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Evolutionary Biology
  • 1. Evolutionary biology is a scientific discipline that explores the processes underlying the diversity of life on Earth. It involves studying how organisms change over time through genetic variation, natural selection, and other mechanisms such as genetic drift and gene flow. By examining the patterns and mechanisms of evolution, evolutionary biologists seek to understand the history of life on our planet, as well as predict how species may adapt to changing environments in the future. Evolutionary biology provides insights into the interconnectedness of all living things and helps us appreciate the remarkable adaptations that have allowed life to persist and thrive in a constantly changing world.

    What is natural selection?
A) The change in an organism due to artificial breeding.
B) Process by which individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce.
C) The process of organisms adapting to their environment.
D) The process of identical organisms competing for resources.
  • 2. Who is considered the 'father of evolution'?
A) Charles Darwin
B) Alfred Russel Wallace
C) Gregor Mendel
D) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
  • 3. Which term describes the process by which unrelated species evolve similar traits?
A) Co-evolution
B) Convergent evolution
C) Divergent evolution
D) Adaptive radiation
  • 4. What is a gene pool?
A) The sum total of all genetic mutations in a species.
B) The collection of all genes in an organism.
C) The genetic makeup of an individual.
D) The total genetic diversity found within a population.
  • 5. Which scientist proposed the theory of punctuated equilibrium as a model of evolution?
A) James Hutton
B) Stephen Jay Gould
C) Richard Dawkins
D) Peter and Rosemary Grant
  • 6. Which type of selection favors individuals at both extremes of a trait's range?
A) Disruptive selection
B) Sexual selection
C) Directional selection
D) Stabilizing selection
  • 7. What is the name of the process by which a new species originates?
A) Mutation
B) Adaptation
C) Evolution
D) Speciation
  • 8. Which scientist proposed the theory of natural selection independently of Charles Darwin?
A) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
B) Ernst Mayr
C) Thomas Malthus
D) Alfred Russel Wallace
  • 9. What does the term 'allele frequency' refer to?
A) The proportion of a specific allele in a population.
B) The number of chromosomes in an organism.
C) The rate at which mutations occur in a species.
D) The total number of genes in an individual.
  • 10. Which process involves the movement of genes between populations?
A) Disruptive selection
B) Genetic drift
C) Gene flow
D) Mutation
  • 11. What is the source of genetic variation that natural selection acts upon?
A) Mutations
B) Recombination
C) Gene flow
D) Genetic drift
  • 12. Which scientist proposed the idea of inheritance of acquired characteristics?
A) Charles Darwin
B) Gregor Mendel
C) Alfred Russel Wallace
D) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
  • 13. What is the term for an individual's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment?
A) Speciation
B) Evolution
C) Adaptation
D) Fitness
  • 14. What is the term for the selective breeding of plants and animals to promote the occurrence of desirable traits?
A) Genetic engineering
B) Natural selection
C) Directed evolution
D) Artificial selection
  • 15. Which type of isolation occurs when two species breed at different times of the year?
A) Geographic isolation
B) Temporal isolation
C) Reproductive isolation
D) Behavioral isolation
  • 16. In evolutionary terms, what does the term 'fitness' refer to?
A) The number of offspring produced by an organism.
B) The lifespan of an organism.
C) The physical strength of an organism.
D) The ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its environment.
  • 17. What is the term for a DNA sequence that codes for a specific trait?
A) Allele
B) Chromosome
C) Genome
D) Gene
  • 18. Which type of selection favors intermediate variants of a trait?
A) Stabilizing selection
B) Disruptive selection
C) Directional selection
D) Sexual selection
  • 19. Which scientist proposed the theory of genetic drift?
A) Thomas Hunt Morgan
B) Theodosius Dobzhansky
C) Sewall Wright
D) J.B.S. Haldane
  • 20. What is the term for the evolution of two or more species that have a close ecological relationship?
A) Coevolution
B) Adaptive radiation
C) Sexual selection
D) Speciation
  • 21. Which type of inheritance pattern involves the interaction of multiple genes to determine a trait?
A) Mendelian inheritance
B) Cytoplasmic inheritance
C) Polygenic inheritance
D) Epistasis
  • 22. Which scientist is known for developing the theory of punctuated equilibrium along with Stephen Jay Gould?
A) Niles Eldredge
B) E.O. Wilson
C) George C. Williams
D) Ernst Mayr
  • 23. Which type of evolution involves the rapid diversification of a single ancestral species into multiple new species?
A) Adaptive radiation
B) Divergent evolution
C) Convergent evolution
D) Parallel evolution
  • 24. What term describes the accumulation of differences between distinct populations that can lead to the formation of new species?
A) Adaptation
B) Speciation
C) Convergence
D) Divergence
  • 25. Which theory proposes that evolution occurs in sudden, rapid bursts separated by long periods of stasis?
A) Punctuated equilibrium
B) Orthogenesis
C) Gradualism
D) Lamarckism
  • 26. What is the principle of common descent in evolution?
A) Genetic variation is maintained through sexual reproduction.
B) All organisms share a common ancestor.
C) Different species evolve similar traits independently.
D) Natural selection acts on individuals within a population.
  • 27. Which evolutionary biologist proposed the concept of 'The Selfish Gene'?
A) Ernst Mayr
B) Stephen Hawking
C) Richard Dawkins
D) Stephen Jay Gould
  • 28. Which of the following is an example of postzygotic isolation?
A) Behavioral isolation
B) Hybrid inviability
C) Mechanical isolation
D) Temporal isolation
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