When comparing trees with various hypotheses of evolutionary relationships among a group of animals, the tree with _____ changes would be the preferred candidate.
A)fewest
B)three
C)four
D)most

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The principle of parsimony suggests that the simplest explanation is the most likely to be correct, and therefore the tree with the fewest changes (also known as the "most parsimonious" tree) would be the preferred candidate for explaining the evolutionary relationships among a group of animals. The other choices (B, C, and D) do not inherently make sense as selection criteria for candidate trees.

When Comparing Trees with Various Hypotheses of Evolutionary Relationships Among