- What is natural selection?
- a) The process by which organisms reproduce
- b) The process by which traits become more or less common in a population due to differential reproductive success
- c) The movement of genes from one population to another
- d) The ability of organisms to adapt to their environment through learned behavior
- Answer: b) The process by which traits become more or less common in a population due to differential reproductive success
- Who is credited with developing the theory of natural selection?
- a) Charles Darwin
- b) Gregor Mendel
- c) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
- d) Alfred Russel Wallace
- Answer: a) Charles Darwin
- What is the main driving force of evolution according to natural selection?
- a) Genetic drift
- b) Mutation
- c) Adaptation to the environment
- d) Gene flow
- Answer: c) Adaptation to the environment
- Which of the following is NOT a factor in natural selection?
- a) Variation in traits
- b) Heredity of traits
- c) Competition for resources
- d) Random mating without selection
- Answer: d) Random mating without selection
- In natural selection, which individuals are most likely to survive and reproduce?
- a) The largest individuals
- b) The ones with the most offspring
- c) Those that are best adapted to their environment
- d) The oldest individuals
- Answer: c) Those that are best adapted to their environment
- What is “fitness” in the context of natural selection?
- a) The physical strength of an organism
- b) The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment
- c) The health of an organism
- d) The ability to adapt to environmental change
- Answer: b) The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment
- Which type of natural selection favors the extreme phenotypes at both ends of a spectrum?
- a) Directional selection
- b) Stabilizing selection
- c) Disruptive selection
- d) Sexual selection
- Answer: c) Disruptive selection
- Which type of selection favors intermediate phenotypes?
- a) Directional selection
- b) Stabilizing selection
- c) Disruptive selection
- d) Artificial selection
- Answer: b) Stabilizing selection
- What is the result of directional selection?
- a) A decrease in the diversity of traits within a population
- b) The population evolves to have one extreme phenotype
- c) The population evolves to have both extreme phenotypes
- d) The population remains unchanged
- Answer: b) The population evolves to have one extreme phenotype
- Which of the following is an example of natural selection in action?
- a) The evolution of pesticide resistance in insects
- b) A predator hunting prey
- c) Migration of birds to new areas
- d) A plant growing toward sunlight
- Answer: a) The evolution of pesticide resistance in insects
- What does the term “survival of the fittest” mean?
- a) Only the strongest organisms survive
- b) Organisms with the best ability to adapt to their environment survive and reproduce
- c) Only organisms with the most offspring survive
- d) The fastest organisms survive
- Answer: b) Organisms with the best ability to adapt to their environment survive and reproduce
- What is meant by “genetic drift”?
- a) The process by which natural selection causes certain traits to become more common
- b) A random change in the allele frequencies of a population
- c) The spread of advantageous traits throughout a population
- d) The movement of genes between populations due to migration
- Answer: b) A random change in the allele frequencies of a population
- Which of the following is an example of stabilizing selection?
- a) A species of bird evolves to have a larger beak size
- b) A population of insects is either light-colored or dark-colored
- c) Babies born at average birth weights have the highest survival rates
- d) Birds with longer wings are more successful at finding food
- Answer: c) Babies born at average birth weights have the highest survival rates
- How does mutation contribute to natural selection?
- a) It produces new genetic material for selection to act upon
- b) It decreases genetic variation
- c) It leads to the extinction of species
- d) It ensures that organisms are best adapted to their environment
- Answer: a) It produces new genetic material for selection to act upon
- What is “sexual selection”?
- a) Selection based on the ability to survive in the environment
- b) A form of natural selection that favors traits related to mating success
- c) Selection based on the size of an organism
- d) A form of selection where organisms choose mates based on food availability
- Answer: b) A form of natural selection that favors traits related to mating success
- What role does genetic variation play in natural selection?
- a) It prevents adaptation
- b) It provides raw material for evolutionary change
- c) It has no impact on natural selection
- d) It decreases the likelihood of survival
- Answer: b) It provides raw material for evolutionary change
- Which of the following is a key assumption of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection?
- a) Organisms produce only a few offspring
- b) Traits are inherited from parents to offspring
- c) All species are fixed and unchanging
- d) All individuals in a population are identical
- Answer: b) Traits are inherited from parents to offspring
- What does “adaptive radiation” refer to?
- a) The extinction of a species due to environmental factors
- b) The rapid evolution of a species into a wide variety of forms to exploit different ecological niches
- c) The process of organisms adapting to a single environmental condition
- d) The random mutation of traits in organisms
- Answer: b) The rapid evolution of a species into a wide variety of forms to exploit different ecological niches
- How does gene flow affect evolution?
- a) It decreases genetic variation within populations
- b) It increases genetic variation between populations
- c) It ensures that a population will adapt more rapidly
- d) It eliminates natural selection
- Answer: b) It increases genetic variation between populations
- What is an example of directional selection?
- a) A population of rabbits evolving to have smaller ears for better heat regulation
- b) The evolution of larger beaks in birds to crack larger seeds
- c) A species of fish evolving both large and small body sizes
- d) A population of flowers evolving to a consistent medium height
- Answer: b) The evolution of larger beaks in birds to crack larger seeds
- What is a key difference between natural selection and artificial selection?
- a) Natural selection is driven by humans, while artificial selection occurs in nature
- b) Natural selection results in a random process, while artificial selection is intentional
- c) Artificial selection occurs in the wild, while natural selection happens in captivity
- d) There is no difference between the two
- Answer: b) Natural selection results in a random process, while artificial selection is intentional
- Which of the following statements is true about natural selection?
- a) Natural selection is always a slow and gradual process
- b) Natural selection can only act on genetic traits that are inherited
- c) Natural selection always leads to the creation of new species
- d) Natural selection results in the perfection of organisms
- Answer: b) Natural selection can only act on genetic traits that are inherited
- How does natural selection lead to speciation?
- a) By preventing genetic variation from occurring
- b) By favoring organisms that are genetically identical
- c) By accumulating changes in a population that result in reproductive isolation
- d) By preventing the movement of organisms between populations
- Answer: c) By accumulating changes in a population that result in reproductive isolation
- Which factor can increase genetic diversity in a population?
- a) Genetic drift
- b) Inbreeding
- c) Gene flow
- d) Natural selection
- Answer: c) Gene flow
- Which of the following is an example of a trait that could be favored by sexual selection?
- a) Brightly colored feathers in male peacocks
- b) A longer lifespan in a species of tortoise
- c) Better camouflage in a population of frogs
- d) Increased resistance to disease in a population of mice
- Answer: a) Brightly colored feathers in male peacocks
- What is the primary effect of natural selection on a population?
- a) It decreases the size of the population
- b) It increases the genetic variation within the population
- c) It leads to an increase in the population’s adaptation to the environment
- d) It eliminates all individuals with harmful traits
- Answer: c) It leads to an increase in the population’s adaptation to the environment
- Which of the following is true about the “fitness” of an organism in natural selection?
- a) Fitness is solely based on the organism’s size
- b) Fitness refers to an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce
- c) Fitness is not related to reproductive success
- d) Fitness is only relevant in populations with no genetic variation
- Answer: b) Fitness refers to an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce
- Which factor does NOT affect natural selection?
- a) Mutation
- b) Gene flow
- c) Genetic drift
- d) Random mating
- Answer: d) Random mating
- How does environmental change influence natural selection?
- a) It can make previously advantageous traits less beneficial
- b) It has no impact on the survival of organisms
- c) It forces all populations to become extinct
- d) It results in the immediate extinction of species
- Answer: a) It can make previously advantageous traits less beneficial
- Which of the following best describes the process of natural selection?
- a) A random process that has no predictable outcome
- b) A process where only the strongest survive and reproduce
- c) A process where advantageous traits become more common in a population
- d) A mechanism that leads to the extinction of weaker organisms
- Answer: c) A process where advantageous traits become more common in a population
