Unit 9 Practice Test

Darwin's explanation for evolution was dependent on which scientific concept?

• The ability of organisms to learn

• The significance of social behaviors to survival

• The existence of variations in a population

• The relationship between size and survival

Which best helps scientists determine the age of fossils?

• Physical traits

• Genetic makeup

• Reproductive strategy

• Radioactive isotopes

The study of embryos and other early stages of development can help in the classification of living things, past and present, by providing clues about the -

• prokaryotic species that are at risk for extinction

• rate of appearance of new terrestrial organisms

• barriers to mating among marine populations

• common ancestry among vertebrate species

A group of ponies lives in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Reserve in Virginia. The development of longer legs over time would be selected for if -

• it increased the survival rate of the long-legged ponies

• it decreased the rate of reproduction of the long-legged ponies

• it prohibited the long-legged ponies from using available food sources

• it made the long-legged ponies run more slowly

Which of the following is evidence to support the idea that two different species might have a common ancestor?

• Their fossils were discovered in the same location

• Many of their genes are the same.

• Their methods of respiration are alike

• They use the same means of locomotion

Answer explanation

Genetic evidence more reliable predicts relationships than other forms of evidence.

The information in the table supports which conclusion?

• Frogs are more closely related to monkeys than to sea anemones

• Frogs, monkeys, and sea anemones are classified into different kingdoms

• Sea anemones are more complex than frogs or monkeys

• Sea anemones and monkeys are adapted to similar environments

A population of mice is evenly divided into two groups, and each group is placed on an isolated island with no existing mouse population. Which statement best explains the difference in the mouse population on Island A and Island B at the end of the 20 years?

• On Island A, the allele for gray fur was dominant, while on Island B, the allele for brown fur was dominant

• More brown mice were in the half of the original population that was sent to Island B than in the group sent to Island A

• Conditions on Island B favored the brown-furred individuals, while both fur colors were evenly advantaged on Island A

• The recapturing of mice on Island A and Island B was done differently

The eastern meadowlark and the western meadowlark are two closely related bird species. The two species avoid interbreeding because they have different mating songs. This is an example of -

• adaptive radiation

• behavioral isolation

• geographic isolation

• artificial selection

An early biological theory stated that a change in a population can occur when organisms with favorable variations for a particular environment survive and pass these variations on to the next generation. This theory is better known as the Theory of -

• Natural Selection

• Punctuated Selection

• Variation and Adaptation

• Acquired Characteristics

The different species of Hawaiian honeycreepers shown all descended from a single species of North American bird. They now have different beaks, eat different foods, sing different songs, and live in different environments on the island. Which factors probably contributed most to the development of these different species?

• Loss of habitat

• Geographic isolation

• Egg size

• Predation