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1 | |
If organisms have evolved through descent with modification, as Darwin proposed, which of the following patterns is expected in the fossil record? |
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| | A) | Taxonomic groups should be distributed randomly in time. |
| | B) | Taxonomic groups should be distributed randomly in space. |
| | C) | The most ancient fossil assemblages should include all the major groups found in modern faunas. |
| | D) | Fossils of simple organisms (e.g., bacteria) should appear in the geological record before fossils of complex organisms (e.g., mammals). |
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2 | |
Which is the most likely scientific explanation for the universality of the genetic code? |
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| | A) | The most recent common ancestor of all life on earth used this genetic code. |
| | B) | Based on the laws of physics and chemistry, DNA is the only possible blueprint for life on Earth. |
| | C) | The genetic code arose independently in bacteria, fungi, and animals. |
| | D) | None of the above. |
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3 | |
Homologous features look similar and are similar in function, but evolved independently in two or more unrelated lineages. |
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| | A) | TRUE |
| | B) | FALSE |
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4 | |
The wing of a bird and the wing of a bat are |
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| | A) | homologous as wings. |
| | B) | analogous as wings. |
| | C) | homologous as forelimbs. |
| | D) | More than one of the above. |
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5 | |
Why do human embryos have gill slits in early development? |
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| | A) | They use gills to obtain oxygen in utero. |
| | B) | The earliest ontogenetic stage through which they pass corresponds to an adult fish; they later pass through stages corresponding to adult amphibians and adult reptiles. |
| | C) | They share conserved stages of early ontogeny with other vertebrates, all of which pass through a stage with gill slits before diverging toward different adult morphologies. |
| | D) | They follow the biogenetic law. |
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6 | |
Vestigial hips and hindlimbs in whales provide evidence that whales descended from mammalian ancestors with limbs. |
|
| | A) | TRUE |
| | B) | FALSE |
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7 | |
A fossil species of terrestrial reptile is unearthed from the same time horizon in eastern South America and western Africa. What is the most likely explanation for the geographic distribution of this species? |
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| | A) | This species lived during a time when South America and Africa were adjacent regions of a supercontinent. |
| | B) | There was a land bridge between South America and Africa when these animals were alive. |
| | C) | These reptiles were extremely good swimmers and migrated from Africa to South America. |
| | D) | A violent storm washed a mass of floating debris containing a pregnant female of this species into the ocean off the coast of eastern South America; she found her way to Africa and founded a new population. |
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8 | |
Which of the following can prevent a species from dispersing along a corridor? |
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| | A) | Climatic factors to which the species is poorly adapted. |
| | B) | Organisms native to the corridor with which this species cannot compete successfully. |
| | C) | The appearance of a geological barrier, such as a mountain range. |
| | D) | All of the above. |
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9 | |
In a hypothetical South American bird species, 95% of individuals have red feathers, and 5% have brilliant purple plumage. On the nearest oceanic island, all birds of this species are purple. Which of the following phenomena is the most likely explanation for this pattern? |
|
| | A) | homoplasy |
| | B) | plate tectonics |
| | C) | atavism |
| | D) | founder effect |
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10 | |
The bottleneck effect reduces genetic variation in populations. |
|
| | A) | TRUE |
| | B) | FALSE |
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11 | |
The restriction of many groups of species to their centers of origin runs counter to the predictions of evolutionary theory. |
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| | A) | TRUE |
| | B) | FALSE |
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12 | |
Evolutionary novelties are more likely to evolve from features with no important function than from functionally constrained traits. |
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| | A) | TRUE |
| | B) | FALSE |
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13 | |
The supercontinents Laurasia and Gondwanaland formed during the |
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| | A) | Proterozoic Era. |
| | B) | Paleozoic Era. |
| | C) | Mesozoic Era. |
| | D) | Cenozoic Era |
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14 | |
What does "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" mean? |
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| | A) | The embryonic development of an individual organism follows the sequence of stages found in its parents. |
| | B) | The embryonic development of an individual organism follows a sequence of stages corresponding to the adult stages of ancestral species. |
| | C) | Members of a taxonomic group are similar in their early embryonic development but diverge in later ontogeny. |
| | D) | None of the above. |
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15 | |
Which of the following biogeographic realms contains the most endemic species? |
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| | A) | Nearctic |
| | B) | Neotropical |
| | C) | Palearctic |
| | D) | Oriental |
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