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 chemical coordination in plants ethylene plant hormones plants and animal hormones

State whether the following statements are true or false.
Ethylene evolution is highest when the fruit is unripe but diminishes as the fruit matures.

  1. True

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

Ethylene is a gaseous hormone that promotes transverse growth but inhibits lateral growth. They are produced by the amino acid methionine. It was found that ripened fruits produce this hormone, so when the ripened fruits are placed together with unripe fruits, the unripe fruits will get ripened due to the release of this gas. Ethylene evolution is highest at the time of ripening but it diminishes when the fruit matures and the evolution of gas got reduced.

So, the correct statement is 'True'.

Multiple choice biology cell biology cell as structural and functional unit introduction to cell biology cell : the basis of life

Which of the following statements is related to the cell theory?

  1. All organisms are made up of one or more cells.

  2. All organisms must be able to reproduce.

  3. Cells have organelles to carry on their functions.

  4. Cells evolved from a primordial soup on early Earth.

  5. Cells are able to regulate their external environment.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Cell theory has 3 basic points: All living things are made of one or more cells. The cell is the smallest living thing that can perform all the functions of life. All cells must come from pre-existing cells through cellular division.

Multiple choice botany breeding and biotechnology branches of biotechnology gene cloning biotechnology and genetic engineering

DNA sequence comparison is a powerful tool in studying evolution. However, there are limitations to what it can tell us about the history of life on Earth.
What is a limitation of this technology?

  1. It is only possible to obtain DNA samples from extant or recently extinct species.

  2. It is possible that an organism will have genes for non-functional proteins.

  3. Mutations can occur randomly in genomes.

  4. There is greater variation in DNA sequences that in amino acid sequences.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
DNA sequence comparison tools like BLAST, CLUSTAL W etc are some of the powerful tools used in understanding the similarity, relatedness and other phylogenetic studies between two or more sequences at the same time. Mutations act as the limitation of DNA sequence comparison technology as they can occur randomly throughout the genome with time and hence could distort the sequence comparison results and hamper the assessment for statistical significance.
so, the correct answer is 'Mutations can occur randomly in genomes'
Multiple choice evs solar energy water cycle earth's energy budget solar energy and its applications

The existence of life on Earth is primarily due to

  1. the formation of fossil fuels on Earth.

  2. the energy from the Sun.

  3. the revolution of Earth around the Sun.

  4. the evolution of species.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Life on Earth is primarily driven by the energy from the Sun.
A small portion of the Sun's energy reaching the Earth is absorbed by green plants through the process of photosynthesis. This energy is converted into chemical energy and stored in plants. In this process, carbon dioxide and water are converted into carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are used as food by the living organisms. The human beings and animals eat this food to carry out their life activities thus converting the chemical energy into mechanical energy.

Multiple choice botany modes of reproduction why do plants reproduce? reproduction and variation the life cycle of plants

Which of the following process of maintains the existence of the species on the earth?

  1. Metabolism

  2. Reproduction

  3. Adaptation

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
Metabolism is a term that is used to describe all chemical reactions involved in maintaining the living state of the cells and the organism.
Reproduction is a biological process by which new individual organisms or offspring are produced from their parents. It is a fundamental feature of all known life and each individual organism exists as the result of reproduction.
Adaptation is the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment.
So, the correct answer is option B.
Multiple choice biology butterfly and honey bee life cycle of a butterfly metamorphosis in frogs the life of a butterfly types of reproduction in animals oviparous and viviparous

Metamorphosis is

  1. Biological process by which an animal physically develops

  2. Biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body

  3. Biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth

  4. Biological process by which a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body takes place
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Metamorphosis is the sequential developmental stages which are characterized by the process of cell division, differentiation, and maturation. It includes morphological and genetical changes.

So, the correct answer is option B.

Multiple choice zoology why classification? history of classification of organisms introduction to classification of living organisms living world and classification

Great chain of being is

  1. Biblian concept of origin of life.

  2. Hierarchical arrangement of organisms by Aristotle.

  3. Hierarchical arrangement of animals by Theophrastus.

  4. Origin of Life by Thales.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

  • Aristotle developed the idea of Scala Naturae (Natural Ladder) which came to be known as the Great chain of being to organize all things in the natural world, living and non-living. It showed a continuum from 'lower' forms of matter to 'higher' forms of matter. 
  • The Scala Naturae ranged from inanimate matter (minerals) as the 'lowest', then up to plants, then to animals. The 'highest' things on the ladder are humans.
So, the correct option is 'Hierarchical arrangement of organisms by Aristotle'.

Multiple choice zoology why classification? history of classification of organisms introduction to classification of living organisms living world and classification

A school of systematics, that determines the degree of relatedness by analysing primitive and derived characters and constructing cladograms is

  1. Phylogeny

  2. Cladistics

  3. Cladogram

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

  • Cladistics is one of the three schools of systematics that determines the degree of relatedness by analysing the primitive and derived characters and constructs the cladogram.
  • Cladistics is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups based on the most recent common ancestor. A key feature of a clade is that a common ancestor and all its descendants are part of the clade.
  • In Cladistics  to show relations among organisms, cladogram is used. Cladistics is now the most commonly used methods to classify organisms.
So the correct option is Cladistics.

Multiple choice zoology molecular basis of inheritance genome projects human genome project human genome project and dna fingerprinting

All living organism present past and future are 

  1. Not linked to any extent

  2. Linked to one another in their cell membrane

  3. Linked to one another by the sharing of the common genetic materials ,but to varying degrees
  4. Linked to another by the sharing of the common genetic material to $100\%$ extent
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

All living organisms—present, past and future are linked to one another by the sharing of the common genetic material, but to varying degrees.

The genetic material of living organisms undergoes mutations and reshuffling of genes. This causes variations in the genetic material. Variations are so abundant that no two individuals of the same race are exactly similar.
So the answer is 'Linked to one another by the sharing of the common genetic materials, but to varying degrees'. 

Multiple choice zoology the paths traversed by life mutational theory of evolution theories of evolution other theories of evolution

The ultimate source of organic evolution is

  1. Selection

  2. Sexual reproduction

  3. Hormonal action

  4. Mutation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

According to Dobzhansky, mutations, which help organisms in its survival, in the changing environment are accumulated in its genetic composition by natural selection. Mutations are now considered as the ultimate source of organic evolution. By mutations, some old genes can be replaced by new genes in a population to develop changes and thus, mutations play important part in the process of organic evolution.
Thus, the correct answer is option (D), 'Mutation'.

Multiple choice zoology the paths traversed by life mutational theory of evolution theories of evolution other theories of evolution

De Vries theory of mutation is :

  1. Opposed to natural selection theory.

  2. Not opposed to natural selection theory.

  3. Opposed to germplasm theory

  4. Opposed to Lamrck's theory
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

According to De Vries theory of evolution,

  • Mutation or discontinuous variation is the raw material of evolution.
  • The mutation appears suddenly and produced their effect immediately.
  • Mutants are different from the parents and there is no intermediate stage between the two.
  • The same type of mutation can appear in several individuals of a species.
  • Mutation can appear in all direction and all mutations are the inheritance
  • Useful mutations are selected by nature an lethal mutations are eliminated.

So, the correct option is 'Not opposed to natural selection theory'

Multiple choice zoology the paths traversed by life mutational theory of evolution theories of evolution other theories of evolution

Mutations are considered raw materials of evolution because they :

  1. Cause death of organism

  2. Contribute to new variations

  3. Are stable

  4. Random
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
Mutations are considered raw material to evolution, as mutations change the genetic material giving rise to  variations an accumulation of variations eventually leads to evolution.
So, the correct answer is 'Contribute to new variations'
Multiple choice zoology the paths traversed by life mutational theory of evolution theories of evolution other theories of evolution

A theory explaining the mechanism of evolution based on change of gene structure was put forward by :

  1. De Vries

  2. Darwin

  3. Lamarck

  4. Wallace
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
  • The theory which took change of gene structure called mutation under consideration was put forward by Hugo De Vries.
  • He his work on evening primrose suggested that variations occurred due to mutations.
  • Mutations are random and directionless while the variations that Darwin talked about were small and directional. Hugo de Vries gave the name saltation (single step large mutation) to the mutations which brought about speciation.
So, the correct answer is 'De Vries'