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Teaching Tips: Sample Exam

Form B Copy ______ BIOLOGY EXAM 92: CHAPTER 4

IMPORTANT: FOR EVERY EXAM: On your answer sheet, above your name, print this form letter and copy number. Also, place your microscope number at the right end of your name, and circle it. For any double-letter choices selected (e.g. AB or CD, etc.), shade in both letters. In all cases, select only the one best answer. Answer questions according to how biologists understand and use biological evolution.

1. Natural selection can be compared with the process of passing a gravel-mix through a sorting machine, and getting separate piles of gravel, each with its own pebble size. In this analogy, which part of natural selection is represented best by the gravel mix? A) overproduction; B) variation; C) environment; D) new species; E) struggle for existence

2. In the previous analogy, which part of natural selection is represented by the sorting machine? (select from choices for previous question).

3. Fundamental to the concept of evolution is that... A) species cannot change; B) species can change; C) adaptations can be acquired; D) the environment can produce changes in species; E) all the above.

4. Most realistically, a diagram of evolution would look most like a...A) ladder; B) chain; C) spiral staircase; D) bush; E) river, with all its branches.

5. According to the best evidence we have, the dinosaurs (which are extinct now) were... A) never seen alive by any humans; B) seen now and then by some people; C) a constant threat to survival of people; D) seen by many people, but seldom ever any threat; E) so common they were often trained as pets.

6. Technically, (as these words are commonly defined in science), evolution is... A) an observation; B) a fact; C) a hypothesis; D) a theory

7. Belief in evolution is... A) required of all biologists; B) the main goal of this unit; C) not an appropriate expression; D) the result of careful study by open-minded people.

8. Extinctions... A) have eliminated most of the species which ever existed; B) are relatively rare; C) are generally a result of human activity; D) are a sign of a hazardous environment; E) all of the above.

9. The peppered moth study in England gives us a clear example of... A) evolution; B) simple variation; C) natural selection; D) environment causing change in inheritance; E) inheritance of acquired characteristics.

10. The differences between individuals in a species are called... A) factors; B) adaptations; C) varieties; D) variations; E) traits

11. As an explanation for the diversity of life and its many features, virtually all biologists now consider evolution as...
A) increasingly unlikely, in view of its many problems and criticisms.
B) one of several possible explanations for the variety of life.
C) a real process, involved in certain biological phenomena.
D) a real process, involved in all biological phenomena.

12. According to the modern explanation for how evolution works,...
A) variations, screened by environment, eventually accumulate to form new species.
B) variations, caused by environment, eventually combine to form new species.
C) variation produces new species directly.
D) environment produces new species directly.
E) environment produces individual variation.

13. Biological evolution, in a general sense, is concerned mainly with the origin of ... A) the universe; B) life; C) humans; D) species; E) individuals

14. Biological evolution... A) proves God exists; B) suggests that God exists; C) suggests that God may not exist; D) shows that God cannot exist; E) neither requires nor denies existence of God.

15. Charles Darwin was the first to... A) explain and present much evidence of how evolution probably occurs; B) suggest that man evolved from apes in his "Origin of Species"; C) suggest the idea of evolution; D) all of the above; E) none of these.

16. The bacteria which cause gonorrhea are fast becoming very resistant to the antibiotics used for controlling them. According to discussion of this process in the text, which one of the following explanations fits best?
A) Each and every individual bacterium, in order to survive, develops a resistance to the antibiotic when exposed to it, and passes that resistance on to future generations.
B) Only some bacteria, in order to survive, develop a resistance to the antibiotic when exposed to it, and pass that resistance on to future generations.
C) A few bacteria have a natural inheritable resistance to the antibiotic, so they survive when exposed to it, and pass that resistance on to future generations.
D) All the bacteria have a natural inheritable resistance to the antibiotic, so they survive when exposed to it, and pass that resistance on to future generations.

17. Evolution ... A) is what happened before life started; B) is what happened after life started; C) is the process of the origin of life; D) involves all the above; E) none of these.

HERE ARE THE FOUR CHOICES YOU SHOULD USE FOR MATCHING WITH THE NUMBERED STATEMENTS WHICH FOLLOW, IN TERMS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE VIEWS OF EVOLUTION (choices may be used one or more times, or not at all):
A) fits Darwin's ideas, but not Lamarck's
B) fits Lamarck's ideas, but not Darwin's
C) fits the ideas of both men
D) does not fit the ideas of either man

18. The peppered moths of industrial England got darker so that they could survive on the soot-covered trees

19. If air-pollution continues to get worse over the next thousand years, larger "air-filtering" noses on people might become more common, simply because those with such noses would survive better.

20. As early monkeys would swing through trees, they often used their little tails to hang onto branches. Their tails got longer from this activity, and this long-tail trait was passed on to the next generation. This was repeated in every generation, producing longer and longer tails, which eventually became a major feature of a new species, the "Spider Monkey".

21. Flies with built-in resistance to DDT probably existed before DDT was discovered.

22. If you develop a resistance to a disease, you will tend to pass that resistance on to your children.

23. The environment is an important factor in evolution.

24. Inheritable variations exist in a population.

25. A range of peanut lengths, from long to short, could be important for peanut survival.

26. Natural selection, as a process of change in species, has... A) never been observed; B) been seldom observed; C) been observed many times; D) clearly been shown to be the only way evolution could occur.

27. The study of fossils has...
A) provided some of the best evidence for evolution.
B) provided inconsistent, contradictory evidence on evolution.
C) clearly shown that evolution could not have taken place.
D) no bearing on the question of evolution.
28. The enlarged, adaptive features of many plants and animals (e.g. the long neck of giraffes, long tongue of ant-eaters, etc.) are...
A) expected and easily explained by evolution.
B) impossible for evolution to explain.
C) not important or relevant to evolution, one way or the other

29. Human evolution could be disproved (or at least weakened or modified) if...
A) fossils of fully modern humans were found in fossil deposits equal in age or older than those for the Australopithecus species;
B) all of the several dating techniques used were found to be totally unreliable or inconsistent;
C) human fossils or stone tools were found associated with ancient dinosaur fossils;
D) any of the above;
E) none of these.

30. The hominid skull specimens observed in class, along with evidence for when they once lived, is most consistent with the idea that...
A) one form of life produces slightly different forms, and becomes extinct in the process.
B) every new form of life replaces the form from which it came
C) all living things were formed fairly suddenly, appearing like the forms living today.
D) all living things appeared gradually over long periods of time, by changes in earlier life forms.

31. What do fossils tell us about the nature of life over time?
A) "Long time no see!"
B) Living things have changed dramatically and in many sequenced directions over time.
C) Life can get very rocky at times
D) Virtually all known forms of life have existed together from the very beginning of life
E) Living things are essentially the same today as they have always been.

32.From the comparative study of hominoid skulls, the most reasonable conclusion appears to be that...
A) humans evolved from monkeys.
B) humans evolved from apes.
C) humans and apes share common ancestry at some point in the past.
D) all modern human features appeared suddenly, as seen only in the most recent specimens.
E) modern humans lived at the same time as the earliest individuals having some of the human traits.

33. What determines the direction taken by the evolution of any given species? A) nothing, it is totally random; B) selection by the particular environment; C) changes caused by the environment; D) variations available; E) interaction of the available variations and the particular environment.

34. Natural selection is... A) a process by which evolution can occur; B) the same thing as evolution; C) an alternate idea to evolution; D) a type of evolution; E) all the above.

35. "Scientific Creationism" is a perfect example of... A) applied science; B) pure science; C) pseudoscience; D) non-science; E) religious belief.

36. The main reason "scientific creationism" cannot be presented properly as a scientific alternative to evolution is that... A) it has been disproved; B) it is not covered in the text; C) it doesn't follow all the rules of science; D) the teacher doesn't believe in it; E) evolution is a better explanation.

37. Punctuated equilibrium, a concept developed by Gould and Eldridge, suggests that... A) something other than evolution has occurred; B) natural selection does not explain evolution; C) new species can appear quickly, over a relatively short period of time; D) all of the above; E) none of these.

38. The study of fossils shows that many groups of organisms _?_ over a long period of time, thereby suggesting that evolution has occurred. A) got stoned; B) reproduced; C) lived; D) died; E) changed

39. The existence of intermediate forms of life (organisms with a blend of traits of 2 major groups, (e.g. Euglena or Platypus)... A) is difficult for evolution to explain; B) has nothing to do with evolution; C) proves evolution to be a reality; D) is easily explained by evolution; E) disproves evolution.

40. Studies of the oldest fossils of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds show most clearly that those groups...A) appeared in a systematic sequence; B) must have been created; C) evolved at the same time; D) arose by natural selection; E) have changed very little.

41. Accurate knowledge about evolution is important because it...
A) helps to understand why medical research is done the way it is.
B) helps to understand and relate all biological phenomena.
C) provides the most workable unifying theme for biology.
D) would help make properly informed voting decisions about certain candidates, judging by their positions on science funding or the separation of church and state in public education.
E) does all the above.

42. The existence of strains (or varieties) of house flies which are not killed by DDT is apparently due to...
A) some flies being naturally resistant to DDT.
B) the flies finding they had to develop such a resistance or they would be wiped out.
C) DDT being used in weaker solutions.
D) flies learning to avoid DDT.
E) the old species of housefly being killed off, and a new DDT-resistant species migrating in.

43.Which one of the following was shown, in class discussion, to be the best definition of biological evolution?
A) The idea that new species develop from earlier species.
B) The idea that former species have given rise to those of today.
C) The fact that species change.
D) The idea that new species develop by natural selection
E) Change.

44. If the normal curve of distribution reflects the range of variation in some trait in a species, which part (or parts) of that curve would represent the trait form(s) most likely to contribute to survival if the environment changes? A) the means (around the average); B) the extremes (ends of the curve); C) the entire area under the curve; D) the left end; E) the right end.

45. Biological adaptations are any... A) changes a species makes in order to survive; B) changes an organism makes in order to survive; C) traits which help an organism to survive; D) inherited traits which help an organism to survive in a particular environment; E) changes an organism makes which results in better survival.

46. Lab 4-A (the "Peanutiest Lab") was done primarily to acquaint you with... A) variation within a species; B) variation between species; C) graphing data; D) following directions; E) the superb taste and nutritional value of peanuts.

47. If we were to assume that special creation occurred (all species forming at the same time when life began, and species don't change), we would expect to find... A) the more complex fossils in the earlier rocks; B) the more complex fossils in more recently formed rocks; C) the same kinds of fossils in rocks of all ages; D) no fossils in any rocks.

48. What condition do we actually find in the rocks (in general)? (Select answer from previous question).

49. Lamarck's ideas on the inheritance of acquired characteristics...
A) are presented in this class to emphasize how Darwin's ideas can be mis-stated.
B) are presented as an example of a scientific alternative to natural selection.
C) were the first published which attempted to explain how evolution could occur.
D) have not been supported by the results of testing.
E) all the above. AB) none of these

50. In terms of the definition and use of "adaptation" in our text, which one of these statements is NOT correct? A) a species can develop an adaptation; B) an organism can develop an adaptation; C) a species is adapted to its environment; D) an organism is adapted to its environment.