Question 1

Which of the following factors likely contributed most to the earliest radiation of land plants?

Accepted Answer

A)  weak stems to prop up the plant 
B)  waxy covering to slow water loss 
C)  insect feeding on the plants 
D)  new sources of food for the plants 
A)  weak stems to prop up the plant 
B)  waxy covering to slow water loss 
C)  insect feeding on the plants 
D)  new sources of food for the plants

Question 2

In 2013, researchers constructed a vesicle that could copy a template strand of RNA. Which of the following best states the significance of this evidence with regard to the abiotic origin of life?

Accepted Answer

A)  On early Earth, such vesicles could increase in abundance more than vesicles that could not copy a template strand of RNA. 
B)  On early Earth, such vesicles were better able to acquire energy than vesicles that could not copy a template strand of RNA. 
C)  This experimental achievement demonstrated that RNA is a more chemically stable repository of information than is DNA. 
D)  This experimental achievement proved that such vesicles could produce daughter protocells. 
A)  On early Earth, such vesicles could increase in abundance more than vesicles that could not copy a template strand of RNA. 
B)  On early Earth, such vesicles were better able to acquire energy than vesicles that could not copy a template strand of RNA. 
C)  This experimental achievement demonstrated that RNA is a more chemically stable repository of information than is DNA. 
D)  This experimental achievement proved that such vesicles could produce daughter protocells.

Question 3

Which of the following statements best describes the fossil record of mammalian origins?

Accepted Answer

A)  It shows that mammals and birds evolved from the same kind of dinosaur. 
B)  It includes transitional forms with progressively more specialized teeth. 
C)  It indicates that mammals and dinosaurs did not overlap in geologic time. 
D)  It includes a series that shows the gradual change of scales into fur. 
A)  It shows that mammals and birds evolved from the same kind of dinosaur. 
B)  It includes transitional forms with progressively more specialized teeth. 
C)  It indicates that mammals and dinosaurs did not overlap in geologic time. 
D)  It includes a series that shows the gradual change of scales into fur.

Question 4

Evolutionary biologists claim that the complex eyes in some molluscs (e.g., squids and octopuses) and vertebrates evolved independently. Which of the following observations, if made, would support this claim?

Accepted Answer

A)  The lens structures of mollusc and vertebrate eyes are similar. 
B)  The light-sensing cells of both molluscs and vertebrates are structurally different. 
C)  The proteins that absorb light in both molluscs and vertebrates have almost identical amino acid sequences. 
D)  The bones to which the eyes of molluscs and vertebrates attach are different. 
A)  The lens structures of mollusc and vertebrate eyes are similar. 
B)  The light-sensing cells of both molluscs and vertebrates are structurally different. 
C)  The proteins that absorb light in both molluscs and vertebrates have almost identical amino acid sequences. 
D)  The bones to which the eyes of molluscs and vertebrates attach are different.

Question 5

Scientists studying the origin of life have accomplished which of the following steps?

Accepted Answer

A)  abiotic synthesis of protocells with self-replicating, catalytic RNA 
B)  formation of vesicles that use RNA as a template for DNA synthesis 
C)  formation of protocells that use DNA to direct the polymerization of amino acids 
D)  abiotic synthesis of RNA's bases (A, C, G, U) 
A)  abiotic synthesis of protocells with self-replicating, catalytic RNA 
B)  formation of vesicles that use RNA as a template for DNA synthesis 
C)  formation of protocells that use DNA to direct the polymerization of amino acids 
D)  abiotic synthesis of RNA's bases (A, C, G, U)

Question 6

Which of the following statements is accurate with regard to the Cambrian explosion?

Accepted Answer

A)  There are fossils of animals in geological strata that are older than the Cambrian explosion. 
B)  Only the fossils of microorganisms occur in geological strata older than the Cambrian explosion. 
C)  The Cambrian explosion is evidence for the instantaneous creation of life on Earth. 
D)  The Cambrian explosion marks the appearance of filter-feeding animals in the fossil record. 
A)  There are fossils of animals in geological strata that are older than the Cambrian explosion. 
B)  Only the fossils of microorganisms occur in geological strata older than the Cambrian explosion. 
C)  The Cambrian explosion is evidence for the instantaneous creation of life on Earth. 
D)  The Cambrian explosion marks the appearance of filter-feeding animals in the fossil record.

Question 7

Which of the following outcomes is the most likely evolutionary effect of duplication of homeotic Hox genes?

Accepted Answer

A)  It permitted the evolution of novel forms. 
B)  It caused the extinction of major groups. 
C)  It reduced morphological diversity of simple forms of life. 
D)  It allowed the reversal of the head-tail orientation of animals. 
A)  It permitted the evolution of novel forms. 
B)  It caused the extinction of major groups. 
C)  It reduced morphological diversity of simple forms of life. 
D)  It allowed the reversal of the head-tail orientation of animals.

Question 8

Which of the following characteristics were most likely present in the first animals that colonized land?

Accepted Answer

A)  ability to resist dehydration and presence of a spine 
B)  ability to resist dehydration and support themselves on four limbs 
C)  ability to resist dehydration and eat producers 
D)  ability to eat producers and support themselves on four limbs 
A)  ability to resist dehydration and presence of a spine 
B)  ability to resist dehydration and support themselves on four limbs 
C)  ability to resist dehydration and eat producers 
D)  ability to eat producers and support themselves on four limbs

Question 9

Which of the following statements best explains how continental drift caused the uniqueness of Australian fauna before Europeans settled on the continent?

Accepted Answer

A)  Marsupials remained on Australia when continental drift connected it to southeast Asia. 
B)  Eutherians went extinct in Australia after continental drift separated Australia from southeast Asia. 
C)  Continental drift separated Australia from the other continents after both marsupials and eutherians evolved but these marsupials underwent adaptive radiation and the eutherians went extinct. 
D)  Continental drift broke the land bridge between Australia and southeast Asia, isolating marsupials on Australia and allowed them to diversify and occupy many ecological niches. 
A)  Marsupials remained on Australia when continental drift connected it to southeast Asia. 
B)  Eutherians went extinct in Australia after continental drift separated Australia from southeast Asia. 
C)  Continental drift separated Australia from the other continents after both marsupials and eutherians evolved but these marsupials underwent adaptive radiation and the eutherians went extinct. 
D)  Continental drift broke the land bridge between Australia and southeast Asia, isolating marsupials on Australia and allowed them to diversify and occupy many ecological niches.

Question 10

Which of the following would be LEAST likely to appear in the fossil record?

Accepted Answer

A)  a burrowing species 
B)  a marine-dwelling species 
C)  a marsh-dwelling species 
D)  a desert-dwelling species 
A)  a burrowing species 
B)  a marine-dwelling species 
C)  a marsh-dwelling species 
D)  a desert-dwelling species

Question 11

The temporal fenestra in the skulls in fossils of ancestral mammals changed in shape and size over time. These changes were most likely due to changes in the muscles that closed the jaws. Which of the following research approaches would be most helpful for understanding the evolutionary benefits of these changes?

Accepted Answer

A)  correlating the fenestra size with changes in the shape of the teeth 
B)  correlating the strength of jaw closure and the size and hardness of potential prey 
C)  comparing the changes in the fenestra in the fossils leading to mammals with the changes in the fossils leading to modern reptiles 
D)  comparing changes in the fenestra with changes in the jaw hinge 
A)  correlating the fenestra size with changes in the shape of the teeth 
B)  correlating the strength of jaw closure and the size and hardness of potential prey 
C)  comparing the changes in the fenestra in the fossils leading to mammals with the changes in the fossils leading to modern reptiles 
D)  comparing changes in the fenestra with changes in the jaw hinge

Question 12

Insect wings may have begun to evolve as lateral extensions of the body that dissipated heat for thermoregulation. When they had become sufficiently large, these extensions became useful for gliding through the air. Additional selection resulted in refinement as flight-producing wings. If this hypothesis is correct, modern insect wings would be an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  loss of Hox genes in the evolution of new forms 
B)  mutation 
C)  exaptation 
D)  adaptive radiation 
A)  loss of Hox genes in the evolution of new forms 
B)  mutation 
C)  exaptation 
D)  adaptive radiation

Question 13

Which of the following pieces of evidence provides the best support for the claim that natural selection affected the evolution of ribozymes?

Accepted Answer

A)  Single-stranded RNA can have many shapes. 
B)  Replication of RNA is flawless. 
C)  Some strands of RNA replicate more often than others. 
D)  Some strands of RNA are extremely chemically stable. 
A)  Single-stranded RNA can have many shapes. 
B)  Replication of RNA is flawless. 
C)  Some strands of RNA replicate more often than others. 
D)  Some strands of RNA are extremely chemically stable.

Question 14

Which of the following statements best explains the existence of evolutionary trends, such as increasing body sizes among horse species?

Accepted Answer

A)  A larger volume-to-surface area ratio is adaptive in many mammals. 
B)  Evolution generally progresses toward some goal. 
C)  Evolution tends toward increased complexity or increased size. 
D)  In particular environments, similar adaptations can be beneficial to more than one species. 
A)  A larger volume-to-surface area ratio is adaptive in many mammals. 
B)  Evolution generally progresses toward some goal. 
C)  Evolution tends toward increased complexity or increased size. 
D)  In particular environments, similar adaptations can be beneficial to more than one species.

Question 15

Which of the following morphological differences is most likely due to a change in the relative growth rates of morphological structures during embryogenesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  the large jaw of human adults compared to ancestral apes 
B)  the shortened fingers of bats compared to those of their ancestors 
C)  the absence of hind limbs in whales compared to their terrestrial ancestors 
D)  the presence of reproductive organs in the terrestrial form of salamanders 
A)  the large jaw of human adults compared to ancestral apes 
B)  the shortened fingers of bats compared to those of their ancestors 
C)  the absence of hind limbs in whales compared to their terrestrial ancestors 
D)  the presence of reproductive organs in the terrestrial form of salamanders

Question 16

Hawaii is the youngest and most southeastern of the seven largest Hawaiian islands the oldest islands lie to the northwest. Kauai is the oldest and most northwestern big island. Hawaii is also closest to, and Kauai furthest from, the seafloor spreading center from which the Pacific plate originates, which lies about 5,600 km southeast of the island of Hawaii. Assuming equal rates of sedimentation from the islands onto the sea floor, which of the following places is the most likely location of the thickest sediment layer and thus the area with the greatest diversity of fossils above the oceanic crust?

Accepted Answer

A)  between the island of Hawaii and the seafloor spreading center 
B)  around the base of the island of Hawaii 
C)  around the base of Kauai 
D)  in the area where the islands are most concentrated (highest number of islands per unit surface area) 
A)  between the island of Hawaii and the seafloor spreading center 
B)  around the base of the island of Hawaii 
C)  around the base of Kauai 
D)  in the area where the islands are most concentrated (highest number of islands per unit surface area)

Question 17

A swim bladder is a gas-filled sac that helps fish maintain buoyancy and evolved from the lungs of ancient fish. This evolutionary change is an example of which of the following processes?

Accepted Answer

A)  exaptation 
B)  changes in Hox gene expression 
C)  paedomorphosis 
D)  adaptive radiation 
A)  exaptation 
B)  changes in Hox gene expression 
C)  paedomorphosis 
D)  adaptive radiation

Question 18

Which factor most likely caused animals and plants in India to differ greatly from species in nearby southeast Asia?

Accepted Answer

A)  The species became separated by convergent evolution. 
B)  The climates of the two regions are similar. 
C)  India is in the process of separating from the rest of Asia. 
D)  India was a separate continent until 45 million years ago. 
A)  The species became separated by convergent evolution. 
B)  The climates of the two regions are similar. 
C)  India is in the process of separating from the rest of Asia. 
D)  India was a separate continent until 45 million years ago.

Question 19

Which period had the greatest increase in the number of extant marine animal families?

Accepted Answer

A)  Paleozoic 
B)  Mesozoic 
C)  Cenozoic 
D)  Permian 
A)  Paleozoic 
B)  Mesozoic 
C)  Cenozoic 
D)  Permian

Question 20

According to the theory of seafloor spreading, oceanic islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands, form as oceanic crustal plates move over a stationary "hot spot" in the mantle. Currently, the island of Hawaii (the youngest big island) is thought to be over a hot spot, which is why it is the only one of the seven large islands that has active volcanoes. Which of the following statements is also accurate with regard to the island of Hawaii?

Accepted Answer

A)  Scientists in search of ongoing speciation events are less likely to find them on Hawaii than on the other six large islands. 
B)  Hawaii's species should be more closely related to those of nearer islands than to those of farther islands. 
C)  Hawaii should have a rich fossil record of terrestrial organisms. 
D)  Almost all of Hawaii's species do not occur anywhere else on Earth. 
A)  Scientists in search of ongoing speciation events are less likely to find them on Hawaii than on the other six large islands. 
B)  Hawaii's species should be more closely related to those of nearer islands than to those of farther islands. 
C)  Hawaii should have a rich fossil record of terrestrial organisms. 
D)  Almost all of Hawaii's species do not occur anywhere else on Earth.

Exam 25: Macroevolution

Which of the following factors likely contributed most to the earliest radiation of land plants?

In 2013, researchers constructed a vesicle that could copy a template strand of RNA. Which of the following best states the significance of this evidence with regard to the abiotic origin of life?

Which of the following statements best describes the fossil record of mammalian origins?

Evolutionary biologists claim that the complex eyes in some molluscs (e.g., squids and octopuses) and vertebrates evolved independently. Which of the following observations, if made, would support this claim?

Scientists studying the origin of life have accomplished which of the following steps?

Which of the following statements is accurate with regard to the Cambrian explosion?

Which of the following outcomes is the most likely evolutionary effect of duplication of homeotic Hox genes?

Which of the following characteristics were most likely present in the first animals that colonized land?

Which of the following statements best explains how continental drift caused the uniqueness of Australian fauna before Europeans settled on the continent?

Which of the following would be LEAST likely to appear in the fossil record?

Which of the following pieces of evidence provides the best support for the claim that natural selection affected the evolution of ribozymes?

Which of the following statements best explains the existence of evolutionary trends, such as increasing body sizes among horse species?

Which of the following morphological differences is most likely due to a change in the relative growth rates of morphological structures during embryogenesis?

A swim bladder is a gas-filled sac that helps fish maintain buoyancy and evolved from the lungs of ancient fish. This evolutionary change is an example of which of the following processes?

Which factor most likely caused animals and plants in India to differ greatly from species in nearby southeast Asia?

Which period had the greatest increase in the number of extant marine animal families?

Biology and Its Themes

Atoms and Molecules

The Chemistry of Water

Carbon: the Basis of Molecular Diversity

Biological Macromolecules and Lipids

Energy and Life

Cell Structure and Function

Cell Membranes

Cellular Signaling

Cell Respiration

Photosynthetic Processes

Mitosis

Sexual Life Cycles and Meiosis

Mendelian Genetics

Linkage and Chromosomes

Nucleic Acids and Inheritance

Expression of Genes

Control of Gene Expression

Dna Technology

The Evolution of Genomes

How Evolution Works

Phylogenetic Reconstruction

Microevolution

Species and Speciation

Introduction to Viruses

Prokaryotes

The Origin and Evolution of Eukaryotes

Nonvascular and Seedless Vascular Plants

Seed Plants

Introduction to Fungi

An Introduction to Animal Diversity

Invertebrates

Vertebrates

Plant Structure and Growth

Transport in Vascular Plants

Plant Nutrition

Reproduction of Flowering Plants

Plant Signals and Behavior

The Animal Body

Chemical Signals in Animals

Animal Digestive Systems

Animal Transport Systems

Animal Excretory Systems

Animal Reproductive Systems

Development in Animals

Animal Defenses Against Infection

Electrical Signals in Animals

Neural Regulation in Animals

Sensation and Movement in Animals

An Overview of Ecology

Behavioral Ecology

Populations and Life History Traits

Biodiversity and Communities

Energy Flow and Chemical Cycling in Ecosystems

Conservation and Global Ecology

Filters