Question 1

Which of the following is an adaptation?
A) The human eye.
B) Design by a divine creator.
C) Both the human and the fish eye, but humans are better adapted to their environments than fish are to theirs.
D) The Grand Canyon.

Accepted Answer

The human eye is an adaptation that has evolved over time to suit the needs of humans in their environment. It has developed to detect colors, perceive depth, and adjust to different lighting conditions, among other features that help humans survive and thrive. B is not a valid choice as it assumes a religious perspective, while C is incorrect as it suggests that fish are not well-adapted to their environments, which is untrue. D is not an adaptation but a geological formation.

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of directional selection?
A) Both small and large individuals survive.
B) Only large individuals survive.
C) The proportion of small and large individuals remains the same.
D) Neither small nor large individuals survive.

Accepted Answer

In directional selection, individuals with a certain extreme trait are favored over the other end of the spectrum. In this case, only large individuals survive, indicating that there is selection in favor of larger individuals.

Question 3

Before Charles Darwin proposed his theory of natural selection by adaptation, many scholars argued that adaptations are proof that
A) evolution is a process based on random chance alone.
B) because of their ability to adapt quickly, humans are better than all other species.
C) God exists and designs all things to fit a specific purpose.
D) there is no way that God can exist.

Accepted Answer

Many scholars, particularly those who were religious, believed that adaptations were proof of an intelligent designer at work, i.e. God. They argued that such complex and well-functioning adaptations, such as the eye or the human hand, could not have arisen through chance alone. This idea is known as the argument from design.

Question 4

The postulates that make up Darwin's theory of adaptation include all of the following EXCEPT
A) any given environment can support only a certain number of individuals.
B) variation affects the ability of individuals to survive and reproduce.
C) individuals always compete with each other physically.
D) variation is passed from parents to offspring.

Accepted Answer

The postulates of Darwin's theory of adaptation include that any given environment can support only a certain number of individuals, variation affects the ability of individuals to survive and reproduce, and variation is passed from parents to offspring. However, individuals do not always compete with each other physically, as competition can also occur through other means such as resource competition or reproductive competition.

Question 5

Natural selection generally produces adaptations that are
A) harmful to both individuals and groups.
B) helpful to individuals but harmful to groups.
C) harmful to individuals but helpful to groups.
D) not successful unless every member of the group survives and reproduces.

Accepted Answer

Natural selection tends to favor traits that are beneficial to the survival and reproduction of individuals, even if these traits might not always be beneficial to the group as a whole. This is because natural selection operates on the level of individual organisms, not groups.

Question 6

Adaptations are defined as the components of an organism that
A) allow it to survive and reproduce.
B) allow it to evolve more rapidly.
C) occur by random chance alone.
D) absolutely never change.

Accepted Answer

Adaptations are traits or characteristics that allow an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment. They are not random and are the result of natural selection. The better adapted an organism is to its environment, the more likely it is to survive and pass on its traits to its offspring. Therefore, choice A is the best answer. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because adaptations are not necessarily related to evolution rate, chance, or immutability.

Question 7

When all females have high fecundity, a population can be driven to extinction. This occurs because of
A) natural selection.
B) convergence.
C) blending inheritance.
D) continuous variation.

Accepted Answer

When all females have high fecundity, there is a higher chance of overpopulation and resource depletion, leading to increased competition and selection pressure. This can result in the elimination of certain genetic traits and a reduction in genetic diversity, ultimately leading to extinction.

Question 8

Species are best described as populations of organisms that
A) are best adapted to their environment.
B) assume some fixed characteristics.
C) are dynamic.
D) cannot be modified or go extinct.

Accepted Answer

Species are dynamic and can change over time due to various factors such as natural selection, genetic mutations, and environmental changes. They are not fixed and can even go extinct if they are not able to adapt to their changing environment. Therefore, options A, B, and D are incorrect.

Question 9

After a drought, a scientist collects dead birds and finds that most of the individuals that did not survive to adulthood have either small or large beaks. Given this pattern, how would you expect selection to act on the population?
A) Selection will not change the mean beak size.
B) Selection will make the mean beak size in the population smaller.
C) Selection will make the mean beak size in the population larger.
D) The entire population will die out.

Accepted Answer

This pattern suggests stabilizing selection, where individuals with intermediate traits (medium-sized beaks) have higher survival rates, maintaining the mean beak size.

Question 10

Natural selection usually acts upon and produces adaptations at the level of the
A) gene.
B) individual.
C) group.
D) species.

Accepted Answer

Natural selection acts on individuals, selecting for traits that make them better suited to their environment and increasing their chances of survival and reproduction. Over time, these selected traits can lead to adaptations within a population. While genes do play a role in natural selection, it is ultimately the individual that is being selected for or against. The level of group or species is too large and abstract for natural selection to act upon directly.

Question 11

During 1976 on the Galápagos Island of Daphne Major, Peter and Rosemary Grant found evidence of natural selection by adaptation when they observed that
A) finches with shallow beaks were less likely to survive and reproduce than finches with deep beaks.
B) finch beak size had no effect on survival rates.
C) many more small seeds were available for the finches to eat.
D) more finches with deep beaks died than finches with shallow beaks.

Accepted Answer

The Grants observed that finches with shallow beaks were less likely to survive and reproduce than finches with deep beaks, indicating that natural selection was occurring based on adaptation to the available food sources on the island.

Question 12

If a population is in stasis (an unchanging state), then
A) the population is in its natural state.
B) natural selection is not acting on the population.
C) the most common type of individual is consistently favored by stabilizing selection.
D) the most common type of individual is consistently favored by disruptive selection.

Accepted Answer

Stasis occurs when there is little to no change in the environment or selective pressures acting on a population. As a result, stabilizing selection favors individuals with intermediate traits and removes extreme variants from the population. This results in a consistent frequency of the most common type of individual, leading to stasis. Therefore, choice C is the best answer. A, B, and D are incorrect because stasis does not necessarily indicate a population's natural state, natural selection may still be acting on the population, and disruptive selection would lead to an increase in variation, which is not observed in a population in stasis.

Question 13

Fecundity is defined as the ability of
A) a population to have variation.
B) an individual to compete for resources.
C) an individual to survive to adulthood.
D) an individual to produce offspring.

Accepted Answer

Fecundity is specifically the ability of an individual to produce offspring, so the correct answer is D. While variation, competition for resources, and survival to adulthood may all be related to population dynamics, they are not directly related to fecundity.

Question 14

Even though natural selection was named after the artificial selection that plant and animal breeders use, it really refers to
A) the survival of the physically fit.
B) the reproduction of traits from generation to generation.
C) the selective retention of variation in a population.
D) the variable ability of species to survive and reproduce.

Accepted Answer

Natural selection refers to the selective retention of variation in a population, which means that certain traits become more or less common over time based on their impact on survival and reproduction. It is not just about the survival of the physically fit (A) or the reproduction of traits from generation to generation (B), although these are important aspects of the process. It also recognizes that different species have different levels of ability to survive and reproduce (D), but specifically focuses on how variation within populations affects these abilities.

Question 15

Influential nineteenth-century scientists like Charles Darwin concluded that the complex adaptations we see in plants and animals are problematic and require a special explanation because
A) a divine creator designed them.
B) it is very unlikely that they arose by random chance alone.
C) they occur in most plants and animals.
D) they have no real function.

Accepted Answer

Charles Darwin and other scientists believed that the complexity and specificity of adaptations in plants and animals could not be explained by random chance alone, leading them to propose the theory of evolution by natural selection as a way to explain the gradual development of these traits over time. They did not attribute these adaptations to a divine creator (A), and the fact that they occur in many organisms (C) was viewed as evidence supporting the theory of evolution rather than requiring a special explanation. Additionally, adaptations are generally believed to have a function, making option D incorrect.

Question 16

For natural selection to occur, variation must exist. This is true because without variation
A) there is no way for change to occur between generations.
B) the one trait that exists is always advantageous, and change is not necessary.
C) there is no competition among individuals.
D) traits are never inherited by offspring.

Accepted Answer

Natural selection is a process where certain traits become more or less common in a population based on their effects on survival and reproduction. If there is no variation in traits within a population, there is no opportunity for any particular trait to become more or less advantageous over time. Therefore, without variation, there is no way for change to occur between generations, and natural selection cannot act upon a population.

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of stabilizing selection?
A) Both small and large individuals survive, but medium individuals die off.
B) Only large individuals survive.
C) The proportion of small and large individuals remains the same.
D) Neither small nor large individuals survive.

Accepted Answer

Stabilizing selection favors the average individuals in a population and selects against the extremes, meaning neither small nor large individuals survive.

Question 18

When the Daphne Major finches reach a point where the costs of a having beak larger than average size outweigh the benefits, beak size will begin to stay the same, and the population will achieve a(n) ________ state.
A) direction
B) trend
C) equilibrium
D) drift

Accepted Answer

Equilibrium refers to a state where opposing forces or influences are balanced. In the case of the Daphne Major finches, when beak size reaches a point where the costs outweigh the benefits, natural selection will balance out selection pressure, and beak size will remain stable at a certain size, leading to an equilibrium state.

Question 19

Charles Darwin is known for his revolutionary argument that
A) plants and animals are not designed by God and do not change over time.
B) plants and animals change slowly over time.
C) fossil plants and animals changed, but existing plants and animals do not.
D) plants and animals are created by chance and then evolve through divine intervention.

Accepted Answer

Charles Darwin presented the theory of evolution by natural selection, which argues that plants and animals change slowly over time due to natural selection pressures in their environment. This theory revolutionized scientific thought and has been widely supported by evidence from various fields of study.

Question 20

Natural selection acted on the medium ground finch on Daphne Major because
A) birds with medium beak sizes experienced higher mortality.
B) a drought changed the environment where the finches lived.
C) offspring of finches with small beaks did not survive the juvenile period.
D) the population reached equilibrium.

Accepted Answer

A drought changed the environment where the finches lived, causing a scarcity of small seeds and an abundance of large, tough seeds. This led to natural selection favoring birds with larger beaks that could better crack open the larger seeds for food. birds with medium beak sizes experienced higher mortality. Therefore, option (A) is also partially correct, but not as precise as option (B). Option (C) doesn't make sense because small-beaked finches are not necessarily more or less fit to survive only based on their parents' beak size. Option (D) is not correct because reaching equilibrium would not involve natural selection acting on a population - it would instead suggest that the population is no longer evolving.

Quiz 1: Adaptation by Natural Selection

Which of the following is an adaptation?

Which of the following is an example of directional selection?

Before Charles Darwin proposed his theory of natural selection by adaptation, many scholars argued that adaptations are proof that

The postulates that make up Darwin's theory of adaptation include all of the following EXCEPT

Natural selection generally produces adaptations that are

Adaptations are defined as the components of an organism that

When all females have high fecundity, a population can be driven to extinction. This occurs because of

Species are best described as populations of organisms that

After a drought, a scientist collects dead birds and finds that most of the individuals that did not survive to adulthood have either small or large beaks. Given this pattern, how would you expect selection to act on the population?

Natural selection usually acts upon and produces adaptations at the level of the

During 1976 on the Galápagos Island of Daphne Major, Peter and Rosemary Grant found evidence of natural selection by adaptation when they observed that

If a population is in stasis (an unchanging state) , then

Fecundity is defined as the ability of

Even though natural selection was named after the artificial selection that plant and animal breeders use, it really refers to

Influential nineteenth-century scientists like Charles Darwin concluded that the complex adaptations we see in plants and animals are problematic and require a special explanation because

For natural selection to occur, variation must exist. This is true because without variation

Which of the following is an example of stabilizing selection?

When the Daphne Major finches reach a point where the costs of a having beak larger than average size outweigh the benefits, beak size will begin to stay the same, and the population will achieve a(n) ________ state.

Charles Darwin is known for his revolutionary argument that

Natural selection acted on the medium ground finch on Daphne Major because