Question 1

To understand the chemical basis of inheritance, we must understand the molecular structure of DNA. This is an example of the application of which concept to the study of biology?
A) evolution
B) emergent properties
C) reductionism
D) the cell theory
E) feedback regulation

Accepted Answer

Reductionism is the approach of reducing complex systems to simpler components that are easier to study. In this case, understanding the molecular structure of DNA is a simpler component that allows us to better understand the chemical basis of inheritance.

Question 2

Which of these provides evidence of the common ancestry of all life?
A) ubiquitous use of catalysts by living systems
B) near universality of the genetic code
C) structure of the nucleus
D) structure of cilia
E) structure of chloroplasts

Accepted Answer

The near universality of the genetic code, where the same codons code for the same amino acids in almost all organisms, is a strong piece of evidence for the common ancestry of all life. This implies that the genetic code originated early in evolutionary history and has been conserved over time. The other choices do not provide evidence for common ancestry.

Question 3

Which of the following taxonomic categories is least likely to be later revised for a particular organism?
A) kingdom
B) class
C) order
D) phylum
E) species

Accepted Answer

The species category is the most specific taxonomic category and is based on unique and defining characteristics of a particular organism. Therefore, it is less likely to be revised than broader categories such as kingdom, phylum, class, or order, which may be subject to change as new information and discoveries are made about the relationships and characteristics of different organisms.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes what occurred after the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species?
A) The book received little attention except from a small scientific community.
B) The book was banned from schools.
C) The book was widely discussed and disseminated.
D) The book's authorship was disputed.
E) The book was discredited by most scientists.

Accepted Answer

On the Origin of Species caused a substantial amount of controversy, but it was also widely discussed and disseminated. Its ideas spread throughout Western society, and debates about its implications continue to this day.

Question 5

The main source of energy for producers in an ecosystem is
A) light energy.
B) kinetic energy.
C) thermal energy.
D) chemical energy.
E) ATP.

Accepted Answer

Producers, also known as autotrophs, use light energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates through the process of photosynthesis, which is their main source of energy.

Question 6

Prokaryotes are classified as belonging to two different domains. What are the domains?
A) Bacteria and Eukarya
B) Archaea and Monera
C) Eukarya and Monera
D) Bacteria and Protista
E) Bacteria and Archaea

Accepted Answer

Prokaryotes are classified into two domains: Bacteria and Archaea. Monera is an outdated kingdom that was previously used to classify all prokaryotes but has since been divided into these two domains. Bacteria are unicellular and have a peptidoglycan cell wall, while Archaea have a different type of cell wall and are often found in extreme environments. Eukarya includes all organisms with eukaryotic cells, such as animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Protista is a kingdom that contains mostly unicellular eukaryotes.

Question 7

What is the major distinguishing characteristic of fungi?
A) gaining nutrition through ingestion
B) being sedentary
C) being prokaryotic
D) absorbing nutrients
E) being decomposers of dead organisms

Accepted Answer

The major distinguishing characteristic of fungi is that they absorb nutrients from their environment. Unlike plants, which create their own food from photosynthesis, and animals, which ingest their food, fungi secrete digestive enzymes to break down organic matter and then absorb the nutrients that result.

Question 8

Which of the following types of cells utilize deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as their genetic material but do not have their DNA encased within a nuclear envelope?
A) animal
B) plant
C) archaea
D) fungi
E) protists

Accepted Answer

Archaea cells utilize DNA as their genetic material, but do not have a true nucleus, meaning their DNA is not encased within a nuclear envelope like eukaryotic cells (animals, plants, fungi, and protists).

Question 9

Organisms interact with their environments, exchanging matter and energy. For example, plant chloroplasts convert the energy of sunlight to
A) the energy of motion.
B) carbon dioxide and water.
C) chemical energy.
D) oxygen.
E) kinetic energy.

Accepted Answer

Plant chloroplasts convert the energy of sunlight into chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. This chemical energy is stored in the form of glucose, which can then be used by the plant for cellular processes or consumed by other organisms as a source of energy.

Question 10

Imagine there is a species-specific fishing regulation that mandates only adult fish of this species that are 75 cm or longer may be kept and shorter fish must be released. Based on your knowledge of natural selection, you would predict that the average length of the adult fish population will
A) remain unchanged.
B) gradually decline.
C) rapidly decline.
D) gradually increase.
E) rapidly increase.

Accepted Answer

The regulation creates a selective pressure favoring shorter fish, as they are more likely to survive and reproduce. Over time, this can lead to a gradual decline in the average length of the adult fish population.

Question 11

An organism has been isolated from decomposing organic matter. This organism has a cell wall but no chloroplasts. How would you classify this organism?
A) domain Bacteria, kingdom Prokaryota
B) domain Archaea, kingdom Bacteria
C) domain Eukarya, kingdom Plantae
D) domain Eukarya, kingdom Protista
E) domain Eukarya, kingdom Fungi

Accepted Answer

The organism has a cell wall and lacks chloroplasts, which is characteristic of fungi. Fungi decompose organic matter and are classified under the domain Eukarya and kingdom Fungi.

Question 12

Which of the following is (are) true of natural selection?
A) It requires genetic variation.
B) It results in descent with modification.
C) It involves differential reproductive success.
D) It results in descent with modification and involves differential reproductive success.
E) It requires genetic variation, results in descent with modification, and involves differential reproductive success.

Accepted Answer

Natural selection requires genetic variation in a population, as it is the foundation upon which selection acts. It results in descent with modification, as individuals with favorable traits that improve their chances of survival and reproduction will successfully pass on their genes to the next generation. This ultimately leads to gradual changes in the population over time. Additionally, natural selection involves differential reproductive success, as only individuals with advantageous traits will survive and reproduce, while others will not.

Question 13

When applying the process of science, which of these is tested?
A) a conclusion
B) a result
C) an observation
D) a hypothesis
E) a control group

Accepted Answer

The process of science involves creating hypotheses (D) based on observations (C), testing those hypotheses through experiments in which a control group (E) is used to compare results, and analyzing the results to come to a conclusion (A) or result (B). However, in terms of what is specifically being tested, it is the hypothesis (D) that is being tested through the scientific process.

Question 14

A water sample from a hot thermal vent contained a single-celled organism that had a cell wall but lacked a nucleus. What is its most likely classification?
A) Eukarya
B) Archaea
C) Animalia
D) Protista
E) Fungi

Accepted Answer

The absence of a nucleus indicates that this organism is likely a prokaryote. The fact that it was found in a hot thermal vent suggests that it is adapted to extreme environments. Both of these characteristics are consistent with the domain Archaea.

Question 15

Charles Darwin proposed a mechanism for descent with modification that stated that organisms of a particular species are adapted to their environment when they possess
A) non-heritable traits that enhance their survival in the local environment.
B) non-heritable traits that enhance their reproductive success in the local environment.
C) non-heritable traits that enhance their survival and reproductive success in the local environment.
D) heritable traits that enhance their survival and reproductive success in the local environment.
E) heritable traits that decrease their survival and reproductive success in the local environment.

Accepted Answer

Darwin's mechanism proposed that traits that enhance survival and reproductive success are passed down through generations, meaning that they are heritable traits. Therefore, the correct choice is D. Choice A and B are incorrect because non-heritable traits cannot be passed from generation to generation. Choice C includes the correct idea of enhancing both survival and reproductive success, but it incorrectly includes non-heritable traits. Choice E is incorrect because traits that decrease survival and reproductive success would not be passed down through generations, so they would not be considered adaptations.

Question 16

A localized group of organisms that belong to the same species is called a
A) biosystem.
B) community.
C) population.
D) ecosystem.
E) family.

Accepted Answer

A localized group of organisms that belong to the same species is a population. A community refers to different species living in the same area, while an ecosystem includes all living and nonliving things in an area. Biosystem is not a commonly used term in ecology, and family refers to a taxonomic rank above genus and species.

Question 17

Darwin's finches, collected from the Galápagos Islands, illustrate which of the following?
A) mutation frequency
B) ancestors from different regions
C) adaptive radiation
D) vestigial anatomic structures
E) the accuracy of the fossil record

Accepted Answer

Darwin's finches are a classic example of adaptive radiation, where a single ancestral species diversifies into multiple descendant species that occupy different niches in their environment. The finches in the Galápagos Islands evolved different beak shapes and sizes to adapt to different food sources on each island.

Question 18

Through time, the lineage that led to modern whales shows a change from four-limbed land animals to aquatic animals with two limbs that function as flippers. This change is best explained by
A) natural philosophy.
B) reductionism.
C) the hierarchy of the biological organization of life.
D) natural selection.
E) feedback inhibition.

Accepted Answer

The change is best explained by natural selection, which favors adaptations that increase an organism's fitness for their environment. In this case, the limbs adapted over time to better suit an aquatic lifestyle, leading to the more streamlined and efficient form of modern whales.

Question 19

Which of these individuals is likely to be most successful in an evolutionary sense?
A) a reproductively sterile individual who never falls ill
B) an organism that dies after five days of life but leaves 10 offspring, all of whom survive to reproduce
C) a male who mates with 20 females and fathers one offspring
D) an organism that lives 100 years and leaves two offspring, both of whom survive to reproduce
E) a female who mates with 20 males and produces one offspring that lives to reproduce

Accepted Answer

The individual in option B may have a short life span, but it produces more offspring than any of the other options, and all of those offspring survive to reproduce, making it the most successful in an evolutionary sense. Evolutionary success is measured by an organism's ability to pass on its genes to the next generation, and having successful offspring is the best way to accomplish this.

Question 20

Why is Darwin considered original in his thinking?
A) He provided examples of organisms that had evolved over time.
B) He demonstrated that evolution is continuing to occur now.
C) He described the relationship between genes and evolution.
D) He proposed the mechanism that explains how evolution takes place.
E) He observed that organisms produce large numbers of offspring.

Accepted Answer

Darwin proposed the mechanism of natural selection, which explains how evolution occurs. This was a major breakthrough in thinking about the process of evolution.

Quiz 1: Introduction: Evolution and the Foundations of Biology

To understand the chemical basis of inheritance, we must understand the molecular structure of DNA. This is an example of the application of which concept to the study of biology?

Which of these provides evidence of the common ancestry of all life?

Which of the following taxonomic categories is least likely to be later revised for a particular organism?

Which of the following best describes what occurred after the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species?

The main source of energy for producers in an ecosystem is

Prokaryotes are classified as belonging to two different domains. What are the domains?

What is the major distinguishing characteristic of fungi?

Which of the following types of cells utilize deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as their genetic material but do not have their DNA encased within a nuclear envelope?

Organisms interact with their environments, exchanging matter and energy. For example, plant chloroplasts convert the energy of sunlight to

Imagine there is a species-specific fishing regulation that mandates only adult fish of this species that are 75 cm or longer may be kept and shorter fish must be released. Based on your knowledge of natural selection, you would predict that the average length of the adult fish population will

An organism has been isolated from decomposing organic matter. This organism has a cell wall but no chloroplasts. How would you classify this organism?

Which of the following is (are) true of natural selection?

When applying the process of science, which of these is tested?

A water sample from a hot thermal vent contained a single-celled organism that had a cell wall but lacked a nucleus. What is its most likely classification?

Charles Darwin proposed a mechanism for descent with modification that stated that organisms of a particular species are adapted to their environment when they possess

A localized group of organisms that belong to the same species is called a

Darwin's finches, collected from the Galápagos Islands, illustrate which of the following?

Through time, the lineage that led to modern whales shows a change from four-limbed land animals to aquatic animals with two limbs that function as flippers. This change is best explained by

Which of these individuals is likely to be most successful in an evolutionary sense?

Why is Darwin considered original in his thinking?