Evolution Take Home Test
A) consume a large quantity of food B) reproduce successfully
C) maintain a constant body temperature D) be domesticated
1. In order for a species to evolve, it must be able to
A) ecosystem stability B) homeostasis C) natural selection D) direct harvesting
2. The diversity of organisms present on Earth is the result of
A) Species A is better adapted to this environment.
B) Species A is the predator of Species B.
C) Species B is better adapted to this environment.
D) Species B is a parasite that has benefited species A.
3. The graph below represents the populations of two different species in an ecosystem over a period of several years.
Which statement is a possible explanation for the changes shown?
A) Production of offspring is necessary for a species to survive, but it is not necessary for an individual to survive.
B) An organism can reproduce without performing any of the other life processes.
C) Production of offspring is necessary for an
individual organism to survive, while the other life processes are important for a species to survive.
D) Reproduction is a process that requires gametes in all species.
4. Which statement concerning production of offspring is correct?
A) Characteristics that are acquired during life are passed to offspring by sexual reproduction.
B) Evolution is the result of mutations and recombination, only.
C) Organisms best adapted to a changed environment are more likely to reproduce and pass their genes to offspring.
D) Asexual reproduction increases the survival of species.
5. Which statement is most closely related to the modern theory of evolution?
A) It favors the survival of certain members of the species and results in a change in the proportion of individuals with highly adaptive traits.
B) It provides feedback mechanisms for members of a species and results in a change in the proportion of individuals with homeostatic controls.
C) It leads to reproduction with other species, increasing the number of different adaptations.
D) It increases competition between populations that occupy different niches, increasing the chance of extinction of the less-adapted species.
6. Which statement describes an effect of natural selection on a species?
A) natural selection B) succession
C) reproduction D) mouse extinction
7. The diagram below represents the same field of mice hunted by a hawk over a period of three months.
The overall changes in the population of mice can be explained best by
A) is dependent on B) increases the rate of C) decreases the rate of D) is independent of
8. The diagram below represents the relationship between natural selection and variation. The arrow between them is labeled X.
Which phrase best indicates the meaning of the arrow labeled X?
A) reproductive technology B) natural selection
C) asexual reproduction D) human interference
9. The table below shows adaptations in two organisms.
The presence of these adaptations is most likely the result of
A) presence of pathogens in antibiotics
B) production of antibiotics by white blood cells C) replication of viruses that attack bacteria
D) survival and reproduction of unaffected bacteria 10. If the same antibiotic is used too many times, it can
become less effective against a certain type of bacteria.
This observation is best explained by the
11. Base your answer to the following question on The diagram below shows the effect of spraying a pesticide on a population of insects over three generations.
A) survival of the fittest B) dynamic equilibrium
C) succession D) extinction
Which concept is represented in the diagram?
A) Penicillin stimulated the bacteria to become resistant, and this resistance was passed to the offspring.
B) Penicillin killed the susceptible bacteria, while naturally resistant varieties survived and reproduced.
C) Penicillin used today is not as strong as the penicillin used when it was first introduced.
D) Penicillin stimulated the production of antigens in the resistant bacteria.
12. When penicillin was first introduced, it was very effective in destroying most of the bacteria that cause gonorrhea. Today, certain varieties of this bacterium are resistant to penicillin. Which statement best explains the appearance of these resistant varieties?
A) prevent future infections by these pathogens B) cause a decrease in the production of enzymes C) allow organic molecules to be synthesized D) select for resistant organisms
13. Antibiotics are substances used to help fight an infection of Streptococcus, a bacterium that causes strep throat. Overuse of these antibiotics can
A) the species will experience decreased competition for mates B) the new environment will cause greater variation in the species C) there will be a larger variety of food sources available
D) they are adapted to the specific environment in which they now live 14. A photograph of a polar bear in its environment is shown below.
One possible reason why polar bears might not be able to survive if the environment they live in changes is because
A) an increase in the white moth population B) a decrease in the white moth population C) an increase in the number of trees in the area D) a decrease in the air pollution affecting the area 15. A population of white moths lives in a forest near a factory. This factory bums coal and pollutes the air with black dust. Over time, this dust has settled on the trees in the area, making them darker in color. This could result in
A) A limb is lost when two marine organisms fight.
B) A puppy learns to beg for food by watching an older dog perform tricks .
C) A gene is inserted into a bacterium, allowing the organism to produce insulin.
D) A random mutation causes the immediate death of a microbe.
16. Which situation results in a characteristic that is inheritable?
A) Different adaptations developed because the kit fox preferred hotter environments than the red fox.
B) As the foxes adapted to different environments, differences in appearance evolved C) The foxes evolved differently to prevent overpopulation of the forest habitat.
D) The foxes evolved differently because their ancestors were trying to avoid competition.
17. The kit fox and red fox species are closely related. The kit fox lives in the desert, while the red fox inhabits forests. Ear size and fur color are two differences that can be observed between the species. An illustration of these two species is shown below.
Which statement best explains how the differences between these two species came about?
A) genetic variation within the population B) competition between members of the species C) the carrying capacity for the species
D) the rate of photosynthesis in the population 18. Limited resource contribute to evolutionary change in
animals by increasing
A) competition between father and son B) survival of the fittest
C) inheritance of acquired characteristics D) mutagenic agents
19. A man lifts weights and develops large arm muscles.
His son has larger muscles than his father had at the same age. According to Lamarck's theory, this situation is due to
A) Weismann B) Lamarck
C) Miller D) Mendel
20. The concept that, due to a need, organisms acquired the ability to move from an aquatic environment onto the land is most closely associated with a theory proposed by
A) simple, single-celled organisms B) simple, multicellular organisms C) complex, single-celled organisms D) complex, multicellular organisms
21. Many scientists suggest that billions of years ago, life on Earth began with
A) developed from similar, smaller prehistoric organisms
B) have always existed in the form they have today C) developed from fossils of the other organisms D) descended from earlier, different species of
organisms
22. According to the theory of biological evolution, most present-day species of organisms
A) A B C B) B C A
C) B A C D) C A B
23. Base your answer to the following question on the chart below and on your knowledge of biology.
According to most scientists, which sequence best represents the order of biological evolution on Earth?
24. Base your answer to the following question on According to some scientists, what resulted from the environmental conditions existing on primitive Earth illustrated below?
A) evolution of the first heterotrophs from aggregates of organic molecules B) development of heterotrophic forms of life from plants
C) migration of vertebrates to cooler portions of Earth D) decrease in asexual reproduction in primitive organisms
25. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below and on your knowledge of biology. The diagram represents possible evolutionary pathways of certain organisms.
A) Natural selection occurs only as a result of mutations.
B) Natural selection requires a minimum of 5 million years to occur.
C) Each new species that develops continues to exist through present time.
D) Some species that are no longer successful in their environment may become extinct.
Which statement can best be inferred based on the information in the diagram?
