1. What BEST describes Charles Darwin's major contribution to the theory of evolution? *
1 point
Demonstrated inheritance of traits by experimenting on pea plants
The idea that humans are just another form of monkey.
The theory of natural selection as an explanation for how species evolve.
The idea that the traits animals acquire in life are passed on to their offspring
2. Natural selection selects for traits in organisms that _____. *
1 point
Best fit their enviorment
Are small and lucky
Best serve human needs
Are the strongest, largest and most powerful
3. Artificial selection selects for traits in organisms that *
1 point
Best fit their enviorment
Help the animals attract mates
Best serve human needs
Make the animal better equiped to survive in the wild
4. Use the following information to answer the next two questions: Peppered moths are white moths that live on white trees, with 2% of the moths coming in a black variant form. What best describes the changes that would occur over time if the trees changed from white to black? *
1 point
Captionless Image
The moths will extinct because birds will eat them all
The individual moths will mutate and turn from white to black
The black trait will become more common in the population as the black moths will be a better fit for their environment
The white moths and the black moths will become different species
5. Which of the following is an inheritable trait? *
1 point
The physical strength an athlete acquired by training
A new behavior a crow learned by watching people
A mutation effecting the color of a persons eyes
A severe medical condition caused by a virus
In humans, being a tongue roller (R) is dominant over non-roller (r). A man who is a non-roller marries a woman who has both versions of the tongue rolling gene. *
4 points
RR Rr rr tongue roller non-roller
What is the man's genotype?
What is the woman's genotype?
What is the man's phenotype?
What is the woman's phenotype?
What is the man's genotype?
What is the woman's genotype?
What is the man's phenotype?
What is the woman's phenotype?
Let's consider another couple. The man and woman are each heterozygous (have both versions) for the trait and can roll their tongues. What is the likelihood that all of their children will be able to roll their tongues? (You are provided the Punnett square below. Remember, being a tongue roller (R) is dominant over non-roller (r).) *
1 point
Captionless Image
25% will be tongue-rollers; 75% will be non-rollers
25% will be non-rollers; 75% will be tongue-rollers
100% will be tongue-rollers; 0% will be non-rollers
50% will be tongue-rollers; 50% will be non-rollers
6. Which of the following statements best describes the process of natural selection in a population?
1 point
All individuals develop traits to match changes to their environment.
All individuals learn to adapt to specific changes that occur slowly in their environment.
Some individuals respond to their environment by mutating to make themselves more likely to survive.
Some individuals have genetic differences that make them more likely to survive and reproduce in their environment.
7. How did the observation that populations grow faster than the available food supply affect Darwin's view of life? *
1 point
He saw the need for people to cooperate to control the human populations growth
He saw it as desirable that only the strongest and most beautiful humans to reproduce and take advantage of the limited resources
He saw life as competition, where even members of the same species are in a struggle to survive, with those members that best adapted to fit their environment surviving.
He saw plague and disease as a useful tool to control population.
8. Norma has several pet goldfish in the same tank. One day she wakes up and finds that the fish have made babies. One of the baby fish is a male with GIANT BULGING EYES. She likes this fish, and puts it in a tank with all the female fish and sells the rest of the babies. She repeats this many times, keeping the bug-eyed fish and selling the regular ones. In time, most of the baby fish being born are bug-eyed. What best describes what Norma has done? *
1 point
Captionless Image
Committed a crime against nature by breeding fish poorly adapted to survive in the wild
Helped the fish evolve through natural selection
Created a sex-linked disorder
Created a new variety of fish through artificial selection
9. The original bug-eyed fish is an example of a: *
1 point
Mutation leading to a new variation
a tragic accident
An adaptation to natural pressure
Sexual selection
10. The bug-eyed trait would have occurred the first time due to: *
1 point
An error in the DNA copied into the sperm or egg that became the first Bug-eyed fish, causing a mutation
The DNA of the parent fish being damaged due to bad food, water, or radioactivity causing a mutation
Sometimes things just happen
The fish is choosing to adapt to life in a bowl were food always comes from above
11. The lavender, yellow, and green bones in the picture represent what type of evidence for evolution? *
1 point
Captionless Image
DNA
Vestigial Structures
Homologous Strutures
Transitional Fossils
12. The existence of the highlighted bones suggests that all three organisms: *
1 point
Are descended from a common ancestor that had a similar structure
Evolved similar structures to serve the same person even though they are unrelated
The picture provides insufficiant evidence to form any conclution
Can interbreed to create new species
13. Based on the animals hands alone, which pair of organisms are likely to be most closely related? *
1 point
Bird and whale
Whale and human
Human and bird
This cannot be determined by this evidence alone
14. Assume you are a paleontologist and you have just discovered a well preserved fossil of the creature pictured below. What traits would you look for to try to identify and classify this animal on the tree of life? Identify at least two traits and state where kind of animal you think this is (Fish, Amphibean, Reptile, Bird, Mammal Etc). (2 points)
2 points
Captionless Image
The picture below shows the skeletal structure of a whale, with the vestigial remains of its pelvic bone highlighted. What does the presence of these bones suggest about the whales ancestors? (2 points)
2 points
Captionless Image
The fossils below show the skulls of a modern dolphin (right) and two the dolphins' ancient ancestors (left and center). Notice how the position of the nostril is moving from the front of the snout in the oldest fossil to the top of the head in the modern dolphin. What advantage would this change have offered the evolving dolphins (1 points) and what is the word we use for a fossil like the one in the middle which shows a change in process (one point)?
2 points
Captionless Image
1. Charles Darwin's major contribution to the theory of evolution was the theory of natural selection as an explanation for how species evolve.
2. Natural selection selects for traits in organisms that best fit their environment.
3. Artificial selection selects for traits in organisms that best serve human needs.
4. If the trees changed from white to black, the black trait would become more common in the population as the black moths would be a better fit for their environment.
5. An inheritable trait is a mutation affecting the color of a person's eyes.
6. Natural selection is the process where individuals with genetic differences that make them more likely to survive and reproduce in their environment are selected.
7. The observation that populations grow faster than the available food supply affected Darwin's view of life by making him see life as competition, where individuals that are best adapted to fit their environment survive.
8. Norma has created a new variety of fish through artificial selection by selectively breeding the fish with the bug-eyed trait.
9. The original bug-eyed fish is an example of a mutation leading to a new variation.
10. The bug-eyed trait would have occurred the first time due to an error in the DNA copied into the sperm or egg that became the first bug-eyed fish, causing a mutation.
11. The lavender, yellow, and green bones represent homologous structures, which is evidence for evolution.
12. The existence of the highlighted bones suggests that all three organisms are descended from a common ancestor that had a similar structure.
13. Based on the animals' hands alone, it cannot be determined which pair of organisms are most closely related.
14. As a paleontologist, to identify and classify the animal in the picture, I would look for traits such as the presence of scales and fins, which would suggest that it is a fish.
The presence of the vestigial remains of pelvic bones in whales suggests that their ancestors once had hind limbs and lived on land.
The change in the position of the nostril from the front of the snout to the top of the head in evolving dolphins would offer them the advantage of being able to breathe while swimming near the water's surface. A fossil like the one in the middle, which shows a change in process, is called an intermediate fossil.
1. Charles Darwin's major contribution to the theory of evolution is the theory of natural selection as an explanation for how species evolve.
To answer this question, you can directly select the option "The theory of natural selection as an explanation for how species evolve."
2. Natural selection selects for traits in organisms that best fit their environment.
To answer this question, you can directly select the option "Best fit their environment."
3. Artificial selection selects for traits in organisms that best serve human needs.
To answer this question, you can directly select the option "Best serve human needs."
4. The changes that would occur over time if the trees changed from white to black would result in the black trait becoming more common in the population as the black moths would be a better fit for their environment.
To answer this question, you can select the option "The black trait will become more common in the population as the black moths will be a better fit for their environment."
5. An inheritable trait is a mutation affecting the color of a person's eyes.
To answer this question, you can select the option "A mutation affecting the color of a person's eyes."
6. The process of natural selection in a population is that some individuals have genetic differences that make them more likely to survive and reproduce in their environment.
To answer this question, you can select the option "Some individuals have genetic differences that make them more likely to survive and reproduce in their environment."
7. The observation that populations grow faster than the available food supply affected Darwin's view of life as he saw life as competition, where even members of the same species are in a struggle to survive, with those members that best adapt to fit their environment surviving.
To answer this question, you can select the option "He saw life as competition, where even members of the same species are in a struggle to survive, with those members that best adapt to fit their environment surviving."
8. Norma has created a new variety of fish through artificial selection by selecting and breeding the fish with the bug-eyed trait.
To answer this question, you can select the option "Created a new variety of fish through artificial selection."
9. The original bug-eyed fish is an example of a mutation leading to a new variation.
To answer this question, you can select the option "Mutation leading to a new variation."
10. The bug-eyed trait would have occurred the first time due to an error in the DNA copied into the sperm or egg that became the first Bug-eyed fish, causing a mutation.
To answer this question, you can select the option "An error in the DNA copied into the sperm or egg that became the first Bug-eyed fish, causing a mutation."
11. The lavender, yellow, and green bones in the picture represent homologous structures, which are evidence for evolution.
To answer this question, you can select the option "Homologous structures."
12. The existence of the highlighted bones suggests that all three organisms are descended from a common ancestor that had a similar structure.
To answer this question, you can select the option "Are descended from a common ancestor that had a similar structure."
13. Based on the animals' hands alone, it cannot be determined which pair of organisms are most closely related. This evidence alone is insufficient.
To answer this question, you can select the option "This cannot be determined by this evidence alone."
14. If you discover a well-preserved fossil of the creature in the picture, you can look for traits such as the skeletal structure, teeth, body shape, or any unique features to identify and classify this animal on the tree of life.
To answer this question, you need to provide at least two traits and suggest the kind of animal it could be (Fish, Amphibian, Reptile, Bird, Mammal, etc.)
15. The presence of vestigial remains of a pelvic bone in the whale suggests that whales' ancestors had hind limbs and walked on land.
To answer this question, you can select the option "Whales' ancestors had hind limbs and walked on land."
16. The change in the position of the nostril from the front of the snout in the oldest fossil to the top of the head in the modern dolphin would have offered the evolving dolphins the advantage of being able to breathe while mostly submerged in water. The word we use for a fossil like the one in the middle which shows a change in process is a transitional fossil.
To answer this question, you can provide the answer as follows: "The change in the position of the nostrils would have allowed the evolving dolphins to breathe while mostly submerged in water. The word for a fossil like the one in the middle is a transitional fossil."
1. What BEST describes Charles Darwin's major contribution to the theory of evolution? *
1 point
Demonstrated inheritance of traits by experimenting on pea plants
The idea that humans are just another form of monkey.
The theory of natural selection as an explanation for how species evolve.
The idea that the traits animals acquire in life are passed on to their offspring