Biological Anthropology Exam 1

Which of the following is NOT one of the four main fields of Anthropology?

A) Cultural Anthropology

B) Archaeology

C) Sociological Anthropology

D) Linguistic Anthropology

C

Which of the following is NOT a sub-field or specialty within Biological Anthropology?

A) Paleoanthropology

B) Primatology

C) Forensic Anthropology

D) Cultural Linguistics

D

What is the main goal of the Scientific Method?

A) To prove theories absolutely true

B) To eliminate uncertainty

C) To generate testable explanations about the natural world

D) To memorize scientific facts

C

Which of the following is the correct order of steps in the Scientific Method?

A) Hypothesis → Observation → Experiment → Conclusion

B) Observation → Hypothesis → Experiment → Conclusion

C) Theory → Hypothesis → Experiment → Conclusion

D) Observation → Theory → Experiment → Hypothesis

B

In science, what does the term "theory" refer to?

A) A guess with little evidence

B) A proven law

C) A well-supported and repeatedly tested explanation

D) An untestable belief

C

Which of the following is part of the old worldview before evolutionary theory?

A) Natural selection

B) Earth is billions of years old

C) Species are unchanging ("fixity of species")

D) Humans evolved from apes

C

What helped challenge the old ideas about a young, Earth-centered universe?

A) The rise of astrology

B) Technological advances and exploration

C) The Industrial Revolution

D) Religious reforms

B

Who proposed the idea that organisms could pass on traits acquired during their lifetime?

A) Charles Darwin

B) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

C) Alfred Russel Wallace

D) Georges Cuvier

B

What are the essential components of natural selection?

A) Overproduction, competition, variation, and inheritance

B) Mutation, migration, isolation, and extinction

C) Genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, and selection

D) Adaptation, mutation, dominance, and segregation

A

Which two scientists are most associated with the development of the theory of natural selection?

A) Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace

B) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Georges Cuvier

C) Gregor Mendel and Thomas Malthus

D) Aristotle and Linnaeus

A

Which organelle in eukaryotic cells contains DNA?

A) Ribosomes

B) Mitochondria

C) Nucleus

D) Cytoplasm

C

How many chromosomes are found in human somatic cells?

A) 23

B) 46

C) 69

D) 92

B

What is the main function of DNA?

A) Produce energy for the cell

B) Code for proteins

C) Replicate ribosomes

D) Protect the nucleus

B

Which bases in DNA pair together?

A) Adenine - Guanine and Cytosine - Thymine

B) Adenine - Thymine and Cytosine - Guanine

C) Adenine - Cytosine and Guanine - Thymine

D) Guanine - Thymine and Adenine - Cytosine

B

During protein synthesis, where does transcription occur?

A) Cytoplasm

B) Nucleus

C) Ribosomes

D) Mitochondria

B

What process results in two daughter cells, each with 23 pairs of chromosomes?

A) Meiosis

B) Mitosis

C) Fertilization

D) Transcription

B

Which of these causes variation by changing DNA?

A) Mutation

B) Genetic drift

C) Gene flow

D) Natural selection

A

Gregor Mendel's Principle of Segregation refers to:

A) Alleles separate during gamete formation

B) Traits blend together in offspring

C) Chromosomes crossing over

D) Inheritance of acquired traits

A

In genetics, a homozygote has:

A) Two different alleles for a gene

B) Two identical alleles for a gene

C) One allele from the mother only

D) No alleles

B

Which of these is an example of an autosomal recessive trait?

A) Achondroplasia

B) Sickle-cell anemia

C) Red-green color blindness

D) Huntington's disease

B

Which evolutionary force is the only one that produces new genetic variants?

A) Genetic drift

B) Natural selection

C) Mutation

D) Gene flow

C

Which process refers to changes that happen over many generations and can include behavior and ecology?

A) Microevolution

B) Genetic drift

C) Macroevolution

D) Mutation

C

Which species concept is most widely used in biology?

A) Morphological species concept

B) Biological species concept

C) Phylogenetic species concept

D) Ecological species concept

B

Which of these is NOT a recognized mode of speciation?

A) Allopatric

B) Sympatric

C) Parapatric

D) Homopatric

D

Taxonomy primarily uses which to reflect evolutionary relationships?

A) Homologies

B) Homoplasies

C) Analogies

D) Convergences

A

What type of cells are gametes?

A) Diploid

B) Haploid

C) Triploid

D) Tetraploid

B

Gregor Mendel is known for experiments with which plant?

A) Corn

B) Wheat

C) Peas

D) Roses

C

Which base is complementary to Adenine in DNA?

A) Guanine

B) Cytosine

C) Thymine

D) Uracil

C

Which contemporary of Charles Darwin also developed a theory of evolution by means of natural selection?

A) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

B) Charles Lyell

C) Copernicus

D) Alfred Russel Wallace

E) Georges Cuvier

D

Which of the following is NOT one of the fundamentals of evolutionary change produced by natural selection?

A) A trait acquired by an animal during its lifetime can be passed onto offspring.

B) Natural selection cannot occur without population variation in inherited characteristics.

C) Natural selection can act only on traits that affect reproduction.

D) A trait must be inherited if natural selection is to act on it.

E) Fitness is a relative measure that changes as the environment changes.

A

Alleles are

A) segments of tRNA that code for amino acid chains

B) the entire genetic make-up of an individual

C) Proteins

D) alternative forms of a gene

E) only present on X and Y chromosomes

D

Which of the following is true of mitosis?

A) Homologous or partner chromosomes come together as pairs

B) The result is gamete or sex cell formation

C) There are two cell divisions before the process is complete

D) The process requires only one cell division to be complete

E) Crossing-over or recombination occurs between homologous or partner chromosomes

D

A person who is homozygous recessive at a locus has

A) a recessive allele on the Y chromosome only

B) a recessive allele on the X chromosome only

C) two copies of the recessive allele

D) an autosomal trisomy

E) two copies of the dominant allele

C

Genes exist in pairs in individuals. During the production of gametes or sex cells, the pairs are separated so that a gamete has only one of each kind. This is known as the

A) unification theory

B) Codominance

C) principle of segregation

D) principle of independent assortment

E) Mitosis

C

In protein synthesis, the process called transcription

A) is the manufacture of tRNA

B) is the assembly of amino acids chains

C) is the assembly of a mRNA molecule

D) is the production of amino acids

E) takes place in the cytoplasm

C

Which statement(s) concerning polygenic traits is/are TRUE?

A) They are governed by more than one genetic locus

B) Their expression is often influenced by genetic/environmental interactions

C) They account for most observable phenotypic variation in humans

D) All of these

E) B and C only

D

Speciation can occur as a result of

A) geographical isolation

B) natural selection acting on populations

C) behavioral isolation

D) all of these

E) B and C only

D

Structural similarities shared by species that are acquired by descent from a common ancestor are

A) Homoplasies

B) Homologies

C) Acquired

D) Uncommon

E) uninformative of evolutionary relationships

B

Population geneticists use the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation to determine

A) whether evolution is occurring at all loci throughout the genome simultaneously

B) whether evolution is occurring at a given locus

C) the mode of inheritance of Mendelian traits

D) whether a particular trait is polygenic

E) B and D only

B

A genetic trait is considered a polymorphism if the locus or gene governing that trait has two or more alleles.

A) True

B) False

A

The genetic makeup of an individual. Usually refers to an organism's genetic makeup (or alleles) at a particular locus

A) Phenotype

B) Heterozygous

C) Genotype

D) Homozygous

C

Having different alleles at the same locus on members of a pair of chromosomes

A) Dominant

B) Recessive

C) Homozygous

D) Heterozygous

D

The distribution of one pair of alleles into gametes does not influence the distribution of another pair. The genes controlling different traits are inherited independently of one another.

A) Random Assortment

B) Principle of Independent Assortment

C) Mendelian traits

D) Principle of Segregation

B

Which is an example of autosomal recessive traits?

A) Sickle-cell anemia

B) Achondroplasia

C) Red-Green color blindness

D) ABO Blood types

A

Which is an example of autosomal dominant traits?

A) Sickle-cell anemia

B) Achondroplasia

C) Red-Green color blindness

D) ABO Blood types

B

What is an example of sex-linked traits (on X or Y chromosomes)?

A) Sickle-cell anemia

B) Achondroplasia

C) Red-Green color blindness

D) ABO Blood types

C

What is sex cell division called?

A) Mitosis

B) Meiosis

C) Recombination

D) Karyotype

B

What is somatic cell division called?

A) Mitosis

B) Meiosis

C) Recombination

D) Karyotype

A

Which describes allopatric speciation?

A) Population is divided by barrier —> complete reproductive isolation (no gene-flow; genetic drift & natural selection at work)

B) Partial barrier —> partial reproductive isolation; selection more important

C) No barrier, selection more important (theoretical)

D) It doesn't exist

A

Which describes parapatric speciation?

A) Population is divided by barrier —> complete reproductive isolation (no gene-flow; genetic drift & natural selection at work)

B) Partial barrier —> partial reproductive isolation; selection more important

C) No barrier, selection more important (theoretical)

D) It doesn't exist

B

Which describes sympatric speciation?

A) Population is divided by barrier —> complete reproductive isolation (no gene-flow; genetic drift & natural selection at work)

B) Partial barrier —> partial reproductive isolation; selection more important

C) No barrier, selection more important (theoretical)

D) It doesn't exist

C

Which describes homopatric speciation?

A) Population is divided by barrier —> complete reproductive isolation (no gene-flow; genetic drift & natural selection at work)

B) Partial barrier —> partial reproductive isolation; selection more important

C) No barrier, selection more important (theoretical)

D) It doesn't exist

D

Which is NOT true about polygenic traits?

A) They are not Mendelian

B) They are Mendelian

C) They are coded by multiple genes

D) They have continuous outcomes

B

A polymorphic trait:

A) is effected by one gene, but multiple alleles

B) is effected by multiple genes

C) is Mendelian

D) has continuous outcomes

E) A and C

E

Who originally said we live in a heliocentric solar system?

A) Galileo

B) Linnaeus

C) Copernicus

D) Lamarck

C

Who pushed Copernican ideas and created the telescope?

A) Galileo

B) Linnaeus

C) Copernicus

D) Lamarck

A

Who created the binomial nomenclature?

A) Galileo

B) Linnaeus

C) Copernicus

D) Lamarck

B

Who founded the idea of deep time?

A) Darwin

B) Lyell

C) Wallace

D) Lamarck

B

Which is NOT true about the theory of Natural Selection?

A) Variation is heritable

B) Those with favorable variations will survive to reproduce

C) Variation exists in nature

D) All species are capable of reproducing faster than the environment can support

E) Whether a trait is beneficial has nothing to do with the environment

E

What is produced when sex cells (sperm and egg) unite?

A) DNA

B) Autosome

C) Zygote

D) Eukaryotic cell

C

What are the types of chromosomes?

A) Autosomes

B) Zygotes

C) Sex Chromosomes

D) A and C

E) All of the above

D

How many amino acids are there?

A) 10

B) 23

C) 46

D) 20

D

How many cell divisions occur in meiosis?

A) 1

B) 2

C) 3

D) 4

b

What are the types of DNA mutation?

A) Point mutations

B) Change in chromosome structure

C) Change in chromosome number

D) All of the above

D

What is the evolutionary force in which a DNA is altered, and increases variation within a group and between groups?

A) Mutation

B) Natural Selection

C) Genetic Drift

D) Gene-flow

A

What is the evolutionary force in which genetic change or changes in the frequencies of certain traits in populations due to differential reproductive success between individuals?

A) Mutation

B) Natural Selection

C) Genetic Drift

D) Gene-flow

B

What is the evolutionary force described as evolutionary changes, or changes in allele frequencies, produced by random factors in small populations. It's result of small population size, and leads to a decrease in variation.

A) Mutation

B) Natural Selection

C) Genetic Drift

D) Gene-flow

C

Which evolutionary force is described as an exchange of genes between populations, and increases variation within the group but decreases variation between groups?

A) Mutation

B) Natural Selection

C) Genetic Drift

D) Gene-flow

D

What is not true of sexual selection?

A) It's a type of natural selection that operates on only one sex within a species.

B) Sexual selection results from competition for mates.

C) It can lead to sexual dimorphism regarding one or more traits.

D) Sexual selection in primates is least common in species in which mating is polygynous and there is considerable male competition for females.

D

What is a homoplasy?

A) A trait that is shared by two or more groups based on their descent from common ancestors

B) A trait shared by two or more groups because it evolved independently in each lineage

C) Two matching alleles

D) A genetic autosomal recessive disorder

B

What is the name of this concept? A depiction of species as groups of individuals capable of fertile interbreeding but reproductively isolated from other such groups.

A) Ecological species concept

B) Sexual selection

C) Biological species concept

D) recognition species concept

C

Which of the following are types of ecological niches, causing speciation?

A) Diet

B) Terrain

C) Vegetation

D) Type of predators

E) All of the above

E

Where is Hemoglobin a balanced polymorphism?

A) America

B) Places where there is access to healthcare

C) Places where Malaria is present

D) Places where the black plague wasn't present

C

What is the name of this concept: the maintenance of two or more alleles in a population due to the selective advantage of the heterozygote.

A) Stabilizing Selection

B) Balanced Polymorphism

C) Transient Polymorphism

D) Directional Selection

B

What is the name of this concept: For Mendelian traits, a type of natural selection in which both homozygotes are selected against and the heterozygote is selected for

A) Stabilizing Selection

B) Balanced Polymorphism

C) Transient Polymorphism

D) Directional Selection

A

What is the name for this concept: the progressive replacement of one allele by another in a population

A) Stabilizing Selection

B) Balanced Polymorphism

C) Transient Polymorphism

D) Directional Selection

C

What is the name for this concept: For Mendelian traits, a type of natural selection in which one of the homozygotes is selected against.

A) Stabilizing Selection

B) Balanced Polymorphism

C) Transient Polymorphism

D) Directional Selection

D

What is the name for this concept: Gradual changes in the frequency of genotypes and phenotypes from one geographical region to another

A) Stabilizing Selection

B) Cline

C) Transient Polymorphism

D) Directional Selection

B