Sample Questions:  pdf _download pdf _download

 

The Following are examples of questions that may be asked in the upcoming quizzes and/ or Test. 

Note:   Quizzes will only be multiple choice, although there may be more than one answer to each question. 

Note:  In the Tests, ALL questions in the first section will be worth 2 points, while answers to questions in section 2 might be worth a little more.

Also note that graduate students and post graduates will not be graded on the same curve as undergraduates.

 

Section 1


1.    According to lecture 5..  a classical example of adaptive radiation is seen in

a.    peppered moths
b     mules
c.    Darwin's finches
d.    Hawaiian finches
e.    mainland birds


2.    Single-celled protists with animal-like behavior belong to the phylum ___________________.

a.    Animalia
b.    Porifera
c.    Protozoa
d.    Mollusca
e.    Archaea

3.  A snowshoe hare produces a white coat during the winter, allowing it to better hide from predators. As a result, it has thrived and over time a majority of snowshoe hares in the population also produce white coats. Based on this, which of the following statements are true?

a.  The white-coated hare has a higher fitness than the other hares that do not change coat colour.
b.  The white-coated hare has a competitive advantage in its environment.
c.   The new population of hares resulted from natural selection.
d.   The alleles for a white winter coat increased over time.

 

4.    A cell membrane is ______________?

a.    Permeable
b.    Semipermeable.
c.    Nonpermeable.
d.    Unnecessary for Life.
e.    None of the above.

 

5.    Which of the following represents one of  the largest groups of biological classification?

a.    Kingdom.
b.    Species.
c.    Class
d.    Genus
e.    Phyllum.

 

6.    What is the ultimate source of new heritable variation in populations?

a.    sexual reproduction (e.g., independent assortment, recombination, random mating)
b.    gene flow (e.g., immigration/emigration)
c.    selection (e.g., for favorable traits, against deleterious traits)
d.    mutation (e.g., new alleles from errors in replication/recombination)
e.    Populations do not vary

 

7.    During a drought, it was discovered that finches with large beaks and those with small beaks were more successful than those with intermediate beaks due to the food sources available. This is an example of what type of selection?

a.    directional selection
b.    gene flow
c.    stabilizing selection
d.    genetic drift
e.    disruptive selection

 

8.    When did the first prokaryotes arise, according to the fossil record? (remember the "Earth's Geological History tables)

a.    2.5 billion years ago -Precambrian era
b.    2 million years ago -Cenezoic period
c.    4 million years ago -Cenezoic era
d.    2,000 years ago -Precambrian period
e.    4.5 billion years ago -Precambrian era

 

9.    When did dinosaurs "Rule the Earth"

a.    Cenozoic era (1 - 66 miliion years ago: Quaternary / Tertiary periods)
b.    Precambrian era (600million - 4.5 biliion years ago)
c.    Mesozoic era (145 - 256 miliion years ago): Cretaceous /Jurassic /Triassic periods)
d.    Paleozoic era period (252 - 538 miliion years ago: Permian / Carboniferous / Devonian / Ordovician / Cambrian periods)
e.    Cenozoic period (145 - 256 miliion years ago): Cretaceous / Devonian /Triassic era)

 

10.    The "biological species concept" (BSC) cannot readily apply to what types of species?

a.    fossil species
b.    asexual reproducing species
c.    hybrid species
d.    all of the above
e.    bird species

 

Section 1b

In the next few answers, please insert the most appropriate word(s) from the list given into the spaces provided (2 pts for each

correct answer given.

 

11.    Divergent,   Convergent,      Darwinian,   Natural,    Non-Darwinian   Cladistic    Genotype,    Phenotype, Gene Pool

 

A.       _____________ Selection is the basis of    ___________    Evolutionary Thought.


B.    The apparent pysical consequences of a series of allelic interaction is a ____________.

 

12.    Mollusca,   Protozoa,    Arthropeda,   Mammalia,    Eukaryota,   Animalia,    Insecta

 

A.    Honey bees belong to the phylum   ___________ .


B.     Snails belong to the kingdom ____________.

 

 

For answers to questions in Sections 1a and 1b Click here.

 

Section 2

2.1.  (8 pts) What is "Genetic Drift? Explain how it effects alleic distribution in the gene pool

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

 

2.2.  (8 pts) What happened in the end of the Cretacious period that caused such devistation?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

 

2.3.  (8 pts) With respect to carbohydrates and amino acids how does "handedness" play a role in their structure  

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

 

2.4.  (4 pts) Give an example of "Phylum", and a "Class. Which one is larger?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

 

 

For answers to the questions in Section 2... you are on your own!