Multiple Choice
Identify the
choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1.
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How does natural selection lead to species changes in the shape, appearance,
and/or size of individuals in the population?
a. | Stronger offspring kill weaker members of the species. | b. | Environmental
changes favor weaker members of the species. | c. | Helpful variations accumulate among surviving
members of the species. |
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2.
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The habitat of a moth species included trees with both light and dark colored
bark. Therefore the moth species included both light and dark colored variants. Then the light-colored trees were
wiped out by a disease, and within a few years nearly all the moths in this forest were dark
colored Which of the following choices BEST explains what happened?a. | The light moths changed their wing pigments to darker colors to avoid being
eaten. | b. | The few light moths that survived did not mate, and therefore they had no
offspring. | c. | The dark moths were less visible to predators, so mostly light moths were
eaten. |
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3.
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A population of grass originally had equal amounts
of three different genotypes. Over five generations, the percent of each genotype in the population
changed.
One Species of
Grass | Grass Genotype | Original Percent
of Population | Percent of Population
after 5
Generations | | GG | 33.3% | 75.0% | | gg | 33.3% | 20.0% | | Gg | 33.3% | 5.0% | | | |
Which statement describes the most likely reason for this
change?
a. | Genotype Gg was the best adapted to this environment, and
produced the most seeds. | b. | Genotype GG was
best adapted to this environment, and it therefore flourished. | c. | Genotype gg produced the greatest number of seeds, and was the best
adapted. |
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4.
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Variation happens as a result of the exchange of
genetic information as it is passed from
parent to offspring.
Which of the following is
true about inherited variation? a. | Variation can influence whether organisms are more likely to survive to
reproduce. | b. | Variation can influence the amount of rainfall in an ecosystem | c. | Variation can
influence the amount of available food in an ecosystem |
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5.
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Three species of birds
live on an island. | Bird A | Bird
B | Bird C | Heavy beak for eating
big
seeds | Sharp beak for
eating insects | Sharp but wide beak for insects and/or small seeds | | | | | | |
If the climate changed so that
all the seed-bearing plants on the island died off, which bird or birds would probably be the
least affected?
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6.
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What did Darwin observe about finches in the Galápagos Islands?
a. | They had identical genotypes in all locations. | b. | Their beaks were
adaptations related to the foods the finches ate. | c. | They had identical phenotypes in all
locations. |
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7.
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How does natural selection enable species to changes their body shape,
appearance, and/or size over time?
a. | Individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and
reproduce. | b. | Overproduction provides food for stronger members of the species. | c. | Environmental
changes kill weaker members of the species. |
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8.
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A population of birds only ate seeds from two different types of trees. About
half of the birds had smaller beaks for eating small seeds, and the other half had larger beaks for
eating big seeds. A drought
occurred over several years, and it killed off all of the trees with the small seeds. At the end of
this dry period, nearly all the birds had larger beaks. How is this best explained?
a. | A new predator arrived in this ecosystem, and it only ate small beaked
birds. | b. | Larger beaked birds were better at eating the
large seeds from the trees that survived. | c. | The small-beaked birds grew larger beaks so
they could eat big seeds. |
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9.
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The graph below shows a population of insects between the years of 1960- 2000.
From 1980 and 1990 the insects
were sprayed with an insecticide that caused the population to decrease. From 1990 to 2000 the
insects were sprayed with the same insecticide, but the population increased. What most likely
caused the population to increase?a. | The insects were affected by the insecticide causing the population to increase.
| b. | Due to genetic variation, the insect population adapted to the
insecticide. | c. | The concentration of insecticide was too great, and therefore biodiversity was
reduced. |
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10.
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Which term refers to the process by which individuals that are better adapted to
their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce?
a. | natural selection | b. | overproduction | c. | variation |
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11.
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According to natural selection, species change over time because...
a. | Competition for resources leads to certain traits being selected over many
generations | b. | Individuals develop behaviors and traits that they pass on to their
offspring | c. | Changes in the environment cause an increase in mutations in the
species. |
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12.
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In a population of spiders there are three different sizes: small, medium, and
large. ---The large spiders are easily seen by predators. ---Small spiders have a difficult
time finding food. Small Variant | Medium Variant | Large Variant | | | | | | |
What will most likely happen to this population of spiders
after many generations?a. | Large spiders will learn to hide from predators | b. | Small and large
spiders will mutate | c. | Medium spiders will be the most
plentiful |
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13.
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Individual spiders in a population of tarantulas have a variety of defensive
traits. One trait that most of the spiders have is the ability to flick hairs into the eyes of
predators allowing the spiders to escape from being eaten. Yet a small percentage of the spider
population does not have these hairs.
Why are the tarantulas that have these hairs more
likely to produce offspring than the hairless tarantulas?a. | The egg sacs of tarantulas that have the hairs are larger and produce more
offspring. | b. | Hairy tarantulas are less likely to be eaten, so they are more likely to survive to
mate. | c. | Tarantulas that have the hairs will blend in with their
environment. |
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14.
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The external skeletons of many insects are made mostly of a hard material called
chitin. In a single species of insect, natural selection predicts that...?
a. | ...predicts that differences in chitin production will disappear after a few
generations. | b. | ...predicts that the more chitin the insects have the more offspring they will
produce. | c. | ...predicts that some individuals will have more chitin than
others. |
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15.
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Which of the following is an example of natural selection?
a. | The ancestors of whales eventually lost their legs as they adapted to living in
water. | b. | An organism is introduced into a new habitat. It successfully outcompetes some of the
native species, driving them out of the habitat. | c. | A population loses its most important food
source and is forced to relocate to an area where there is a more adequate supply of
food. |
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