Biology (Raven), 9th Edition

Chapter 21: The Evidence for Evolution

Post-Test

1
Why is variation in beak size of the Galapagos finch Geospiza fortis maintained in the population on Daphne Major?
A)Genetic drift.
B)Beak size varies randomly.
C)Selection pressures vary every few years depending on rainfall.
D)Migration of birds among islands.
E)A combination of all these factors.
2
The melanic form of the Peppered moth is caused by a dominant allele. This increased from being very rare before 1850 to comprise over 90% of the population in industrial areas by the 1950's. Would a similar increase have occurred if this melanism was caused by a recessive allele?
A)No, it would not have increased at all.
B)Yes, but it would have taken much longer.
C)Yes, but it would have taken just slightly longer.
D)Yes, but only in small and isolated populations.
E)It's impossible to tell.
3
Why is artificial selection good evidence that natural selection can produce major evolutionary changes?
A)It is not.
B)There are larger differences between breeds (e.g dogs) than there are between related species.
C)It shows that selection can act very quickly on a geological time scale.
D)Both 2 and 3
E)None of the above.
4
Why are specimens such as Archaeopteryx, which is considered to be an intermediate between dinosaurs and birds, not intermediate for all characters?
A)Because Archaeopteryx is not a true intermediate.
B)Different characters evolve at different rates at different times.
C)Because it is a hybrid between a bird and a dinosaur.
D)Because evolution does not create true intermediates.
E)Because we lack the ability to differentiate homologous from analogous structures in fossils.
5
The existence of "imperfectly designed" characters is evidence for evolution:
A)True
B)False
6
Consider two pairs of species of beetles: A, B, C, and D. A and B are closely related but occur on different continents, while C and D are distantly related but occur in the same geographic area and in the same habitat. What do you predict about the phenotypic similarity of the pairs?
A)A and B are similar to each other; C and are D different from each other.
B)C and are D similar to each other; A and B are different from each other.
C)A and are B different each other; C and D are similar to each other.
D)A and B are similar to each other; C and D more similar to each other
E)None of the above.
7
Orb weaving spiders spin complex webs for capturing prey. By observing living, related spiders that build less complex forms of silk structures, it is thought that the complex orb web evolved in a series of steps. What do you predict about the less complex structures:
A)None of them are functional in any way.
B)Some of them function somewhat, but not perfectly for prey capture and some have other, completely different functions.
C)All of them must function for prey capture.
D)Silk spinning in these spiders must have evolved multiple times.
E)None of the above.
8
There are 14 different species of Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Islands. They are all closely related but show great differences in beak size and shape. It requires which of the following for these differences to evolve by natural selection?
A)There is variation among individuals.
B)Beak characteristics are inherited.
C)Fitness differences among individuals are based on beak characteristics.
D)1 and 2
E)All of the above.
9
Pollution control measures in Britain and in the United States have caused a decline in the frequency of melanic form of the Peppered moth. This decline is because:
A)industrial pollutants turned the moths black.
B)the selection pressure on the melanic and the non-melanic forms has reversed.
C)of coincidence.
D)of genetic drift.
E)of assortative mating.
10
Why can artificial selection produce values of characters (e.g. bristle number in Drosophila) greater than their original limits?
A)It cannot.
B)Mutation and recombination introduce new variation into these organisms.
C)Artificial selection is stronger than natural selection.
D)Artificial selection introduces new mutations.
E)None of the above.
11
Fossil evidence always shows an increase in complexity of structures within a lineage.
A)True
B)False
12
The bones in the forelimbs of mammals are said to be:
A)homozygous.
B)analogous.
C)homophobic.
D)homologous.
E)hydrophobic.
13
Distantly related animals are often striking similar in morphology (e.g dolphins and tuna). This is because of:
A)pure chance.
B)similar selection pressures.
C)mutation.
D)artificial selection.
E)All of the above.
14
Rocks can be aged by measuring the degree of decay of ______ in them.
A)lanugo
B)teosinte
C)fossils
D)radioactive isotopes
E)vestigial structures
15
Which of the following fossils is transitional between dinosaurs and birds?
A)Biston betularia
B)Geospiza fortis
C)Archaeopteryx
D)Hyracotherium
E)Drosophila melanogaster
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