Zoology, 8th Edition (Miller)

Chapter 4: Evolution: History and Evidence

Quiz



1.

According to Charles Darwin, evolution is most closely related to which concept?
A)natural selection
B)scientific creationism
C)inheritance of acquired characteristics
D)absence of change in a species
2.

The idea that the earth is shaped today by the forces of wind, rain, rivers, volcanoes, and geological uplift—just as it has been in the past—is known as:
A)uniformitarianism.
B)phyletic gradualism.
C)punctuated equilibrium.
D)natural selection.
3.

The idea that the earth is shaped today by the forces of wind, rain, rivers, volcanoes, and geological uplift—just as it has been in the past—was developed by
A)Charles Darwin.
B)Alfred Russel Wallace.
C)James Hutton and Charles Lyell.
D)John Henslow.
4.

The discovery of fossils of horses, giant armadillos, and giant sloths in South America suggested to Charles Darwin that:
A)horses evolved in Europe and were brought to America by early explorers.
B)the species composition of the earth has changed through geological history.
C)little change in South American life forms occurred since they originated.
D)catastrophic events led to the extinction of mammals in South America.
5.

The formation of new species from an ancestral species in response to the opening of new habitats is:
A)neutral selection.
B)natural selection.
C)neo-Darwinism.
D)adaptive radiation.
6.

All of the following are a part of the theory of evolution by natural selection except one. Select the exception.
A)All organisms have a far greater reproductive potential than is ever realized.
B)Inherited variations arise as a result of encountering an environmental challenge that must be overcome.
C)There is a constant struggle for existence, and many individuals die.
D)Adaptive traits are perpetuated in subsequent generations because individuals with less adaptive traits are less likely to reproduce than individuals with more adaptive traits.
7.

The combination of Darwinian evolutionary theory and population genetics is referred to as the:
A)modern synthesis or neo-Darwinism.
B)biogeography.
C)adaptation theory.
D)adaptive radiation.
8.

The development of pesticide resistance in crop pests is an example of
A)macroevolution.
B)convergent evolution.
C)microevolution.
D)minievolution.
9.

Structures that have no apparent function in modern animals but that clearly evolved from functioning structures in ancestors are called
A)derivative structures.
B)homologous structures.
C)convergent structures.
D)vestigial structures.
10.

This type of rock is formed when lava cools and contains radioactive isotopes of elements that allow the rock to be dated radiometrically.
A)igneous
B)sedimentary
C)metamorphic
D)elemental
11.

New adaptations arise
A)when an organism is unlikely to survive otherwise.
B)when an organism is unlikely to reproduce otherwise.
C)as a result of new mutations.
D)in response to the seasonal needs of organisms.
12.

The study of fossils is called
A)geology.
B)biogeography.
C)comparative anatomy.
D)paleontology.
13.

The theory of uniformitarianism was important for Charles Darwin's ideas because it indicated that the earth was much older than 6,000 years and that the face of the earth changed gradually over its history.
A)True
B)False
14.

Ancestral finches encountered habitats in the Galapagos Islands that were devoid of other birds and predators. They rapidly multiplied and filled ecological roles that were unusual for finches on the mainland. This account is an example of adaptive radiation.
A)True
B)False
15.

Natural selection is a positive force that selects from individuals with adaptive traits, allowing them to reproduce.
A)True
B)False
16.

Evolutionary adaptations lead to perfection in a species.
A)True
B)False
17.

Variations on which natural selection acts arise as a result of random mutations. A new variation may, or may not, be adaptive.
A)True
B)False
18.

The half life of uranium-238 is 4.5 billion years.
A)True
B)False
19.

Natural selection involves detrimental traits being eliminated from a population by the failure of the organism containing them to reproduce.
A)True
B)False
20.

An adaptation present in an organism in one environment may be maladaptive in another environment.
A)True
B)False
21.

Over long periods of time, microevolutionary changes may result in macroevolution.
A)True
B)False
22.

New structures and processes are usually the result of evolutionary changes in existing structures and processes.
A)True
B)False
23.

Similar structures in unrelated organisms that arise through convergent evolution are said to be homologous.
A)True
B)False
24.

The study of evolution through the analysis of animal development is called evo-devo. This study is demonstrating that diverse groups of organisms share homeotic genes that direct the development of related body parts.
A)True
B)False
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