Evolution MCQs | Evolution Objective Type Questions and Answers

Questions
1 Which of the following must increase over geological time according to evolutionary biologists?
A Size
B Complexity
C Speed of evolutionary processes such as mutation
D All of the above

Answer:All of the above
2 Why is similarity misleading when it comes to inferring evolutionary relationships?
A Organisms that look alike may be very distantly related to one another
B Similarities between two species may be due to common descent, without indicating how closely the two are related to one another
C A and B only
D The presence of a shared derived character state is often misleading when it comes to inferring relationships between species

Answer:A and B only
3 Which of the following are the most distantly related to one another?
A Sunfish and dolphins
B Tree frogs and snakes
C Vampire bats and birds
D Bears and whales

Answer: Sunfish and dolphins
4 How does an evolutionary biologist explain why a species of birds has evolved a larger beak size?
A Large beak size occurred as a result of mutation in each member of the population
B 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
C 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
D 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

Answer: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
5 How might an evolutionary biologist explain why a species of species of salamander becomes blind after colonizing a cave?
A 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.
B 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.
C There is no way to explain this in terms of natural selection.
D The members of this salamander species no longer needed to use their eyes. Over time, due to lack of use, they lost the ability to see.

Answer: 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.
6 Which of the following is the most fit in an evolutionary sense?
A A lion who is successful at capturing prey but has no cubs.
B A lion who has many cubs, eight of which live to adulthood.
C A lion who overcomes a disease and lives to have three cubs.
D A lion who cares for his cubs, two of who live to adulthood.

Answer:A lion who has many cubs, eight of which live to adulthood.
7 How is extinction represented in a tree diagram?
A A branch splits
B A branch ends
C A branch shifts along the X axis
D None

Answer:A branch ends
8 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?
A 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.
B She locates a specimen of a more distantly related snake to see if it has a forked tongue.
C She looks at a representative mammal species to see if it has a forked tongue.
D She flips a coin.

Answer:She locates a specimen of a more distantly related snake to see if it has a forked tongue.
9 The surface temperature of the sun is
A 6000o C
B 9000o C
C 1000o C
D 10000o C

Answer: 6000o C
10 The earth like other planets formed from
A aggregates of uranium
B cloud of gas and dust
C division of pre-exiting planets
D collisions of meteorites

Answer: cloud of gas and dust
11 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
A Francesco Redi
B Jean Baptiste Van Helmont
C Aristotle
D Louis Pasteur

Answer: Jean Baptiste Van Helmont
12 The first formed organism (riboorganism) used only for catalyzing reactions.
A DNA
B amino acids
C fatty acids
D RNA

Answer: RNA
13 Anaerobic photosynthetic bacteria appeared on the earth about
A 500 million years ago
B 1500 million years ago
C 2500 million years ago
D 3500 million years ago

Answer: 3500 million years ago
14 The sequence of origin of life may be considered as
A Amino acid Protein Chlorophyll
B Chlorophyll Starch Glycogen
C Nucleic acid Amino acid Chlorophyll
D Chlorophyll Nucleic acid Amino acid

Answer: Nucleic acid Amino acid Chlorophyll
15 The primitive cell-like colloidal particles capable of growth and division were
A prokaryotes
B coacervates
C eobionts
D chemoautotrophs

Answer:eobionts
16 The stage for the evolution of autotrophs was set with the evolution of
A RNA
B DNA
C Ozone
D Chlorophyll

Answer: Chlorophyll
17 The first organism to be found on a bare rock is a (an)
A moss
B alga
C lichen
D fern

Answer:lichen
18 The doctrine of evolution is concerned with
A gradual changes
B abiogenesis
C biogenesis
D none of the above

Answer: biogenesis
19 The era called ‘age of prokaryotic microbes’ is
A archaezoic
B precambrian
C phaenerozoic
D proterizoic

Answer: archaezoic
20 The determine which molecules might have formed spontaneously on early earth, Stanley Miller used an apparatus with an atmosphere containing
A oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen
B oxygen, hydrogen, ammonia and water vapour
C oxygen, hydrogen and methane
D hydrogen, ammonia, methane and water vapour

Answer: hydrogen, ammonia, methane and water vapour
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