Biology · Science General

Evolution and Biological Adaptation

1,354 Questions

Evolution and biological adaptation focus on natural selection, speciation events, and how organisms adjust to environmental changes over time. These foundational biology concepts appear frequently in general science sections of civil services and school board examinations. Use these questions to study evolutionary theories, ancestral traits, and the fossil record.

Natural selection mechanismsSpeciation event examplesBiological adaptation traitsPanspermia hypothesis conceptsFossil record analysisMate selection theories

Evolution and Biological Adaptation Questions

Multiple choice biology selection and evolution phylogeny cladistics speciation

Which of the following relies on molecular biology methods to provide evidence for demonstrating relationships among species? 

  1. Analysis of habitats to determine if differences in habitat could lead to speciation

  2. Analysis of embryonic structures such as gill arches to determine evolutionary relationships

  3. Analysis of vertebrate skeletons to determine common structures

  4. Analysis of cytochrome C proteins in various species

  5. Analysis of relationships between predators and prey to determine if coevolution occurs
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
Molecular biology methods relies on biochemical evidences for depicting common ancestry. For example, cytochrome C. It is a respiratory pigment found in all eukaryotic cells, which is a part of electron transport system. Cytochrome-C accepts hydrogen ions in all eukaryotic cells. The cytochrome-C molecule of human and chimpanzee is identical whereas Neurospora differ from human's cytochrome-C by the position of 44/104 amino acid.
So, the correct answer is 'Analysis of cytochrome C proteins in various species'.
Multiple choice biology selection and evolution phylogeny cladistics speciation

Read the passage and answer the following question.
Cytochrome-c is a protein that scientists often use to compare the evolutionary relationships among species. There is one difference in the cytochrome-c sequence between humans and rhesus monkeys. There are ten differences between human and kangaroos.
What can infer about the relationship between these species?

  1. Humans and kangaroos have the same proteins coded in their genes

  2. Humans and kangaroos share a more recent ancestor than humans and rhesus monkeys

  3. Humans are not closely related to either kangaroos or rhesus monkeys.

  4. Humans and rhesus monkeys share a more recent ancestor than humans and kangaroos

  5. Rhesus monkeys and kangaroos share a more recent ancestor than humans and rhesus monkeys.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
The rhesus monkey and humans have the most similar amino acids in the haemoglobin protein. This shows that they share a more recent common ancestor than the other organisms do.
Multiple choice biology selection and evolution phylogeny cladistics speciation

Appearance of teeth in the embryo of a bird proves that 

  1. Ontogeny repeats phylogeny

  2. Evolution has taken place

  3. Birds have evolved from reptiles

  4. All the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Even though birds lost teeth as physical structures between 60 and 80 million years ago, several studies have shown that those tissues within birds that would normally produce teeth still retain the potential to do so. For example, in 1821, Geoffrey St. Hilaire was the first scientist to publish the observation that some bird embryos exhibited evidence of tooth formation, but his contemporaries considered his work flawed.  

So, the correct answer is  "Ontogeny repeats phylogeny".

Multiple choice different stages of growth reproductive system in humans division for growth and reproduction human system biology

Which is not connected with theory of ageing

  1. Wear and Tear

  2. Neurohormonal changes

  3. Epimorphosis

  4. Metabolic rate

  5. Somatic mutation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Increase in the age of the persons is called ageing. In this, loss or decrease of physical, physiological, behavioural activities takes place. The decrease in wear and tear, neurohormonal changes, the rate of metabolism, somatic mutations take place. Replacement of organs does not take place in ageing.

So, the correct option is ‘Epimorphosis’.

Multiple choice zoology the paths traversed by life evidences for evolution - taxonomy, molecular biology and cytology evidences of evolution evidences of biological evolution

Why is similarity misleading when it comes to inferring evolutionary relationships?

  1. Organisms that look alike may be very distantly related to one another.

  2. Similarities between two species may be due to common descent, without indicating how closely the two are related to one another.

  3. A and B only.

  4. The presence of a shared derived character state is often misleading when it comes to inferring relationships between species .
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Similarity can be misleading due to convergent evolution (A) or shared ancestral traits that do not reflect recent specific relationships (B). Both are valid reasons why similarity alone is insufficient for inferring phylogeny.

Multiple choice zoology the paths traversed by life evidences for evolution - taxonomy, molecular biology and cytology evidences of evolution evidences of biological evolution

Which of the following is not an example of a macro evolutionary process?

  1. One lion species splits to form two lion species over geological time.

  2. The same trait evolves independently in two different taxa (e.g. wings in birds and in insects).

  3. As a result of their activities, humans drive Dodos (a bird species) extinct.

  4. Over a short period of time, the frequency of a single gene declines from 10 to 8%.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Macroevolution refers to large-scale evolutionary changes above the species level. A change in gene frequency within a population (microevolution) is a classic example of population genetics, not macroevolution.

Multiple choice zoology the paths traversed by life evidences for evolution - taxonomy, molecular biology and cytology evidences of evolution evidences of biological evolution

Choose the correct answers from the alternatives given .
DNA nucleotide differences between organisms

  1. indicate that evolution occurs

  2. indicate how closely related organisms are

  3. explain why there are phenotypic differences

  4. all of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
At the most basic level, living organisms share:
  • The same genetic material (DNA)
  • The same, or highly similar, genetic codes
  • The same basic process of gene expression (transcription and translation)
  • The same molecular building blocks, such as amino acids.
These shared features suggest that all living things are descended from a common ancestor and that this ancestor had DNA as its genetic material, used the genetic code, and expressed its genes by transcription and translation. Present-day organisms all share these features because they were "inherited" from the ancestor (and because any big changes in this basic machinery would have broken the basic functionality of cells). 
However, not all nucleotide or their sequence in DNA is the same among organisms. Rather this difference is what makes them different from each other. These sequences are expressed to result in different phenotypes. Also, closely related organisms show less difference among their nucleotides. These organisms gradually diverged from each other resulting in a new species at some point in time. 
So, the correct option is 'All of these'.
Multiple choice zoology evolution evidences for evolution - taxonomy, molecular biology and cytology evidences of evolution evidences of biological evolution

In evolutionary terms, we are more related to

  1. Skull of baby chimpanzee

  2. Adult chrmpanzee

  3. Gorilla

  4. Ape
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Bone structure and shape of baby chimp and infant baby skulls are very similar, with the classic huge head and tiny cute face we seem programmed to love. In adolescent chimpanzee and an adult human we can see the jaw start to lengthen in both and their overall similarity. The adult chimpanzee, who has a significantly larger and more powerful bite than any adult human. So, humans and chimpanzees appear to have very similar development in terms of bone structure as they grow up, except that humans just seem to stop at a certain point. There are a multitude of theories as to why this happens, but they all seem to follow the pattern of certain behaviours being selected for which affect the balance of hormones in the body that control the development of adult features. This is called neoteny. So, we can say in evolutionary terms, we are more related to skull of baby chimpanzee than apes, gorillas and adult chimp. Thus, option A is correct and other options are wrong.

Multiple choice zoology evolution evidences for evolution - taxonomy, molecular biology and cytology evidences of evolution evidences of biological evolution

Origin of life is also termed as 

  1. Biogenesis

  2. Abiogenesis

  3. Protobiogenesis

  4. Spontaneous generation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The origin of life, specifically the transition from non-living matter to the first living entities, is scientifically referred to as protobiogenesis or abiogenesis (though protobiogenesis is more specific to the early stages).

Multiple choice zoology evolution evidences for evolution - taxonomy, molecular biology and cytology evidences of evolution evidences of biological evolution

Choose the correct answers from the alternatives given .
Which one of the following promotes similarity among living things?

  1. Adaptation

  2. Natural selection in different environments

  3. Inheritance from a common ancestor

  4. Homeostatic regulation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

A common belief in evolution is the unity in the organisation of the organisms at various levels is due to descent from a common ancestor.

So, the correct option is 'Inheritance from a common ancestor'.

Multiple choice zoology evolution evidences for evolution - taxonomy, molecular biology and cytology evidences of evolution evidences of biological evolution

State whether the following statements are true or false:
Somatic variations form the basis of evolution.

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Somatic variations are not inherited. These are variations in somatic cells. While genetic variations are inherited and are due to variation of DNA from germ cells. These genetic variations form the basis of evolution.

Hence, the correct answer is 'False'.

Multiple choice microsporophyll vs megasporophyll plant kingdom biology

Assertion : Most evolutionary trees place information about the pattern of relationship among organisms on the vertical axis and information about time on the horizontal axis.

Reason : An evolutionary tree depicts the pattern of relationships among parents and their offsprings.

  1. If both the assertion and the reason are true and the reason is a correct explanation of the assertion

  2. If both the assertion and reason are true but the reason is not a correct explanation of the assertion

  3. If the assertion is true but the reason is false

  4. If both the assertion and reason are false

  5. If the assertion is false but reason is true
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

An evolutionary tree depicts the pattern of relationships among major groups of organisms. Most evolutionary trees place information about the pattern of relationships among organisms on the horizontal axis and information about time on the vertical axis.

Multiple choice evs - i growth and personality development heredity and other supporting factors for development all together community work and its importance

Cats produces cats. This statement is an explanation for

  1. Heredity

  2. Evolution

  3. Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Cats produces cats. This statement indicates the inheritance of characters from the parents to offspring. Genes are the fundamental unit which carries the characters from one generation to the other. This tendency of inheritance of genotypic and phenotypic character is known as heredity.

Multiple choice zoology selection and evolution extinction extinctions environmental science

Choose the correct answers from the alternatives given.
The biological definition of a species depends on

  1. differences in the adaptations of two groups of organisms

  2. reproductive isolation of two groups of organisms

  3. anatomical and developmental differences between two groups of organisms

  4. geographic distribution of two groups of organisms
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Species a group of closely related organisms that are very similar to each other and are usually capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. In reproductive isolation refers to the inability of related species to breed. In species, the only same member of an organism can interbreed due to reproductive isolation.

So the correct option is B, reproductive isolation of two groups of organisms.

Multiple choice zoology evolution examples of natural selection selection natural selection

Individuals with better traits for the new environment have more offspring. The given statement can be related to which of the following phenomena?

  1. Noe-Lamarckism

  2. Gene drift

  3. Natural selection

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The theory of natural selection was given by Darwin. According to the law of natural selection, nature supports the survival of the fittest. It means that, the individual which is better adapted to the environment, will survive and produce new individual. So, the correct option is C.