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

An example of Social Darwinism is

  1. using a superior military to colonize other countries

  2. giving tax cuts to the poor

  3. a club that talks about Darwin

  4. seizing the means of production and distributing money fairly
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Social Darwinism is the theory that individuals, groups, and peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals. Historically, it was used to justify imperialism and the domination of 'weaker' nations by 'superior' ones.

Multiple choice evs - i interdependence in our environment meaning of environment significance of biodiversity habitat and adaptation

The gradual physiological adjustment to slowly changing new environmental conditions is known as

  1. Selection

  2. Introduction

  3. Acclimatization

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

Acclimatization is the process by which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment, allowing it to maintain performance across a range of environmental conditions.

Multiple choice evs interdependence in our environment meaning of environment significance of biodiversity habitat and adaptation

Organism adapt to their habitat by which of the following means?

  1. Changes in body

  2. Changes in behaviour

  3. Changes in location

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

Every organism has its own ecosystem where it can survive but need to adapt to changes of habitat for survival.

Structural: Arctic foxes have small ears to retain body heat while desert foxes have large ears for heat radiation.
Physiological: These does not appear externally but based on metabolism it varies. Desert animals have more efficient kidneys and presence of toxins in the leaf to repel herbivores.
Behavioral: Desert animals are active at night during hot summer weather. Lizards seek a sunny spot in the morning to warm up to operating temperatures more quickly.
So the correct answer is 'All of the above'.

Multiple choice biology animal world oviparous and viviparous diversity and classification in animals adaptations in animals

Study following statements and choose the correct alternative.
(P) Those organs which have the same internal structure but different functions, are called homologous organs.
(Q) Organs which have different basic design but have similar appearance and carryout similar functions are called analogous organs.
(R) The impressions of dead plants or animals that lived in the past are known fossils.

  1. All the three (P, Q, R) statements are true

  2. Statements P and Q are true but R is false

  3. Only R is true

  4. All three statements are wrong
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The organs which have the same structure but are involved in performing the different type of functions are known as homologous organs. 

The organs which have similar functions but are structurally different are known as the analogous organs. 
The fossils are the imprints, casts or molds of the dead animals and plants which existed in the past. These fossils are used for the study of the ancient organisms. 
Thus, the correct answer is option A. 

Multiple choice biology animal world oviparous and viviparous diversity and classification in animals adaptations in animals

It can be said that some animals in their evolutionary development preferred to be conformers than regulators. 
Which of the following can be the best suited reason for it?

  1. The metabolic of these organisms can occur at a very wide rang of temperature.

  2. Maintaining homeostasis is an energetically expensive process

  3. The enzymes of these organisms are functional at high temperatures.

  4. Both B and C
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Maintaining homeostasis, especially thermoregualtion is energetically expensive for many organisms. During the course of evolution, the costs and benefits of maintaining a constant internal environment were taken into consideration and thus some species preferred to be conformers.

Multiple choice zoology meaning of life level of biological organization in animals introduction to tissues basics of ecology

There are several compelling pieces of scientific evidence that support the occurrence of evolution. Answer the following four questions  using the choices provided. Each of the following terms may be used once, more than once, or not at all.
The presence of penguins on the South American, southern African, and Antarctic continents indicates that at one time, these continents were a single land mass. This demonstrates the concept of             

  1. Fossil record

  2. Biogeography

  3. Homologous structures

  4. Allopatric speciation

  5. Natural selection
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
A. Fossil record is the evolutionary information retrieved from the fossils of animals and plants.
B. Biogeography is the study of the geographical distribution of life forms on earth.
C. Homologous organs are the organs that have same basic structure but different functions.
D. Changing climate may isolate population on mountain peaks or in remnant lakes, or rare migrants may colonise new areas such as the Galapagos and Hawaiian islands. This geographic isolation is termed as allopatry and gives rise to allopatric speciation.
E. According to Darwin's concept of natural selection, as a struggle for existence, only those organisms could survive which have favourable variation to adapt with the environmental conditions. In other words, struggle for existence results in survival of the fittest which means that natural selection tends to favour those organisms which are most fit to survive with the reproductive age in a particular environment and to produce offspring.
Hence, the statement 'presence of penguins on the South American, southern African, and Antarctic continents indicates that at one time, these continents were a single land mass' shows the geographical distribution of penguins i.e. it demonstrates the concept of 'Biogeography'.
So, the correct answer is 'Biogeography'.
Multiple choice biology evolution of life darwinism or theories of natural selection darwin's theory of evolution theories of evolution

Which one of the following sequences was proposed by Darwin and Wallace for organic evolution?

  1. Overproduction, variations, constancy of population size, natural selection

  2. Variations, constancy of population size, over-production, natural selection

  3. Overproduction, constancy of population size, variations, natural selection

  4. Variations, natural selection, overproduction, constancy of population size
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Organisms tend to increase the number of offsprings in the individual for survival in number. Then the interspecific, intraspecific, extra specific struggle for existence occurs. Then small changes occur from the parent generation to the next progenies which acts as a raw material for a source of evolution. And nature selects the useful or adaptive variation.

So, the correct answer is 'Overproduction, the constancy of population size, variations, natural selection'.

Multiple choice biology evolution of life darwinism or theories of natural selection darwin's theory of evolution theories of evolution

Fitness according to Darwin refers to______________.

  1. Number of species in a community

  2. Useful variation in population

  3. Strength of an individual

  4. Reproductive fitness of an organism
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
According to Darwin's theory fitness refers to the Reproductive fitness of an organism because it describes the reproductive success of an individual which is measured as the number of offsprings produce by an individual with respect to specific genotype or phenotype. Fitness theory of Darwin doesn't depend on strength of an organism to survive but the ability of an organism to pass on its genetic material to its offsprings. 
So, the correct answer is 'Reproductive fitness of an organism'.
Multiple choice biology evolution of life darwinism or theories of natural selection darwin's theory of evolution theories of evolution

Darwinism explains all the following except.

  1. Offspring with better traits that overcome competition are best suited for the environment

  2. Variations may or may not be inherited from parents to offspring through genes

  3. Within each species, there are variations

  4. Organisms tend to produce more number of offspring than can survive
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The main drawback of Darwinism is lack of knowledge of heredity. Darwin's theory could not explain the inheritance of variations from parents to offsprings through genes.

So, the correct answer is 'Variations may or may not be inherited from parents to offspring through genes'.