Deck 2: The Development of Evolutionary Theory

Question 1

_________________was the opponent of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and the proposer of the view that the earth's geological landscape is the result of violent cataclysmic events.

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

Answer 1

Georges Cuvier

Question 2

___________________wrote the highly praised Principles of Geology in which was emphasized the principle of uniformitarianism.

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

Answer 2

Charles Lyell

Question 3

__________________first recognized that species were groups of organisms that were distinguished from other such groups by their ability to mate with one another and produce fertile offspring.

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

Answer 3

John Ray

Question 4

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

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

Question 5

Charles Darwin was not the only one to conceive of natural selection. Who published an article suggesting current species were descended from other species?

A) Jean Baptiste Lamarck
B) Erasmus Darwin
C) Georges-Louis Leclerk de Buffon
D) Alfred Russel Wallace
E) John Scopes

Question 6

Several events had combined to alter Western Europeans' ideas about the earth by the 18^th century. These did not include

A) the circumnavigation of the globe
B) the discovery of the New World
C) the notion of a sun-centered universe
D) a less than rigid feudal class system
E) "arguments from design", meaning structures were engineered to meet purposes for which they were designed

Question 7

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

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

Question 8

By the 17^th century, some scientists were beginning to break with long-held traditions and sought to investigate _______.

A) natural phenomena
B) the supernatural forces that created life
C) the structure of the DNA molecule
D) how genetic mutations occur
E) fertility rates

Question 9

Who coined the term "biology"?

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

Question 10

The discovery of evolutionary principles first took place in western Europe, made possible by

A) advances in scientific thinking that began in the 18^th century
B) understanding by Christians that there was a recent origin of life on earth
C) the cohesive theory formulated by Arabs, Indians, and Chinese that species were continuously changing
D) advances in scientific thinking that date back to the 16^th century.
E) the central importance placed on evolution by physical anthropologists.

Question 11

Thomas Malthus did not

A) propose that population size is kept in check by the availability of resources
B) write An Essay on the Principle of Population
C) influence the development of Darwin's and Wallace's theories of natural selection
D) enter the discussion of evolution as an economist
E) argue against limits to human population growth.

Question 12

__________________ 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 13

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 14

Who was the first to recognize the role of the environment as a significant factor in evolutionary change?

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

Question 15

Who was the first to actually attempt to explain the mechanism by which species change?

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

Question 16

Carolus Linnaeus

A) established 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 17

_________ was an 18^th century thinker who believed that living forms changed in response to the environment yet still rejected the idea that one species could give rise to another.

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

Question 18

What is the term for the theory stating that characteristics acquired during the lifetime of an individual could be passed on to that individual's offspring?

A) natural selection
B) catastrophism
C) use-disuse theory
D) uniformitarianism
E) fixity of species

Question 19

Growing attacks on traditional beliefs resulted with growing awareness of biological diversity. _________challenged a notion proposed by Aristotle to account for the movement of the sun and planets.

A) Copernicus
B) Linnaeus
C) Darwin
D) Wallace
E) Mendel

Question 20

_____________________refined the existing system of classifying biological organisms into a binomial system.

A) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
B) Georges Cuvier
C) Carolus Linnaeus
D) George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon
E) Erasmus Darwin

Question 21

The theory of the inheritance of acquired characteristics has recently displaced natural selection as mainstream science's most accepted theory of evolutionary change.

Question 22

We credit Erasmus Darwin with significantly influencing Charles Darwin's evolutionary thinking.

Question 23

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 24

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 which theory?

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

Question 25

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 26

Which concept, proposed by Charles Lyell, had a profound effect on 19^th 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
E) the inheritance of acquired characteristics

Question 27

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 28

Evolution is a theory that has considerable support from genetic evidence.

Question 29

Alfred Russel Wallace is best known for

A) the principle of uniformitarianism
B) being the co-discoverer of natural selection
C) finding numerous important fossils during the 19^th century
D) finding numerous important fossils during the 18^th century
E) identifying changes in the coloration of a species moth

Question 30

In formulating his theory of natural selection, Darwin did not

A) recognize the importance of biological variation within a population
B) apply his knowledge of domesticated species to undomesticated ones
C) appreciate the fact that population size is limited by availability of food
D) wonder if he had enough supportive data
E) claim that favorable variations would tend to be destroyed, unfavorable ones be preserved.

Question 31

When it came to explaining the origins of variation within species, Darwin

A) used Mendel's theory of heredity
B) agreed with Lamarck that it was caused by an animal's inner needs
C) argued it was caused by differential use of an animal's body parts
D) had no idea of the true causes
E) used his research gathered while at Cambridge

Question 32

Charles Darwin recognized the importance of beak variation in finches while visiting the Galápagos Islands.

Question 33

Regarding the example of the peppered moth, which of the following is not true

A) the two color patterns resulted from genetic variation in the species
B) it has recently come under criticism
C) natural selection acted upon pre-existing variation in the population
D) the dark is more visible on the trees darkened by pollution
E) the most common variety of the peppered moth in England, prior to the 19^th century, was a mottled gray color.

Question 34

Which is the best example of natural selection?

A) the peppered moth
B) the medium ground finch of the Galápagos
C) the recent increase in resistant strains of disease-causing microorganisms
D) the recent decrease in resistant strains of disease-causing microorganisms
E) Mendel's project with peas and beans

Question 35

Which is among the reasons that about half of Americans believe that evolution does not occur?

A) the mechanisms of evolution are simple and easily explained
B) the mechanisms of evolution are complex and do not lend themselves to simple explanations
C) most people possess extensive familiarity with the principles of genetics
D) most have not read and studied "On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely From the Original Type", by Alfred Russel Wallace
E) many people do not want clear-cut answers

Question 36

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

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

Question 37

Charles Lyell, author of Principles of Geology, is considered the founder of modern geology.

Question 38

The concept of evolution is unique to Western science.

Question 39

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 40

Darwin

A) was reluctant to publish his theories
B) wrote his theory of natural selection while still on board the Beagle
C) published his theories as soon as he returned from his voyage on the Beagle
D) was not concerned with public opinion and did not mind if his theories were criticized
E) knew his friends and colleagues would not be affected by the publication of his theory

Question 41

Explain what is meant by differential net reproductive success. Give an example of how this mechanism works.

Question 42

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

Question 43

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

Question 44

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 45

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

Question 46

Explain how traditionally held views prevented wide acceptance of evolutionary theories in 19^th century Europe and America. Give a specific example.

Question 47

Although natural selection acts on the individual, it is argued that populations evolve. Explain.

Question 48

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

Question 49

Creationism is considered a science because it has testable hypotheses.

Question 50

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

Question 51

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 52

Discuss the ideas of two individuals who significantly affected Darwin's formulation of the theory of natural selection.

Question 53

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

Question 54

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