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BIOB51 Multiple Choice Questions and Answers (Chptr 1-18)
BIOB51 Multiple Choice Questions and Answers (Chptr 1-18)
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Learning CurvesChapter 01
● Quantitative and Tutorial Videos
● Which of the following fossils do NOT constitute intermediate forms between the ancestral terrestrial
mammal and modern cetaceans? Hippopotamus
● The BEST definition for mutation is: Any change to the genomic sequence of an organism
● Natural selection:can act on the size of animal brains, just like any other feature.
● Any change to the genomic sequence:qualifies as a mutation.
● Cetaceans are:mammals that live in water.
● New kinds of influenza viruses emerge through evolutionary change.This is a concern because they
can and have produced outbreaks killing millions of humans.
● In his paper entitled, "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution," Dobzhansky
argued for all of the following EXCEPT:we can use the context of evolution to explain how life
originated.
● Which of the following is not true about mutations?Mutations are systematic changes in the DNA code.
● Why is it essentially impossible to study the DNA of animals that lived long ago?DNA is too fragile to
remain intact for more than a few hundred thousand years.
● The MOST recent influenza pandemic occurred in:2009
● As cetaceans continued to evolve as fully aquatic mammals:there is evidence that all of these changes
occurred.
● The evolution of H7N9 involved a sequence of being passed between organisms, with re-assortment
occurring in the last stage. This sequence was: wild birds to ducks to chickens.
● The essence of Dobzhansky's essay, published in 1973, was: evolutionary theory converts biology as a
collection of facts into a system of knowledge.
● Your textbook author uses the term "organism" in section 1.2 (Viruses: The Deadly Escape Artists),
which implies that viruses are living beings. Viruses are capable of reproducing and evolving - even
though they must take over a host cell's machinery to do so. Whether viruses are alive or not depends
upon how we define life.
● Synapomorphies are:derived features in a recent ancestral lineage that are inherited by all of its
descendants.
● As your textbook points out, it is particularly worrisome when an influenza virus is passed from a bird to
a human. However, bird influenza viruses, in turn, are often not able to pass from one human to the
next. This is MOST likely because: picking up a bird virus requires handling poultry and exposure to
their feces.
● Suppose you spotted a leaf imprint in your garage concrete floor. Would you consider this a fossil? No,
because only the preserved evidence of life from a past geologic age is considered to be a fossil.
● If we were to think about viruses as parasites, the MOST advantageous evolutionary scenario for
viruses would be: the evolution of viral strains that were rarely, if ever, lethal to their hosts.
● Based upon DNA analysis, the cetaceans are MOST closely related to the: Hippos
● Evolutionary biologists generally avoid using descriptive terms such as "primitive" and "advanced," and
prefer "ancestral" and "derived" instead (see the definition of synapomorphy in section 1.1 of your text,
as an example). Why does this make sense?Organisms on Earth at any given time have evolved
adaptations suitable to their environment. Consequently, the use of terms such as "primitive" and
"advanced" do not convey the most accurate perspective.
● The different teeth of mysticetes (baleen) compared with the odontocetes (peg-shaped teeth) reflects
one of the foundational observations of evolutionary biology, which is: evolved forms are related to
function.
● Why would scientists resort to DNA analysis to determine which group of land mammals are MOST
closely related to cetaceans? Because if DNA data is consistent with morphological analysis of fossils
and extant (currently living) species, confidence in conclusions is increased.
● Darwin postulated that all living things are part of the "tree of life." If we think of life this way, then every
branch in the tree represents: a common ancestor.
, ● Why would the hypothesis that modern whales are MOST closely related to hippos be worth testing? It
would make sense that a particular lineage of land mammal gave rise to at least two different lineages
that went aquatic: one remained semi-aquatic, and the other went fully aquatic.
● Immunization shots ("flu shots") are now widely publicized, and "Get your flu shot" campaigns are
generated annually as the flu season approaches. Such immunizations consist of viable but attenuated
(not capable of causing disease) viruses which stimulate one's immune system to produce antibodies,
which then protect against the virulent (capable of causing disease) strains of influenza upon exposure.
To be protected against influenza, why must we get a shot every year?Mutations in genes which control
viral hemagglutinins can create enough variations in protein structure that antibodies are no longer
effective against them.
● Natural selection will favor those viral particles with mutations that make them more effective at
infecting cells. What does this mean for humans? In the absence of modern medicine, natural selection
in humans should also favor those who can effectively withstand viral infections.
Chapter 02
● The British surveying ship named the HMS Beagle visited the Galapagos Islands in: 1835
● "The passing of traits from parent to offspring" is the definition for: descent with modification
● Linnaeus: rejected evolutionary change and accepted creationism
● Part of what made the Darwin/Wallace theory of natural selection different from previous thinkers was
that it depended on processes that: were observable and natural
● A taxon is __________, while taxonomy is __________. a cohesive group of living things; the process
of classifying species
● One of Nicolaus Steno's contribution to paleontology was the conclusion that: if figured stones called
glossopetrae ("tongue stones") looked like shark's teeth, it's because they actually were shark's teeth
● Part of what made the Darwin/Wallace theory of natural selection different from previous thinkers was
that it depended on processes that: were observable and natural
● Some naturalists began to realize that Earth had to be much older than a few thousand years by: the
early 1800s
● Evolutionary change is known to occur naturally through: natural selection, sexual selection, and
genetic drift
● The "Great Chain of Being," as originally developed, was adapted by many scholars in the
1600s-1700s and came to be known as: natural theology
● The so-called Modern Synthesis: made evolutionary theory more powerful, as it blended genetics and
other fields with natural selection
● One could argue that humans have an innate or natural ability to classify things. On a fundamental
level, such an ability would have probably sprung from: our need to separate dangerous from
non-dangerous components in our natural environment
● A paleontologist who works in Montana and specializes on nesting sites of dinosaurs has predicted the
occurrence of dinosaur nesting sites on other continents. This is possible if the same rock units occur
on different continents.
● Darwin and other scientists have recognized the importance of the Galapagos Islands because: many
of the living things found there are unique to these islands
● The British surveying ship named the HMS Beagle visited the Galapagos Islands in: 1835
● European scholars: adapted the "Great Chain of Being" classification system during the Renaissance
as the divine plan of the creator
● One of the MOST compelling lines of evidence in determining whether structures are homologous is to:
look for patterns in embryological development
● Your textbook suggests that most naturalists at the time Darwin was born erroneously thought that
Earth was a mere few thousand years old. What's the MOST likely explanation for this? Based on a
literal interpretation of the Bible, religious leaders had proclaimed Earth to be a few thousand years old.
● Lamarck's explanation for the existence of microbes on Earth today was: based on incorporating the
"Great Chain of Being," along with the idea that microbes are being generated all of the time
, ● "The present is the key to the past" has been proposed as a slogan which summarizes:
uniformitarianism
● The "Great Chain of Being," as originally developed, put: humans at the top of the hierarchy, because
of their powers of reason
● A taxon is __________, while taxonomy is __________. a cohesive group of living things; the process
of classifying species
● While his theory of evolution by natural selection applies to living things, Darwin was also a
knowledgeable: geologist
● The study and classification of living things began: with the ancient Greeks
● "A widely accepted explanation for a phenomenon that is supported by substantial empirical evidence"
is a definition for: scientific theory
● The development of fine-scale classification systems based upon the natural attributes of living things
began: in the 1600s
● The age of Earth is: billions of years old
Chapter 03
● At this time, the oldest fossil of Homo sapiens that has been found dates to: 300,000 years ago
● The Cambrian period began: 541 million years ago
● The oldest fossils discovered thus far date to approximately: 3.43 billion years ago
● As Earth coalesced into a recognizable planet, it was subjected to regular bombardment by meteorites.
One such impact at 4.4 billion years ago was so significant that it threw off enough debris to produce
the: Moon
● One of Darwin's first major scientific contributions was entitled, The Structure and Distribution of Coral
Reefs, in which Darwin explained the existence of atolls - coral reefs surrounding lagoons. According to
Darwin, atolls formed by the growth of coral reefs around volcanic islands, followed by the subsequent
subsidence of the islands (interestingly, this explanation is still considered to be mostly correct). It is for
these and other reasons that Darwin established himself early in his career as a competent: geologist
● Evidence suggests that plants first occupied land approximately: 475 million years ago
● Most radioactive isotopes on Earth: were originally present when Earth formed
● If the evidence generated by researchers utilizing zircon crystals is accurate, then life: has been on
Earth for more than 4 billion years
● Even when definitive fossils are not found in very old rocks, scientists can still detect the presence of
living things from billions of years ago. Scientists do this by detecting biomarkers such as:
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
● Many of the Ediacaran fossils that have been discovered appear to be: evolutionary dead-ends
● Evidence, which includes the presence of biomarkers, indicates that animals: had evolved by perhaps
100 million years before the start of the Cambrian period
● The formula N=N0 e−λt can be used to calculate the number of unstable atoms of a radioactive isotope
that should remain after a period of time. Suppose that for C-14, N0= 5,000. After 17,190 years, the
number of newly generated N-14 should equal: 4,375
● In many cases, the exact age of a fossil cannot be determined, and must be estimated. This is
because: fossils must be dated based upon layers of rock that contain radioactive isotopes
● Your textbook cites the age of Earth as 4.568 billion years, yet there have been very few rocks
discovered that are older than 3.5 billion years, and none that date to 4.568 billion years. If we don't
have any rocks on Earth that date to 4.568 billion years, why are scientists so sure that Earth is this
old? Rock from other sources, such as meteorites, dates to 4.568 billion years old.
● The formula N=N0 e−λt can be used to calculate the number of unstable atoms of a radioactive isotope
that should remain after a period of time. Suppose that for C-14, N0= 5,000. After 17,190 years, N
should equal: 625
● Instead of Earth being static, like Lord Kelvin assumed, molten rock of inner Earth moves in convection
cycles. These cycles: drive the movement of Earth's tectonic plates, and make the surface of Earth
warmer than it would be if it were static
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