
Evolution Unit Exam
Quiz by Deambra Lewis
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22 questions
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- Q1At least five major ice ages have occurred throughout Earth's history; the earliest was over 2 billion years ago. Which type of organisms would natural selection favor if Earth had another ice age?organisms that swimorganisms that are predatorsorganisms that carry out photosynthesisorganisms adapted for surviving cold temperatures30s
- Q2Mutations are essential to evolution. Every genetic feature in every organism was, initially, the result of a mutation. Which of the following statement (s) about mutations is true? Choose all lthat apply.Mutations cause organisms to evolve.Mutations are beneficial.Mutations occur randomly.Mutations are harmful.30s
- Q3Which of the following is required for natural selection?A population of individuals must be forced out of their natural habitat.There must be a small number of individuals in a population.There must be variation among the members of a population.All individuals of a population must be identical.30s
- Q4Which of these would NOT be used by a biologist to determine the relationship between two organisms?fossil ageDNAbone structurebody size30s
- Q5Bacteria often become resistant to harmful agents much more quickly than plants or animals. Which of the following best explains why this is so?Bacteria reproduce through asexual reproduction, which allows them to reproduce more quickly than plants or animals.Bacteria reproduce asexually, so their offspring are not changed by mutations.Bacteria reproduce sexually, increasing the variation within their populations.Bacteria have a protective covering that makes them instantly immune to harmful agents.30s
- Q6Most of the moths in a pre-industrialized area were white. Industrialization caused an increase in air pollution. The pollution blackened the surface of rocks and tree trunks. About 100 years later, most of the moths in that area were black. This change in moth color is an example of what?genetic engineeringspeciationnatural selectionchemical resistance30s
- Q7The wings of a bat and a bird share a similar function but have different structures, suggesting that they did not evolve from a common ancestor. What type of structures are the wings?fossilized structuresvestigial structuresanalogous structureshomologous structures30s
- Q8Which of the following is a risk of overusing antibiotics?Antibiotics increase the rate of infection.Bacteria can only be killed by antibiotics once.Antibiotics can cause other diseases to develop.Bacteria may become resistant to the antibiotics, causing them to be ineffective.30s
- Q9A particular bird species found in North America obtains most of its food energy by catching and eating insects. A mutation arises in this bird population that increases the length of its beak. Although many mutations are harmful, this mutation has increased the ability of the bird to catch and eat certain insects. Which of these is the most likely outcome of this mutation?Longer beaks will result in the birds eating other, more useful, food items.Individual birds with the mutation will be more likely to survive and reproduce than birds without the mutation.The insects that are eaten by this bird are likely to become extinct.Other bird species will be more likely to also develop longer beaks in order to compete.30s
- Q10One of the major elements of natural selection is that all species have genetic:mutationsstabilityvariationabnormalities30s
- Q11Gary sprays his sugarcane field with a highly effective pesticide called “Bug X 4.0.” For five years, the pesticide works well, effectively killing almost all the weevils trying to eat Farmer Gary’s crop. However, during the 6th year, some of the crop takes a hit. During the 7th year, he loses half of his crop, and during the 8th year, he loses almost the entire cane field to weevils, despite using twice the usual dose of Bug X 4.0. What happened?Weevils over-populated because the Bug X 4.0 killed all of the predatory insects.The sugarcane became used to the pesticide, rendering it ineffective.A small population of weevils survived on other food sources and returned to the sugar cane field to feed.Some of the pesticide-resistant weevils survived and reproduced more pesticide-resistant weevils.30s
- Q12In 1831, Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands. While observing the giant land tortoises that lived on these islands, Darwin noted that the shape of the tortoise shell varied depending on which island the tortoise lived. Tortoises on one island had round shells, for example, whereas tortoises on a neighboring island had more flattened, saddle-shaped shells. Which statement best summarizes Darwin’s explanation for these differences?Random mutations caused the shape of the shells to fluctuate periodically.Tortoises who used their shells in special ways caused the shells to become larger, rounder, or flatter.The particular shape of the shell was best suited for the island on which the tortoise was living.The shape of the tortoise shell varied because the predators on the islands were different.30s
- Q13In the image below, arrows are pointing to the humerus bone of the lion, the human, and the bird. Comparing the bone structure can provide evidence to support which of the following conclusions?The humerus bone evolved separately in many different lines of animals.Humans, lions, and birds evolved from a common ancestor.The size and position of various bones indicates how highly evolved an animal is.Fossil evidence of bones provides the strongest evidence for evolution.30s
- Q14Which of the following is not a principle of natural selection?Evolution will occur as an organism gets older and learns more.Most organisms produce more offspring than the resources of their environment can support.In every population, adaptations allow some organisms to survive and reproduce better than others.Organisms compete for limited resources.30s
- Q15Ostriches have wings, but do not fly. Humans have an appendix with no apparent function. Whales contain bones for rear legs. Each of these are examples of _____.homologous structuresanalogous structuresvestigial structuresnatural selection30s