Evolution and Natural Selection Quiz

What is natural selection?

• The process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully.

• The random process by which individuals gain new traits.

• The process by which all organisms automatically adapt to their environment.

• The method by which individuals choose their mates based on specific traits.

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What is genetic variation?

• The lack of differences among individuals in a population.

• The uniformity of genes in different species.

• The differences in DNA among individuals within a population or species.

• The process of inheriting physical traits from parents.

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What are homologous structures?

• Structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry.

• Structures that serve the same function in different species but are not similar in origin.

• Useless structures that serve no purpose in the current organism.

• Structures that are different in every species.

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What is an adaptation?

• A temporary change in behavior in response to an environmental challenge.

• A physical or behavioral trait that has evolved over time to allow an organism to better survive in its environment.

• A sudden change in the DNA of an organism.

• The process by which an individual moves to a different environment.

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What is a mutation?

• A change in a DNA sequence that affects genetic information.

• A deliberate change in an organism's genetic material.

• A process by which organisms adapt to their environment.

• A disease that affects genes.

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What is the classification system in biology used for?

• To organize living organisms into groups based on their similarities and evolutionary history.

• To classify all living organisms as either plants or animals.

• To determine which animals are the strongest.

• To organize organisms by their color.

What was Pangaea?

• A theory that suggests all current continents were once part of a single supercontinent.

• The first species of dinosaur.

• A type of ancient fossil.

• The ocean that surrounded the early Earth.

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What are analogous structures?

• Structures that are similar in different species because of common ancestry.

• Structures in different species that have the same function but are not derived from a common ancestor.

• Structures that are present in an organism but have no current function.

• Identical structures found in closely related species.

What role do mutations play in evolution?

• They decrease genetic variation.

• They have no role in evolution.

• They are the only source of new genetic material for natural selection to act upon.

• They always result in negative effects on the organism.

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What evidence supports the theory of Pangaea?

• The identical design of all continents.

• The distribution of fossils and the similarity of rock formations across continents.

• The presence of the same species of animals on every continent.

• Modern GPS measurements.

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