Question 1

Which of the following taxonomic groups is the most successful?

Accepted Answer

A)  Fungi are the most successful, based on their ability to digest cellulose, the most common organic compound on Earth. 
B)  Bony fishes are the most successful, based on their high species diversity (almost as many as all other vertebrates combined). 
C)  Mammals are the most successful, based on their complex mode of reproduction. 
D)  All extant species are successful, based on their continuing existence. 
A)  Fungi are the most successful, based on their ability to digest cellulose, the most common organic compound on Earth. 
B)  Bony fishes are the most successful, based on their high species diversity (almost as many as all other vertebrates combined). 
C)  Mammals are the most successful, based on their complex mode of reproduction. 
D)  All extant species are successful, based on their continuing existence.

Question 2

Which of the following characteristics is shared by a hagfish and a lamprey?

Accepted Answer

A)  a rasping tongue 
B)  paired fins 
C)  jaws 
D)  a well-developed notochord 
A)  a rasping tongue 
B)  paired fins 
C)  jaws 
D)  a well-developed notochord

Question 3

What group of mammals have (a) embryos that spend more time feeding through the placenta than the mother's nipples, (b) young that feed on milk, and (c) a prolonged period of maternal care after leaving the placenta?

Accepted Answer

A)  Eutheria 
B)  Marsupiala 
C)  Monotremata 
D)  Lagomorpha 
A)  Eutheria 
B)  Marsupiala 
C)  Monotremata 
D)  Lagomorpha

Question 4

All chordates studied to date, except tunicates, share a set of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  13 Hox genes 
B)  5 Dlx genes 
C)  9 Otx genes 
D)  7 FOXP2 genes 
A)  13 Hox genes 
B)  5 Dlx genes 
C)  9 Otx genes 
D)  7 FOXP2 genes

Question 5

Which of the following is a characteristic of all chordates at some point during their life cycle?

Accepted Answer

A)  jaws 
B)  post-anal tail 
C)  four-chambered heart 
D)  vertebrae 
A)  jaws 
B)  post-anal tail 
C)  four-chambered heart 
D)  vertebrae

Question 6

The evolution of similar insulating skin coverings such as fur, hair, and feathers in mammals and birds is a result of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  shared ancestry 
B)  convergent evolution 
C)  homology 
D)  evolutionary divergence 
A)  shared ancestry 
B)  convergent evolution 
C)  homology 
D)  evolutionary divergence

Question 7

Fishes that have swim bladders can regulate their density and, thus, their buoyancy. There are two types of swim bladder: physostomous and physoclistous. The ancestral version is the physostomous version, in which the swim bladder is connected to the oesophagus via a short tube (see the figure). The fish fills this version by swimming to the surface, taking gulps of air, and directing them into the swim bladder. Air is removed from this version by "belching". The physoclistous version is more derived and has lost its connection to the oesophagus. Instead, gas enters and leaves the swim bladder via special circulatory mechanisms within the wall of the swim bladder.
-The presence of a swim bladder allows the typical ray-finned fish to stop swimming and still ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  effectively circulate its blood 
B)  use its lateral line system 
C)  use its swim bladder as a respiratory organ 
D)  not sink 
A)  effectively circulate its blood 
B)  use its lateral line system 
C)  use its swim bladder as a respiratory organ 
D)  not sink

Question 8

Which clade does not include humans?

Accepted Answer

A)  lobe-fins 
B)  diapsids 
C)  amniotes 
D)  osteichthyans 
A)  lobe-fins 
B)  diapsids 
C)  amniotes 
D)  osteichthyans

Question 9

While on an intersession course in tropical ecology, Kris pulls a large, snakelike organism from a burrow (the class was granted a collecting permit). The 1-metre-long organism has smooth skin, which appears to be segmented. It has two tiny eyes that are hard to see because they seem to be covered by skin. Kris brings it back to the lab at the field station, where it is a source of puzzlement to the class. Kris says that it is a giant oligochaete worm; Shaun suggests it is a legless amphibian; Kelly proposes it belongs to a snake species that is purely fossorial (lives in a burrow).
-The class decided to humanely euthanise the organism and subsequently dissect it. Having decided that it was probably not a reptile, two of their original hypotheses regarding its identity remained. Which of the following, if observed, should help them arrive at a conclusive answer?

Accepted Answer

A)  presence of moist, highly vascularised skin 
B)  presence of lungs 
C)  presence of a nerve cord 
D)  presence of a digestive system with two openings 
A)  presence of moist, highly vascularised skin 
B)  presence of lungs 
C)  presence of a nerve cord 
D)  presence of a digestive system with two openings

Question 10

Which of these traits is most strongly associated with the adoption of bipedalism?

Accepted Answer

A)  enhanced depth perception 
B)  shortened hind limbs 
C)  opposable big toe 
D)  repositioning of foramen magnum 
A)  enhanced depth perception 
B)  shortened hind limbs 
C)  opposable big toe 
D)  repositioning of foramen magnum

Question 11

How did the evolution of the jaw contribute to diversification of early vertebrate lineages?

Accepted Answer

A)  It allowed for smaller body size. 
B)  It was the first stage in the development of a bony skull. 
C)  It made additional food sources available. 
D)  It increased the surface area for respiration and feeding. 
A)  It allowed for smaller body size. 
B)  It was the first stage in the development of a bony skull. 
C)  It made additional food sources available. 
D)  It increased the surface area for respiration and feeding.

Question 12

Scientific views are based on evidence rather than an appeal to authority. Which of the following statements demonstrates a conclusion based on an appeal to authority?

Accepted Answer

A)  We conclude that lungs evolved before swim bladders because a study of branching patterns show that some of the oldest lineages of Osteichthyes have lungs. 
B)  We conclude that lungs evolved before swim bladders because Darwin wrote that swim bladders evolved before lungs in The Origin of Species. 
C)  We conclude that lungs evolved before swim bladders because the oldest osteichthyan fossils show lungs arising before swim bladders. 
D)  We conclude that lungs evolved before swim bladders because Hox genes direct the evolution of swim bladders but not of lungs. 
A)  We conclude that lungs evolved before swim bladders because a study of branching patterns show that some of the oldest lineages of Osteichthyes have lungs. 
B)  We conclude that lungs evolved before swim bladders because Darwin wrote that swim bladders evolved before lungs in The Origin of Species. 
C)  We conclude that lungs evolved before swim bladders because the oldest osteichthyan fossils show lungs arising before swim bladders. 
D)  We conclude that lungs evolved before swim bladders because Hox genes direct the evolution of swim bladders but not of lungs.

Question 13

To reproduce, many plants produce seeds-structures containing embryonic offspring along with nutrients inside a tough coat. These offspring develop after being released by the parent plant. To which animal reproductive "strategy" is seed production most comparable?

Accepted Answer

A)  oviparous reproduction 
B)  ovoviviparous reproduction 
C)  viviparous reproduction 
D)  internal development and ballistic dispersal 
A)  oviparous reproduction 
B)  ovoviviparous reproduction 
C)  viviparous reproduction 
D)  internal development and ballistic dispersal

Question 14

Which of these are amniotes?

Accepted Answer

A)  amphibians 
B)  fishes 
C)  turtles 
D)  lungfish 
A)  amphibians 
B)  fishes 
C)  turtles 
D)  lungfish

Question 15

Which of the following statements would be most acceptable to most zoologists?

Accepted Answer

A)  The first fossils resembling lancelets appeared in the fossil record around 10 million years ago. 
B)  Recent work in molecular systematics supports the hypothesis that lancelets are the basal clade of chordates. 
C)  The extant lancelets are the immediate ancestors of the fishes. 
D)  Lancelets do not swim in the same way that fishes do. 
A)  The first fossils resembling lancelets appeared in the fossil record around 10 million years ago. 
B)  Recent work in molecular systematics supports the hypothesis that lancelets are the basal clade of chordates. 
C)  The extant lancelets are the immediate ancestors of the fishes. 
D)  Lancelets do not swim in the same way that fishes do.

Question 16

In what respect do hominins differ from all other anthropoids?

Accepted Answer

A)  lack of a tail 
B)  eyes on the front of the face 
C)  bipedal posture 
D)  opposable thumbs 
A)  lack of a tail 
B)  eyes on the front of the face 
C)  bipedal posture 
D)  opposable thumbs

Question 17

Which of the following could be considered the most recent common ancestor of living tetrapods?

Accepted Answer

A)  a sturdy-finned, shallow-water lobe-fin whose appendages had skeletal supports similar to those of terrestrial vertebrates 
B)  an armoured, jawed placoderm with two pairs of appendages 
C)  an early ray-finned fish that developed bony skeletal supports in its paired fins 
D)  a salamander that had legs supported by a bony skeleton but moved with the side-to-side bending typical of fishes 
A)  a sturdy-finned, shallow-water lobe-fin whose appendages had skeletal supports similar to those of terrestrial vertebrates 
B)  an armoured, jawed placoderm with two pairs of appendages 
C)  an early ray-finned fish that developed bony skeletal supports in its paired fins 
D)  a salamander that had legs supported by a bony skeleton but moved with the side-to-side bending typical of fishes

Question 18

Which clade does not include humans?

Accepted Answer

A)  synapsids 
B)  lobe-fins 
C)  diapsids 
D)  osteichthyans 
A)  synapsids 
B)  lobe-fins 
C)  diapsids 
D)  osteichthyans

Question 19

At one time, Chondrichthyes were thought to have split off from other vertebrates before the evolution of bone. Now we have concluded that the Chondrichthyes split off after the evolution of bone had started. This change demonstrates ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  characteristics can be lost in evolution 
B)  evolution is one-way and straight line 
C)  hagfishes and lampreys have ancestors with bone 
D)  cartilage contributes to keeping sharks light so they do not sink 
A)  characteristics can be lost in evolution 
B)  evolution is one-way and straight line 
C)  hagfishes and lampreys have ancestors with bone 
D)  cartilage contributes to keeping sharks light so they do not sink

Question 20

Which characteristic is common to all the modern representatives of all major reptilian lineages (turtles, lepidosaurs, crocodilians, and birds)?

Accepted Answer

A)  presence of teeth 
B)  presence of four walking limbs 
C)  ectothermy 
D)  presence of a notochord 
A)  presence of teeth 
B)  presence of four walking limbs 
C)  ectothermy 
D)  presence of a notochord

Exam 34: The Origin and Evolution of Vertebrates

Which of the following taxonomic groups is the most successful?

Which of the following characteristics is shared by a hagfish and a lamprey?

What group of mammals have (a) embryos that spend more time feeding through the placenta than the mother's nipples, (b) young that feed on milk, and (c) a prolonged period of maternal care after leaving the placenta?

All chordates studied to date, except tunicates, share a set of ________.

Which of the following is a characteristic of all chordates at some point during their life cycle?

The evolution of similar insulating skin coverings such as fur, hair, and feathers in mammals and birds is a result of ________.

Which clade does not include humans?

Which of these traits is most strongly associated with the adoption of bipedalism?

How did the evolution of the jaw contribute to diversification of early vertebrate lineages?

Scientific views are based on evidence rather than an appeal to authority. Which of the following statements demonstrates a conclusion based on an appeal to authority?

To reproduce, many plants produce seeds-structures containing embryonic offspring along with nutrients inside a tough coat. These offspring develop after being released by the parent plant. To which animal reproductive "strategy" is seed production most comparable?

Which of these are amniotes?

Which of the following statements would be most acceptable to most zoologists?

In what respect do hominins differ from all other anthropoids?

Which of the following could be considered the most recent common ancestor of living tetrapods?

Which clade does not include humans?

At one time, Chondrichthyes were thought to have split off from other vertebrates before the evolution of bone. Now we have concluded that the Chondrichthyes split off after the evolution of bone had started. This change demonstrates ________.

Which characteristic is common to all the modern representatives of all major reptilian lineages (turtles, lepidosaurs, crocodilians, and birds)?

Evolution, the Themes of Biology, and Scientific Inquiry

The Chemical Context of Life

Water and Life

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Structure and Function

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

Cell Communication

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

Gene Expression: From Gene to Protein

Regulation of Gene Expression

Viruses

Dna Tools and Biotechnology

Genomes and Their Evolution

Descent With Modification: a Darwinian View of Life

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

The History of Life on Earth

Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

Bacteria and Archaea

Protists

Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonised Land

Plant Diversity Ii: the Evolution of Seed Plants

Fungi

An Overview of Animal Diversity

An Introduction to Invertebrates

Vascular Plant Structure, Growth, and Development

Resource Acquisition and Transport in Vascular Plants

Soil and Plant Nutrition

Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Osmoregulation and Excretion

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons, Synapses, and Signalling

Nervous Systems

Sensory and Motor Mechanisms

Filters