Islamic Educational College-Jabal Amman \ Jubaiha

American Program-Middle &High School

2022 – 2023
Biology Department
ACT Practice ( Evolution)
Student’s Name:
Date: Score:
Grade: 10 Boys & Girls
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Biology
Teacher: Abdullah Drabah
40

1. Darwin proposed that the mechanism behind evolutionary change was

A. Heterozygosity
B. Genetic drift
C. Inheritance of acquired traits
D. Polymorphism
E. Natural selection

2. Features that increase the likelihood of survival and reproduction by an organism in a particular
environment are called
A. genes.
B. fitness.
C. mutations.
D. adaptations.
E. selection.

3. The gene pool includes

A. all of the fitness within a population.
B. all of the individuals within a population.
C. all of the mutations within a population.
D. all of the adaptations within a population.
E. all of the alleles of genes within a population.

4. A decrease in genetic variation caused by a drastic reduction in population size is called a

A. Genetic drift.
B. Hardy-Weinberg effect.
C. Evolutionary effect.
D. polymorphic effect.
E. adaptive effect.

5. Darwin proposed that natural selection occurs in an environment by

A. favoring heritable features that make the organism better suited to survive and reproduce.
B. producing a constant number of offspring while in that environment.
C. surviving for a fixed amount of time.
D. resisting the environment and keeping the environment from changing.
E. favoring those individuals with the most favorable acquired characteristics.

6. The Hardy-Weinberg equations only hold true, that is, a population is only in equilibrium
A. when immigration in and out of the area are held constant.
B. when changes only take place over long periods of time.
C. when it includes episodes of extinction.
D. when the population is designed to survive in new habitats.
E. when all of the Hardy-Weinberg assumptions are met.
7. "The inheritance of acquired characteristics" proposal was put forward by
A. Darwin.
B. Lamarck.
C. Wallace.
D. Founder.
E. Hardy-Weinberg.

8. Hardy-Weinberg pointed out that the original proportions of the genotypes in a population would remain
constant from generation to generation if certain assumptions are met. Which one of the following is not a
Hardy-Weinberg condition?

A. The population is very large.

B. No gene flow occurs.
C. No selection occurs.
D. Random mating occurs.
E. Genetic mutations happen constantly.

9. Which one of the following is not an agent of natural evolutionary change?

A. mutation
B. artificial selection
C. genetic drift
D. non-random mating
E. artificial selection

10. About 80% of the alleles present in thoroughbred horses can be dated back to 31 known ancestors from
the late eighteenth century. As a result, one would expect

A. low rates of mutation.

B. many polymorphic alleles.
C. little variation in physiology and behavior.
D. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
E. random mating.

11. The total of all the alleles of all the genes in a population can be thought of as
A. an allele mixture.
B. a gene pool.
C. a genetic melting pot.
D. a genome.
E. variant genes.

12. Cheetahs have been through a genetic bottleneck; evidence for this is that
A. little natural selection occurs in this species.
B. the body is long, thin, and graceful.
C. there is very little genetic variability.
D. these cats are members of an endangered species.
E. they originally came from small areas of Africa.

13 Natural selection varies the shape of the beaks among Darwin's finches in response
A. to the available food supply.
B. to the available nest building material supplies.
C. to the availability of potential mating partners.
D. to presence of ectoparasites on their feathers.
E. to the need to improve their feather preening abilities.

14. A researcher sprays a new pesticide on thousands of insects of the same species that live in a large
field. A few of the insects survive. What can be concluded by the researcher?
A The species of insects will likely become resistant to the pesticide.
B The ideal interval between the first and second applications of the pesticide should be increased.
C The pesticide has no effect on the species.
D The concentration of the pesticide was too weak.
15. According to fossil records, the horses that lived 50 million years ago were much smaller, weaker, and
slower than modern horses. Which process is most likely responsible for the changes that have led to the
increased size, strength, and speed in horses?
A commensalism
B inbreeding
C migration
D natural selection

16. What advantage do sexually reproducing organisms have over asexually reproducing organisms?
A genetic variation B genetic stability
C increased fertilization rate D increased reproductive rate

17. Darwin concluded that evolution was at work by studying the shapes of
A. seeds.
B. malarial parasites.
C. peppered moths.
D. hemoglobins.
E. beaks of finches.

18. The shape of the beaks of Darwin's finches are considered examples of the process of
_______________ leading to evolutionary change.
A. artificial selection
B. coevolution
C. intelligent design
D. founder effect
E. natural selection

19. Progressive changes in fossils of different ages provides one of the strongest lines of evidence for
A. extinction.
B. evolution.
C. coevolution.
D. adaptation.
E. mutation.

20. In the case of the toothed whales, the fossil record

A. shows they evolved from fish.
B. shows they evolved from swimming dinosaurs.
C. shows they evolved from a land mammal with hooves.
D. has fragmentary evidence that cannot be explained.
E. has no evidence about how they evolved.

21. Structures that are derived from the same body part in a common ancestor but may have different
appearances and functions are called
A. analogous structures.
B. homologous structures.
C. vestigial structures.
D. embryonic structures.
E. homozygous structures.

22. The fins of fish and whales are examples of structures that resemble each other and have similar
function, but are the result of parallel evolution in separate lineages. These structures are called
A. analogous structures.
B. homologous structures.
C. vestigial structures.
D. embryonic structures.

23. Which of the following is not a vestigial trait in humans?

A. ear-wiggling muscles
B. muscles that make body hairs stand on end
C. fingers
D. appendix
E. wisdom teeth
24 Some marine worms and mollusks go through similar larval stages during development. Which can be
inferred about their relationship?
A They share a common ancestor. B They mate with each other.
C They compete for a habitat. D They share the same food source.

25 Which statement best describes natural selection?

A As the weather changes, organisms that are able to find shelter need less energy to live.
B Organisms that eat only plants need less food than organisms that eat animals.
C Organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to reproduce and pass on their traits to
their offspring.
D Small organisms are more likely to survive than larger organisms.

26. Is genetic drift likely to be a larger factor for a population with a lot of individuals or for a smaller
population?
A. the larger population
B. the smaller population
C. it will be the same for both.
D. it is totally random and not related to the population size.

27 An antibiotic which was effective 20 years ago against a specific type of bacterial infection no longer
works against the same kind of infection today. Which best explains why the antibiotic is no longer as
effective as it was 20 years ago?
A Bacteria resistant to the antibiotic have killed off nonresistant bacteria.
B Viruses have changed the structure of the bacteria that causes the infection.
C Resistant bacteria have survived and reproduced at a greater rate than nonresistant bacteria.
D The human body has developed an immunity to the antibiotics.

28 An insecticide kills most of the ants on a plant. Over time, it is determined that the insecticide is not as
effective for killing ants. Which statement best explains this observation?
A The ants killed initially by the insecticide were genetically the same as the surviving ants.
B The ants killed initially by the insecticide had thinner cell membranes than the surviving ants.
C The ants that survived were younger than those that died as a result of the insecticide.
D The ants killed by the insecticide and the surviving ants were genetically different.

29. How does evolution explain the similarities in the bone structure of a bird wing and the
forelimb of a horse? ( Homologous Structures)
A. Different functions indicate a common ancestor.
B. Similar functions point to a common ancestor.
C. Similar structure indicates a common ancestor.
D. Vestigial structures point to a common ancestor.

30. Darwin discussed pigeon breeding in his book for what purpose?
A. To show off his hobby so all people would accept him as an average person.
B. To show how different fossils may be formed.
C. To show how natural selection will benefit farmers.
D. To show that species can change through artificial selection.

31. Humans have bred dozens of dog varieties from ancestral wolves. This is an example of
A. Artificial selection B. Disruptive selection
C. Natural Selection D. Selective selection

32. In the case of the toothed whales, the fossil record

A. shows they evolved from fish.
B. shows they evolved from swimming dinosaurs.
C. shows they evolved from a land mammal with hooves.
D. has fragmentary evidence that cannot be explained.
33. Which combination of characteristics in a population would provide the greatest potential for
evolutionary change?
A.small population, few mutations B.large population, few mutations
C.small population, many mutations D.large population, many mutations

34. A classical example of adaptive radiation is seen in

A. peppered moths.
B. mules.
C. Darwin's finches.
D. Hawaiian finches.
E. mainland birds.

35. Two groups of organisms that differ from one another in one or more characteristics and do not
reproduce extensively or have viable offspring if they occur together in nature are considered to be
different
A. races.
B. species.
C. kingdoms.
D. hybrids.
E. Cohabitants

36. The observation that different geographical areas sometimes exhibit plant and animal communities of
similar appearance, even though the individual plants and animals are not closely related, is called
A. the fossil record.
B. homology.
C. convergent evolution.
D. divergent evolution.
E. adaptation

37. The limbs of several organisms are shown in the illustrations below. Scientists sometimes compare the
limbs of these organisms to look for evidence of common ancestry. These limbs provide evidence of
common ancestry because they —
A. have the same basic structure
B. perform the same function
C. are the same size
D. are parts of mammals

38. A type of evolution that occurs when organisms adapt to

live in a similar environment and take on the look of each other,
but do not evolve from a common ancestor.

A. Adaptive Radiation
B. Convergent Evolution
C. Natural Selection
D. Oscillating Selection

39. The concept of gene flow is demonstrated when a cow is driven off from its herd, joins another herd,
and reproduces. When the cow contributes to the gene pool of the new herd, which of these most likely
increases?
A Natural selection
B Genetic variation
C Environmental fitness
D Reproductive mutations
40. In Madagascar scientists have discovered a moth, Xanthopan morganii praedicta, that has a
30.5 cm proboscis and feeds from and pollinates Darwin’s orchid, Angraecum sesquipedale. The
orchid has a nectar-producing tube that is 27.9 cm
long.

How is the moth’s proboscis size an adaptation for

its environment?
F The moth can avoid larger animals.
G The moth can pollinate other flowers.
H The moth has little competition for food.
J The moth has time to feed during the day.