Question 1

Which of the following best describes why evolution is considered a scientific theory?

Accepted Answer

It is a well-supported explanation that accounts for the unity and diversity of life, the geographic distribution of organisms, and their adaptations to the environment.

Question 2

Which statement about natural selection is correct?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection can only act on traits that are heritable and already present in a population.

Question 3

In the rock pocket mouse population of southern Arizona, what is the most likely explanation for the presence of both light and dark fur color morphs?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection favors different fur colors depending on the color of the substrate, leading to an increase in the frequency of the advantageous trait in each environment.

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of direct observation of evolutionary change in a population?

Accepted Answer

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria developing over time.

Question 5

How does the concept of 'descent with modification' explain both the unity and diversity of life?

Accepted Answer

Organisms share some traits due to common ancestry (unity), but differences arise as populations adapt to different environments over time (diversity).

Question 6

Which of the following statements about evolution is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

Individuals evolve in response to environmental changes.

Question 7

A biologist observes that honey pot ants can store liquid in their abdomens, a trait not seen in most other ants. Which evolutionary concept does this best illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Adaptation to a specific ecological niche, resulting in diversity among related species.

Question 8

Which type of evidence for evolution is provided by the similarity of bone structures in the forelimbs of whales, bats, and humans?

Accepted Answer

Comparative anatomy showing homologous structures.

Question 9

Why does natural selection not always produce perfectly adapted organisms?

Accepted Answer

Because natural selection can only act on existing heritable variation, and environments can change unpredictably.

Question 10

Which of the following best explains why populations, not individuals, evolve?

Accepted Answer

Evolution is the change in allele frequencies in a population over generations.

Question 11

A scientist finds that marsupial mammals in Australia and placental mammals in North America have evolved similar body forms, such as the marsupial mole and the placental mole. What evolutionary process does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Convergent evolution due to similar environmental pressures.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a type of evidence used to support the theory of evolution?

Accepted Answer

Astrological observations.

Question 13

If a population of insects is exposed to a new pesticide and, over several generations, most individuals become resistant, which evolutionary mechanism is most likely responsible?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection favoring individuals with resistance alleles.

Question 14

Which scenario best illustrates the principle that 'a trait favored in one time or place may not be favored in another'?

Accepted Answer

A bird species with a beak shape that is advantageous during drought years but disadvantageous during wet years.

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the role of biogeography in providing evidence for evolution?

Accepted Answer

It demonstrates that species on islands are often more similar to those on nearby mainlands than to those on distant islands with similar environments.

Question 16

Which of the following equations represents the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for allele frequencies in a population?

Accepted Answer

$p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1$

Question 17

A population of beetles has two color morphs: green and brown. If birds preferentially eat green beetles on brown soil, what will likely happen to the frequency of the brown allele over time?

Accepted Answer

The frequency of the brown allele will increase due to natural selection.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a homologous structure?

Accepted Answer

The wings of a bat and the flippers of a whale, both derived from the forelimb of a common ancestor.

Question 19

Which of the following best explains why changing environmental conditions cannot create new traits in a population?

Accepted Answer

Because only traits already present in the population can be favored by natural selection.

Evolution: Theory, Mechanisms, and Evidence

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