Biology

Genetics and Evolutionary Biology

1,123 Questions

Genetics and evolutionary biology explain how traits are passed from parents to offspring and how species change over time. Key concepts include genetic drift, inbreeding, and heredity. This topic is fundamental for the biology section of many competitive tests.

Heredity and traitsGenetic variations and driftInbreeding conceptsEvolutionary mechanisms

Genetics and Evolutionary Biology Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements regarding genetic drift is correct?

  1. It is an orderly change in gene frequencies.

  2. It produces greatest fluctuations in large populations.

  3. It is a random change in gene frequencies.

  4. It has nothing in common with inbreeding.

  5. It is a non-random change in gene frequencies.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Genetic drift is the random change in gene frequencies.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the cause of variation?

  1. Recombination

  2. Breeding

  3. Skin

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

Recombination during meiosis creates new combinations of alleles by exchanging genetic material between homologous chromosomes. This process generates genetic diversity in offspring, which is a fundamental source of variation in populations.

Multiple choice

What causes hereditary variations?

  1. Environmental changes

  2. Mutations

  3. Gene transfer

  4. Jumping gene

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

Mutations in genes or chromosomes are transferred to progeny by sexual reproduction.

Multiple choice

What causes heriditary variations?

  1. Environmental changes

  2. Mutations

  3. Gene transfer

  4. Jumping gene

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

Mutations in genes or chromosomes are transferred to the progeny by sexual reproduction.

Multiple choice

Which of the following explains racial immunity?

  1. Mutation

  2. Selection

  3. Adaptation

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

Racial immunity is a natural immunity shared by most of the members of a genetically related population. In humans, it is explained through selectivity and survival.

Multiple choice

Which of the following pieces of information can be derived from interrupted mating experiments?

  1. Recombinant frequency

  2. Mutation frequency

  3. Genomic mapping

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

Interrupted mating experiments are done to determine genomic maps. It is a technique that is used to map bacterial genes by determining the sequence in which donor genes enter recipient cells. Genes are mapped by disrupting conjugation after specific time intervals.

Multiple choice

Which of the following was proved by Luria and Delbruck by fluctuation test?

  1. In bacteria, genetic mutations arise in the absence of selection.

  2. In bacteria, genetic mutations arise in response to selection.

  3. Bacteria never develop resistance to their respective phages.

  4. Mutation can be induced by an external factor.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Luria and Delbruck (1943) proved by the fluctuation test that in bacteria, genetic mutations arise in the absence of selection.

Multiple choice

Regarding heredity in organisms, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

  1. In humans, eye colour is an example of an inherited characteristic.

  2. Inherited traits are controlled by genes in organisms.

  3. The complete set of observable traits of the structure and behaviour of an organism is called its genotype .

  4. An organism's phenotype is not inherited.

  5. Heritable traits are known to be passed from one generation to the next via a DNA molecule.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The complete set of observable traits of the structure and behaviour of an organism is called its phenotype. These traits arise from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.