1. Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

2. ____1.Darwin noticed that many organisms seemed well suited to a. being preserved as fossils. b. providing humans with food. c. surviving in the environments in which they lived. d. swimming from South America to the Galápagos Islands.

3. c. surviving in the environments in which they lived.

4. ____2.The species of finches that Charles Darwin found on different Galápagos Islands varied in certain structural adaptations. One of the most significant adaptations that Darwin noted was the a. similarities of the birds’ embryos. b. birds’ different-shaped beaks. c. length of the birds’ necks. d. number of eggs in each bird’s nest.

5. b. birds’ different-shaped beaks.

6. ____3.Based on the adaptations Charles Darwin observed in finches and tortoises in the Galápagos, he wondered a. if species living on different islands had once been members of the same species. b. if finches and tortoises had originated from the same ancestral species. c. if all birds on the different islands were finches. d. why all tortoises on the different islands were identical.

7. a. if species living on different islands had once been members of the same species.

8. ____4.Which of the following ideas was NOT part of Darwin’s contribution to science? a. descent with modification b. inheritance of acquired characteristics c. survival of the fittest d. natural selection

9. b. inheritance of acquired characteristics

10. ____5.Charles Darwin’s observation that finches of different species on the Galápagos Islands have many similar physical characteristics supports the hypothesis that these finches a. have the ability to interbreed. b. acquired traits through use and disuse. c. all eat the same type of food. d. descended from a common ancestor.

11. d. descended from a common ancestor.

12. 6.On the Galápagos Islands, Charles Darwin observed a. completely unrelated species on each of the islands. b. species exactly like those found in South America. c. species similar to mainland South American species. d. species completely unrelated to those found in South America.

13. c. species similar to mainland South American species.

14. ____7.Which of the following ideas is supported by Darwin’s observation of local variation among tortoises in the Galápagos Islands? a. artificial selection b. adaptation c. acquired characteristics d. tendency towards perfection

15. b. adaptation

16. ____8.Darwin first began to formulate his concept of evolution by natural selection after a. experimenting with animals. b. observing patterns among the geographical location of certain species. c. reading the writings of Wallace. d. agreeing with Lamarck about the driving force behind evolution.

17. b. observing patterns among the geographical location of certain species.

18. ____9.People of Charles Darwin’s time understood that fossils were a. preserved remains of ancient organisms. b. available for every organism that ever lived. c. unrelated to living species. d. evidence for the evolution of life on Earth.

19. a. preserved remains of ancient organisms.

20. ____10.James Hutton’s and Charles Lyell’s work suggests that a. Earth is several million years old. b. Earth is several thousand years old. c. all fossils were formed in the last 1000 years. d. all rocks on Earth contain fossils.

21. a. Earth is several million years old.

22. ____11.In the 1800s, Charles Lyell emphasized that a. the human population will outgrow the available food supply. b. all populations evolve through natural selection. c. Earth is a few thousand years old. d. past geological events must be explained in terms of processes observable today.

23. d. past geological events must be explained in terms of processes observable today.

24. ____12.One scientist who attempted to explain how rock formations, such as rock layers, form and change over time was a. Thomas Malthus. b. James Hutton. c. Charles Darwin. d. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.

25. b. James Hutton.

26. ____13.James Hutton’s and Charles Lyell’s work was important to Darwin because these scientists a. explained volcanoes and earthquakes. b. explained all geologic events on Earth. c. suggested that Earth was old enough for evolution to have occurred. d. refuted the work of Lamarck, which was based on misunderstandings.

27. c. suggested that Earth was old enough for evolution to have occurred.

28. ____14.What did Charles Darwin learn from reading the work of James Hutton and Charles Lyell? a. Earth is relatively young. b. Gradual change operating over long periods of time can result in dramatic changes. c. All geological change is caused by living organisms. d. The processes that formed old rocks on Earth do not operate today.

29. b. Gradual change operating over long periods of time can result in dramatic changes.

30. ____15.Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed that organisms a. have an innate tendency toward complexity and perfection. b. have an innate tendency to become simpler as time passes. c. inherit all of the adaptations they display. d. belong to species that never change.

31. a. have an innate tendency toward complexity and perfection.

32. ____16.Which is a major concept included in Lamarck’s evolutionary hypothesis? a. Change is the result of survival of the fittest. b. Body structures can change according to the actions of the organism. c. A small population size decreases the rate of evolution. d. Artificial selection is the basis for evolution.

33. b. Body structures can change according to the actions of the organism.

34. ____17.Lamarck’s ideas about evolution include the concept that differences among the traits of organisms arise as a result of a. continual increases in population size. b. the actions of organisms as they use or fail to use body structures. c. an unchanging local environment. d. the natural variations already present within the population of organisms.

35. b. the actions of organisms as they use or fail to use body structures.

36. ____18.In an experiment, suppose that the wings of fruit flies were clipped short for fifty generations. The fifty- first generation emerged with normal-length wings. This observation would tend to disprove the idea that evolution is based on a. inheritance of natural variations. b. inheritance of acquired characteristics. c. natural selection. d. survival of the fittest.

37. b. inheritance of acquired characteristics.

38. ____19.The economist Thomas Malthus suggested that a. in the human population, people die faster than babies are born. b. without certain checks on population size, there would soon be insufficient food for the growing human population. c. in the 1700s, England needed more housing. d. the majority of a species’ offspring die.

39. b. without certain checks on population size, there would soon be insufficient food for the growing human population.

40. ____20.The idea that events like war, starvation, and disease could prevent the endless growth of human populations was presented by a. Charles Darwin. b. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. c. Thomas Malthus. d. Charles Lyell.

41. c. Thomas Malthus.

42. ____21.Darwin realized that the economist Malthus’s theory of population control a. applied only to humans. b. could be generalized to any population of organisms. c. could be generalized only when populations lived in crowded conditions. d. explained why the number of deaths exceeded that of births.

43. b. could be generalized to any population of organisms.

44. ____22.When a dairy farmer chooses to breed the cows that give the most milk in the herd, the farmers are following the principle of a. acquired characteristics. b. descent with modification. c. artificial selection. d. natural selection.

45. c. artificial selection.

46. ____23.When farmers select animals or plants to use for breeding, they look for a. species that are perfect and unchanging. b. homologous structures. c. characteristics acquired during the lifetime of the organism. d. natural variations that are present in a species.

47. d. natural variations that are present in a species.

48. ____24.When a farmer breeds only his or her best livestock, the process involved is a. natural selection. b. artificial selection. c. artificial variation. d. survival of the fittest.

49. b. artificial selection.

50. ____25.According to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, individuals who survive are the ones best adapted for their environment. Their survival is due to the a. possession of adaptations developed through use. b. possession of inherited adaptations that maximize fitness. c. lack of competition within the species. d. choices made by plant and animal breeders.

51. b. possession of inherited adaptations that maximize fitness.

52. ____26.Each of the following is a condition necessary for natural selection to occur EXCEPT a. more offspring are born than can survive. b. population size is very large. c. fitness varies among individuals. d. there is heritable variation among members of the population.

53. b. population size is very large.

54. ____27.Which statement about the members of a population that live long enough to reproduce is consistent with the theory of evolution by natural selection? a. They transmit characteristics acquired by use and disuse to their offspring. b. They tend to produce fewer offspring than others in the population. c. They are the ones that are best adapted to survive in their environment. d. They will perpetuate unfavorable changes in the species.

55. c. They are the ones that are best adapted to survive in their environment.

56. ____28.Charles Darwin called the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its specific environment a. diversity. b. fitness. c. adaptation. d. evolution.

57. b. fitness.

58. ____29.According to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, the individuals that tend to survive are those that have a. characteristics their parents acquired by use and disuse. b. characteristics that plant and animal breeders value. c. the greatest number of offspring. d. variations best suited to environmental conditions.

59. d. variations best suited to environmental conditions.

60. ____30.Which of the following phrases best describes the results of natural selection? a. the natural variation found in all populations b. unrelated species living in different locations c. changes in the inherited characteristics of a population over time d. the struggle for existence undergone by all living things

61. c. changes in the inherited characteristics of a population over time

62. ____31.Which statement is part of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection? a. More offspring are produced than can possibly survive. b. The organisms that are the fittest are always largest and strongest. c. The number of offspring is not related to fitness. d. Acquired characteristics that are inherited are the cause of evolution.

63. a. More offspring are produced than can possibly survive.

64. ____32.The principle of common descent helps explain why a. well-adapted species have many offspring. b. conditions in an organism’s environment ensures the organism’s survival. c. birds and reptiles share a number of inherited characteristics. d. tigers are so different from cheetahs.

65. c. birds and reptiles share a number of inherited characteristics.

66. ____33.The hypothesis that all species are descended from common ancestors was proposed by a. James Hutton. b. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. c. Thomas Malthus. d. Charles Darwin.

67. d. Charles Darwin.

68. ____34.Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection explains each of the following EXCEPT how a. species can become extinct. b. inherited traits are passed from parent to offspring. c. species descend from common ancestors. d. evolution takes place in the natural world.

69. b. inherited traits are passed from parent to offspring.

70. ____35.Darwin’s concept of natural selection was NOT influenced by a. the work of Charles Lyell. b. knowledge about the structure of DNA. c. his collection of specimens. d. his trip on the H.M.S. Beagle.

71. b. knowledge about the structure of DNA.

72. ____36.Biogeography is the study of a. where species and their ancestors live. b. how extinct species can be related to living species. c. how different species can interbreed. d. how animals that live in the same area are closely related.

73. a. where species and their ancestors live.

74. ____37.The number and location of bones of many fossil vertebrates are similar to those in living vertebrates. This is evidence in support of which of the following concepts? a. Lamarck’s tendency towards perfection b. common descent c. analogous structures d. the inheritance of acquired traits

75. b. common descent

76. ____38.Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record as a. evidence that Earth was thousands of years old. b. useful support for his theory. c. interesting but unrelated to the evolution of modern species. d. evidence that traits are acquired through use or disuse. Figure 16 – 1

77. b. useful support for his theory.

78. ____39.In humans, the pelvis and femur, or thigh bone, are involved in walking. In whales, the pelvis and femur shown in Figure 16–1 are a. examples of fossils. b. vestigial structures. c. acquired traits. d. examples of natural variation.

79. b. vestigial structures.

80. ____40.Modern sea star larvae resemble some primitive vertebrate larvae. This similarity may suggest that primitive vertebrates a. share a common ancestor with sea stars. b. evolved from sea stars. c. evolved before sea stars. d. belong to the same species as sea stars.

81. a. share a common ancestor with sea stars.

82. ____41.Molecular evidence in support of natural selection includes a. the nearly universal genetic code. b. the presence of vestigial structures. c. a tendency toward perfect, unchanging DNA in various species. d. the transmission of acquired characteristics by DNA.

83. a. the nearly universal genetic code.

84. ____42.Similar patterns of embryological development in different but related organisms are responsible for the formation of a. homologous structures. b. analogous structures. c. Hox genes. d. intermediate fossil forms.

85. a. homologous structures.

86. ____43.According to the Grants’ investigation of Galápagos finches, what happened to the beaks of finches? a. Beaks became larger through artificial selection. b. Beaks became smaller when they migrated. c. Beaks became smaller during the finches’ lifespan. d. Beaks became larger over many generations.

87. d. Beaks became larger over many generations.

88. ____44.Which characteristic of Galápagos finches helped the Grants show the results of natural selection? a. the color of their feathers b. the length and shape of their wings c. the size and shape of their beaks d. the curve of their claws

89. c. the size and shape of their beaks

90. ____45.What principle does the Grants’ investigation of finch adaptation in the Galápagos Islands best support? a. biogeography b. evolutionary embryology c. uniformatarianism d. natural selection

91. d. natural selection