Name ________________________ Evolution Unit Exam Period_____

Section 1: 24 MC Questions, 1 Griddable

1) Some varieties of Neisseria gonorrhoeae are now resistance to penicillin. These varieties of bacteria most
probably developed as a result of:
a. Natural selection
b. Hybrid vigor
c. Coevolution
d. Adaptive radiation
2) Which of the following statements best describes the effect of genetic drift on the gene frequencies of a
population?
a. Genes enter a population through immigration, thus changing gene frequencies
b. Genes leave a population through emigration, thus changing gene frequencies
c. Chance alone can cause significant changes in gene frequencies of small populations
d. Selection against one allele causes gene frequencies to change.
3) All of the following conditions would result in a change in the frequency of a specific allele in a population
EXCEPT:
a. Selection against the recessive phenotype
b. Selection against the dominant phenotype
c. Genetic drift
d. Random mating in a large population
4) The introduction of antibiotics such as penicillin decades ago was immediately effective in combating infections
cuase by Staphylococcus. In 1958, however there were several outbreaks of staphylococcal infections. People
with the infections did not respond to treatment with any of the antibiotics and there was a large number of deaths.
The best explanation for this simulation is that:
a. The bacteria from other hosts such as birds, cats, and dogs migrated into human hosts
b. The bacteria exposed to non- lethal doses of antibiotics quickly learned to avoid them
c. Each generation of bacteria acquired the ability to use antibiotics as nutrients
d. Antibiotic resistant bacteria survived and multiplied, and these were the forms causing infections
5) Toads in a particular population vary in size. A scientist observes that in this population, large males mate with
females significantly more often than small males do. Which of the following is the most plausible explanation
for this observation?
a. The mating calls produced by small males cannot be heard by females
b. Small features are more likely to mate with small males and large females are more likely to mate with
large males.
c. Large males are successful in competing for mates more often than small males are because they have
secured a large breeding territory
d. Small males do not swim as well as large males
6) In a small group of people living in a remote area there is a high incidence of blue skin a condition that results
from a variation in the structure of hemoglobin. All of the blue skinned residents can trace their ancestry to one
couple, who were among the original settlers of this region. The unusually high frequency of blue skin in the
area is an example of:
a. Mutation and genetic equilibrium
b. Genetic drift and the founder effect
c. Natural selection and bottle neck population
d. Sexual selection and mutations
7) In certain Native American groups, albinism due to a homozygous recessive condition in the biochemical
pathway for melanin production is sometimes seen. If the frequency of the allele for this condition is 0.06, which
of the following is closest to the frequency of the dominant allele in this population? (Assume that the population
is in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium)
a. 0.04
b. 0.06
c. 0.36
d. 0.94
8) In species X a critical polypeptide has the following amino acid sequence:

Met-ala-cys-cys-phe-try-phe-pro

The amino acid sequence of five other speices is determined. Which of these species is probably least related to
species X?
a. Met-ala-cys-cys-phe-try-phe-glu
b. Met-ala-ser-cys-phe-try-phe-pro
c. Met-ala-cys-cys-phe-arg-phe-pro
d. Met-ala-ser-cys-arg-try-phe-pro
9)
 10) Monoculture is an agriculture practice employed by certain industrial farms that involves planting the same
variety of seed for the entire crop. The seed variety is usually one that result in a high crop yield and is resistant
to certain disease. With regard to evolution, which of the following is a negative result of this agricultural
practice?
a. It limits the types of bees that can be used for pollination of the crop.
b. It decreases the gene pool and makes the crop more susceptible to new diseases
c. It limits the primary consumers that can use the crop for an energy source
d. It decreases the number of workers employed to harvest the crop
11)

The illustration above represents a gene pool which contains two alleles and three phenotypes. CwCw (white),
CRCR (red), and CRCw (pink). Which of the following will ensure that Cw and CR both persist in the gene pool?
a. The pink genotype is better suited in its environment than the red or white genotype
b. Mutations causing CR to become Cw occur regularly ensuring the persistence of Cw.
c. Recombination mistakes occur regularly, thus a new triploid flow is produced CwCwCR
d. A new pollinator move into the environment with the ability to identify both the red and pink flowers.
Questions 12 and 13
The rate of molecular evolution for different genes. Scientists can determine the differences in nucleic acid sequences for
a particular gene or groups of genes. Comparison of these sequences can then be made among organsims from different
taxonomic groups. The grater the differences among nucleic acid sequences, the more time passed since the organism
shared a common ancestor. The graph below compares nucleic acid sequences for mitochondrial DNA and ribosomal
RNA.

12) Which of the following conclusions is most consistent with the dat?
a. Mitochondrial DNA and the genes for ribosomal DNA are too old to be useful for classification purposes
b. Mitochondrial DNA and the genes for ribosomal DNA are not subject to natural selection
c. Genes for ribosomal RNA evolve more slowly than do genes for mitochondrial DNA.
d. Genes for ribosome RNA are less stable than genes of mitochondrial DNA
13) Which nucleic acid sequences should be used to establish taxonomic relationships among a group of animals that
are believed to have diverged hundreds of millions of years ago?
a. Nucleic acid sequences from mitochondrial DNA, since it is more stable
b. Nucleic acid sequences from ribosomal RNA, since it evolves more slowly
c. Nucleic acid sequences from mitochondrial DNA, since no introns are present to examine
d. Nucleic acid sequences from ribosomal RNA, since RNA is more easily extracted thus easier to examine
Questions 14-16
A moths color is controlled by two alleles G ad g at a single locus. G (gray) is dominant to g (white). A large population
of moths was studied and the frequency of the G allele in the population over time was documented, as shown n the figure
below. In 1980 a random sample of 2,000 pupae was collected and moths were allowed to ermerge.

14) During which of the following time periods could the population have been in Hardy-weinberg equilibrium for
the G locus.
I. 1960-1964
II. 1965-1972
III. 1973-1980
a. I only
b. II only
c. III only
d. I and III only
15) Assuming the population was in Hardy-weinberg equilibrium for the G locus, what percentage of moths in the
natural population was white in 1963?
a. 2%
b. 4%
c. 8%
d. 20%
16) Assuming that the population was in Hardy-weinberg equibibrium for the G locus, what was the frequency of
allele G in the gray moths that emerged in 1980?
a. 0.33
b. 0.50
c. 0.67
d. 0.75
17) The appearance of a fertile, polyploid individual within a population of diploid organisms is a possible source of a
new species. If this individual is capable of reproducing to form a new population, scientists would consider this
to be an example of
a. Allopatric speciation
b. Sympatric speciation
c. Behavioral isolation
d. Gene flow
 18) Which of the following phylogenies are equivalent?

a. A and B
b. A and C
c. B and C
d. They are all equivalent
Question 19 and 20

19) Based on the phylogenetic tree shown above, which of the following statements is true?
a. The tree is polyphyletic because it does not include all of the descendants
b. The tree is based on analogous traits
c. The pigeon is the sister taxon to the crocodile
d. The lizard is more closely related to the salamander than the pigeon
20) Which of the following best explains the fact that birds, crocodiles, mice and humans all have four chambered
heart, while the lizard does not?
a. The four chamber heart is a homologous structure that once evolved in a common ancestor to these four
species
b. The four chambered heart evolved independently in all four species
c. The four chambered heart is a homologous structure that evolved twice, once in crocodiles and birds and
once in mammals
d. The four chambered heart is an analogous structure that evolved independently in mammals and is a
homologous structure structure that evolved from a common reptilian ancestor to the pigeon and
crocodile.
21) Which of the following traits is likely to be unsuitable for phylogenetic analysis?
a. Learned behavior
b. Morphology
c. DNA sequences
d. Homologies
22) This graph illustrates the extinction rate of marine animal families over time (left axis) and the number of new
marine families evolved (right axis)

Which of the following conclusions is best supported by this data?

a. Extinctions are a gradual process and proliferation of new species is often rapid.
b. Extinctions can be a large scale event followed by the rapid proliferation of new species.
c. Extinctions can be a large scale event followed by a gradual replacement of lost species
d. Extinctions are often a gradual process without any evolution of new species
Question 23 and 24
Hemoglobin is the iron containing oxygen transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of the mammals. Blood
samples were collected from five different mammalian species and subsequently analyzed. The results for the
hemoglobin A analysis are summarized in the table below.

23) According to the data, which two species would be considered a sister taxon?
a. Mouse and human
b. Dog and mouse
c. Donkey and horse
d. Donkey and dog
24)

25) In the United States, approximately one child in every 10,000 is born with phenylketonuria (PKU), a syndrome
that affects individuals homozygous for the recessive allele. Given this incidence, what percent of the population
are heterozygous carriers of the recessive PKU allele? Give you answer to the nearest hundredth of a percent.