change?
(A) isolation
(B) large population
(C) mutations
(D) random mating
6. If the allele frequency of the dominant allele D in a Hardy-Weinberg population is 0.8,
what are the expected genotype frequencies?
DD
Dd
dd
(A) 0.04 0.16 0.64
(B) 0.04 0.32 0.64
(C) 0.64 0.16 0.04
(D) 0.64 0.32 0.04
7. What scientist developed the theory of natural selection?
(A) Charles Darwin
(B) Lamark
(C) Haldine
(D) Mendal
8. Which best explains the result of gene flow?
(A) It decreases the genetic variation between different populations.
(B) It decreases the genetic variation between different species.
(C) It increases the genetic variation between different populations.
(D) It increases the genetic variation between different species.
9. Which factor would lead to the bottleneck effect in a population?
(A) high levels of gene flow
(B) high mutation rates
(C) random mating
(D) small population size
10. One species of wheat produces flowers from July to August. Another species of
wheat produces flowers from March to June. Which type of isolation is this?
(A) behavioural
(B) habitat
(C) mechanical
(D) temporal
11. If DNA replication occurred without errors, how would this affect a large population
of organisms living on an isolated island?
(A) Directional selection would occur due to genetic drift.
(B) Disruption selection would occur due to genetic drift.
(C) Evolution would continue due to gene flow.
(D) Evolution would continue due to mutations.
12. Two types of flying rodents live in different parts of the world. A flying squirrel lives
in North America and a flying marsupial lives in Australia. Which type of evolution lead
to this?
(A) coevolution
(B) convergent
(C) divergent
(D) macroevolution
13. Which scientist believed that a person who accidentally lost a finger would produce
offspring with nine fingers?
(A) Darwin
(B) Lamark
(C) Lyell
(D) Malthus
14. In which rock layer below would you expect to find the most recent and more
complex organisms?
(A) A
(B) B
(C) C
(D) D
15. Two alleles, A and a, are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium within a population. If the
frequency of A is 0.7, what percentage of individuals show the dominant trait?
(A) 30
(B) 49
(C) 70
(D) 91
16. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years. How old is a fossil that contains 6.25 % of
the original carbon-14?
(A) 5730 years
(B) 11 460 years
(C) 17 190 years
(D) 22 920 years
17. What is the main mechanism for variation among organisms?
(A) adaptation
(B) migration
(C) mutation
(D) speciation
18. Which type of structure provides evidence of a common evolutionary ancestor?
(A) analogous
(B) homologous
(C) relative
(D) vestigial
19. Cytochrome c is a protein found in mitochondria of most living organisms. Based on
the information in the table below, which organism is most closely related to humans?
Organism Number of different amino acids in cytochrome c compared to humans
(A) frog 15
(B) lamprey 20
(C) tuna 21
(D) turtle 18
20. Which best illustrates geographic isolation?
(A) caribou in Labrador and caribou in northern Quebec
(B) fall-mating leopard frogs and spring-mating leopard frogs
(C) moose in Labrador and moose on the island of Newfoundland
(D) winter-mating red squirrels and summer-mating red squirrels
21. Some closely related insect species fail to achieve fertilization when they attempt to
mate. Which biological barrier best explains why this happens?
(A) hybrid inviability
(B) hybrid sterility
(C) mechanical isolation
(D) temporal isolation
22. Which explains how Darwin’s finches have similar body plans but increasingly
different traits?
(A) adaptive radiation
(B) convergent evolution
(C) homologous structures
(D) vestigial structures
23. Which theory suggests that life originated elsewhere in the universe, and then
migrated to our planet?
(A) GAIA theory
(B) Heterotroph hypothesis
(C) Intelligent design
(D) Panspermia theory
24. Darwin’s theory of evolution was unable to provide a mechanism for the inheritance
of traits. What was later determined to be the mechanism?
(A) All populations have potential for change.
(B) Characteristics are inherited as genes.
(C) Individuals in a population are not alike.
(D) Natural resources are limiting factors.
25. Which scientist contributed to the early theory of evolution by examining extinct
species in
the fossil record?
(A) Cuvier
(B) Lamark
(C) Malthus
(D) Wallace
26. Which reproductive strategy is used in the breeding of pure-bred Labrador
Retrievers?
(A) artificial selection
(B) geographic isolation
(C) natural selection
(D) reproductive isolation
27. Which branch of comparative science describes the relationship between homologous
structures?
(A) anatomy
(B) biochemistry
(C) cytology
(D) embryology
28. Many species of insects have developed a resistance to the insecticide DDT. What
process does this illustrate?
(A) behavioral isolation
(B) biogeography
(C) directional selection
(D) relative dating
29. Who would support the statement below?
“Improving adult intelligence through education will result in that adult’s children being
born with greater intelligence.”
(A) Darwin
(B) Lamark
(C) Miller
(D) Oparin
30. For a population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of the recessive allele
is 0.3. What percentage of the population is heterozygous?
(A) 3%
(B) 21%
(C) 42%
(D) 52%
Part B: Answer the following questions in the space provided. 40%
1. Imagine that the first human mission to Mars was a tremendous success. A selfsustaining colony was established consisting of three females and six males, all of
reproductive age. Give two reasons as to why this population would not remain in genetic
equilibrium, according to the Hardy-Weinberg Principle.
2. If the half life of carbon-14 is 5730 years, what percentage of carbon-14 remains in a
fossil that is approximately 17 190 years old.? Show all workings.
3. Compare and contrast Darwinism and Lamarckism.
4. What is Gaia? How is it supposed to function?