The following questions refer to the hypothetical patterns of taxonomic hierarchy shown in Figure 26.2.

-Ultimately, which of these serves as the basis for both the principle of maximum parsimony and the principle that shared complexity indicates homology rather than analogy?
A)the laws of thermodynamics
B)Boyle's law
C)the laws of probability
D)chaos theory
E)Hutchinson's law

Question

The following questions refer to the hypothetical patterns of taxonomic hierarchy shown in Figure 26.2.

-Ultimately, which of these serves as the basis for both the principle of maximum parsimony and the principle that shared complexity indicates homology rather than analogy?
A)the laws of thermodynamics 
B)Boyle's law 
C)the laws of probability 
D)chaos theory 
E)Hutchinson's law

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The principle of maximum parsimony states that the simplest explanation that fits the data is the best, and the principle that shared complexity indicates homology rather than analogy relies on the laws of probability to estimate the likelihood of similarities arising by chance. Both of these principles are based on the laws of probability, making choice C the best option. The other choices (A, B, D, and E) are not relevant to the principles of maximum parsimony or homology.

The Following Questions Refer to the Hypothetical Patterns of Taxonomic