BIOLOGY 305 UPDATED EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS 2026 VERIFIED A+
◉ A researcher is trying to construct a molecular-based phylogeny of the
entire animal kingdom. Assuming that none of the following genes is
absolutely conserved, which of the following would be the best choice
on which to base the phylogeny?
Answer: collagen genes.
◉ Which of the following is (are) unique to animals?
Answer: nervous system signal conduction and muscular movement.
◉ The larvae of some insects are merely small versions of the adult,
whereas the larvae of other insects look completely different from
adults, eat different foods, and may live in different habitats. Which of
the following is most directly involved in the evolution of these
variations in metamorphosis?
Answer: changes in the homeobox genes governing early development.
◉ Both animals and fungi are heterotrophic. What distinguishes animal
heterotrophy from fungal heterotrophy is that most animals derive their
nutrition by _____.
Answer: ingesting it.
, ◉ All animals can trace their lineage to a common ancestor that lived in
the _____.
Answer: Neoproterozoic era.
The common ancestor is likely to have been a protist that lived during
the Neoproterozoic.
◉ The earliest ancestors of about half of all extant animal phyla can be
traced back to the _____ explosion.
Answer: Cambrian.
This saw the culmination of the rapid diversification of animals that
began in the late Precambrian.
◉ Which of the following would you classify as something other than an
animal?
Answer: choanoflagellates.
◉ The last common ancestor of all animals was probably a _____.
Answer: flagellated protist.
◉ Evidence of which structure or characteristic would be most
surprising to find among fossils of the Ediacaran fauna?
Answer: hard parts.
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS 2026 VERIFIED A+
◉ A researcher is trying to construct a molecular-based phylogeny of the
entire animal kingdom. Assuming that none of the following genes is
absolutely conserved, which of the following would be the best choice
on which to base the phylogeny?
Answer: collagen genes.
◉ Which of the following is (are) unique to animals?
Answer: nervous system signal conduction and muscular movement.
◉ The larvae of some insects are merely small versions of the adult,
whereas the larvae of other insects look completely different from
adults, eat different foods, and may live in different habitats. Which of
the following is most directly involved in the evolution of these
variations in metamorphosis?
Answer: changes in the homeobox genes governing early development.
◉ Both animals and fungi are heterotrophic. What distinguishes animal
heterotrophy from fungal heterotrophy is that most animals derive their
nutrition by _____.
Answer: ingesting it.
, ◉ All animals can trace their lineage to a common ancestor that lived in
the _____.
Answer: Neoproterozoic era.
The common ancestor is likely to have been a protist that lived during
the Neoproterozoic.
◉ The earliest ancestors of about half of all extant animal phyla can be
traced back to the _____ explosion.
Answer: Cambrian.
This saw the culmination of the rapid diversification of animals that
began in the late Precambrian.
◉ Which of the following would you classify as something other than an
animal?
Answer: choanoflagellates.
◉ The last common ancestor of all animals was probably a _____.
Answer: flagellated protist.
◉ Evidence of which structure or characteristic would be most
surprising to find among fossils of the Ediacaran fauna?
Answer: hard parts.
