Chapter 19 COOP Quiz

Which of the following statements best describes theories? a.) They are nearly the same things as hypotheses. b.) They are predictions of future events. c.) They are supported by, and make sense of, many observations. d.) They cannot be tested because the described events occurred only once.

c

Given a population that contains genetic variation, what is the correct sequence of the following events, under the influence of natural selection? 1. Well-adapted individuals leave more offspring than do poorly adapted individuals. 2. A change occurs in the environment. 3. Genetic frequencies within the population change. 4. Poorly adapted individuals have decreased survivorship. a.) 2 -> 4 -> 1 -> 3 b.) 4 -> 2 -> 3 -> 1 c.) 4 -> 1 -> 2 -> 3 d.) 2 -> 4 -> 3 -> 1 e.) 4 -> 2 -> 1 -> 3

a

It has been observed that organisms on islands are different from, not closely related to, similar forms found on the nearest continent. This is taken as evidence that a.) island forms and mainland forms descended from common ancestors. b.) island forms and mainland forms have identical gene pools. c.) common environments are inhabited by the same organisms. d.) the island forms and mainland forms are converging. e.) the islands were originally part of the continent.

a

Which of the following pieces of evidence most strongly supports the common origin of all life on Earth? a.) All organisms use essentially the same genetic code. b.) All organisms have undergone evolution. c.) All organisms show heritable variation. d.) All organisms reproduce. e.) All organisms require energy.

a

Catastrophism, meaning the regular occurrence of geological or meteorological disturbances (catastrophes), was Cuvier's attempt to explain the existence of a.) natural selection b.) the fossil record c.) uniformitarianism d.) the origin of new species e.) evolution

b

Natural selection is based on all of the following except a.) populations tend to produce more individuals than the environment can support. b.) Individuals adapt to their environments, and thereby evolve. c.) genetic variation exists within populations. d.) the best-adapted individuals tend to leave the most offspring. e.) individuals who survive longer tend to leave more offspring than those who die young.

b

The following question refers to Figure 19.1 (on quiz), which shows an outcrop of sedimentary rock whose strata are labeled A-D. 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? a.) four strata b.) two strata c.) one stratum d.) three strata

b

Two plant species live in the same biome but on different continents. Although the two species are not at all closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of a.) gene flow b.) convergent evolution c.) introgression d.) allopatric speciation e.) parallel evolution

b

In the mid-1900s, the Soviet geneticist Lysenko believed that his winter wheat plants, exposed to ever-colder temperatures, would eventually give rise to ever more cold-tolerant winter wheat. Lysenko's attempts in this regard were most in agreement with the ideas of a.) Cuvier b.) Lyell c.) Lamarck d.) Darwin e.) Hutton

c

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.) bones in the flipper of a whale. d.) bony rays in the tail fin of a flying fish. e.) cartilage in the dorsal fin of a shark.

c

The following question refers to Figure 19.1 (on quiz), which shows an outcrop of sedimentary rock whose strata are labeled A-D. If x indicates the location of fossils of two closely related species, then fossils of their most-recent common ancestor are most likely to occur in which stratum? a.) A b.) B c.) C d.) D

c

What is true of pseudogenes? a.) They are composed of RNA, rather than DNA. b.) They are the same things as intros. c.) They are vestigial genes. d.) They are unrelated genes that code for the same gene product.

c

Which of the following must exist in a population before natural selection can act upon that population? a.) variation among individuals caused by environmental factors. b.) sexual reproduction. c.) genetic variation among individuals d.) three of the responses are correct. e.) two of the responses are correct.

c

Within six months of effectively using methicillin to treat S. aureus infections in a community, all new infections were caused by MRSA. How can this result best be explained? a.) S. aureus can resist vaccines. b.) The drug caused the S. aureus DNA to change. c.) Some drug-resistant bacteria were present at the start of treatment, and natural selection increased their frequency. d.) A patient must have become infected with MRSA from another community. e.) In response to the drug, S. aureus began making drug resistant versions of the protein targeted by the drug.

c

Both ancestral birds and ancestral mammals shared a common ancestor that was terrestrial. Today, penguins (which are birds) and seals (which are mammals) have forelimbs adapted for swimming. What term best describes the relationship of the bones in the forelimbs of penguins and seals, and what term best describes the flippers of penguins and seals? a.) homologous; homologous b.) analogous; homologous c.) analogous; analogous d.) homologous; analogous

d

During a study session about evolution, one of your fellow students remarks, "The giraffe stretched its neck while reaching for higher leaves; its offspring inherited longer necks as a result." Which statement is most likely to be helpful in correcting this student's misconception? a.) Only favorable adaptations have survival value. b.) If the giraffes did not have to compete with each other, longer necks would not have been passed on to the next generation. c.) Spontaneous mutations can result in the appearance of new traits. d.) Characteristics acquired during an organism's life are generally not passed on through genes. e.) Disuse of an organ may lead to its eventual disappearance.

d

If Darwin had been aware of genes, and of their typical mode of transmission to subsequent generations, with which statement would he most likely have been in agreement? a.) If an individual acquires new genes by engulfing, or being infected by, another organisms, then a new genetic species will be the result. b.) A single mutation in a single gene in a single gamete will, if perpetuated, produce a new species within just two generations. c.) If an individual's somatic cell genes change during its lifetime, making it more fit, then it will be able to pass these genes on to its offspring. d.) If natural selection can change one gene's frequency in a population over the course of generations, then, given enough time and enough genes, natural selection can cause sufficient genetic change to produce new species from old ones.

d

If two modern organisms are distantly related in an evolutionary sense, then one should expect that a.) they live in very different habitats. b.) they shared a common ancestor relatively recently. c.) their chromosomes should be very similar. d.) they should share fewer homologous structures than two more closely related organisms. e.) they should be members of the same genus.

d

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 a.) humans evolved from chimpanzees. b.) humans and chimpanzees are not closely related. c.) convergent evolution led to the DNA similarities. d.) chimpanzees evolved from humans. e.) humans and chimpanzees share a relatively recent common ancestor.

e

The role that humans play in artificial selection is to a.) create the genetic variants, which nature then selects. b.) train organisms to breed more successfully. c.) determine who lives and who dies. d.) perform artificial insemination. e.) choose which organisms breed, and which do not.

e

The upper forelimbs of humans and bats have fairly similar skeletal structures, whereas the corresponding bones in whales have very different shapes and proportions. However, genetic data suggest that all three kinds of organisms diverged from a common ancestor at about the same time. Which of following is the most likely explanation for these data? a.) Genes mutate faster in whales than in humans or bats. b.) Humans and bats evolved by natural selection, and whales evolved by Lamarckian mechanisms. c.) Whales are not properly classified as mammals. d.) Forelimb evolution was adaptive in people and bats, but not in whales. e.) Natural selection in an aquatic environment resulted in significant changes to whale forelimb anatomy.

e

What was the prevailing belief prior to the time of Lyell and Darwin? a.) Earth is millions of years old, and populations gradually change. b.) Earth is millions of years old, and populations rapidly change. c.) Earth is millions of years old, and populations are unchanging. d.) Earth is a few thousand years old, and populations gradually change. e.) Earth is a few thousand years old, and populations are unchanging.

e