Evolution Test Bank

HISTORY OF THE THEORY

1. Variation within species was important to the development of Darwin’s theory of evolution. Which statement
does individual variation help explain?
a. Resources become limited over long periods of time
b. Populations often increase rapidly and without warning
c. Competition is fierce among members of different species
d. Some organisms survive and reproduce better than others
2. Variety within a species is MOST LIKELY to result from which situation?
a. Severe weather conditions that might occur, such as hurricanes or blizzards
b. Adaptation to local environmental characteristics by isolated populations of the species
c. The extinction of competing species over a broad range of habitats
d. Sex-specific coloring differences
3. Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution based on observations of
nature. Which observation that contributed to his theory is illustrated by
this population of beetles?
a. Environmental resources are limited
b. Populations remain stable over time
c. Individuals within a population may vary widely
d. Species produce more offspring than can survive
4. The 14 different species of finches in the Galapagos Islands originated from
a single ancestral species. What is it about these islands that is responsible for the diversity of finch species?
a. The islands are made of volcanic peaks
b. Each island has different food sources
c. Each island has a different climate
d. The islands are clustered near each other
5. Both Lamarck and Darwin believed that ___.
a. Acquired characteristics are inherited
b. Organisms change in response to their environment
c. Overreproduction of organisms of a species leads to competition
d. Mutations are the cause of variations
6. According to Lamarck’s theory of evolution, a cat that lost an ear during a fight ___.
a. Is a good example of competition
b. Would produce offspring with only one ear
c. Would survive to reproduce because it is fit
d. Adds a new mutation into the gene pool
7. Lamarck’s theory of evolution is rejected by many scientists because they do not believe that ___.
a. Species produce more offspring than can survive
b. Organisms compete for natural resources
c. Variations occur in members of the same species
d. Acquired traits are passed from parents to their offspring
8. When Darwin published his theory of evolution, he included all of the following ideas EXCEPT ___.
a. The idea that species change slowly over time
b. The idea that some organisms reproduce at a greater rate than others
c. Mendel’s ideas about genetics
d. The idea that some organism become less suited to their environment than others
9. Darwin thought that the plants and animals of the Galapagos Islands were similar to those of the nearby coast of
South America because ___.
a. Their ancestors had migrated from South America to the Galapagos Islands
b. They had all been created by God to match their habitat
c. The island organisms had the same nucleotide sequences in their DNA as the mainland organisms
d. He found fossils proving that the animals and plants had common ancestors
10. The finches that Darwin studied differed in the shape of the beaks. According to Darwin, the finches probably
___.
a. All had a common ancestor
b. Had been created by design that way
c. Were descended from similar birds in Africa
d. Ate the same diet
11. Which of the following examples does NOT exemplify Darwin’s idea of descent with modification?
a. A giraffe stretches its neck to reach the highest leaves on the tree, so its neck gets longer
b. All living organisms are related to each other
c. Every dog breed is a descendent of the gray wolf
d. Bacterial populations are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics
e. Many insect populations are becoming increasingly resistant to pesticides
12. In science, the term THEORY generally applies to an idea that ___.
a. An educated guess lacking supportive observations or experiments
b. Explains and combines the results from many different experiments confirmed from many different
related areas of science
c. Is synonymous with the term hypothesis
d. Has been proven by scientists
e. Cannot be tested
13. Earth has undergone some catastrophic changes from time to time. Which of these MOST LIKELY explains why
life on Earth continued following these catastrophes?
a. Dominant species had a slow mutation rate
b. Many species filled the same niche
c. A strong species had many different characteristics
d. A wide diversity of species existed
14. The idea that evolution of new species occurs at a slow, steady rate is called ___.
a. Punctuated
b. Gradualism
c. Convergence
d. Divergence
 15. Which of the following is a way that biological evolution may occur?
a. Fish discover that by swimming faster, they are more likely to catch smaller fish, so they build up
muscles necessary to swim faster
b. A common mutation in rabbits that caused affected rabbits to be smaller than other rabbits suddenly
becomes very adaptive when something in the environment changes
c. A moth that once was well camouflaged on the bark of birch trees has changed its wing color to account
for different types of trees moving into the forest
d. A species of lizard has been reduced to a single population on an island, and the population has become
highly inbred with very little genetic variability

EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION
1. The fertilized eggs of most mammals follow a similar pattern of early development. Which sequence is the
typical pattern, beginning with the earliest stage?
a. Fetus—embryo—zygote
b. Fetus—zygote—embryo
c. Zygote—fetus—embryo
d. Zygote—embryo—fetus

2. A paleontologist is comparing the fossilized remains of two primates. Both animals had a prehensile tail. What
can be concluded from this evidence?
a. They were not related
b. They lived on the ground
c. They evolved from a common ancestor
d. They had bipedal locomotion

3. Which could be considered biochemical evidence of an evolutionary relationship?

a. Absence of vestigial structures
b. Presence of embryonic gill slits
c. Similar anatomical structures
d. Presence of identical proteins

4. Which is the BEST evidence of an evolutionary relationship between two organisms?

a. Similarity in behavior
b. Similarity in DNA
c. Similarity in habitat
d. Similarity in niche

5. This diagram represents the bone structures of

the front
limbs of four different animals.
What do the similarities of the structures
suggest about these organisms?
a. They grow at the same rate
b. They live in the same environment
c. They live for the same length of time
d. They evolved from a common ancestor
6. The illustrations below show vestigial pelvic bones of a baleen whale
and vestigial hind limb bones of an extinct whale. The presence of
these bones in the baleen whale and extinct whale provides evidence
of which of the following?
a. Whales can travel on land when necessary
b. Whales evolved from four-legged animals
c. Whales have functional legs that are hidden by fat and skin
d. Whales are developing into animals with four functioning
limbs
7. The table indicates the number of amino acids that differ in the amino-acid sequence of the hemoglobin from
selected organisms when compared to human hemoglobin. On the basis of this information, which organism
would be classified as MOST closely related to humans?

Amino-Acid Differences Compared with Human Hemoglobin

Species Number of amino-acid
Differences
Lamprey 125
Frog 67
Dog 32
Macaque 8

a. Lamprey
b. Frog
c. Dog
d. Macaque

8. Fossil records can be studied to determine how organisms change through time. Which of the following methods
for studying organisms could LEAST likely be accomplished by studying the fossil record?
a. Comparing sleep patterns of organisms
b. Dating organisms by the relative order of their fossils
c. Comparing homologous structures of organisms
d. Determining when extinction of species occurred
9. Some snake embryos have small buds resembling limbs. These buds disappear at later stages of embryo
development. These findings suggest that these snakes ___?
a. Had a parent with limbs
b. Have functional limbs as adults
c. Will have offspring with limbs
d. Evolved from an ancestor that had limbs
10. Scientists found the fossilized remains of a canine’s jaw and leg. What information must first be obtained before
the scientists can place the fossils in the ancestral time line of the dog?
a. The rest of the skeleton
b. The continent where the fossils were found
c. The age of the fossils
d. The population trends for the species
11. Scientists believe that a dinosaur known as a hadrosaurus was a plant eater. Which of the following pieces of
evidence supports this conclusion?
a. Hadrosaurus fossils are found with fossils of other dinosaurs that were herbivores
b. Fossilized plant remains are found with the fossils of the hadrosaurus
c. The fossilized teeth of the hadrosaurus are flat like the teeth of modern herbivores
d. The regions where hadrosaurus fossils are found were heavily forested

12. An understanding of which of these BEST enabled scientists to determine the approximate ages of fossils?
a. Physics
b. Genetics
c. Gravity
d. Radioactivity
13. Similar structures are present in the embryos of fish, chickens and rabbits. In fish, these structures develop into
gills, but in chickens and rabbits, they either disappear or develop into other body parts later in embryonic
development. Which of the statements below BEST explains the presence of these structures in the embryos of
all three species?
a. The embryos of the three species are similar in size
b. Breathing structures are similar among the young of the three species
c. The three species have a common ancestor with these embryonic structures
d. The reproductive mechanisms are similar among the adults of the three species

14. The drawings below show some trilobite and crinoids fossils.
Which of the following is the MOST reasonable conclusion when fossils of
these two different types of organisms are found in the same layers of
rock?
a. Crinoids were prey for trilobites
b. Crinoids were ancestors of trilobites
c. Crinoids and trilobites had similar behaviors
d. Crinoids and trilobites lived at the same time

15. According to the diagram, during the last 40 million years, the structure of the horse’s foot has ___.

a. Lost its toes

b. Become smaller
c. Grown toes
d. Remained the same size
16. Scientists have found many similarities in the proteins of turtles and sharks. These similarities suggest that
turtles and sharks ___.
a. Have stopped evolving
b. Have a common ancestor
c. Have all the same DNA sequences
d. Have the same number of
chromosomes
17. Students used the three organisms shown
below to study evolutionary relationships.

Which of these structures are the BEST

evidence of an evolutionary relationship?
a. Bat wing and bee wing
b. Bat lower jaw and whale lower jaw
c. Whale flipper and bee wing
d. Bat wing and whale flipper

18. Evidence for evolution includes all of the following EXCEPT ___.
a. Acquired characteristics
b. Similarities and differences in proteins and DNA sequences between organisms
c. The fossil record
d. Homologous structures
19. If the half-life of a radioactive isotope is 5,000 years, how much of the radioactive isotope in a specimen will be
left after 10,000 years?
a. All of it
b. ½ of the original sample
c. ¼ of the original sample
d. None of it
20. This chart compares the base sequences of homologous segments
of DNA from three primates. Based on this information, how
many differences in the resulting amino acid sequences would
you expect to find between humans and chimpanzees?
a. 2
b. 3
c. 4
d. 6
21. The graph below is used to determine the age of fossils
based on the half-life of different elements.
About how old is a fossil that has 25% carbon-14?
a. 2,000 years old
b. 25,000 years old
c. 10,000 years old
d. 50,000 years old
 22. While looking for fossils in an eroded hillside, you discover fossil coral and fish in one layer. In another layer just
above, you find the fossil imprint of a fern frond and some fossil moss. Assuming the rock has not been
disturbed, which of the following is the most probable conclusion?
a. The area has been a sea until recent times
b. A forest had once grown there but had become submerged by water
c. A sea had been replaced by land in ancient times
d. A saltwater sea had changed to a freshwater lake in ancient times

23. A group of researchers discovered the fossilized remains of a flying mammal that appears to have lived 130
million to 165 million years ago. Since the earliest flying birds are believed to have appeared about 150 million
years ago, researchers concluded that birds and mammals began to fly at about the same time. This conclusion
would be most weakened by evidence of which of the following?
a. A 100 million year old fossil of a flying bird
b. A 120 million year old fossil of a flying bird
c. A 160 million year old fossil of a flying mammal
d. A 200 million year old fossil of a flying mammal

24. Scientists recently found a fossil representing a newly discovered animal species that they named Tiktaalik
roseae. The fossil indicates that Tiktaalik roseae had a fish-like jaw and scale-covered fins. The front fins had
bones similar to those of a shoulder, an upper arm, an elbow, a forearm, and a wrist. This information suggests
that populations of Tiktaalik roseae most likely lived in which two environments?
a. In saltwater and in freshwater
b. In water and on land
c. On land in treetops
d. In glaciers and in caves

25. Which of the following is best supported by the information above?

a. Tree resin makes good insect repellent
b. Amber is a beautiful and valuable gemstone
c. Trees can live for long periods of time
d. Some insects lived on trees a long time ago

26. Birds and reptiles are similar in that they are vertebrates and lay eggs. They differ in that reptiles have teeth and
birds have beaks. Some birds do possess teeth. However, these teeth are present only in the embryonic stage.
Which conclusion is best supported by the presence of teeth in bird embryos?
a. Birds and reptiles share a common ancestor
b. Modern reptiles are the ancestors of modern birds
c. Birds and reptiles eat similar types of food
d. Ancestors of reptiles had beaks similar to those of birds

TYPES OF EVOLUTION AND SPECIATION

1. Most individuals of a certain species of bird have medium-length tails, but tail length ranges within the species
from very short to very long
 If a new predator arrived that preferred birds with medium-length tails, which graph describes the MOST LIKELY
result?

2. Biologists surveyed four islands in a chain near a continent.

They identified species found on the mainland and those
species that were unique to each island. Based on these
results, which island is probably farthest from the mainland?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4

3. A researcher discovers two populations of birds that are similar. The two populations live in habitats that are
different. What evidence might suggest to the researcher that the birds belong to different species rather than
the same species?
a. Some birds appear to be hybrids of the birds in the two populations
b. The birds in the two populations have different mating behaviors
c. Birds in the two populations sometimes feed in different locations
d. The two populations of birds feed at different times of
the day

4. Which graph BEST illustrates the expected change in the finch

population if the environment changes to favor small beaks?
5. Which frog species would most likely to interbreed?

a. Peeper and leopard

b. Wood and pickerel
c. Bullfrog and green
d. Tree and pickerel

6. Wild cats such as cheetahs, lions and tigers experience decreased genetic diversity as their populations decline
and become fragmented due to habitat destruction. Decreased genetic diversity leads to populations with ___?
a. Disproportionate gender ratios
b. Decreased disease resistance
c. Increased immigration rates
d. Increased birthrates
7. Which of the following is an example of microevolution?
a. The mutation of bacteria
b. The evolution of dinosaurs to birds
c. The change in an animal’s diet because of climate change
d. The migration of species
8. If a population of a species does not change over thousands of years, what do you know about the species?
a. The population is very large
b. The population is stable, with no immigration or emigration
c. The mating has been totally random
d. All of the above
9. A species of animals find a niche on a peninsula that later becomes an island. If the animals had by chance some
particular genetic trait in greater numbers before the island separated, what would a biologist expect to happen
over a long period on the island?
a. The traits of the animals will return more toward the larger population on the mainland
b. The genes of the animals on the island will become more consistent, insuring that all animals have the
trait
c. The animals on the island will eventually die out
d. There will eventually be a vast difference in the animals on the island
10. The island of Aldabra lies 400 kilometers off the coast of Africa and is home to the Aldabra Rail, a long-legged
wetland bird. The Aldabra Rail is flightless and much different from the rails living on the mainland. This bird
became a distinctly different species through ___.
a. Reproductive isolation
b. Adaptative radiation
c. Convergence
d. Geographic isolation
11. One way to increase the number of organisms in an endangered species is to let the few remaining individuals of
that species breed. However, this breeding may also lead to species extinction because inbreeding over a short
period of time may ___.
a. Reduce genetic diversity
b. Increase beneficial mutations
c. Produce a different species
d. Increase fertility
12. The punctuated equilibrium theory of evolution is supported by ___.
a. Fossils of horses
b. The discovery of short-necked giraffes
c. The presence of wooly mammoth remains in the Arctics
d. Fossil evidence of trilobites
13. The African elephant and the Indian elephant live on different continents. The developments of these two
closely related, but different species of elephants from a common ancestor was most likely the result of ___.
a. Gradualism and mutation
b. Migration and natural selection
c. Geographic and reproductive isolation
d. Overreproduction and isolation
14. The Kaibab squirrel and Abert squirrel live on opposite sides of the Grand Canyon. The development of these
two species of squirrel from a common ancestor was most likely a result of ___.
a. Mutation, then migration
b. Gradualism
c. Geographic isolation
d. Mutation
15. Birds with average-sized wings survived a severe storm more successfully than other birds in the same
population with shorter wings. This illustrates ___.
a. The founder effect
b. Stabilizing selection
c. Diversifying or disruptive selection
d. Directional selection
e. Artificial selection
16. Which of the following characteristics is NOT a requirement for a population to maintain genetic equilibrium
(aka Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium)?
a. Random mating
b. Small population size
c. No immigration or emigration
d. Absence of natural selection
e. Lack of mutation
17. Speciation can occur as a result of geographic isolation because ___.
a. Members of a species can no longer find mates
b. Populations that live in different environments may be exposed to different selection pressures
c. The biologist concept of species defines noninterbreeding individuals as members of different species
d. All of the above
18. Which of the following is an example of postzygotic isolation?
a. A mating call is not recognized by a potential mate
b. Mating times of potential mates differ
 c. Offspring of two individuals of two interbreeding species die early
d. None of the above
19. Which of the following is NOT a form of prezygotic isolation?
a. Different moths of flowering of two wildflower species
b. Species-specific recognition proteins on the surfaces of egg and sperm cells
c. Different courtship rituals of different species
d. The formation of a sterile hybrid between two species
20. Directional selection tends to eliminate ___.
a. Both extremes in a range of phenotypes
b. One extreme in a range of phenotypes
c. Intermediate phenotypes
d. None of the above; it causes new phenotypes to form
21. The accumulation of differences between species or populations is called ___.
a. Gradualism
b. Adaptation
c. Divergent evolution
d. Cumulative differentiation
22. In the mathematical equations of Hardy-Weinberg, the “p” and “q” represent?
a. The number of species in a particular area
b. Dominant and recessive genes in the population
c. The number of years required for evolutionary change
d. Ancestral species and new species formed by evolution
23. Fossil evidence suggests that a number of members of one fish species from an ancient lake in Death Valley,
California, became several isolated species. Each of these species lived in a different pond. Which of the
following BEST explains the cause of this speciation?
a. Episodic isolation
b. Temporal isolation
c. Geographic isolation
d. Behavioral isolation

24. If a paleontologist finds fossils of many different species existing in the same area at approximately the same
time, the paleontologist can conclude that the ecosystem in this area had a high degree of ___.
a. Climatic variation
b. Episodic speciation
c. Biological diversity
d. Geographic isolation
25. A herd of elk is observed over many years. Scientists notice that most adult male elk have antlers of average
size. Some adult elk have antlers that are either much larger or much smaller than the average size. This effect
can best be described as an example of ___.
a. Disruptive selection
b. Stabilizing selection
c. Directional selection
d. Diversifying selection

NATURAL SELECTION
1. Estivation is a period of inactivity for animals experiencing conditions of extreme heat. Estivation serves the
same function as which activity practiced by animals in cold environmental conditions?
a. Camouflage
b. Hibernation
c. Migration
d. Mimicry

2. A local scientist has studied the population distribution of a species of snail that lives on the sandy beaches of an
island. The island experiences a volcanic eruption. The data from the scientist’s study of the snail population is
summarized below.
Time Reference Percentage of Percentage of
Black snails Light brown snails
Prior to volcanic eruption 9% 91%
One year after eruption 84% 16%
Five years after eruption 91% 9%
Ten years after eruption 75% 25%
Fifteen years after eruption 51% 49%

Prior to the volcanic eruption, which of the following could explain why the percentage of black snails was so
much lower than the percentage of light brown snails?
a. The black color made them more likely to find food successfully
b. The allele for black color is lethal in the homozygous condition
c. The black snails were easier for predators to locate on the light-colored beach
d. The light brown snails were better than the black snails at using all the available resources

3. According to fossil records, the horses that lived 50 million years ago were much smaller, weaker and slower
than modern horses. Which process is MOST LIKELY responsible for the changes that have led to the increased
size, strength, and speed in horses?
a. Commensalism
b. Inbreeding
c. Migration
d. Natural selection

4. A plant species lives in an area with limited sunlight. Which physical adaption would be MOST useful to the
plant?
a. Colorful flowers
b. Large leaves
c. Deep roots
d. Thin cuticle
5. Monarch butterflies are toxic to birds because monarch
caterpillars eat milkweed. Viceroy butterflies closely
resemble monarchs, but are not toxic since the caterpillars do
not eat milkweed. This similarity in appearance developed
because viceroy butterflies that closely resemble monarchs are ___?
a. Less likely to be eaten by birds
b. More likely to mate with monarchs
c. More likely to eat milkweed
 d. Less likely to produce offspring

6. These feet belong to different birds. Three of the birds spend most of their time on the ground, while one bird
rarely walks on the ground. Which foot belongs to the bird that is best adapted for grasping branches?

7. The nonpoisonous eastern scarlet snake has colored bands that closely resemble the poisonous coral snake.
This selective adaptation provides the eastern scarlet snake with ___?
a. Increased breeding opportunities
b. A method of avoiding predation
c. The ability to attract prey
d. Increased feeding opportunities
8. Over many generations, unrelated or distantly related species may come to resemble each other due to ___?
a. Similar environmental factors
b. Similar genetic mutations
c. Homologous structural adaptations
d. Competition with each other
9. Which of the following is an example of adaptation?
a. The stretching of a giraffe’s neck to reach the highest leaves
b. The mutation of bacteria
c. The change of color in moths over several generations
d. Migration of an organism to obtain food

10. What scenario is an example of natural selection?

a. The migration of plant species through airborne seeds
b. The change in an animal’s diet because of climate change
c. The strongest male winning the herd of females
d. Chimpanzee ability to use tools
11. Animals that are the LEAST specialized generally stand the best chance of survival when the environment
suddenly and drastically changes because they are able to ___.
a. Adapt to different conditions
b. Mutate rapidly
c. Move from place to place
d. Reproduce abundantly
12. Fossils help scientists classify extinct species and determine their relationships to current species. Fossils provide
the MOST information about extinct species ___.
a. Habitats
b. Structures
c. Metabolism
 d. Reproduction
13. Which of the following statements describes the process of natural selection?
a. Farmers select animals with desirable variations for breeding
b. Populations sharing the same gene pool interbreed and create new species
c. Individuals survive that have inherited traits adapted to their environment
d. New species are formed via genetic engineering
14. One theory of the extinction of dinosaur species is that a large meteorite impact on Earth caused a major
atmospheric change marked by colder temperatures. If this theory is correct, what adaptation of mammals
PROBABLY allowed them to survive even though dinosaurs became extinct?
a. Superior low-light vision
b. Consumption of an omnivorous diet
c. Ability to bear live young
d. Endothermic body metabolism
15. Which characteristic supports the hypothesis that this animal spends a
great deal of time burrowing through the soil?
a. The shape of its body
b. The position of it nose
c. The length of its tail
d. The size of its claws
16. The large, brightly colored tail feathers of the male peacock are valuable to him because ___.
a. They warn off potential predators
b. They warn off potential competitors for mates
c. They attract potential mates
d. They attract people who provide them with food
17. Animals that are least specialized generally stand the best chance of survival when the environment suddenly
and drastically changes because they are able to ___.
a. Adapt to different conditions
b. Mutate rapidly
c. Move from place to place
d. Reproduce abundantly
18. Starting in 1965, commercial fishers in the northwest Pacific were paid by weight, rather than by the individual
fish, for pink salmon. The fishers increased the use of a type of net that selectively catches larger fish.
Which of the following effects did this change in fishing techniques MOST LIKELY have on the salmon population
over the next 20 years?
a. The average body size of the salmon population increased significantly
b. The average body size of the salmon decreased significantly
c. The average body size of the males in the salmon population increased and the average body size of
females in the salmon population stayed the same
d. The average body size of the males in the salmon population stayed the same and the average body size
of the females in the salmon population increased

19. The differences in the characteristics of the flower species described MOST LIKELY resulted from?
Characteristics Insect-pollinated plants Wind or water pollinated plants
Appearance Often colorful Plain or dull in color
Reproductive parts Sometimes hidden Exposed
a. parasitism, which did not harm the host species
 b. mutualism between different plant species
c. adaptations in response to different factors in the environment
d. defensive mutations allowing concealment of species

20. Which of the following explains this phenomenon?

a. Competition
b. Extinction
c. Predation
d. Speciation
21. The model shows a demonstration a student prepared using black and white marbles to show how populations
of organisms can change. Which of the following concepts is best illustrated by this demonstration?
a. Evolution of a predatory species
b. Genetic drift accompanying natural selection
c. Environmentally induced genetic mutations
d. Immunity from virulent microorganisms

RESISTANCE
1. The drug 3TC is commonly used against HIV. Patients generally respond well in the beginning of treatment, the
numbers of viruses decreasing dramatically. Over time, however, the number of viruses begins to increase and
eventually exceeds the level within the patient before treatment began. How can this result be explained?
a. HIV becomes beneficial to the patient, multiplying and proliferating
b. A few drug-resistant viruses were present at the start of treatment, and natural selection increased their
frequency
c. The patient must have become reinfected with 3TC-resistant HIV
d. Over time, each virus acquired the ability to resistant treatment with 3TC
e. Some of the viruses developed drug resistance and then passed their resistant genes to all the patient’s
viruses
2. European rabbits were introduced to Australia in 1859. The rabbits reproduced rapidly in their new habitat,
displaced other animals, and overgrazed vegetation. In an attempt to reduce the rabbit population, a virus was
introduced in 1951. This virus is usually deadly to European rabbits. When the virus was first introduced, the
rabbits died in large numbers, but the death rate decreased over time. Which of the following BEST explains the
decrease in the rabbit death rate?
a. Young rabbits learned to avoid being infected with this virus
b. Natural selection favored rabbits that are resistant to this virus
c. The lifespan of this virus is too short to affect rabbits over a long period of time
d. The rabbits that were originally infected with this virus have been dead for many years

3. Amoxicillin is an antibiotic used to treat ear infections. What is the MOST likely reason why some bacteria have
become resistant to the drug?
a. They have learned to survive in its presence
b. They are able either to avoid it or to metabolize it
c. Those few individuals that were resistant survived and became more common in the population
 d. The manufacturers of the drug have made it less potent over time
4. Farmers in Georgia recently began using a new pesticide to control the armyworm caterpillar in corn crops.
Which of the following traits of the armyworm population will most improve its chances for survival?
a. Increased reproduction
b. Genetic variability
c. Mobility
d. Asexual reproduction
5. In which of the following cell types would a gene mutation possibly lead to biological resistance in a population?
a. Cancer cell
b. Gamete cell
c. Red blood cell
d. Somatic cell (body cell)
6. Which of the following is a major factor that drives biological resistance?
a. Individuals compete for unlimited natural resources
b. Variation exists within species populations
c. Organisms produce very few offspring
d. Environmental stability increases genetic perfection in organisms

7. When the insecticide known as DDT was first introduced, it was highly effective. Which of these is the most
likely reason that DDT became less effective as an insecticide?
a. Rain caused DDT to be washed away in water runoff
b. Insects resistant to DDT survived and reproduced successfully
c. Biological magnification decreased the number of insect predators
d. Changes in the types of crops grown caused changes in the types of pests

CLASSIFICATION
1. Using the key provided, drawing III can be identified as which bird?

a. Bubo virginianus
b. Haliaeetus leucocephalus
c. Colinus virginianus
d. Anas platyrhynchos
2. What kingdoms did Carolus Linnaeus originally use for his classification system?
a. Fungi and Protista
b. Fungi and Animalia
c. Plantae and Protista
d. Plnatae and Animalia

3. This dichotomous key can be used to distinguish white wildflowers

found in Virginia. According to this key, what type of flower is shown?
a. Trientalis borealis
b. Stellaria media
c. Fragaria virginiana
d. Gillenia trifoliate

4. Organisms from which kingdom are MOST likely to chemically digest

their food outside their body?
a. Fungus
b. Animal
c. Protist
d. Plant
5. Which of these species is MOST closely related to Felis rufus?
a. Acer rubrum
b. Selasphorus rufus
c. Felis concolor
d. Canis rufus
6. A biology student collected pine needles from four different species of
trees. She then made diagrams showing the number and actual length of
needles in a bundle and the common and scientific name of each species.
Use her diagram above to help you answer the following question. These
four different pine trees are NOT classified in the same ___.
a. Order
b. Species
c. Genus
d. Phylum
7. According to this chart, the insects that
are most closely related are the ___?
a. Springtails and bristletails
b. Dragonflies and proturans
c. Springtails and proturans
d. Bristletails and mayflies
 8. Escherichia coli is the scientific name of a bacterium. What category of classification is Escherichia?
a. Order
b. Genus
c. Phylum
d. Species
9. A biologist has just discovered a new life form. The newly described organism is multicellular, does not carry on
photosynthesis, and absorbs nutrients from the environment. It is composed of eukaryotic cells with cell walls.
In which kingdom would the organism be classified?
a. Plant
b. Animal
c. Bacteria
d. Fungi

10. Which statement is BEST supported by the phylogenetic tree shown?

a. Species V is still alive today and is the oldest species
b. Species W is still developing from a prior species
c. Species X, Y and Z became extinct 20 million years ago
d. Species W first came into existence 10 million years ago
11. Which of these is a common adaptation for mammals in an aquatic
environment?
a. Keen eyesight
b. Streamlined body
c. Sharp teeth
d. Long fir
12. The smallest biological unit that can evolve over time is ___.
a. A cell
b. An individual organism
c. A population
d. A habitat
e. An ecosystem

Scientists have discovered quite a few new

creatures on plant Pamishan. They need your
help to identify them and classify them. Use
the dichotomous key below to identify
creatures ____.
Use the cladogram pictured below to answer questions ___.

22. Which group of animals is more closely related to the annelids?

a. Flatworms
b. Mollusks
c. Arthropods
d. Echinoderms
23. How should you interpret this cladogram in that it shows chordates farther away from mollusks than from
echinoderms?
a. Chordates are more closely related to mollusks
b. Chordates are not related to mollusks to all
c. Chordates are more closely related to echinoderms than mollusks

24. Refer to the illustration above. A branching diagram

like the one shown above is called a ___.
a. Phonetic tree
b. Cladogram
c. Family tree
d. Homology
25. Refer to the illustration above. Which of the following pairs of animals are more closely related?
a. Lamprey and lizard
b. Salamander and lizard
c. Gorilla and salamander
d. Gorilla and lamprey
26. Which information would best help scientists verify the relationships among the organisms shown above?
a. The organisms’ nutritional requirements
b. The organisms’ DNA sequence
c. The organisms’ migratory patterns
d. The organisms’ population sizes

27. According to this phylogenetic tree, which organism is most closely related to Organism V?
a. Q
b. U
c. W
d. X