Question 1

Which of the following best describes a monophyletic group (clade) in a phylogenetic tree?

Accepted Answer

A group that includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants.

Question 2

In the Linnaean system of classification, which of the following is the correct order from most specific to most broad?

Accepted Answer

Species, Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum, Kingdom, Domain

Question 3

Which of the following statements about binomial nomenclature is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

The specific epithet is always capitalized and italicized.

Question 4

A scientist is comparing the DNA sequences of two species. She finds that their sequences differ at only a few sites. What can she most likely infer?

Accepted Answer

The two species are closely related.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of an analogous trait?

Accepted Answer

Wings of bats and wings of insects, which evolved independently due to similar environmental pressures.

Question 6

Which principle is used to select the simplest phylogenetic tree that explains the observed data?

Accepted Answer

Maximum parsimony

Question 7

A phylogenetic tree shows that humans and chimpanzees are sister groups. What does this mean?

Accepted Answer

They share a common ancestor not shared by any other group.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes a molecular clock?

Accepted Answer

A method for estimating the time required for a given amount of evolutionary change, based on the observation that some regions of genomes evolve at constant rates.

Question 9

Which of the following is a potential problem when using molecular clocks?

Accepted Answer

Some genes evolve at irregular rates due to natural selection.

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of horizontal gene transfer?

Accepted Answer

A bacterium acquiring a gene from a virus through transduction.

Question 11

Which of the following statements about phylogenetic trees is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

They represent hypotheses about evolutionary relationships.

Question 12

If a gene is essential for survival and most mutations are harmful, what would you expect about its rate of evolution?

Accepted Answer

It would evolve slowly.

Question 13

Which of the following best describes an orthologous gene?

Accepted Answer

A homologous gene found in different species due to speciation.

Question 14

Which of the following is a shared derived character for mammals?

Accepted Answer

Hair

Question 15

A researcher is constructing a phylogenetic tree using DNA sequences. According to the principle of maximum parsimony, which tree should she select?

Accepted Answer

The tree that requires the fewest base changes.

Question 16

Which of the following is a reason why the Linnaean system does NOT always reflect evolutionary history?

Accepted Answer

Large categories are not always comparable between lineages.

Question 17

Which of the following is a correct statement about the three-domain system?

Accepted Answer

It classifies all life into Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Question 18

Which of the following best explains why different genes can give inconsistent phylogenetic trees?

Accepted Answer

Horizontal gene transfer can move genes between unrelated lineages.

Question 19

A scientist uses a molecular clock to estimate the divergence time between two species. She finds 40 nucleotide substitutions in a gene and knows from the fossil record that the gene accumulates 2 substitutions per million years. What is the estimated divergence time?

Accepted Answer

$$40 \div 2 = 20$$ million years

Question 20

Which of the following is a reason why humans have only about four times as many genes as yeast, despite being much more complex?

Accepted Answer

A single human gene can encode multiple proteins that perform different tasks in various body tissues.

Phylogeny, Systematics, and the Tree of Life: Classification and Evolutionary Relationships

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