Deck 2: The Development of Evolutionary Theory

Question 1

Just as technological change is based on past achievements, scientific knowledge builds on previously developed

A)hypotheses.
B)ideas.
C)technology.
D)theories.
E)beliefs.

Answer 1

theories.

Question 2

The fact that anatomical structures appear to be uniquely fitted to the functions they serve was the basis for the

A)theory of uniformitarianism.
B)theory of natural selection.
C)theory of the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
D)theory of catastrophism.
E)argument from design.

Answer 2

argument from design.

Question 3

The term "biology" was coined by

A)Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.
B)Georges Cuvier.
C)Thomas Malthus.
D)Charles Darwin.
E)Charles Lyell.

Answer 3

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.

Question 4

In Europe during the Middle Ages, it was believed that

A)all species had evolved from a common ancestor.
B)evolution was the result of natural selection acting upon genetic variation.
C)all forms were created by God and did not change over time.
D)most species had become extinct over time.
E)life was created slowly, over millions of years.

Question 5

Thomas Malthus

A)proposed that population size is kept in check by the limited availability of resources.
B)wrote the theory of catastrophism.
C)wrote the theory of uniformitarianism.
D)had no influence on the development of Darwin's and Wallace's theories of natural selection.
E)was a sixteenth-century mathematician.

Question 6

The theory that characteristics acquired during the lifetime of an individual could be passed on to that individual's offspring is termed

A)natural selection.
B)catastrophism.
C)the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
D)uniformitarianism.
E)fixity of species.

Question 7

Who was the first to offer a scientific explanation for how species changed?

A)Carolus Linnaeus
B)Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
C)Charles Lyell
D)Charles Darwin
E)Erasmus Darwin

Question 8

_________ was an eighteenth-century thinker who believed that living forms changed in response to the environment.  Although he did not think nature was perfect or had a grand purpose, he still rejected the idea that one species could give rise to another.

A)Alfred Russel Wallace
B)Georges-Louis Comte Leclerc de Buffon
C)Erasmus Darwin
D)John Ray
E)Georges Cuvier

Question 9

How did the discovery of the Americas (New World)impact European understanding of biological diversity?

A)It exposed them to plants and animals they had never before seen.
B)It proved the validity of biblical texts.
C)It demonstrated fixity of species.
D)It supported standing notions of the Great Chain of Beings.
E)It had no impact on notions of biological diversity.

Question 10

Who first recognized that species were groups of organisms that were distinguished from other such groups by their ability to reproduce?

A)John Ray
B)Charles Darwin
C)Carolus Linnaeus
D)Alfred Russel Wallace
E)Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Question 11

The view that the extinction and the subsequent appearance of more modern forms could be explained by a series of disasters and creations is known as

A)natural selection.
B)catastrophism.
C)use-disuse theory.
D)uniformitarianism.
E)descent with modification.

Question 12

Which naturalist attempted to explain the evolutionary process by suggesting a dynamic relationship between species and the environment?

A)Jean Baptiste Lamarck
B)Erasmus Darwin
C)Georges-Louis Comte Leclerc de Buffon
D)Galileo Galilei
E)Charles Lyell

Question 13

The theory that the frequent use of an organ caused it to be enhanced was developed by

A)Charles Darwin.
B)Carolus Linnaeus.
C)Georges Cuvier.
D)Charles Lyell.
E)Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.

Question 14

Carolus Linnaeus

A)developed a binomial system of classification for plants and animals.
B)was a proponent of evolutionary change.
C)opposed all notions of fixity of species.
D)was a supporter of Charles Darwin.
E)developed theories of natural selection.

Question 15

The opponent of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck who proposed the theory of catastrophism was

A)Charles Lyell.
B)Alfred Russel Wallace.
C)Thomas Malthus.
D)Erasmus Darwin.
E)Georges Cuvier.

Question 16

The plan of the entire universe was viewed as

A)the binomial system.
B)natural selection.
C)uniformitarianism.
D)God's design.
E)Lamarckism.

Question 17

Which sixteenth-century Polish mathematician was credited with removing the earth as the center of all things (heliocentric)?

A)John Ray
B)Copernicus
C)Galileo Galilei
D)Aristotle
E)Charles Lyell

Question 18

The belief that species do not change but are the same as when first created is known as

A)fixity of species.
B)the Great Chain of Being.
C)heliocentric.
D)uniformitarianism.
E)natural selection.

Question 19

Who developed the binomial system of classifying biological organisms?

A)Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
B)Georges Cuvier
C)Carolus Linnaeus
D)Charles Lyell
E)Erasmus Darwin

Question 20

The role of the environment as a significant factor in evolutionary change was first recognized and stated by

A)Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.
B)Georges Cuvier.
C)Thomas Malthus.
D)Charles Darwin.
E)Charles Lyell.

Question 21

Evolution is a theory that has little scientific support.

Question 22

Selective pressures

A)remain constant, regardless of the environment.
B)are unimportant in the evolutionary process.
C)can change if environmental conditions change.
D)are directionless and random.
E)are not related to adaptation.

Question 23

The principle of uniformitarianism

A)stated that the geological processes that operated in the past are still occurring in the present.
B)was a problem for the development of evolutionary theories.
C)proposed that the earth was only a few thousand years old.
D)was the same as the theory of catastrophism.
E)was first proposed by Georges Cuvier.

Question 24

Which species in the Galapagos Islands was fundamental to Darwin's evolutionary ideas?

A)The boobies
B)The seals
C)The tortoises
D)The finches
E)The iguanas

Question 25

Natural selection operates on _______, but it is the population that evolves.

A)animals
B)environment
C)individuals
D)populations
E)finches

Question 26

Who wrote Principles of Geology and emphasized the principle of uniformitarianism?

A)Charles Darwin
B)Charles Lyell
C)Alfred Russel Wallace
D)Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
E)Thomas Malthus

Question 27

The fact that individuals who possess favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those who possess less favorable traits is the basis for the theory of

A)uniformitarianism.
B)natural selection.
C)the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
D)catastrophism.
E)the fixity of species.

Question 28

Religious groups that believe in an absolutely literal interpretation of the Bible are called

A)protestants.
B)orthodox.
C)shamans.
D)messiahs.
E)fundamentalists.

Question 29

Which concept, proposed by Charles Lyell, was to have a profound effect on nineteenth-century scientific thought?

A)Recent origins for earth
B)The role of catastrophic events in producing geological phenomena
C)Natural selection
D)The immense age of the earth and uniform processes
E)The inheritance of acquired characteristics

Question 30

"Fitness," in an evolutionary sense, refers to an individual's

A)strength.
B)reproductive success.
C)aggressiveness.
D)size.
E)age at death.

Question 31

Charles Darwin

A)grew up in modest circumstances.
B)began to doubt the fixity of species during a voyage around the world in the 1830s.
C)received no formal education.
D)spent two years in Africa where he developed the theory of natural selection.
E)was a physician who studied natural history as a hobby.

Question 32

DNA was discovered in what year?

A)1953
B)2003
C)2005
D)1987
E)1961

Question 33

Although Darwin went aboard the HMS Beagle believing in the fixity of species, what impact changed his beliefs?

A)The people with whom he traveled
B)The discovery of fossils of ancient giant animals similar to contemporary species
C)The distance from church and society
D)The death of his child
E)The discovery of savages which looked more like apes

Question 34

Who proposed that population size increases at a faster rate than food supplies?

A)Erasmus Darwin
B)Alfred Russel Wallace
C)Thomas Malthus
D)Charles Lyell
E)Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Question 35

Creationists have been promoting laws that mandate teachings of creationism in public school, yet which U.S. Constitution Amendment has overruled these laws?

A)The Eighteenth Amendment
B)The Third Amendment
C)The First Amendment
D)The Thirteenth Amendment
E)These laws have not been overruled.

Question 36

The human genome was sequenced in which year?

A)1998
B)2003
C)1953
D)2005
E)1973

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT one of the fundamentals of evolutionary change produced by natural selection?

A)A trait must be inherited if natural selection is to act on it.
B)Natural selection cannot occur without population variation in inherited characteristics.
C)Fitness is a relative measure that changes as the environment changes.
D)Natural selection can act only on traits that affect reproduction.
E)A trait acquired by an animal during its lifetime can be passed onto offspring.

Question 38

Mary Anning is credited with

A)the principle of uniformitarianism.
B)being the co-discoverer of natural selection.
C)became known as one of the world's leading "fossilists."
D)being married to Charles Darwin.
E)writing the book Principles of Geology.

Question 39

Which of the following concepts DID NOT influence Darwin in developing his theory of evolution?

A)Population size increases more rapidly than food supplies.
B)There is competition among individuals for resources.
C)Species are unchanging types, and individual variation within a species is not important.
D)There is biological variation in all members of a species.
E)Favorable variations are passed on and accumulate in populations over time.

Question 40

Which contemporary of Charles Darwin also developed a theory of evolution by means of natural selection?

A)Charles Lyell
B)Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
C)Erasmus Darwin
D)Alfred Russel Wallace
E)Georges Cuvier

Question 41

Explain how traditionally held views prevented wide acceptance of evolutionary theories in nineteenth-century Europe and America. Give specific examples.

Question 42

The fields of evolutionary and developmental biology have been merged into a new field of evolution called "evo-devo" by several scientists.

Question 43

How did the expedition on the HMS Beagle influence Darwin's development of evolutionary theory?

Question 44

Erasmus Darwin was probably an important influence in Charles Darwin's evolutionary thinking.

Question 45

Proponents of "creation science" hold that their ideas are absolute and infallible.

Question 46

Charles Darwin acknowledged the importance of sexual reproduction when formulating his theory of natural selection.

Question 47

Intelligent Design is not science because creationists insist that their view is absolute and infallible.

Question 48

There are no well-documented examples of natural selection operating in natural populations.

Question 49

Charles Darwin refrained from immediately publishing his theory of natural selection because he was aware of its controversial nature.

Question 50

Explain how the study of the finches from the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador influenced Darwin's understanding of natural selection.

Question 51

Explain who Alfred Russel Wallace was and how he was influential to the theory of natural selection.

Question 52

Georges Cuvier, author of Principles of Geology , is considered the founder of modern geology.

Question 53

Charles Darwin formulated his theory of natural selection while visiting the Galápagos Islands and observing its finches.

Question 54

Explain what the period called the Scientific Revolution is and its importance to the development of evolutionary theory.

Question 55

While Darwin argued for the concept of evolution and the role of natural selection, he did not understand the mechanisms of evolutionary change.

Question 56

The "argument from design" was only authored and proposed by Charles Darwin.

Question 57

Use-disuse theory has recently displaced natural selection as mainstream science's most accepted theory of evolutionary change.

Question 58

Describe the work of John Ray and Carolus Linnaeus and how it served as precursors to the theory of evolution.

Question 59

Some surveys show that about half of all Americans do not believe evolution occurs.

Question 60

Outline Lamarck's theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics.  According to this theory, what was the environment's role in biological change?

Question 61

Many people argue that evolution is "only a theory." Define theory and then describe how evolution does or does not fit the definition.

Question 62

Discuss the role of differential fertility in natural selection.

Question 63

How is natural selection related to environmental factors? How can selective pressures change? Give an example.

Question 64

Explain why creationists oppose evolution and how they continue to attack its teachings.

Question 65

Provide a brief history of opposition to evolution in the United States.

Question 66

Many people in the United States believe in the biblical creation. What factors may account for the fact that many people do not accept evolution as an explanation for the origins and diversity of life?

Question 67

Explains the various factors that pose opposition to evolution today.

Question 68

Discuss the opposition to evolution today in the United States and why 42 percent of Americans favor biblical creationism over evolution.

Question 69

Describe the four fundamentals of evolutionary change and the importance of fertility.

Question 70

Discuss the definition of fitness as it pertains to natural selection.

Question 71

Explain why Charles Lyell's principle of uniformitarianism was important to Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace as they developed their theories of biological evolution.

Question 72

Explain how the peppered moth in England is a very good example of natural selection and adaptation.