Question 1

The relevance of the theory of uniformitarianism is that it:

Accepted Answer

A) supports the theory of catastrophism. 
B) proves that changes to the earth were caused by cataclysmic events like earthquakes and floods. 
C) allowed the understanding of evidence of change in the geological past by understanding what we see in the present day. 
D) demonstrates that the earth is 4.4 billion years old, based on geologic evidence from stratigraphic layers. 
A) supports the theory of catastrophism. 
B) proves that changes to the earth were caused by cataclysmic events like earthquakes and floods. 
C) allowed the understanding of evidence of change in the geological past by understanding what we see in the present day. 
D) demonstrates that the earth is 4.4 billion years old, based on geologic evidence from stratigraphic layers. C

Question 2

The individual genotypes in a breeding population, taken as a whole, are the:

Accepted Answer

A) gene pool. 
B) DNA. 
C) phenotype. 
D) polygene. 
A) gene pool. 
B) DNA. 
C) phenotype. 
D) polygene. A

Question 3

Thomas Malthus's contribution to natural selection is the:

Accepted Answer

A) binomial taxonomic system of naming species. 
B) theory that the earth's old age is based on geologic evidence resulting from cataclysmic events. 
C) observation that an abundance of food would allow a population to increase geometrically and indefinitely, but there simply is not enough food, so populations are limited by food supply. 
D) theory that environmental resources increase to population pressures. 
A) binomial taxonomic system of naming species. 
B) theory that the earth's old age is based on geologic evidence resulting from cataclysmic events. 
C) observation that an abundance of food would allow a population to increase geometrically and indefinitely, but there simply is not enough food, so populations are limited by food supply. 
D) theory that environmental resources increase to population pressures. C

Question 4

James Hutton is associated primarily with:

Accepted Answer

A) adaptation. 
B) catastrophism. 
C) uniformitarianism. 
D) principles of heredity. 
A) adaptation. 
B) catastrophism. 
C) uniformitarianism. 
D) principles of heredity.

Question 5

What were the three key observations made by Darwin that allowed him to deduce that natural selection is a primary driver of evolution?

Accepted Answer

A) Species change and adapt based on environmental pressure, individuals change within their lifetime, and offspring inherit the changes. 
B) Genetic drift, gene flow, and mutations provide the change necessary in populations that affect future generations. 
C) Organisms produce more offspring than survive, variation exists among members of populations, and advantageous variations increase in relative frequency over time. 
D) The number of adults tends to remain the same over time, individuals vary very little over time, and natural selection works on only the best of those adults in each generation. 
A) Species change and adapt based on environmental pressure, individuals change within their lifetime, and offspring inherit the changes. 
B) Genetic drift, gene flow, and mutations provide the change necessary in populations that affect future generations. 
C) Organisms produce more offspring than survive, variation exists among members of populations, and advantageous variations increase in relative frequency over time. 
D) The number of adults tends to remain the same over time, individuals vary very little over time, and natural selection works on only the best of those adults in each generation.

Question 6

How did Lamarck contribute to the theory of evolution?

Accepted Answer

A) He discovered genetic mutation through experiments with pea plants. 
B) He proposed the concept of natural selection after his voyage to the Galapagos Islands and his study of finches. 
C) He proposed the first serious model of how traits are passed on from parent to offspring through inheritance of acquired characteristics, though that idea turned out to be incorrect. 
D) He proposed a concept known today as gene flow. 
A) He discovered genetic mutation through experiments with pea plants. 
B) He proposed the concept of natural selection after his voyage to the Galapagos Islands and his study of finches. 
C) He proposed the first serious model of how traits are passed on from parent to offspring through inheritance of acquired characteristics, though that idea turned out to be incorrect. 
D) He proposed a concept known today as gene flow.

Question 7

James Hutton:

Accepted Answer

A) extensively studied fossils. 
B) revealed that fossils would provide the history of past life. 
C) created the first scientific classification of plants and animals. 
D) provided geologic evidence necessary for calculating the time span of evolution. 
A) extensively studied fossils. 
B) revealed that fossils would provide the history of past life. 
C) created the first scientific classification of plants and animals. 
D) provided geologic evidence necessary for calculating the time span of evolution.

Question 8

The advantageous "attributes" to which Darwin refers are now known as:

Accepted Answer

A) traits. 
B) genes. 
C) alleles. 
D) chromosomes. 
A) traits. 
B) genes. 
C) alleles. 
D) chromosomes.

Question 9

The English demographer whose work on population growth greatly influenced Darwin's thinking on population adaptation was:

Accepted Answer

A) Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck. 
B) Georges Cuvier. 
C) Thomas Malthus. 
D) Charles Lyell. 
A) Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck. 
B) Georges Cuvier. 
C) Thomas Malthus. 
D) Charles Lyell.

Question 10

The scientist who coined the name Homo sapiens for human beings and placed them in a higher taxonomic group (primates) was:

Accepted Answer

A) Charles Darwin. 
B) Georges Cuvier. 
C) Carolus Linnaeus. 
D) Robert Hooke. 
A) Charles Darwin. 
B) Georges Cuvier. 
C) Carolus Linnaeus. 
D) Robert Hooke.

Question 11

Why are Darwin's finches considered good examples of natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A) They are found on every continent. 
B) They originated in North America, according to fossil evidence. 
C) They embody the idea of descent with modification. 
D) They did not differ between populations. 
A) They are found on every continent. 
B) They originated in North America, according to fossil evidence. 
C) They embody the idea of descent with modification. 
D) They did not differ between populations.

Question 12

The forces of evolution include:

Accepted Answer

A) gene flow, mutations, chromosomes, and genes. 
B) mutations, genes, and genetic drift. 
C) natural selection, gene flow, genetic drift, and mutations. 
D) natural selection, genes, alleles, and chromosomes. 
A) gene flow, mutations, chromosomes, and genes. 
B) mutations, genes, and genetic drift. 
C) natural selection, gene flow, genetic drift, and mutations. 
D) natural selection, genes, alleles, and chromosomes.

Question 13

Evolutionary synthesis is:

Accepted Answer

A) the concept of evolution through natural selection. 
B) a unified theory of evolution that combines genetics with natural selection. 
C) a combination of the inheritance of acquired characteristics and natural selection. 
D) the combination of the theory of evolution and Linnaean taxonomy. 
A) the concept of evolution through natural selection. 
B) a unified theory of evolution that combines genetics with natural selection. 
C) a combination of the inheritance of acquired characteristics and natural selection. 
D) the combination of the theory of evolution and Linnaean taxonomy.

Question 14

What are some of the important scientific discoveries that laid the groundwork for Darwin's theory of evolution?

Accepted Answer

Scientists working in geology, paleontol

Question 15

Why is the work of Alfred Russell Wallace considered when discussing the theory of evolution?

Accepted Answer

A) He was an English naturalist who had arrived at many of the same conclusions as Darwin through his own research. 
B) His work is not considered, as he was mistakenly credited with the theory of natural selection. 
C) He was a British dog breeder who worked on artificial selection experiments in the same way Mendel worked on sweet peas to determine inheritance. 
D) He was the most prominent scientist of the time who opposed Darwin's work on evolution. 
A) He was an English naturalist who had arrived at many of the same conclusions as Darwin through his own research. 
B) His work is not considered, as he was mistakenly credited with the theory of natural selection. 
C) He was a British dog breeder who worked on artificial selection experiments in the same way Mendel worked on sweet peas to determine inheritance. 
D) He was the most prominent scientist of the time who opposed Darwin's work on evolution.

Question 16

The English scientist who independently co-discovered the theory of natural selection was:

Accepted Answer

A) Charles Lyell. 
B) Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck. 
C) Alfred Russell Wallace. 
D) Carolus Linnaeus. 
A) Charles Lyell. 
B) Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck. 
C) Alfred Russell Wallace. 
D) Carolus Linnaeus.

Question 17

Discuss four key individuals who helped Darwin formulate the theory of natural selection.

Accepted Answer

Hutton, Lyell, Malthus, Linnaeus, Lamarc

Question 18

Without the work of x-ray crystallographer _______, DNA might not have been discovered for some time longer than it was.

Accepted Answer

A) James Watson 
B) Francis Crick 
C) Thomas Malthus 
D) Rosalind Franklin 
A) James Watson 
B) Francis Crick 
C) Thomas Malthus 
D) Rosalind Franklin

Question 19

Why was Darwin's 1859 published theory of natural selection not widely accepted by his peers? What later scientific advance was critical to the subsequent broad acceptance of natural selection as a major force in evolutionary change?

Accepted Answer

Darwin's theory lacked a mechanism for t

Question 20

Darwinian evolution proposes that:

Accepted Answer

A) species adapt and change over time based on the environment. 
B) an individual can change within its own lifetime. 
C) species adapt based on individual goals. 
D) individuals determine their own biological adaptations. 
A) species adapt and change over time based on the environment. 
B) an individual can change within its own lifetime. 
C) species adapt based on individual goals. 
D) individuals determine their own biological adaptations.

The relevance of the theory of uniformitarianism is that it:

The individual genotypes in a breeding population, taken as a whole, are the:

Thomas Malthus's contribution to natural selection is the:

James Hutton is associated primarily with:

What were the three key observations made by Darwin that allowed him to deduce that natural selection is a primary driver of evolution?

How did Lamarck contribute to the theory of evolution?

James Hutton:

The advantageous "attributes" to which Darwin refers are now known as:

The English demographer whose work on population growth greatly influenced Darwin's thinking on population adaptation was:

The scientist who coined the name Homo sapiens for human beings and placed them in a higher taxonomic group (primates) was:

Why are Darwin's finches considered good examples of natural selection?

The forces of evolution include:

Evolutionary synthesis is:

What are some of the important scientific discoveries that laid the groundwork for Darwin's theory of evolution?

Why is the work of Alfred Russell Wallace considered when discussing the theory of evolution?

The English scientist who independently co-discovered the theory of natural selection was:

Discuss four key individuals who helped Darwin formulate the theory of natural selection.

Without the work of x-ray crystallographer _______, DNA might not have been discovered for some time longer than it was.

Why was Darwin's 1859 published theory of natural selection not widely accepted by his peers? What later scientific advance was critical to the subsequent broad acceptance of natural selection as a major force in evolutionary change?

Darwinian evolution proposes that:

What Is Physical Anthropology

Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing Variation

Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics

Biology in the Present: Living People

Biology in the Present: the Other Living Primates

Primate Sociality, Social Behavior, and Culture

Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature

Primate Origins and Evolution: the First 50 Million Years

Early Hominin Origins and Evolution: the Roots of Humanity

The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo

The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern People

Our Last 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, and Biology

Filters

Exam 2: Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory

The relevance of the theory of uniformitarianism is that it:

The individual genotypes in a breeding population, taken as a whole, are the:

Thomas Malthus's contribution to natural selection is the:

James Hutton is associated primarily with:

What were the three key observations made by Darwin that allowed him to deduce that natural selection is a primary driver of evolution?

How did Lamarck contribute to the theory of evolution?

James Hutton:

The advantageous "attributes" to which Darwin refers are now known as:

The English demographer whose work on population growth greatly influenced Darwin's thinking on population adaptation was:

The scientist who coined the name Homo sapiens for human beings and placed them in a higher taxonomic group (primates) was:

Why are Darwin's finches considered good examples of natural selection?

The forces of evolution include:

Evolutionary synthesis is:

What are some of the important scientific discoveries that laid the groundwork for Darwin's theory of evolution?

Why is the work of Alfred Russell Wallace considered when discussing the theory of evolution?

The English scientist who independently co-discovered the theory of natural selection was:

Discuss four key individuals who helped Darwin formulate the theory of natural selection.

Without the work of x-ray crystallographer _______, DNA might not have been discovered for some time longer than it was.

Why was Darwin's 1859 published theory of natural selection not widely accepted by his peers? What later scientific advance was critical to the subsequent broad acceptance of natural selection as a major force in evolutionary change?

Darwinian evolution proposes that:

What Is Physical Anthropology

Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing Variation

Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics

Biology in the Present: Living People

Biology in the Present: the Other Living Primates

Primate Sociality, Social Behavior, and Culture

Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature

Primate Origins and Evolution: the First 50 Million Years

Early Hominin Origins and Evolution: the Roots of Humanity

The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo

The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern People

Our Last 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, and Biology

Filters