Biology- Evolution Test Review

Which phrase best describes evolution?

• Development of characteristics that organisms need in response to changes in environmental conditions

• Change in populations from simple to complex organisms

• Change in populations from complex to simpler organisms

• Genetic change in populations that gives rise to new life forms from common ancestors

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The tongue of frog species X is sticky and it evolved by natural selection for trapping flying insects. Other frogs have less sticky tongues. The sticky tongue of species X is an example of

• a fossil

• adaptive radiation

• an adaptation

• a co-opted feature

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The organisms shown below are all vertebrates. What conclusion is supported by the structural similarities of the bones in the forelimbs of these organisms?

• The organisms changed from simple to complex

• The organisms share a common ancestor

• The organisms evolved by punctuated equilibrium

• The organisms evolved by the inheritance of acquired characteristics

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Scientists found the fossilized remains of a mammal’s jaw and leg. What additional information do scientists need to hypothesize the age of the fossil?

• The rest of the skeleton

• The continent where the fossils were found

• A stratigraphic layer where the fossils were found

• The climate at the time the mammal died

Monkeys and apes have blood proteins more similar to each other than either is to the blood proteins of horses. What does this similarity suggest about monkeys and apes as compared to horses?

• Only monkeys and apes can interbreed

• Monkeys and apes live in the same habitat

• Monkeys and apes share a more recent common ancestor

• Monkeys and apes evolved at the same time

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Which of the following best describes adaptive radiation?

• The relatively rapid evolution from a common ancestor of multiple species that occupy newly available environments.

• The relatively slow evolution from a common ancestor of multiple species when food and water are limited.

• The relatively rapid evolution from a common ancestor of multiple species when the environment induces new mutations.

• The relatively slow evolution from a common ancestor of multiple species that randomly change in newly available environments.

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Natural selection of bird beak sizes and shapes is most likely to occur when ____

• The birds cooperate to find and share food.

• Many of the birds fight with one another and the physically strongest ones win.

• There is a shortage of food and so the birds must compete with one another.

• There is more than enough food to meet all the birds’ needs.

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How did the different beak types first evolve in the Galapagos finches?

• Changes in beak size and shape occurred because the birds needed to be able to eat different kinds of food to survive.

• There was natural variation in the finch beak structures. When there was a fit between beak structure and available food, those birds had an increased chance for survival and reproduction.

• The environment induced mutations and genetic changes to the size and shape of the finch beaks.

• The finches’ beaks randomly changed a little bit in size and shape with each successive generation. Over time this produced a range of sizes and shapes

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What type of variation in finches is passed to their descendants?

• Behaviors that are chosen during a finch’s lifetime.

• Only characteristics that are beneficial during a finch’s lifetime.

• Characteristics that are genetically determined.

• Characteristics that are positively influenced by the environment during a finch’s lifetime

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On the Galapagos Islands, finch populations with different beak shapes and sizes became distinct species. These species were distributed on the various islands. What statement explains why they became distinct species?

• Finch populations were variable. Individuals whose features were best suited to the available food supply on each island reproduced most successfully.

• Finch populations were essentially alike. The varied environments on the islands induced genetic changes in individuals based on the available food supply.

• Individual finches on each island gradually developed the beaks they needed during their lifetime.

• Species of finches developed different beak types because they needed them to obtain food.

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