Module 1 Term Test Review

1. Which of the following options is not correct?

a. A paraphyletic group includes the common ancestor of several organisms.
b. A monophyletic group includes the common ancestor of several organisms.
c. A paraphyletic group includes all the descendants of a common ancestor
d. A monophyletic group includes all the descendants of a common ancestor.
2. Which of the following options is correct?
a. In a phylogenetic tree, the organisms are always organized from the least to the most
complex.
b. Both phylogenetic trees and cladograms show a calibrated passage of time in their
branches.
c. A phylogenetic tree based on parsimony is the best, because it includes all the possible
evolutionary changes, giving us the most complete and complex tree.
d. A phylogenetic tree is considered to be a hypothesis, not a theory, which means that it
might be subject to some changes depending on the acquired data.
3. In a population of snapdragons, there are 100 white, 80 red, and 70 pink individuals. What is the
genotype frequency of the pink individuals among all the population?
a. 0.28
b. 0.32
c. 0.4
d. 0.56
4. In a population of snapdragons, there are 100 white, 80 red, and 70 pink individuals. What is the
allele frequency of the Cw allele?
a. 0.54
b. 0.4
c. 0.46
d. 0.68
5. In a population of snapdragons, there are 100 white, 80 red, and 70 pink individuals. What is the
genotype frequency of the pink individuals in the next generation of snapdragons, assuming that
random mating is in effect?
a. 0.29
b. 0.28
c. 0.50
d. 0.21
6. Which of the evolutionary agents below is not random?
a. Natural selection
b. Genetic drift
c. Mutation
d. All of the above are random
7. Which options are true regarding the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?
I. Most organisms in nature around us are experiencing the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
II. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is a null hypothesis.
III. In a population in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the population is infinitely large to
prevent the effect of gene flow.
a. I and II
b. I and III
c. II and III
d. All the options are correct
e. Neither of the options is correct
8. Which options are true regarding evolution and the evolutionary agents?
a. Evolution occurs when organisms pass on their acquired characteristics to their offspring.
b. Genetic drift can only decrease the frequency of an allele, it can never increase it.
c. Every mutation in an organism can be passed on to their offspring.
d. None of the above.
9. In a population of fish, two alleles for a specific gene control resistance to parasites. Individuals
who are homozygous for either allele are more susceptible to certain parasite infections, while
heterozygous individuals (carrying both alleles) are more resistant. Over time, both alleles remain
in the population because heterozygous individuals have a survival advantage. What evolutionary
mechanism is maintaining this genetic variation?
a. Stabilizing selection
b. Disruptive selection
c. Balancing selection
d. Directional selection
10. In a population of butterflies, two different color forms are favored: one that mimics a poisonous
species (which deters predators) and one that camouflages against the environment. However,
individuals with intermediate colors are more easily spotted by predators. Over time, the
population consists mostly of these two extreme color forms, with few intermediates. What type
of selection is responsible for this pattern?
 a. Stabilizing selection
b. Directional selection
c. Disruptive selection
d. Balancing selection
11. Which options are true regarding the concept of negative-frequency dependent selection?
I. Rare alleles have more fitness compared to the frequent alleles.
II. Frequent alleles will be continuously selected against, until they are completely removed
from the population.
III. Malaria resistance in humans is an example of negative-frequency dependence.
a. Only I
b. I and II
c. II and III
d. I and III
12. What is the difference between fossil and fossil record?
a. A fossil refers to an individual preserved remains of an organism, while the fossil record
is the cumulative collection of all fossils ever discovered.
b. A fossil is evidence of past organisms in the form of impressions, bones, or shells, while
the fossil record includes only fossils found within specific time periods.
c. A fossil is a single organism's remains, whereas the fossil record represents evolutionary
changes and species diversity across time based on all fossils found.
d. A fossil is a rock formation that resembles a past organism, while the fossil record is a
method for dating fossils.
13. Which of the options below is incorrect?
a. Plants are able to fossilize
b. The fossil record is incomplete
c. We can find the accurate age of a fossil using relative and radiometric dating.
d. All the options above are correct.
14. Which option is correct regarding evolution?
a. Through evolution, organisms always become more and more complex.
b. Evolution happens when the offspring inherit the acquired characteristics of the parent
c. Evolution occurs within the individuals of a population, not within the population as a
whole.
d. Evolution can promote a trait that has not been advantageous for many years.
e. Evolution occurs with the purpose of making the perfect organism.
15. Microevolution is the changes _______ the species while macroevolution is the changes ______
the species.
a. Within - between
b. Between - within
c. Within - Within
d. Between - between
16. What is the difference between balancing and stabilizing selection?
a. They are the same term for one concept.
b. Balancing selection selects for the intermediate trait while stabilizing selection keeps two
different alleles present in a population.
c. Stabilizing selection selects for the intermediate trait while balancing selection keeps two
different alleles present in the population.
17. Which of the following is correct?
a. Homoplasy is when two organisms share a similar trait due to a common ancestor.
b. Synapomorphy is when two organisms have similar analogous structures.
c. The similar bone structure of a bird’s wings and those of a bat’s wings are an example of
a homologous structure.
d. Convergent evolution occurs when two organisms share a common ancestor, inheriting
similar traits and characteristics.
18. Which evolutionary mechanism increases the variation within a population?
a. Mutation
b. Genetic drift
c. Sexual selection
d. Stabilizing selection
19. Which of the following traits is the most useful when constructing a phylogenetic trait?
a. Homologous structures
b. Analogous structures
c. Vestigial structures
d. Environmental structures
20. Which dating method is the best for identifying the age of a dinosaur’s fossil (they went extinct
65 million years ago)?
a. Carbon dating
b. Uranium-lead dating
c. Relative dating
21. Which structure below is not used by protists for movement?
a. Pellicle
b. Pseudopodia
c. Flagella
d. Cilia
22. In a species of birds, males with the brightest feathers attract more mates, while duller-feathered
males are less successful in mating. As a result, over generations, more males with bright feathers
are seen in the population. What type of selection is at work here?
a. A. Natural selection
b. B. Disruptive selection
c. C. Sexual selection
d. D. Stabilizing selection
23. In a population of fish, both very large and very small individuals survive better than
medium-sized individuals. The large fish are less vulnerable to predators, while the small ones
can hide more easily. Medium-sized fish are more likely to be caught. Over time, both extremes
increase in frequency. What type of selection is occurring?
a. A. Directional selection
b. B. Stabilizing selection
c. C. Disruptive selection
d. D. Artificial selection
24. In a population of lizards, those with BB and Bb genotypes are black while those with the bb
genotype are white. In a population of 500 lizards, 300 are black and 200 are white. What is the
genotype frequency of the white individuals?
a. 0.6
b. 0.4
c. 0.2
d. 0.3
25. Which of the following organisms belongs to the superkingdom Opisthokonta?
a. Red algae
b. Choanoflagellates
c. Dinoflagellates
d. Foraminifera
 Important Concepts
Disclaimer: This list is not a complete list of all topics, it is just for your guide about the general
concepts. Please use your slides and textbook as your first resource.
● Phylogenetic trees
○ Rooted vs Unrooted
○ Monophyletic - paraphyletic - polyphyletic
○ Nodes - branches - sister taxa - outgroup - common ancestor
● Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
● Natural selection
○ Stabilizing selection - directional selection - disruptive selection
● Balancing selection
○ Negative frequency-dependent - heterozygote advantage.
● Speciation
○ Allopatric - sympatric
● Evolutionary agents
○ Mutation - natural selection - gene flow - genetic drift.
● Allele frequency
● Genotype frequency
● Charles Darwin
● Alfred Wallace
● John Lamarck
● Thomas Malthus
● Theories vs Laws
● Finches of the Daphne Major that went through drought
● Competition
○ Intraspecific - interspecific
● Fossils
○ Radiometric dating - relative dating
○ Why is the fossil record incomplete?
○ Transitional species
● Hierarchical classifications
○ Domain → kingdom → phylum → class → order → family → genus → species
i. The mnemonic “Did King Phillip Come Over For Good Soup?”
● Homologous traits vs Analogous traits
● Synapomorphy vs Homoplasy
● Types of isolation
○ Postzygotic - prezygotic
● Hybrid zones
○ Reinforcement - fusion - stability
● Different eukaryotic groups
● Hox genes
● Homeotic genes
● Evo-Devo
● Microevolution vs Macroevolution