Chapter 17

Evolution is based on which of the following concepts? (a) organisms share a common origin (b) over time, organisms have diverged from a common ancestor (c) an animal's body parts can change over its lifetime, and these acquired changes are passed to the next generation (d) a and b are correct (e) a, b, and c are correct

Evolution is the accumulation of genetic changes within ______ over time. (a) individuals (b) populations (c) communities (d) a and b (e) a and c

Charles Darwin proposed that evolution could be explained by the differential reproductive success of organisms that resulted from their naturally occurring variation. Darwin called this process (a) coevolution (b) convergent evolution (c) natural selection (d) artificial selection (e) homoplasy

Which of the following statements is false? (a) Darwin was the first to supply convincing evidence for biological evolution (b) Darwin was the first to propose that organisms change over time (c) Wallace independently developed the same theory as Darwin (d) Darwin's theory is based on four observations about the natural world (e) Darwin's studies in the Galapagos strongly influenced his ideas about evolution

Which of the following is not part of Darwin's mechanism of evolution? (a) differential reproductive success (b) variation in a population (c) inheritance of acquired (nongenetic) traits (d) overproduction of offspring (e) struggle for existence

The modern synthesis (a) is based on the sequence of fossils in rock layers (b) uses genetics to explain the source of hereditary variation that is essential to natural selection (c) was first proposed by ancient Greek scholars (d) considers the influence of the geographic distribution of organisms on their evolution (e) is reinforced by homologies that are explained by common descent.

Jewish and Muslim men have been circumcised for many generations, yet this practice has had no effect on the penile foreskin of their offspring. This observation is inconsistent with evolution as envisioned by (a) Lamarck (b) Darwin (c) Wallace (d) Lyell (e) Malthus

Which of the following is least likely to have occurred after a small population of finches reached the Galapagos Islands from the South American mainland? (a) after many generations, the finches became increasingly different from the original population (b) over time, the finches adapted to their new environment (c) after many generations, the finches were unchanged and unmodified in any way (d) the finches were unable to survive in their new home and died out (e) the finches survived by breeding with other species.

The molecular record found inside cells suggests that evolutionary changes are caused by an accumulation of (a) traits acquired through need (b) alterations in the order of nucleotides in DNA (c) characters acquired during an individual's lifetime (d) hormones (e) environmental changes

In _____, the selecting agent is the environment, whereas in ______, the selecting agent is humans. (a) natural selection; convergent evolution (b) mutation; artificial selection (c) homoplasy; homology (d) artificial selection; natural selection (e) natural selection; artificial selection.

Features that are similar in underlying form in different species because of a common evolutionary origin, are called (a) homoplastic (b) homologous (c) vestigial (d) convergent (e) synthetic.

Aardvarks, anteaters, and pangolins are only distantly related but are similar in structure and form as a result of (a) homology (b) convergent evolution (c) biogeography (d) vestigial structures (e) artificial selection

The species of the Galapagos Islands (a) are similar to those on other islands at the same latitude (b) are similar to those on the South American mainland (c) are identical to those on other islands at the same latitude (d) are identical to those on the South American mainland (e) are similar to those on both the African and South American mainlands