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 botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

The evolutionary history of a group of organism is termed as

  1. Taxonomy

  2. Systematics

  3. Phylogeny

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

  • The process of developing an evolutionary history of organisms is called phylogeny. The unit of data used here is the character or trait. 
  • Systematics deals with the evolutionary relationships between the organisms
  • Taxonomy deals with classifying and naming organisms.
  • Hierarchy is an arrangement of sequence in an increasing or decreasing order.
So the correct option is Phylogeny.

Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

________ systems of classification were based on natural affinities among the organisms.

  1. Artificial

  2. Natural

  3. Phylogenetic

  4. Sexual
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Natural system of classification takes into consideration comparable study of number of characters so as to bring out natural similarities and dissimilarities and hence natural relationships among the organisms. They include morphological characters, anatomical characters, cytological characters, physiology, ontogeny or development, reproduction, cytochemistry and biochemistry, experimental taxonomy, etc. So, the correct answer is 'Natural'.

Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

A cladogram conveys information about ancestors and descendants of an organism

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
Cladogram is a diagrammatic representation of the hypothetical relationships between various animals in a phylogeny.  It helps to derive information regarding the common ancestors and descendants of an organism.
So, the correct answer is, 'True'.
Multiple choice botany taxonomy and systematic botany taxonomy and systematics systematics of living world kingdom plantae plant taxonomy classification of biodiversity

______ classification systems were based on evolutionary relationships between various organisms. 

  1. Natural

  2. Artificial

  3. Phylogenetic

  4. Both (a) and (b)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Classification based on evolutionary relationships of organisms is called phylogenetic system of classification.

Multiple choice zoology evolution of life darwin's theory of evolution process of evolution lamarckism

Which of the following is not a concept of Lamarckism or theory of inheritance of acquired characters?

  1. Effect of environment and new needs

  2. Survival of the fittest

  3. Internal vital force

  4. Inheritance of acquired character
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Survival of the fittest was the phrase given to describe natural selection and it was explained and developed by Charles Darwin. The phrase was given by Herbert Spencer.

Multiple choice zoology evolution of life darwin's theory of evolution process of evolution lamarckism

What was the basic principle of Lamarckism?

  1. Inheritance of acquired characters

  2. Natural selection

  3. Survival of the fittest

  4. Variations
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
The 'theory of use and disuse' of Lamarck, advocated the idea that animals acquired characteristics after using certain physical traits constantly. For example, he believed that the reason why necks of giraffes were long, was because they stretched to reach leaves on high trees
So, the correct answer is 'Inheritance of acquired characters'
Multiple choice zoology evolution of life darwin's theory of evolution process of evolution lamarckism

Which of the following evidences do not famous the Lamarckian concept of inheritance of acquired characters?

  1. Lack of pigment in cave dwelling animals

  2. Melanisation in peppered moth

  3. Absence of limbs in snakes

  4. Elongation of giraffes neck
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
  • Lamarckism was the theory given by the monk who was one of the brilliant scientists use the first natural ways to put forward a general theory of evolution according to his theory there is some internal force of life that tend to increase the size of organism and according to his loss, the necessity in animals causes them to produce structures.
  •  Lamarck's most famous law was the effect of use and disuse of organs that according to long neck of Giraffe was the result of continuous stretching of the neck to obtain food and as snakes did not use their Limbs so they became rudimentary and moth to develop melanin to get protected so the correct option is lake of pigment in cave-dwelling animals.
Multiple choice zoology evolution of life darwin's theory of evolution process of evolution lamarckism

Which of the following is not a concept of Lamarck?

  1. Environmental pressure cause variation.

  2. Rate and survival of organism is different due to variation.

  3. Inheritance of acquired character.

  4. If an organ is used constantly, it will continuously increase its size.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Lamarckism never explains about variation in due course of time and survival of organism. It explains about the characteristics acquired by animals as a result of continuous use of the physical trait.

Multiple choice zoology evolution of life darwin's theory of evolution process of evolution lamarckism

Concept of inheritance of acquired characters was disapproved by experiments of 

  1. Oparin

  2. Weismann

  3. Fox

  4. Darwin
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The inheritance of acquired characteristics is a hypothesis that physiological changes acquired over the life of an organism (such as the enlargement of a muscle through repeated use) may be transmitted to offspring. The basic concept of inheritance of acquired characters was finally widely rejected in the early 20th century. It was disapproved by experiment conducted by Weismann. Weismann conducted the experiment of removing the tails of 68 white mice, repeatedly over 5 generations and reporting that no mice were born in consequence without a tail or even with a shorter tail. 

Therefore, the correct answer is option B.

Multiple choice zoology evolution of life darwin's theory of evolution process of evolution lamarckism
Consider the following statements relating to evolution and answer the question.

(i) Organisms are products of a history of descent with modification.
(ii) Characteristics acquired by an organism during its lifetime are inherited by its offspring.
(iii) The goal of evolution is to adapt organisms to the environment.
(iv) Evolutionary change is brought about by natural selection.

The theory of evolution presented in Darwin's "The Origin of Species" depended on what combination of these statements?


Which combination of the above statements best reflects Lamarck's theory of evolution?

  1. (i)

  2. Both (i) and (ii)

  3. (ii)

  4. Both (ii) and (iv)

  5. (iii)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The inheritance of acquired characteristics is a hypothesis that physiological changes acquired over the life of an organism (such as the enlargement of a muscle through repeated use) may be transmitted to offspring. It is also commonly referred to as the theory of adaptation equated with the evolutionary theory of French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck known as Lamarckism. Thus, option C is correct. Lamarckism does not reflects organisms are products of a history of descent with modification (Darwinism), the goal of evolution is to adapt organisms to the environment and evolutionary change is brought about by natural selection (Darwinism). Thus, other options are wrong.

Multiple choice zoology evolution of life darwin's theory of evolution process of evolution lamarckism

Theory of Lamarck was based on

  1. Adaptive modifications

  2. Adaptive radiatons

  3. Both A and B

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

Lamarckism is the idea that an organism can pass on characteristics that it acquired during its lifetime to its offspring also known as heritability of acquired characteristics or soft inheritance. It is named after the French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who incorporated the action of soft inheritance into his evolutionary theories as a supplement to his concept of an inherent progressive tendency driving organisms continuously towards greater complexity, in parallel but separate lineages with no extinction. Lamarck did not originate the idea of soft inheritance, which proposes that individual efforts during the lifetime of the organisms were the main mechanism driving species to adaptation, as they supposedly would acquire adaptive changes and pass them on to offspring. According to Lamarck change in the environment brings modifications in plants and animals so as to adapt to their surroundings. So, theory of Lamarck was based on adaptive modifications and not based on adaptive collisions and radiations. Thus, option A is correct and other options are wrong.

Multiple choice zoology evolution of life darwin's theory of evolution process of evolution lamarckism

In a famous experiment, A. Weismann cut off tails of new-born mice generation after generation. At the end of experiment, tails of mice neither disappeared nor shortened. This experiment 

  1. Supports Darwin's theory of natural selection.

  2. Proves that tail is an essential organ of vertebrates.

  3. Disproves de Vries mutation theory.

  4. Shows that Lamarck was wrong in his theory of inheritance of acquired characters.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

What Lamarck claimed was the inheritance of characteristics acquired through effort, or will. 

Weismann conducted the experiment of removing the tails of 68 white mice, repeatedly over 5 generations, and reporting that no mice were born in consequence without a tail or even with a shorter tail.

Multiple choice zoology evolution of life darwin's theory of evolution process of evolution lamarckism

 According to Lamarckism theroy acquired characters are

  1. Inherited

  2. Artificial

  3. Superficial

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

The inheritance of acquired characteristics is a hypothesis that physiological changes acquired over the life of an organism such as the enlargement of a muscle through repeated use may be transmitted to offspring. It is also commonly referred to as the theory of adaptation equated with the evolutionary theory of French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck known as Lamarckism. 
Therefore, the correct answer is option A.