Question 1

If one wanted to find the largest number of endemic species, one should visit which of the following geological features (assuming each has existed for several millions of years) ?

Accepted Answer

A)   an isolated ocean island in the tropics
B)   an extensive mountain range
C)   a midcontinental grassland with extreme climatic conditions
D)   a shallow estuary on a warm-water coastE) A) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 2

Natural selection is based on all of the following except

Accepted Answer

A)   genetic variation exists within populations.
B)   the best-adapted individuals tend to leave the most offspring.
C)   individuals who survive longer tend to leave more offspring than those who die young.
D)   populations tend to produce more individuals than the environment can support.
E)   individuals adapt to their environments and, thereby, evolve.F) D) and E)
G) B) and C)

Question 3

With what other idea of his time was Cuvier's theory of catastrophism most in conflict?

Accepted Answer

A)   gradualism
B)   the fixity of species
C)   island biogeography
D)   uniformitarianism
E)   the scala naturaeF) C) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 4

A biologist studied a population of squirrels for 15 years. During that time, the population was never fewer than 30 squirrels and never more than 45. Her data showed that over half of the squirrels born did not survive to reproduce, because of both competition for food and predation. In a single generation, 90% of the squirrels that were born lived to reproduce, and the population increased to 80. Which inference(s) about this population might be true?

Accepted Answer

A)   The amount of available food may have increased.
B)   The parental generation of squirrels developed better eyesight due to improved diet; the subsequent squirrel generation inherited better eyesight.
C)   The squirrels of subsequent generations should show greater levels of genetic variation than previous generations, because squirrels that would not have survived in the past will now survive.
D)   Three of the statements above are correct.
E)   Two of the statements above are correct.F) C) and E)
G) B) and D)

Question 5

DDT was once considered a "silver bullet" that would permanently eradicate insect pests. Today, instead, DDT is largely useless against many insects. Which of these would have been required for this pest eradication effort to be successful in the long run?

Accepted Answer

A)   Larger doses of DDT should have been applied.
B)   All habitats should have received applications of DDT at about the same time.
C)   The frequency of DDT application should have been higher.
D)   None of the individual insects should have possessed genomes that made them resistant to DDT.
E)   DDT application should have been continual.F) D) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 6

The following questions refer to Figure 22.1, which shows an outcrop of sedimentary rock whose strata are labeled A-D.
  
Figure 22.1
-If x indicates the fossils of two closely related species, neither of which is extinct, then their remains may be found in how many of these strata?

Accepted Answer

A)   one stratum
B)   two strata
C)   three strata
D)   four strataE) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 7

Which of the following observations helped Darwin shape his concept of descent with modification?

Accepted Answer

A)   Species diversity declines farther from the equator.
B)   Fewer species live on islands than on the nearest continents.
C)   Birds can be found on islands located farther from the mainland than the birds' maximum nonstop flight distance.
D)   South American temperate plants are more similar to the tropical plants of South America than to the temperate plants of Europe.
E)   Earthquakes reshape life by causing mass extinctions.F) A) and E)
G) B) and E)

Question 8

The rise of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be considered to be an example of artificial selection because

Accepted Answer

A)   humans purposefully raise MRSA in large fermenters in an attempt to make the bacteria ever-more resistant.
B)   S. aureus is cultivated by humans to replenish the soil with nutrients.
C)   humans synthesize methicillin and create environments in which bacteria frequently come into contact with methicillin.
D)   Humans are becoming resistant to bacteria by taking methicillin.E) B) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 9

Currently, two extant elephant species (X and Y) are placed in the genus Loxodonta, and a third species (Z) is placed in the genus Elephas. Thus, which statement should be true?

Accepted Answer

A)   Species X and Y are not related to species Z.
B)   Species X and Y share a greater number of homologies with each other than either does with species Z.
C)   Species X and Y share a common ancestor that is still extant (in other words, not yet extinct) .
D)   Species X and Y are the result of artificial selection from an ancestral species Z.
E)   Species X, Y, and Z share a common ancestor, but nothing more can be claimed than this.F) B) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 10

In a hypothetical environment, fishes called pike-cichlids are visual predators of algae-eating fish (in other words, they locate their prey by sight) . If a population of algae-eaters experiences predation pressure from pike-cichlids, which of the following is least likely to be observed in the algae-eater population over the course of many generations?

Accepted Answer

A)   selection for drab coloration of the algae-eaters
B)   selection for nocturnal algae-eaters (active only at night) 
C)   selection for larger female algae-eaters, bearing broods composed of more, and larger, young
D)   selection for algae-eaters that become sexually mature at smaller overall body sizes
E)   selection for algae-eaters that are faster swimmersF) A) and D)
G) C) and D)

Question 11

Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the bones in the wing of a bird?

Accepted Answer

A)   cartilage in the dorsal fin of a shark
B)   bones in the hind limb of a kangaroo
C)   chitinous struts in the wing of a butterfly
D)   bony rays in the tail fin of a flying fish
E)   bones in the flipper of a whaleF) None of the above
G) A) and E)

Question 12

Which of the following statements best describes theories?

Accepted Answer

A)   They are nearly the same things as hypotheses.
B)   They are supported by, and make sense of, many observations.
C)   They cannot be tested because the described events occurred only once.
D)   They are predictions of future events.E) A) and D)
F) A) and B)

Question 13

Charles Darwin was the first person to propose

Accepted Answer

A)   that evolution occurs.
B)   a mechanism for how evolution occurs.
C)   that Earth is older than a few thousand years.
D)   a mechanism for evolution that was supported by evidence.
E)   that population growth can outpace the growth of food resources.F) C) and E)
G) None of the above

Question 14

What must be true of any organ that is described as vestigial?

Accepted Answer

A)   It must be analogous to some feature in an ancestor.
B)   It must be homologous to some feature in an ancestor.
C)   It must be both homologous and analogous to some feature in an ancestor.
D)   It need be neither homologous nor analogous to some feature in an ancestor.E) None of the above
F) C) and D)

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

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.F) A) and C)
G) A) and E)

Question 16

DNA sequences in many human genes are very similar to the sequences of corresponding genes in chimpanzees. The most likely explanation for this result is that

Accepted Answer

A)   humans and chimpanzees share a relatively recent common ancestor.
B)   humans evolved from chimpanzees.
C)   chimpanzees evolved from humans.
D)   convergent evolution led to the DNA similarities.
E)   humans and chimpanzees are not closely related.F) A) and E)
G) None of the above

Question 17

The following questions refer to the evolutionary tree in Figure 22.2.
The horizontal axis of the cladogram depicted below is a timeline that extends from 100,000 years ago to the present; the vertical axis represents nothing in particular. The labeled branch points on the tree (V-Z)  represent various common ancestors. Let's say that only since 50,000 years ago has there been enough variation between the lineages depicted here to separate them into distinct species, and only the tips of the lineages on this tree represent distinct species.
  
Figure 22.2
-Which of the five common ancestors, labeled V-Z, has been least successful in terms of the percent of its derived species that are extant?

Accepted Answer

A)   V
B)   W
C)   X
D)   Y
E)   ZF) C) and D)
G) B) and C)

Question 18

A 14th species that descended from the original ancestral finch, the Cocos Island finch, is endemic to its namesake island, located 550 km off Costa Rica. The Cocos Island finch is genetically much more similar to the tree finches than is the vegetarian finch, yet it is classified in its own genus Pinarolaxias. Moreover, the Cocos Island finch and the vegetarian finch are the two finch species that are most genetically different from the ancestral Galápagos finch. Thus, if classification is to reflect evolutionary relationships, the vegetarian finch should

Accepted Answer

A)   remain in the genus Camarhynchus.
B)   be switched from Camarhynchus to Certhidea.
C)   be switched from Camarhynchus to Pinarolaxias.
D)   be switched from Camarhynchus to Geospiza.
E)   be placed in its own genus.F) C) and E)
G) D) and E)

Question 19

Ichthyosaurs were aquatic dinosaurs. Fossils show us that they had dorsal fins and tails, as do fish, even though their closest relatives were terrestrial reptiles that had neither dorsal fins nor aquatic tails. The dorsal fins and tails of ichthyosaurs and fish are

Accepted Answer

A)   homologous.
B)   examples of convergent evolution.
C)   adaptations to a common environment.
D)   Three of the responses above are correct.
E)   Two of the responses above are correct.F) None of the above
G) A) and D)

Question 20

If the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus experiences a cost for maintaining one or more antibiotic-resistance genes, then what should happen in environments from which antibiotics are missing?

Accepted Answer

A)   These genes should continue to be maintained in case the antibiotics ever appear.
B)   These bacteria should be outcompeted and replaced by bacteria that have lost these genes.
C)   The bacteria should try to make the cost worthwhile by locating, and migrating to, microenvironments where traces of antibiotics are present.
D)   The bacteria should start making and secreting their own antibiotics.E) A) and C)
F) A) and D)

Exam 22: Descent with Modification: A Darwinian View of Life

Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the bones in the wing of a bird?

Correct Answer
verified

With what other idea of his time was Cuvier's theory of catastrophism most in conflict?

Correct Answer
verified

If one wanted to find the largest number of endemic species, one should visit which of the following geological features (assuming each has existed for several millions of years) ?

Correct Answer
verified

Ichthyosaurs were aquatic dinosaurs. Fossils show us that they had dorsal fins and tails, as do fish, even though their closest relatives were terrestrial reptiles that had neither dorsal fins nor aquatic tails. The dorsal fins and tails of ichthyosaurs and fish are

Correct Answer
verified

Currently, two extant elephant species (X and Y) are placed in the genus Loxodonta, and a third species (Z) is placed in the genus Elephas. Thus, which statement should be true?

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

DNA sequences in many human genes are very similar to the sequences of corresponding genes in chimpanzees. The most likely explanation for this result is that

Correct Answer
verified

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

Correct Answer
verified

Natural selection is based on all of the following except

Correct Answer
verified

If the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus experiences a cost for maintaining one or more antibiotic-resistance genes, then what should happen in environments from which antibiotics are missing?

Correct Answer
verified

The following questions refer to Figure 22.1, which shows an outcrop of sedimentary rock whose strata are labeled A-D. Figure 22.1 -If x indicates the fossils of two closely related species, neither of which is extinct, then their remains may be found in how many of these strata?

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

The rise of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be considered to be an example of artificial selection because

Correct Answer
verified

DDT was once considered a "silver bullet" that would permanently eradicate insect pests. Today, instead, DDT is largely useless against many insects. Which of these would have been required for this pest eradication effort to be successful in the long run?

Correct Answer
verified

What must be true of any organ that is described as vestigial?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following statements best describes theories?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following observations helped Darwin shape his concept of descent with modification?

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Charles Darwin was the first person to propose

Correct Answer
verified

Exam 22: Descent with Modification: A Darwinian View of Life

Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the bones in the wing of a bird?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

With what other idea of his time was Cuvier's theory of catastrophism most in conflict?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If one wanted to find the largest number of endemic species, one should visit which of the following geological features (assuming each has existed for several millions of years) ?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Ichthyosaurs were aquatic dinosaurs. Fossils show us that they had dorsal fins and tails, as do fish, even though their closest relatives were terrestrial reptiles that had neither dorsal fins nor aquatic tails. The dorsal fins and tails of ichthyosaurs and fish are

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Currently, two extant elephant species (X and Y) are placed in the genus Loxodonta, and a third species (Z) is placed in the genus Elephas. Thus, which statement should be true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

DNA sequences in many human genes are very similar to the sequences of corresponding genes in chimpanzees. The most likely explanation for this result is that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Natural selection is based on all of the following except

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus experiences a cost for maintaining one or more antibiotic-resistance genes, then what should happen in environments from which antibiotics are missing?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The following questions refer to Figure 22.1, which shows an outcrop of sedimentary rock whose strata are labeled A-D. Figure 22.1 -If x indicates the fossils of two closely related species, neither of which is extinct, then their remains may be found in how many of these strata?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The rise of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be considered to be an example of artificial selection because

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

DDT was once considered a "silver bullet" that would permanently eradicate insect pests. Today, instead, DDT is largely useless against many insects. Which of these would have been required for this pest eradication effort to be successful in the long run?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What must be true of any organ that is described as vestigial?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements best describes theories?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following observations helped Darwin shape his concept of descent with modification?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Charles Darwin was the first person to propose

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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