PCB 4674 - Evolutionary Biology Exam 1 Questions
& Answers | Grade A | 100% Correct – Florida
State University
1. Which individual independently proposed the theory of natural selection
around the same time as Charles Darwin?
A. Alfred Russel Wallace
B. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
C. Charles Lyell
D. Thomas Malthus
Answer: A
Explanation: Alfred Russel Wallace independently developed the concept of natural
selection while working in the Malay Archipelago and sent his essay to Darwin in 1858.
2. What is the primary mechanism of evolution proposed by Jean-Baptiste
Lamarck?
A. Natural Selection
B. Genetic Drift
C. Sexual Selection
D. Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics
Answer: D
Explanation: Lamarck proposed that traits acquired during an organism’s lifetime through
use or disuse could be passed on to offspring.
,3. Which geologist’s work on uniformitarianism heavily influenced Darwin’s
thinking about the age of the Earth?
A. Erasmus Darwin
B. Georges Cuvier
C. Charles Lyell
D. Gregor Mendel
Answer: C
Explanation: Charles Lyell argued that the same geological processes occurring today have
been occurring for vast periods, suggesting the Earth is much older than previously
thought.
4. What is a vestigial trait?
A. A trait that enhances fitness in a new environment
B. A trait that appears only during embryonic development
C. A reduced or rudimentary version of a trait that has a function in a close relative
D. A trait that is identical across all members of a kingdom
Answer: C
Explanation: Vestigial traits are remnants of structures that served a purpose in ancestors
but are no longer fully functional or reduced in the current species.
5. Homology is defined as similarity between species due to:
A. Convergent evolution
B. Environmental adaptation
C. Inheritance from a common ancestor
D. Random mutation
Answer: C
Explanation: Homology refers to traits that are similar because they were inherited from a
common ancestor, regardless of their current function.
, 6. What term describes the independent evolution of similar features in species
of different lineages?
A. Convergent Evolution
B. Homology
C. Synapomorphy
D. Symplesiomorphy
Answer: A
Explanation: Convergent evolution occurs when different species evolve similar traits
independently, often due to similar environmental pressures (homoplasy).
7. In phylogenetics, what does a ‘node’ represent on a tree?
A. A common ancestor where a lineage splits
B. The extinction of a species
C. The current living population
D. A specific mutation event
Answer: A
Explanation: A node represents a branching point where one ancestral lineage splits into
two or more descendant lineages, representing a common ancestor.
8. What is a monophyletic group?
A. A group based solely on physical similarity
B. A group consisting of an ancestor and some of its descendants
C. A group consisting of descendants but not the common ancestor
D. A group consisting of an ancestor and all of its descendants
Answer: D
Explanation: A monophyletic group (or clade) includes a common ancestor and every
single one of its descendant species.
& Answers | Grade A | 100% Correct – Florida
State University
1. Which individual independently proposed the theory of natural selection
around the same time as Charles Darwin?
A. Alfred Russel Wallace
B. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
C. Charles Lyell
D. Thomas Malthus
Answer: A
Explanation: Alfred Russel Wallace independently developed the concept of natural
selection while working in the Malay Archipelago and sent his essay to Darwin in 1858.
2. What is the primary mechanism of evolution proposed by Jean-Baptiste
Lamarck?
A. Natural Selection
B. Genetic Drift
C. Sexual Selection
D. Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics
Answer: D
Explanation: Lamarck proposed that traits acquired during an organism’s lifetime through
use or disuse could be passed on to offspring.
,3. Which geologist’s work on uniformitarianism heavily influenced Darwin’s
thinking about the age of the Earth?
A. Erasmus Darwin
B. Georges Cuvier
C. Charles Lyell
D. Gregor Mendel
Answer: C
Explanation: Charles Lyell argued that the same geological processes occurring today have
been occurring for vast periods, suggesting the Earth is much older than previously
thought.
4. What is a vestigial trait?
A. A trait that enhances fitness in a new environment
B. A trait that appears only during embryonic development
C. A reduced or rudimentary version of a trait that has a function in a close relative
D. A trait that is identical across all members of a kingdom
Answer: C
Explanation: Vestigial traits are remnants of structures that served a purpose in ancestors
but are no longer fully functional or reduced in the current species.
5. Homology is defined as similarity between species due to:
A. Convergent evolution
B. Environmental adaptation
C. Inheritance from a common ancestor
D. Random mutation
Answer: C
Explanation: Homology refers to traits that are similar because they were inherited from a
common ancestor, regardless of their current function.
, 6. What term describes the independent evolution of similar features in species
of different lineages?
A. Convergent Evolution
B. Homology
C. Synapomorphy
D. Symplesiomorphy
Answer: A
Explanation: Convergent evolution occurs when different species evolve similar traits
independently, often due to similar environmental pressures (homoplasy).
7. In phylogenetics, what does a ‘node’ represent on a tree?
A. A common ancestor where a lineage splits
B. The extinction of a species
C. The current living population
D. A specific mutation event
Answer: A
Explanation: A node represents a branching point where one ancestral lineage splits into
two or more descendant lineages, representing a common ancestor.
8. What is a monophyletic group?
A. A group based solely on physical similarity
B. A group consisting of an ancestor and some of its descendants
C. A group consisting of descendants but not the common ancestor
D. A group consisting of an ancestor and all of its descendants
Answer: D
Explanation: A monophyletic group (or clade) includes a common ancestor and every
single one of its descendant species.
