Bio - Exam 1 Questions

Which of the following is the correct sequence of events in the origin of life? I. formation of protocells II. synthesis of organic monomers III. synthesis of organic polymers IV. formation of DNA-based genetic systems A) I, II, III, IV B) I, III, II, IV C) II, III, I, IV D) II, III, IV, I

C

Which of the following traits do archaeans and bacteria share? A) composition of the cell wall B) composition of the cell wall and lack of a nuclear envelope C) lack of a nuclear envelope and presence of plasma membrane D) presence of plasma membrane and composition of the cell wall

C

Two species of frogs belonging to the same genus occasionally mate, but the embryos stop developing after a day and then die. These two frog species separate by _____. A) reduced hybrid viability B) hybrid breakdown C) reduced hybrid fertility D) prezygotic isolation

A

Some beetles and flies have antler-like structures on their heads, much like male deer do. The existence of antlers in beetle, fly, and deer species with strong male-male competition is an example of _____. A) a synapomorphy B) convergent evolution C) homology D) parsimony

B

A population of organisms will not evolve if _____. A) all individual variation is due only to environmental factors B) the environment is changing at a relatively slow rate C) the population size is large D) the population lives in a habitat without competing species present

A

If a diploid population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at a particular locus, _____. A) the allele's frequency should not change from one generation to the next B) natural selection, gene flow, and genetic drift are acting equally to change an allele's frequency C) two alleles are present in equal proportions D) individuals within the population are evolving E) None of the above

A

The term homoplasy is most applicable to which of the following features? A) the legless condition found in various lineages of extant lizards B) the five-digit condition of human hands and bat wings C) the fur that covers Australian moles and North American moles D) the bones of bat forelimbs and the bones of bird forelimbs

A

Which of the following is the best modern definition of evolution? A) descent with modification B) change in the number of genes in a population over time C) survival of the fittest D) inheritance of acquired characters E) None of the above

A

4) By referencing the tree above, which of the following is an accurate statement of relationships? A) A green alga is more closely related to a red alga than to a moss B) A green alga is more closely related to a pine than to a red alga C) A green alga is equally related to a red alga and a pine D) A green alga is related to a red alga, but is not related to a pine E) None of the above

B

A hybrid zone is properly defined as _____. A) an area where the ranges of two closely related species overlap, but do not interbreed B) an area where mating occurs between members of two closely related species, producing viable offspring C) a zone where members of two closely related species are kept separate by prezygotic barriers D) an area where members of two closely related species intermingle, but gene flow is prevented by mechanical isolation

B

In a population experiencing stabilizing selection _________. A) one of the extreme phenotypes is going to be more reproductively fit B) the mean phenotype is going to be more reproductively fit C) genetic variation will most likely remain the same D) there will be far more homozygous individuals than heterozygous individuals E) A and D

B

Macroevolution is _____. A) the same as microevolution, but includes the origin of new species B) evolution above the species level C) defined as the evolution of microscopic organisms into organisms that can be seen with the naked eye D) defined as a change in allele or gene frequency over the course of many generations

B

Taxis refers to an organisms ability to _______. A) acquire new genes from other organisms and incorporate those gene into their genome B) move in responses to a heterogeneous environment C) acquire food through the engulfment of small organic particles D) adapt to changes in environmental conditions by the movement of plasmids E) none of the above

B

True or false all prokaryotic organisms from a monophyletic group. A) True B) False

B

Which of the following is a defining characteristic that all protocells had in common? A) the ability to synthesize enzymes B) a surrounding membrane or membrane-like structure C) DNA genes D) the ability to replicate DNA E) C & D

B

The role that humans play in artificial selection is to _____. A) determine who lives and who dies B) create genetic diversity C) choose which organisms reproduce D) perform artificial insemination

C

What is thought to be the correct sequence of these events, from earliest to most recent, in the evolution of life on Earth? 1. origin of mitochondria 2. origin of multicellular eukaryotes 3. origin of chloroplasts 4. origin of prokaryotes 5. origin of an oxygen rich atmosphere A) 4, 3, 2, 1, 5 B) 5, 1, 4, 2, 3 C) 4, 5, 1, 3, 2 D) 5, 4, 3, 1, 2

C

Which of these conditions are always true of populations evolving due to natural selection? Condition 1: The population must vary in traits that are heritable. Condition 2: Some heritable traits must increase reproductive success. Condition 3: Individuals pass on most traits that they acquire during their lifetime. A) Condition 1 only B) Condition 2 only C) Conditions 1 and 2 D) Conditions 2 and 3

C

Darwin and Wallace were the first to propose _____. A) that evolution occurs B) a mechanism for how evolution occurs C) that Earth is older than a few thousand years D) natural selection as the mechanism of evolution

D

Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the bones in the wing of a bird? A) bones in the hind limb of a kangaroo B) chitinous struts in the wing of a butterfly C) bony rays in the tail fin of a flying fish D) bones in the flipper of a whale

D

Random events that affect a population's evolutionary path are best described as ______. A) natural selection B) sexual selection C) gene flow D) genetic drift E) None of the above

D

Sexual reproduction in eukaryotes increases genetic variation. In prokaryotes, transformation, transduction, and conjugation are mechanisms that increase genetic variation. A fundamental difference between the generations of genetic variation in the two domains is: A) Eukaryotes are able to generate mutations in response to environmental stress while prokaryotes only generate random variation. B) Eukaryotic variation occurs primarily within a single generation while prokaryotic variation occurs over many generations. C) Crossing over is a major mechanism in creating genetic variation in prokaryotes while independent assortment is a major mechanism is eukaryotes. D) Eukaryotic genetic variation occurs with vertical gene transfer from parent to offspring, while prokaryotic genetic variation occurs between two already existing cells with horizontal gene transfer.

D

Speciation _____. A) occurs at such a slow pace that no one has ever observed the emergence of new species B) occurs only by the accumulation of small genetic changes over vast expanses of time C) must begin with the geographic isolation of a small, frontier population D) can involve changes to a single gene

D

What is the correct order of these classification groups from most inclusive to least inclusive 1. Phylum, 2. Genus, 3. Class, 4. Domain, 5. Order, 6. Kingdom, 7. Species, 8. Family A. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 B. 7, 2, 8, 5, 3, 1, 6, 4 C. 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 D. 4, 6, 1, 3, 5, 8, 2, 7

D

Which set of geological eons and eras is correctly matched and in chronicological order from oldest to most recent? A) Hadean, Archaean, Proterozoic, Phanerozoic (Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoci) B) Hadean, Archaean, Phanerozoic, Proterozoic (Mesozoic, Cenozoci, Paleozoic) C) Hadean, Archaean, Phanerozoic (Cenozoci, Paleozoic), Proterozoic (Mesozoic) D) Archaean, Hadean, Proterozoic (Mesozoic), Phanerozoic (Cenozoci, Paleozoic)

D

Which statement about variation is true? A) All phenotypic variation is the result of genotypic variation. B) All genetic variation produces phenotypic variation. C) All nucleotide variability results in neutral variation. D) All new alleles are the result of nucleotide variability. E) None of the above

D

You are confronted with a box of preserved grasshoppers of various species that are new to science and have not been described. Your assignment is to separate them into species. There is no accompanying information as to where or when they were collected, or any additional data. Which species concept will you have to use? A) biological B) phylogenetic C) ecological D) morphological

D

By referencing the tree above, which of the following is the most accurate statement of relationships within the tree? A) A green alga and a red alga are sister taxa B) A moss and a pine are sister taxa C) An amoeba is the basal taxa in this tree D) A pine is the basal taxa in this tree E) B & C

E

How were conditions on the early Earth of more than three billion years ago different from those on today's Earth? Unlike Earth today, early Earth _____. A) had an atmosphere rich in gases released from volcanic eruptions B) had an oxidizing atmosphere C) contained little to no oxygen D) had an atmosphere with significant quantities of ozone E) A & C

E

Peptidoglycan is found in _______. A) the cell walls of eukaryotic plants B) in all prokaryotic cell walls C) in bacterial cell wall but not in archeal cell walls D) in grater quantities in gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative bacteria E) D & C

E