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This set of Biology Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on Evolution Set 2

Q1 | Which of the following are the most distantly related to one another?
  • Sunfish and dolphins.
  • Tree frogs and snakes.
  • Vampire bats and birds.
  • Bears and whales.
Q2 | How does an evolutionary biologist explain why a species of birds has evolved a larger beak size?
  • Large beak size occurred as a result of mutation in each member of the population.
  • The ancestors of this bird species encountered a tree with larger than average sized seeds. They needed to develop larger beaks in order to eat the larger seeds, and over time, they adapted to meet this need.
  • Some members of the ancestral population had larger beaks than others. If larger beak size was advantageous, they would be more likely to survive and reproduce. As such, large beaked birds increased in frequency relative to small beaked birds.
  • The ancestors of this bird species encountered a tree with larger than average sized seeds. They discovered that by stretching their beaks, the beaks would get longer, and this increase was passed on to their offspring. Over time, the bird beaks became larger.
Q3 | How might an evolutionary biologist explain why a species of species of salamander becomes blind after colonizing a cave?
  • It is possible that in the cave there is a source of pollution that increases the mutation rate for a gene that makes salamanders blind. Over time, due to exposure to this chemical, the members of the population lose their sight.
  • Members of the ancestral population that colonized the cave differed in their ability to see. If maintaining the ability to see in the cave was a waste of energy, blind salamanders might actually have more offspring than those who could see.
  • There is no way to explain this in terms of natural selection
  • The members of this salamander species no longer needed to use their eyes. Over time, due to
Q4 | Which of the following is the most fit in an evolutionary sense?
  • A lion who is successful at capturing prey but has no cubs.
  • A lion who has many cubs, eight of which live to adulthood.
  • A lion who overcomes a disease and lives to have three cubs.
  • A lion who cares for his cubs, two of who live to adulthood.
Q5 | A biologist is trying to infer how five closely related species of snakes are related to one another. She notices that some of the snakes have forked tongues and others do not. Which of the following would help her distinguish the ancestral state?
  • She looks among snake fossils for evidence that being forked is a characteristic of the ancestor of this group, but determines no such fossils exist.
  • She locates a specimen of a more distantly related snake to see if it has a forked tongue.
  • She looks at a representative mammal species to see if it has a forked tongue.
  • She flips a coin.
Q6 | The surface temperature of the sun is ______.
  • 6000o C
  • 9000o C
  • 1000o C
  • 10,000o C
Q7 | The earth like other planets formed from ______.
  • aggregates of uranium
  • cloud of gas and dust
  • division of pre-exiting planets
  • collisions of meteorites
Q8 | The experiment to show the production of mice in 21 days from a dirty shirt placed in contact with kernels of wheat was carried out by ______.
  • Francesco Redi
  • Jean Baptiste Van Helmont
  • Aristotle
  • Louis Pasteur
Q9 | The first formed organism (riboorganism) used only ................. for catalyzing reactions.
  • DNA
  • amino acids
  • fatty acids
  • RNA
Q10 | Anaerobic photosynthetic bacteria appeared on the earth about ______.
  • 500 million years ago
  • 1500 million years ago
  • 2500 million years ago
  • 3500 million years ago
Q11 | The sequence of origin of life may be considered as ______.
  • Amino acid ? Protein ? Chlorophyll
  • Chlorophyll ? Starch ? Glycogen
  • Nucleic acid ? Amino acid ? Chlorophyll
  • Chlorophyll ? Nucleic acid ? Amino acid
Q12 | The primitive cell-like colloidal particles capable of growth and division were ______.
  • prokaryote
  • coacervates
  • eobionts
  • chemoautotrophs
Q13 | The stage for the evolution of autotrophs was set with the evolution of ______.
  • RNA
  • DNA
  • ozone
  • chlorophyll
Q14 | The first organism to be found on a bare rock is a (an) ______.
  • mos
  • alga
  • lichen
  • fern
Q15 | The doctrine of evolution is concerned with ______.
  • gradual change
  • abiogenesis
  • biogenesis
  • none of the above
Q16 | The era called ‘age of prokaryotic microbes’ is ______.
  • archaezoic
  • precambrian
  • phaenerozoic
  • proterizoic
Q17 | The determine which molecules might have formed spontaneously on early earth, Stanley Miller used an apparatus with an atmosphere containing ______.
  • oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen
  • oxygen, hydrogen, ammonia and water vapour
  • oxygen, hydrogen and methane
  • hydrogen, ammonia, methane and water vapour
Q18 | The utilization of elements and compounds in nature generation theory because ______.
  • life cycle
  • cyclic pathway
  • material cycles
  • recycling
Q19 | What is ethnobotany ?
  • Relationship between primitive plants and people
  • Study to soil
  • Cultivation of flower yielding plants
  • Use of plants and their parts
Q20 | The first photoautotroph organisms were ______.
  • bryophyte
  • algae
  • cyanobacteria
  • bacteria
Q21 | Who performed this famous experiment to prove origin of life ?
  • Oparin and Haldane
  • Spallanzani and Pasteur
  • Urey and Miller
  • Fox and Pasteur
Q22 | How much temperature was used for the gases to react ?
  • 10o C
  • 130o C
  • 1000o C
  • 50oC
Q23 | What was the mixture of gases used in chamber marked A ?
  • Methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3), hydrogen (H2), and water (H2O)
  • Oxygen (O2), ammonia (NH3), hydrogen (H2), and water (H2O)
  • Oxygen (O2), ozone (O3), hydrogen (H2), and water (H2O)
  • all above
Q24 | What was the resultant found in place marked E ?
  • Glucose, fatty acids and lipids
  • Some fatty acids and organic acids
  • Some amino acids as glycine and alanine and
  • Organic esters only
Q25 | Match the appropriatc :_ans_key_Column – I Column – II_ans_key_A. Cosmozoan theory (i) Oxidizing environment rich in autotrophs like cyanobacteria_ans_key_B. Spontaneous generation (ii) Microspheres_ans_key_C. Primary abiogenesis (iii) Hot ball of gases_ans_key_D. Atmosphere I (iv) Oparin and Haldane_ans_key_E. Atmosphere III (v) Panspermia_ans_key_F. Sydney Fox (vi) Abiogenesis_ans_key_A B C D E F A B C D E F
  • (v) (vi) (iv) (iii) (i) (ii)
  • (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi)
  • (ii) (iii) (i) (v) (vi) (iv)
  • (vi) (iv) (iii) (v) (ii) (i)