321 Multiple Choice

Since the evolutionary synthesis:

A) there have been few advances in evolutionary biology.

B) evolutionary genomics has indicated that species share few genes.

C) advances in molecular evolution and evolutionary developmental biology have led to an increased understanding

of evolution.

D) Motoo Kimura's neutral theory, stressing the importance of natural selection, was developed.

E) evolutionary theory has not expanded to ecology and social behavior.

C

Darwin's biological views were influenced by:

A) the writings of Gregor Mendel.

B) his work as a naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle.

C) decades of military service.

D) the theory of plate tectonics.

E) correspondence with Ernst Mayr.

B

Uniformitarianism allows evolutionary biology to be an experimental science. Which of the following is a definition of uniformitarianism?

A) Immutable essences exist for each type of organism.

B) The same processes operated in the past as in the present.

C) Descent with modification.

D) Alterations acquired during an individual's life are inherited.

E) Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny.

B

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of the classification system of Linnaeus?

A) It provides biologists with a common set of names for different organisms.

B) Species are named according to an ordered scheme.

It is hierarchical.

D) It is well suited for describing patterns of relatedness among different taxa.

E) Colloquial species are used.

E

A monophyletic group is defined as:

A) having shared ancestral states.

B) a branch point in a phylogentic tree.

C) the set of species derived from a most recent common ancestor.

D) having an ancestral characteristic.

E) the set of species derived from a distant, not most recent, common ancestor.

C

Which of the following is an accepted rule of species nomenclature?

A) Species epithet must show author's name.

B) The genus and species epithet must be capitalized.

C) The species name is always in boldface type.

D) Scientific names cannot be revised.

E) No two species of animals can bear the same name.

E

What is meant by "the theory of evolution"?

A) Evolution is well-supported by evidence and has survived repeated testing.

B) There is not enough evidence of evolution to consider it a fact, but it is compelling.

C) Evolution is an unproven fact.

D) Scientists guess that evolution has occurred, but that idea is not yet supported by evidence.

E) Non-evolutionary explanations for organic diversity are just as plausible as explanations provided by evolutionary biology.

A

Convergent evolution is a form of:

A) Natural selection.

B) Homeopathy.

C) Homology.

D) homoplasy.

E) ahomozygosity.

D

The best classification system is that which most closely:

A) Unites organisms that possess similar morphologies.

B) Conforms to traditional, Linnaean taxonomic practices.

C) Reflects evolutionary history.

D) Reflects the basic separation of prokaryotes from eukaryotes.

E) Related to Cambrian explosion.

C

What was the prevailing belief prior to the time of Lyell and Darwin?

A) Earth is a few thousand years old, and populations are unchanging.

B) Earth is a few thousand years old, and populations gradually change.

C) Earth is millions of years old, and populations rapidly change.

D) Earth is millions of years old, and populations are unchanging.

E) Earth is millions of years old, and populations gradually change.

A

The various taxonomic levels (namely, genera, classes, etc.) of the hierarchical classification system differ from each other on the basis of

A) How widely the organisms assigned to each are distributed throughout the environment.

B) Their inclusiveness.

C) The relative genome sizes of the organisms assigned to each.

D) Morphological characters that are applicable to all organisms.

E) Physiological characters that are applicable to only a few organisms.

B

Biological evolution is defined as:

A) Change in the properties of organisms over the course of development.

B) Directed change of organisms towards greater complexity.

C) The belief that each organism has an essence indicative of its design.

D) Change in the properties of groups of organisms over the course of generations

E) Random mutations and natural selection.

D

Why is evolutionary biology one of the best paradigms in which to study the spread of viruses like Ebola into new populations and species?

A) Only evolutionary biologists understand the way that viruses can bypass the immune system.

B) Evolutionary biology does not concern itself with the ethics of medical research.

C) Evolutionary biologists work on understanding how populations (the viruses) adapt to new environments (the hosts).

D) Evolutionary biologists were already studying how disease affect bats in central Africa.

E) Viruses are rarely transmitted between species.

C

Once the historical relationships among different variant DNA sequences are inferred, it is possible to:

A) Contract a morphological phylogeny.

B) Preform polyphyletic analysts.

C) Determine the name of the genus.

D) Construct gene trees (gene genealogies).

E) Determine the location of introns in a gene.

D

Did Charles Darwin invent the theory of evolution?

a. Yes. In "The Origin of Species." he outlines the theory of evolution as scientists understand it today.

B) Yes. The theory of evolution is based entirely on natural selection, which was Darwin's idea.

C) No. Natural selection and evolution were theories long before Darwin wrote his book.

D) No. Darwin described a mechanism for evolutionary change, but natural selection is only a component of the theory of evolution.

E) All of them are somewhat correct.

D

Some salamander species retain gills and other larval characteristics throughout adult life. This is an example of

A) neoteny

B) heterozygosity

C) allometry

D) allelipathy

E) allopatry

A