Biology · Science General

Evolution and Biological Adaptation

1,288 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

The evolution of giraffe with long neck was explained by Lamarck. Which of the following reasons was given by him?

  1. The frequent turning back of neck for itching gradually elongated the neck in successive generations.

  2. Eating of the foliage high up on the trees as there was no vegetation on the ground in the desert areas, gradually elongated the neck in successive generations.

  3. Giraffe rested with its neck pulled behind, which gradually elongated the neck in successive generations.

  4. Giraffe had 90% of its diet including bamboo, which gradually elongated its neck in successive generations.

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Yes, it is correct. This pulling of neck for food was found in the giraffes of dry and arid deserts of Africa.

Multiple choice

The wings of a bat and a bird are examples of

  1. analogous organs

  2. speciation

  3. homologous organs

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

Wings of a bat and a bird have different structures and components. Wings of bats are skin folds stretched between elongated fingers, but wings of birds are a feathery covering all along the arm. They look similar because they have a common use for flying, but their origins are not common. Hence, they are analogous organs.

Multiple choice

Which of the following forms the basic concepts in the theory of evolution by natural selection?

  1. Inheritance of acquired character

  2. Change in germplasm brings about evolution

  3. Modifications in organs through use and disuse

  4. Prodigality of reproduction, struggle for existence and survival of the fittest

  5. Appearance of sudden large variations, their inheritance and survival of those having these variations
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Prodigality of reproduction, struggle for existence and survival of the fittest are the basic concepts of Darwin's theory of natural selection.

Multiple choice

Organs of different organisms which are similar in structure but different in function are called

  1. homogeneous organs

  2. analogous organs

  3. homologous organs

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

Homologous organs share similar anatomical structure and embryonic origin but may serve different functions, like human arms, whale flippers, and bat wings. This differs from analogous organs which have similar function but different structure, like bird wings and insect wings.

Multiple choice

Directions: In the following question, four statements are provided between an opening statement 1 and a closing statement 6. The four statements are jumbled up and form a coherent paragraph when properly arranged. Select the alternative representing the proper and logical sequencing of these six statements.

1 Darwin himself was a liberal but his theories had consequences in some degree inimical to traditional liberalism.

A. If, as Lamarck held, acquired characteristic were inherited, the opposition to Helvetius's views would be softened.

B. The doctrine that all men are equal and education was responsible for difference in opinion was incompatible with his theory of congenital differences.

C. And these differences arose between members of same species.

D. Apart from certain exception, it has appeared that only congenital characteristics are inherited.

6 Thus, congenital differences between men acquire fundamental importance.

  1. ABDC

  2. BCAD

  3. CDAB

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

Sentence 1 describes the contradiction theories of Darwin and traditional liberalism. So, following sentence should be in same essence as given in first sentence. Only sentence B goes with the flow of first sentence because rest of the sentence discusses ideas which haven't been explained in sentence 1. Thus, BCAD is the correct option.

Multiple choice

Consider the following facts about genome composition:

  1. Comparing genome compositions helps scientists to understand the evolutionary history of a given genome.
  2. Most of the genome (almost 85-90%) in prokaryotes is repetitive DNA.
  3. Mammals and plant genomes are made up of repetitive DNA.

Which of the above are true?

  1. 1 and 2

  2. 2 and 3

  3. 1 and 3

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

Genome composition is used to describe the make up of contents of a haploid genome, which should include genome size, proportions of non-repetitive DNA and repetitive DNA in details. By comparing the genome compositions between genomes, scientists can better understand the evolutionary history of a given genome. In prokaryotes, most of the genome (85-90%) is non-repetitive DNA, which means coding DNA mainly forms it, while non-coding regions only take a small part. On the contrary, eukaryotes have the feature of exon-intron organization of protein coding genes; the variation of repetitive DNA content in eukaryotes is also extremely high. When referring to mammals and plants, the major part of genome is composed by repetitive DNA.

Multiple choice

Match the evolutionary biologists in Group I with their respective theory in Group II.

 
Group I
Gropu II
P. August Weisman 1. Neutral theory of molecular evolution
Q. Jean-Baptiste Lamark 2. Handicap principle
R. Amotz Zahavi 3. Theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics
S. Motoo Kimura 4. Germ plasm theory

  1. P - 1; Q - 2; R - 3; S - 4

  2. P - 2; Q - 1; R - 3; S - 4

  3. P - 3; Q - 2; R - 4; S - 1

  4. P - 4; Q - 2; R - 1; S - 3

  5. P - 4; Q - 3; R - 2; S - 1
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Germplasm theory was given by August Weisman. Neutral theory of molecular evolution was given by Motoo Kimura. Handicap principle was given by Amotz Zahavi. Theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics was given by Jean-Baptiste Lamark.

Multiple choice

According to Darwin's theory of evolution, differences between species may be the result of

  1. mutagenic agents

  2. natural selection

  3. the disuse of body structures

  4. None of these

  5. NA
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Natural selection theory proposed by Darwin states that evolutionary change comes through the production of variation in each generation and differential survival of individuals with different combinations of these variable characters.

Multiple choice

Development of calf muscles in ladies who wear high heels is a common example of:

  1. Natural Selection

  2. inheritance of acquired character

  3. Use and disuse of organ

  4. Artificial selection

  5. none of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Development of calf muscles in ladies due to wearing of high heels are strictly disuse of the organs. Its not the natural disorder or by birth. These disorder are fully responsible for the ladies who wear the high heals.

Multiple choice

Darwin could not explain

  1. over production

  2. variations

  3. survival of the fittest

  4. struggle for existence
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Darwin observed and documented variations in organisms but could not explain their origin or source. He explained over-production, survival of the fittest, and struggle for existence as key mechanisms of natural selection. Variations were known to exist, but their genetic basis (mutations and recombination) was discovered later.