Question 1 Select one answer. 10 points Which statement best sums up the modern theory of evolution?

1.  Over the past 3 billion years, thousands of different life forms have arisen from non-life. Each one started independently and they have changed in a random way over time.
2.  Each major form of life was created less than 10,000 years ago. Since then species have changed somewhat to better suit them to their environment.
3.  Starting from one or a few life forms over 3 billion years ago, life has branched out. As life forms change, they tend to develop traits that aid their survival and reproduction.

Question 2 Select one answer. 10 points Old world monkeys have prominent tails; apes and humans do not. At what labeled point did this evolutionary event (loss of the tail) occur?

1.  Point 1
2.  Point 2
3.  Point 3

Question 3 Select one answer. 10 points A biological lineage is a group of ____________ that evolves as an independent unit.

1.  genes
2.  unrelatedspecies
3.  populations
4.  alleles
5.  cells

Question 4 Select one answer. 10 points The Class Mammalia includes all living species with hair and mammary glands plus related fossil species; it is a complete group containing all of the descendants of a common ancestor that also had these characteristics. Therefore the Class Mammalia is a ____________.

1.  genus
2.  clade
3.  population
4.  species

Question 5 Select one answer. 10 points On a small island far out to sea lives an isolated population of iguanas (lizards). They are greenish brown in color. A bright pink and orange individual is born. It carries a new allele of a gene involved with pigmentation (color pattern). This new allele was probably added to the population through…

1.  sexual selection
2.  mutation
3.  gene flow
4.  natural selection
5.  genetic drift

Question 6 Select one answer. 10 points A flowering shrub is introduced to North America as an ornamental plant. Beetles that normally feed on a different North American plant species begin to live and feed on the introduced shrub. Their appearance and seasonal schedule begin to shift as they adapt to feeding on the new plant host. Gradually the beetles on the introduced shrub form a distinct species that does not breed with the original source population of beetles. This is an example of ___________.

1.  allopatric speciation
2.  sympatric speciation
3.  genetic drift

Question 7 Select one answer. 10 points Over time, technologies change. For example the internal combustion engine has begun to change rapidly in recent years with new fuel-efficient designs and modifications. This is an example of biological evolution.

1.  True
2.  False

Question 8 Select one answer. 10 points When any two species are compared, biologists can find many detailed similarities in their cell structures and genetic sequences. For example, a yeast cell (fungus) has many genes and proteins that are a close match to similar structures found in human cells. How do biologists interpret such similarities?

1.  They are probably just a coincidence because organisms as different as yeast and humans are not related to each other.
2.  They are likely to be inherited from a common ancestor and are evidence of the relatedness of all life.
3.  They are adaptations to a similar lifestyle but came from a different source because animals and fungi do not have a common ancestor.

Question 9 Select one answer. 10 points You can group modern birds and Ceratosauria in a clade that does not include Sauropodomorpha

1.  True
2.  False

Question 10 Select one answer. 10 points Why does antibiotic resistance become more common among bacteria when they are exposed to antibiotics?

1.  The antibiotics cause mutations to occur in individual bacteria. These mutations make the bacteria resistant to the drugs.
2.  Individual bacteria become immune or accustomed to the antibiotics as they are exposed to the drugs. The longer a cell is exposed, the more resistant it becomes.
3.  Bacteria vary in how well they tolerate antibiotics. If a bacterial population is exposed to antibiotics, resistant individuals reproduce better and their frequency increases over time.

Question 11 Select one answer. 10 points Which of the ideas below is a traditional belief that is NOT part of the modern theory of evolution?

1.  Species can be organized into natural groups based on their shared inherited characteristics.
2.  Populations and higher-level groups of organisms change over generations of time.
3.  Humans are related to, and share many characteristics with, other forms of life.
4.  Each life form is part of a chain of being from the lowest organisms such as bacteria (least perfect) to humans (the most nearly perfect of all species).
5.  Earth and life are billions of years old.

Question 12 Select one answer. 10 points At the point labeled “2” in the diagram above, downward-pointing nostrils evolved. Which of the following groups should share this homologous feature with humans?

1.  Tarsiers
2.  Lemurs and lorises
3.  New world monkeys
4.  Apes and Old world monkeys

Question 13 Select one answer. 10 points What evolutionary response usually occurs in human host populations that have long been affected by a particular disease like malaria?

1.  Humans can learn to better deal with the disease, for example by keeping away from mosquitoes. However, the basic biology of human beings cannot evolve.
2.  The human host becomes more vulnerable to the disease because of the interaction between the host and the parasite.
3.  The human host population evolves to be more resistant to the effects of the disease.

Question 14 Select one answer. 10 points New lineages sometimes form when populations are isolated by physical (geographic) barriers. This process is known as _____________.

1.  sexual selection
2.  allopatric speciation
3.  sympatric speciation
4.  gene flow
5.  natural selection

Question 15 Select one answer. 10 points Which of the following is an example of a characteristic under sexual selection?

1.  Antlers on an elk
2.  Antibiotic resistance in bacteria
3.  Fur color in dogs
4.  All of these are