Deck 2: Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory

Question 1

According to Darwin,natural selection operates at the level of:

A)individuals.
B)genes.
C)populations.
D)species.

Answer 1

individuals.

Question 2

Natural selection works on preexisting variation in a population.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Thomas Henry Huxley was a fierce opponent of Darwin's theory of evolution by means of natural selection.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Mutation is the only source of new genetic material.

Question 5

Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species (1859)was considered an important contribution to modern science because:

A)it coined the concept of evolution.
B)it synthesized information from diverse scientific fields in order to document evolutionary change.
C)it was immediately and widely accepted by the scientific community as the mechanism for evolutionary change.
D)none of the above

Question 6

Like most of his contemporaries,Charles Darwin believed that physical traits were passed down from each parent and then blended together in the offspring.

Question 7

James Hutton is associated with:

A)adaptation.
B)catastrophism.
C)uniformitarianism.
D)principles of heredity.

Question 8

The evolutionary synthesis:

A)occurred in 1900 immediately after Mendel's work was rediscovered.
B)emphasized the important role of mutation and macromutation in evolutionary change.
C)emphasized theoretical differences between diverse scientific fields.
D)accepted Darwin's theory of evolution and Mendel's theory of heredity as explaining most evolutionary change.

Question 9

Why is the work of Alfred Russell Wallace considered when discussing the theory of evolution?

A)He was an English naturalist who had arrived at many of the same conclusions as Darwin.
B)His work is not considered as he was mistakenly credited with the theory of natural selection.
C)Because he was a British dog-breeder who worked on artificial selection experiments.
D)Wallace was well-known and gathering even more evidence to support evolution than Darwin.

Question 10

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA):

A)was studied during Darwin's lifetime.
B)is the "recipe" for all biological characteristics and functions.
C)was discovered by Mendel.
D)is stored in the cells as ribosomes.

Question 11

Organisms classified in two different biological orders can still belong to the same genus.

Question 12

The combined efforts of Rosalind Franklin,James Watson,and Francis Crick helped explain how chromosomes are replicated.

Question 13

While at the gorilla exhibit at the zoo you notice that the sign reads Gorilla gorilla gorilla.You recall that this is a scientific name and is part of a naming system known as:

A)binomial nomenclature,which was developed by Carolus Linnaeus as a classification system for plants and animals.
B)natural selection,because you know that Linnaeus was a proponent of evolutionary change.
C)independent assortment,developed by Gregor Mendel.
D)none of the above

Question 14

Before 1700,most Western scientists thought the earth was about 4.6 billion years old.

Question 15

Genetic drift is most powerful as an evolutionary cause when operating on small populations.

Question 16

How is the concept of catastrophism different from the concept of uniformitarianism?

A)Catastrophism is the idea that the shape of the earth's surface gradually shifts over time.
B)Catastrophism is only the result of human-induced changes.
C)Unlike uniformitarianism,catastrophism is the result of a single event.
D)none of the above

Question 17

Mendel's discrete units responsible for the characteristics in his pea plants are now known as chromosomes.

Question 18

Darwin's theory of evolution drew from all of the following scientific disciplines EXCEPT:

A)demography.
B)geology.
C)genetics.
D)systematics.
E)paleontology.

Question 19

Gene flow increases the number of genetic differences between populations.

Question 20

Among the first scientists to conceive of evolutionary change was:

A)Charles Darwin.
B)Georges Cuvier.
C)Erasmus Darwin.
D)Alfred Wallace.

Question 21

Different versions,or subunits,of the same gene are:

A)chromosomes.
B)gemmules.
C)alleles.
D)blenders.

Question 22

Which of the following is FALSE regarding populations of living organisms?

A)Parents often produce many offspring.
B)Population size is limited by the food supply.
C)Individuals in populations actively compete for scarce resources.
D)Individuals in populations show little or no variation.

Question 23

How did Lamarck contribute to the theory of evolution?

A)He discovered genetic mutation through experiments with pea plants.
B)He proposed the concept of natural selection after his voyage to the Galapagos Islands and his study of finches.
C)He didn't but instead proposed an erroneous evolutionary mechanism known today as inheritance of acquired characteristics.
D)He didn't but instead proposed a concept known today as gene flow.

Question 24

Darwin observed that adaptations:

A)resulted from supernatural forces.
B)did not vary among Galápagos finches living in different habitats.
C)were physical traits that enhanced survival and reproduction.
D)were peripheral to evolutionary change.

Question 25

The only possible source of new genetic material is:

A)natural selection.
B)mutation.
C)gene flow.
D)gene drift.

Question 26

Thomas Hunt Morgan:

A)demonstrated that chromosomes carry genetic material in the form of genes.
B)studied mutations in Homo sapiens.
C)thought change was gradual and occurred over long time periods.
D)none of the above

Question 27

The English demographer whose work on population growth greatly influenced Darwin's thinking was:

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

Question 28

Cuvier's work on fossil elephants in France supported the then controversial notion of:

A)extinction.
B)evolution.
C)natural selection.
D)genetics.

Question 29

The individual genotypes in a breeding population,taken as a whole,are the:

A)gene pool.
B)DNA.
C)genome.
D)polygene.

Question 30

The geneticist who studied the workings of fruit flies' chromosomes was:

A)Charles Darwin.
B)Gregor Mendel.
C)Thomas Hunt Morgan.
D)Thomas Huxley.

Question 31

Recessive alleles will be expressed if they are inherited:

A)from either parent.
B)from neither parent.
C)from both parents.
D)along with a dominant allele.

Question 32

All of the following are formal taxonomic categories EXCEPT:

A)kingdom.
B)population.
C)order.
D)family.

Question 33

The physical expression of an organism's genetic constitution is called its:

A)karyotype.
B)phenotype.
C)stereotype.
D)genotype.

Question 34

You're watching a show on TV about the history of scientific thought in Europe prior to 1800.At that time:

A)all species were believed to have evolved from a common ancestor.
B)all forms were thought to have been created by God and to remain constant over time.
C)most species were thought to go extinct over time.
D)evolution was attributed to natural selection acting upon genetic variation.

Question 35

The Human Genome Project is most likely to contribute to an understanding of which disease?

A)cystic fibrosis
B)influenza
C)tuberculosis
D)smallpox

Question 36

The scientist whose work provided the foundation for later understandings of genetics was:

A)John Ray.
B)Gregor Mendel.
C)Charles Darwin.
D)Robert Hook.

Question 37

The English scientist who independently codiscovered the theory of natural selection was:

A)Charles Lyell.
B)Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck.
C)Alfred Russell Wallace.
D)Carolus Linnaeus.

Question 38

Mendel's plant hybridization experiments demonstrated that:

A)inherited traits from each parent blended together in the offspring.
B)DNA was the molecule carrying the genetic code.
C)peas were a poor choice for understanding basic hereditary principles.
D)traits inherited from each parent remained distinct in the offspring.

Question 39

How was Darwin influenced by Thomas Malthus's work on population growth?

A)Darwin was interested in Malthus's examinations of population changes in pea plants.
B)Darwin was influenced by Malthus's work on demography and population responses to food availability.
C)Darwin liked the concept of Latin taxonomic classification as it pertained to human groups.
D)Darwin was greatly influenced by research on acquired characteristics.

Question 40

The scientist who coined the name Homo sapiens for human beings and placed them in a higher taxonomic group (primates)was:

A)Charles Darwin.
B)Georges Cuvier.
C)Carolus Linnaeus.
D)Robert Hooke.

Question 41

How do modern-day lemurs of Madagascar demonstrate the concept of adaptive radiation?

A)They are closely related species that have branched from one species.
B)They are no different than ancient species of lemurs.
C)They have radiated from ancient species of monkeys.
D)They show great cultural flexibility.

Question 42

Why is Linnaeus's taxonomic system called a "nested hierarchy"? Considering that Linnaeus was not an evolutionist,why is his system still used today by evolutionary biologists?

Question 43

What is the significance for evolutionary theory of Darwin's analysis of the Galápagos finches? Provide at least one example in your answer.

Question 44

By the mid-twentieth century,the causes of evolution were seen as all of the following EXCEPT:

A)natural selection.
B)macromutation.
C)gene flow.
D)genetic drift.

Question 45

Darwin was a crew member on ____________,a ship whose voyage informed his later theory of natural selection.

A)the HMS Labrador
B)the HMS Beagle
C)the HMS Papillon
D)the HMS Elizabeth

Question 46

In your textbook,the smaller frequency of sickle-cell anemia among present day American blacks as compared to West African blacks is attributed to:

A)genetic drift.
B)gene flow.
C)new mutations.
D)none of the above

Question 47

Gene flow differs from genetic drift because:

A)it is the random change in the frequency of alleles.
B)it is the random change in a gene or chromosome.
C)it is the guiding force of evolution.
D)it is the spread of new genetic material from one gene pool to another.

Question 48

What are some of the important scientific discoveries that laid the groundwork for Darwin's theory of evolution?

Question 49

Linnaeus's taxonomic system is referred to as a "hierarchy" because:

A)each species has a "higher level" genus and "lower level" species.
B)species are placed in a ranked list called "The Great Chain of Being."
C)humans are considered the most evolved species.
D)none of the above

Question 50

Detail Darwin's major contribution to the theory of evolution.

Question 51

Why are Darwin's finches considered good examples of natural selection?

A)They are found on every continent.
B)There is fossil evidence that they originated in North America.
C)They embody the idea of descent with modification.
D)They did not differ between populations.

Question 52

Why was Darwin's 1859 published theory of natural selection not widely accepted by his peers? What later scientific advance was critical to the subsequent broad acceptance of natural selection as a major force in evolutionary change?