Question 1

Which of the following best describes the smallest unit that can evolve in a biological context?

Accepted Answer

A population

Question 2

A population of finches experiences a drought, resulting in only large seeds being available. Over several generations, the average beak size increases. What evolutionary mechanism is primarily responsible for this change?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a condition required for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

Accepted Answer

Small population size

Question 4

In a population of 500 wildflowers, 320 are red (CRCR), 160 are pink (CRCW), and 20 are white (CWCW). What is the frequency of the CR allele?

Accepted Answer

$$0.80$$

Question 5

Which process is most likely to increase genetic variation within a population but decrease genetic differences between populations?

Accepted Answer

Gene flow

Question 6

A population of animals is reduced to a very small number due to a natural disaster, and the surviving population has much less genetic diversity than the original. What is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

Bottleneck effect

Question 7

Which of the following is a direct result of inbreeding in a small population?

Accepted Answer

Increased expression of deleterious recessive alleles

Question 8

Which of the following best explains why most mutations have little effect on allele frequencies in large populations?

Accepted Answer

Mutation rates are too low to significantly change allele frequencies

Question 9

Which mode of natural selection favors individuals at both extremes of a phenotypic range?

Accepted Answer

Disruptive selection

Question 10

A rare allele confers resistance to an insecticide in a mosquito population. After widespread use of the insecticide, the frequency of this allele increases. What is the best explanation for this observation?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Question 11

Which of the following is an example of frequency-dependent selection?

Accepted Answer

A population of fish where left-mouthed and right-mouthed individuals are maintained at equal frequencies

Question 12

Which of the following is a likely consequence of genetic drift in a small population?

Accepted Answer

Loss of alleles and increased homozygosity

Question 13

Which of the following is the best definition of evolution in a population genetics context?

Accepted Answer

A change in allele frequencies in a population over generations

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of the founder effect?

Accepted Answer

A few individuals colonize a new island, and their descendants have different allele frequencies than the original population

Question 15

Which of the following is true about sexual selection?

Accepted Answer

It can lead to sexual dimorphism

Question 16

In a population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, if the frequency of allele A is $$p = 0.7$$ and allele a is $$q = 0.3$$, what is the expected frequency of heterozygotes (Aa)?

Accepted Answer

$$0.42$$

Question 17

Which of the following is a reason why natural selection cannot produce 'perfect' organisms?

Accepted Answer

All of the above

Question 18

Which of the following best explains why lactose tolerance is common in certain human populations?

Accepted Answer

A mutation for lactose tolerance spread rapidly due to the advantage of dairy farming

Question 19

Which of the following mechanisms is the only one that consistently leads to adaptive evolution?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of heterozygote advantage?

Accepted Answer

Individuals with one sickle cell allele and one normal allele are more resistant to malaria than either homozygote

Evolution of Populations: Mechanisms, Genetic Variation, and Forces of Change

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