Question 1

Which of the following best explains why seedless vascular plants are considered paraphyletic rather than monophyletic?

Accepted Answer

They do not include all descendants of their most recent common ancestor, excluding seed plants.

Question 2

A botanist discovers a new species of plant in a tropical rainforest. The plant has vascular tissue, produces seeds, but does not form flowers. To which group does this plant most likely belong?

Accepted Answer

Gymnosperms

Question 3

Which adaptation was key to the movement of plants from water to land?

Accepted Answer

Formation of a cuticle to prevent water loss

Question 4

The functional role of sporopollenin in land plants is primarily to:

Accepted Answer

Prevent desiccation of spores and pollen

Question 5

Which of the following molecules occurs in vascular land plants but not in charophytes (stoneworts)?

Accepted Answer

Lignin

Question 6

You find a green organism in a pond near your house. Which feature would most likely indicate that it is a land plant and not an alga?

Accepted Answer

Presence of a cuticle

Question 7

Most moss gametophytes do not have a cuticle and are only 1-2 cells thick. What does this imply about their structure and habitat?

Accepted Answer

They must live in moist environments to avoid desiccation.

Question 8

Which of the following was a major challenge to the survival of the first land plants?

Accepted Answer

Preventing water loss in a dry environment

Question 9

Which process has been most important in improving the features of plants long used by humans as staple foods?

Accepted Answer

Artificial selection

Question 10

All land plants are a monophyletic group. What does this suggest about their evolutionary history?

Accepted Answer

They share a single common ancestor.

Question 11

Which of the following best describes alternation of generations in land plants?

Accepted Answer

A life cycle in which both haploid and diploid phases are multicellular

Question 12

Which of the following time intervals, based on plant fossils, came last (most recently)?

Accepted Answer

Diversification of angiosperms

Question 13

Why do medicinal compounds exist in plants?

Accepted Answer

To defend against herbivores and pathogens

Question 14

Which of the following is true regarding the alternation of generations in green algae and land plants?

Accepted Answer

Some green algae and all land plants exhibit alternation of generations, but charophytes do not.

Question 15

What are archegonia?

Accepted Answer

Female gametangia that produce eggs

Question 16

About 450 million years ago, what types of plants would you expect to find on the terrestrial landscape?

Accepted Answer

Nonvascular plants such as mosses

Question 17

Which of the following is a correct inference based on the fact that charophytes are the sister group to land plants, but do not exhibit alternation of generations?

Accepted Answer

Alternation of generations evolved after the divergence of charophytes and land plants.

Question 18

When you look at a moss in the wild, you are most likely observing which part of its life cycle?

Accepted Answer

Gametophyte

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the most direct ancestors of land plants?

Accepted Answer

Green algae similar to charophytes

Question 20

In the process of alternation of generations, which structure produces gametes?

Accepted Answer

Gametophyte

Practice Exam 3 Guidance: Green Algae and Land Plants (Biol113)

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