EVOLUTUION REVIEW
B. Sample Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of the following is most often associated with the elaborate courtship rituals conducted by many birds?
a. species recognition
b. migration
c. feeding response
d. altruism
e. kin selection
2. The replacement of glutamic acid by valine at a specific position in the beta chains of hemoglobin leads to sickle
cell anemia. This change represents which of the following mutational events?
a. DNA base-pair substitution
b. DNA base-pair deletion
c. DNA base-pair addition
d. chromosomal deletion
e. frameshift mutation
3. The difference in cricket calls among sympatric species of crickets are examples
a. habitat isolation
b. temporal isolation
c. physiological isolation
d. behavioral isolation
e. geographic isolation
4. Which of the following principles is NOT part of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection?
a. Evolution is a gradual process that occurs over long periods of time.
b. Variation occurs among individuals in a population.
c. Mutations are the ultimate source of genetic variation.
d. More individuals are born than will survive.
e. Individuals that possess the most favorable variations have the best chance of reproducing.
5. In a small group of people living in a remote area, there is a high incidence of “blue skin”, a condition that results
from a variation on the structure of hemoglobin. All of the “blue-skinned” residents can trace their ancestry to one
couple, who were among the original settlers of this region. The unusually high frequency of “blue skin” in the area
is an example of
a. mutation
b. genetic drift
c. natural selection
d. sexual selection
e. heterozygote advantage
6. Which of the following statements best expresses the concept of punctuated equilibrium?
a. Small variations gradually accumulate in evolving lineages over periods of millions of years.
b. Random mating ensures that the proportions of genotypes in a population remain unchanged from generation to
generation.
c. Stability is achieved when selection favors the heterozygote, while both types of homozygotes are at a relative
disadvantage.
d. Evolutionary changes consist of rapid bursts of speciation alternating with long periods in which species remain
essentially unmodified.
