22.3 Evolution is supported by an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence

Question 1

The following questions refer to the evolutionary tree in Figure 22.2.
The treeʹs horizontal axis is a timeline that extends from 100,000 years ago to the present, the vertical axis represents nothing in particular. The labeled branch points on the tree (V-Z) represent various common ancestors. Letʹs say that only since 50,000 years ago has there been enough variation between the lineages depicted here to separate them into distinct species, and only the tips of the lineages on this tree represent distinct species.
Figure 22.2
28) How many separate species, both extant and extinct, are depicted in this tree?

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
E) 6

Answer 1

E) 6

Question 2

33) Which pair would probably have agreed with the process that is depicted by this tree?

A) Cuvier and Lamarck
B) Lamarck and Wallace
C) Aristotle and Lyell
D) Wallace and Linnaeus
E) Linnaeus and Lamarck

Answer 2

B) Lamarck and Wallace

Question 3

34) Evolutionary trees such as this are properly understood by scientists to be

A) theories.
B) hypotheses.
C) laws.
D) dogmas.
E) facts.

Answer 3

B) hypotheses.

Question 4

35) In a hypothetical environment, fishes called pike-cichlids are visual predators of algae-eating fish (i.e., they locate their prey by sight). If a population of algae-eaters experiences predation pressure from pike-cichlids, which of the following should least likely be observed in the algae-eater population over the course of many generations?

A) Selection for drab coloration of the algae-eaters
B) Selection for nocturnal algae-eaters (active only at night)
C) Selection for larger female algae-eaters, bearing broods composed of more, and larger, young
D) Selection for algae-eaters that become sexually mature at smaller overall body sizes
E) Selection for algae-eaters that are faster swimmers

Answer 4

C) Selection for larger female algae-eaters, bearing broods composed of more, and larger, young

Question 5

36) Which statement best describes the evolution of pesticide resistance in a population of insects?

A) Individual members of the population slowly adapt to the presence of the chemical by striving to meet the new challenge.
B) All insects exposed to the insecticide begin to use a formerly silent gene to make a new enzyme that breaks down the insecticide molecules.
C) Insects observe the behavior of other insects that survive pesticide application, and adjust their own behaviors to copy those of the survivors.
D) Offspring of insects that are genetically resistant to the pesticide become more abundant as the susceptible insects die off.

Answer 5

D) Offspring of insects that are genetically resistant to the pesticide become more abundant as the susceptible insects die off.

Question 6

37) DDT was once considered a ʺsilver bulletʺ that would permanently eradicate insect pests. Today, instead, DDT is largely useless against many insects. Which of these would have been required for this pest eradication effort to be successful in the long run?

A) Larger doses of DDT should have been applied.
B) All habitats should have received applications of DDT at about the same time.
C) The frequency of DDT application should have been higher.
D) None of the individual insects should have possessed genomes that made them resistant to DDT.
E) DDT application should have been continual.

Answer 6

D) None of the individual insects should have possessed genomes that made them resistant to DDT.

Question 7

38) Some members of a photosynthetic plant species are genetically resistant to an herbicide, while other members of the same species are not resistant to the herbicide. Which combination of events should cause the most effective replacement of the non-herbicide-resistant strain of plants by the resistant strain?

1-The presence of the herbicide in the environment
2-The absence of the herbicide from the environment
3-The maintenance of the proper conditions for one generation
4-The maintenance of the proper conditions for many generations

A) 1 and 3
B) 1 and 4
C) 2and3
D) 2 and 4

Answer 7

B) 1 and 4

Question 8

40) Of the following anatomical structures, which is homologous to the wing of a bird?

A) Dorsal fin of a shark
B) Hindlimb of a kangaroo
C) Wing of a butterfly
D) Tail fin of a flying fish
E) Flipper of a cetacean

Answer 8

E) Flipper of a cetacean

Question 9

41) If two modern organisms are distantly related in an evolutionary sense, then one should expect that

A) they live in very different habitats.
B) they should share fewer homologous structures than two more closely related organisms.
C) their chromosomes should be very similar.
D) they shared a common ancestor relatively recently.
E) they should be members of the same genus.

Answer 9

B) they should share fewer homologous structures than two more closely related organisms.

Question 10

42) Structures as different as human arms, bat wings, and dolphin flippers contain many of the same bones, these bones having developed from very similar embryonic tissues. How do biologists interpret these similarities?

A) By identifying the bones as being homologous
B) By the principle of convergent evolution
C) By proposing that humans, bats, and dolphins share a common ancestor
D) A and C only
E) A, B, and C

Answer 10

D) A and C only

Question 11

43) Over evolutionary time, many cave-dwelling organisms have lost their eyes. Tapeworms have lost their digestive systems. Whales have lost their hind limbs. How can natural selection account for these losses?

A) Natural selection cannot account for losses, only for innovations.
B) Natural selection accounts for these losses by the principle of use and disuse.
C) Under particular circumstances that persisted for long periods, each of these structures presented greater costs than benefits.
D) The ancestors of these organisms experienced harmful mutations that forced them to find new habitats that these species had not previously used.

Answer 11

C) Under particular circumstances that persisted for long periods, each of these structures presented greater costs than benefits.

Question 12

45) Logically, which of these should cast the most doubt on the relationships depicted by an evolutionary tree?

A) None of the organisms depicted by the tree ate the same foods.
B) Some of the organisms depicted by the tree had lived in different habitats.
C) The skeletal remains of the organisms depicted by the tree were incomplete (i.e., some bones were missing).
D) Transitional fossils had not been found.
E) Relationships between DNA sequences among the species did not match relationships between skeletal patterns.

Answer 12

E) Relationships between DNA sequences among the species did not match relationships between skeletal patterns.

Question 13

46) Which of the following statements most detracts from the claim that the human appendix is a completely vestigial organ?

A) The appendix can be surgically removed with no immediate ill effects.
B) The appendix might have been larger in fossil hominids.
C) The appendix has a substantial amount of defensive lymphatic tissue.
D) Individuals with a larger-than-average appendix leave fewer offspring than those with a below-average-sized appendix.
E) In a million years, the human species might completely lack an appendix.

Answer 13

C) The appendix has a substantial amount of defensive lymphatic tissue.

Question 14

47) Members of two different species possess a similar-looking structure that they use in a similar fashion to perform the same function. Which information would best help distinguish between an explanation based on homology versus one based on convergent evolution?

A) The two species live at great distance from each other.
B) The two species share many proteins in common, and the nucleotide sequences that code for these proteins are almost identical.
C) The sizes of the structures in adult members of both species are similar in size.
D) Both species are well adapted to their particular environments.
E) Both species reproduce sexually.

Answer 14

B) The two species share many proteins in common, and the nucleotide sequences that code for these proteins are almost identical.

Question 15

48) Ichthyosaurs were aquatic dinosaurs. Fossils show us that they had dorsal fins and tails, as do fish, even though their closest relatives were terrestrial reptiles that had neither dorsal fins nor aquatic tails. The dorsal fins and tails of ichthyosaurs and fish are

A) homologous.
B) examples of convergent evolution.
C) adaptations to a common environment.
D) A and C only
E) B and C only

Answer 15

E) B and C only

Question 16

49) It has been observed that organisms on islands are different from, but closely related to, similar forms found on the nearest continent. This is taken as evidence that

A) island forms and mainland forms descended from common ancestors.
B) common environments are inhabited by the same organisms.
C) the islands were originally part of the continent.
D) the island forms and mainland forms are converging.
E) island forms and mainland forms have identical gene pools.

Answer 16

A) island forms and mainland forms descended from common ancestors.

Question 17

50) Monkeys of South and Central America have prehensile tails, meaning that their tails can be used to grasp objects. The tails of African and Asian monkeys are not prehensile. Which discipline is most likely to provide an evolutionary explanation for how this difference in tails came about?

A) Aerodynamics
B) Biogeography
C) Physiology
D) Biochemistry
E) Botany

Answer 17

B) Biogeography

Question 18

51) The theory of evolution is most accurately described as

A) an educated guess about how species originate.
B) one possible explanation, among several scientific alternatives, about how species have come into existence.
C) an opinion that some scientists hold about how living things change over time.
D) an overarching explanation, supported by much evidence, for how populations change over time.
E) an idea about how acquired characteristics are passed on to subsequent generations.

Answer 18

D) an overarching explanation, supported by much evidence, for how populations change over time.

Question 19

1) Which of the following is not an observation or inference on which natural selection is based?

A) There is heritable variation among individuals.
B) Poorly adapted individuals never produce offspring.
C) Species produce more offspring than the environment can support.
D) Individuals whose characteristics are best suited to the environment generally leave more offspring than those whose characteristics are less suited.
E) Only a fraction of the offspring produced by an individual may survive.

Answer 19

B) Poorly adapted individuals never produce offspring.

Question 20

2) The upper forelimbs of humans and bats have fairly similar skeletal structures, whereas the corresponding bones in whales have very different shapes and proportions. However, genetic data suggest that all three kinds of organisms diverged from a common ancestor at about the same time. Which of the following is the most likely explanation for these data?

A) Humans and bats evolved by natural selection, and whales evolved by Lamarckian mechanisms.
B) Forelimb evolution was adaptive in people and bats, but not in whales.
C) Natural selection in an aquatic environment resulted in significant changes to whale forelimb anatomy.
D) Genes mutate faster in whales than in humans or bats.
E) Whales are not properly classified as mammals.

Answer 20

C) Natural selection in an aquatic environment resulted in significant changes to whale forelimb anatomy.

Question 21

3) Which of the following observations helped Darwin shape his concept of descent with modification?

A) Species diversity declines farther from the equator.
B) Fewer species live on islands than on the nearest continents.
C) Birds can be found on islands located farther from the mainland than the birdsʹ maximum nonstop flight distance.
D) South American temperate plants are more similar to the tropical plants of South America than to the temperate plants of Europe.
E) Earthquakes reshape life by causing mass extinctions.

Answer 21

D) South American temperate plants are more similar to the tropical plants of South America than to the temperate plants of Europe.

Question 22

) Within a few weeks of treatment with the drug 3TC, a patientʹs HIV population consists entirely of 3TC-resistant viruses. How can this result best be explained?

A) HIV can change its surface proteins and resist vaccines.
B) The patient must have become reinfected with 3TC-resistant viruses.
C) HIV began making drug-resistant versions of reverse transcriptase in response to the drug.
D) A few drug-resistant viruses were present at the start of treatment, and natural selection increased their frequency.
E) The drug caused the HIV RNA to change.

Answer 22

D) A few drug-resistant viruses were present at the start of treatment, and natural selection increased their frequency.

Question 23

5) DNA sequences in many human genes are very similar to the sequences of corresponding genes in chimpanzees. The most likely explanation for this result is that

A) humans and chimpanzees share a relatively recent common ancestor.
B) humans evolved from chimpanzees.
C) chimpanzees evolved from humans.
D) convergent evolution led to the DNA similarities.
E) humans and chimpanzees are not closely related.

Answer 23

A) humans and chimpanzees share a relatively recent common ancestor.

Question 24

) Which of the following pairs of structures is least likely to represent homology?

A) The wings of a bat and the arms of a human
B) The hemoglobin of a baboon and that of a gorilla
C) The mitochondria of a plant and those of an animal
D) The wings of a bird and those of an insect
E) The brain of a cat and that of a dog

Answer 24

D) The wings of a bird and those of an insect

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT one of the four types of data that document evolution?
A) Direct observations of evolution
B) Fossil record
C) Homology
D) Geological formations

Answer 25

D) Geological formations

Question 26

What type of data does the example of guppies in Trinidad provide?
A) Fossil record
B) Biogeography
C) Direct observation of evolutionary change
D) Homology

Answer 26

C) Direct observation of evolutionary change

Question 27

In the guppy experiment, what happened to male guppies when they were transferred to pools with more predators?
A) They became more colorful
B) They became drabber in color
C) They stopped reproducing
D) They developed larger fins

Answer 27

B) They became drabber in color

Question 28

Which of the following best describes natural selection?
A) Creative force that generates new traits
B) An editing mechanism acting on existing variation
C) A mechanism of artificial selection
D) A rapid form of adaptation

Answer 28

B) An editing mechanism acting on existing variation

Question 29

Which virus is commonly used to study drug resistance evolution?
A) Influenza
B) HIV
C) HPV
D) SARS-CoV-2

Answer 29

B) HIV