Question 1

The food-scarce environment of our ancestors likely led to humans' propensity to gorge when food is available and to crave high-caloric foods-a trait that might lead to an epidemic of obesity when food is plentiful. This illustrates how:

Accepted Answer

The statement highlights how evolved mechanisms that were once adaptive in a different environment (food scarcity) can be maladaptive in contemporary society (food abundance), leading to health problems like obesity. It does not relate to socialization, the passing on of acquired characteristics, or the age-related benefits of evolutionary selection.

Question 2

Which of the following is TRUE of mitosis in humans?

Accepted Answer

Mitosis results in the formation of two new cells, each with the same number of chromosomes as the original cell, which in humans is 23 pairs (46 chromosomes).

Question 3

The nucleus of each human cell contains _____, which are threadlike structures made up of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Accepted Answer

Chromosomes are the structures made up of DNA present in the nucleus of human cells. A, B, and D are all different structures or organelles found in a cell, but they do not contain DNA in the form of chromosomes.

Question 4

Which of the following is TRUE regarding genes?

Accepted Answer

Genetic expression can be influenced by environmental factors, which can affect how genes are turned on or off.

Question 5

_____ psychology emphasizes the importance of adaptation, reproduction, and "survival of the fittest" in shaping behavior.

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary psychology focuses on how evolutionary principles such as natural selection influence human behaviors and mental processes.

Question 6

_____ is a stage in reproduction whereby an egg and a sperm fuse to create a single cell.

Accepted Answer

Fertilization is the stage in reproduction where an egg and a sperm fuse together to create a single cell, called a zygote. Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a membrane and is not directly related to reproduction. Meiosis is the process of cell division that creates gametes (sperm and eggs), but it is not the stage where the egg and sperm fuse together. Mitosis is the process of cell division that creates two identical daughter cells from a single parent cell and is not directly related to fertilization.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about the activity of genes is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

Events inside of the cell, such as the presence of certain molecules or signals, can indeed excite or inhibit genetic expression, affecting how genes are expressed.

Question 8

According to evolutionary developmental psychologists, many evolved psychological mechanisms are _____. That is, the mechanisms apply only to a specific aspect of a person's psychological makeup.

Accepted Answer

Evolved psychological mechanisms are considered domain specific because they are designed to solve specific problems related to survival and reproduction.

Question 9

Which of the following was NOT a finding in the study of sleep deprivation and genetic expression described in the textbook?

Accepted Answer

The study did not find that sleep deprivation increased cortisol production; instead, it focused on inflammation, protein functioning, and stress-related gene expression.

Question 10

Dr. Pamarti is studying breast cancer by obtaining DNA samples from women who have breast cancer and those who don't, and completing genetic profiles on each group to find where the genetic differences are. This method is called:

Accepted Answer

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) involve scanning genomes from many individuals to find genetic markers that can be associated with a particular disease, such as breast cancer.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of the evolutionary perspective?

Accepted Answer

The criticism that evolutionary perspective is "so easy to test that it creates more studies than can be followed" is not a common criticism. In fact, evolutionary theories are often criticized for being difficult to test due to the long time scales involved.

Question 12

During the process of _____, the cell's nucleus-including the chromosomes-duplicates itself and the cell divides, resulting in the formation of two cells.

Accepted Answer

The process described in the question is mitosis, where the nucleus duplicates and the cell divides into two identical cells. Meiosis is a similar process, but it results in the formation of four cells with only half the number of chromosomes. Osmosis is the movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane, while fertilization is the fusion of two gametes to form a zygote.

Question 13

_____ are the building blocks of cells as well as the regulators that direct the body's processes.

Accepted Answer

Proteins are the building blocks of cells and are responsible for carrying out various functions in the body, such as transporting molecules, providing structure to cells and tissues, and aiding in the immune response. They are also regulators that help to control gene expression and other cellular processes. While genes and DNA play important roles in providing the instructions for the synthesis of proteins, proteins themselves are the key players in the body's processes. Ribosomes are structures within cells that help to synthesize proteins, but they are not the actual building blocks or regulators.

Question 14

According to evolutionary psychology, the observed advantage in spatial skills for men over women might be the result of:

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary psychology suggests that the advantage in spatial skills for men may have evolved due to ancestral roles where males needed to track and hunt for food, which required strong spatial abilities.

Question 15

According to the concept of natural selection, the best-adapted individuals:

Accepted Answer

Natural selection favors individuals that are better adapted to their environment, increasing their chances of survival and reproduction, thus leaving more offspring.

Question 16

The textbook reports that new studies using the genome-wide association method have focused on all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Genome-wide association studies have been used to investigate genetic links to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and glaucoma, but anxiety is not typically a focus of these studies.

Question 17

Which is NOT true of the genome-wide association method?

Accepted Answer

The genome-wide association method was developed after the Human Genome Project, not before it. The Human Genome Project was initiated to map the entire human genome, while genome-wide association studies (GWAS) use the data from such projects to find genetic variations associated with diseases.

Question 18

According to recent studies, the number of protein-producing genes is predicted to be:

Accepted Answer

Recent studies suggest that the number of protein-producing genes in humans is less than 20,000.

Question 19

_____, the units of hereditary information, are short segments of DNA. Genes

Accepted Answer

Genes are segments of DNA that direct cells to reproduce and assemble proteins.

Question 20

_____ selection, as described by Darwin, is the evolutionary process by which those individuals of a species that are best adapted to their environment are the ones that are most likely to survive and reproduce.

Accepted Answer

Natural selection is the process described by Darwin where individuals better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more successfully.

Quiz 2: Biological Beginnings