Darwin's Voyage of Discovery
Ideas that Shaped Darwin's Thinking
Darwin Presents his Case
100
Which characteristic of Galapagos finches helped the Grants show the results of natural selection? A) the color of their feathers. B) the length and shape of their wings. C) the size and shape of their beaks. D) the curve of their claws.
C) the size and shape of their beaks.
100
When a dairy farmer chooses to breeed the cows that give the most milk in the herd, the farmers are following the principle of...?
Artificial selection.
100
Molecular evidence in support of natural selection includes... A) the nearly universal genetic code. B) the presence of vestigial structures. C) a tendency toward perfect, unchanging DNA in various species. D) the transmission of acquired characteristics by DNA.
A) the nearly universal genetic code.
200
Modern sea star larvae resemble some primitive vertebrate larvae. this similarity may suggest that primitive vertebrates... A) share a common ancestor with sea stars. B) evolved from sea stars. C) evolved before sea stars. D) belong to the same species as sea stars.
A) share a common ancestor with sea stars.
200
The economist Thomas Malthus suggested that... A) in the human population, people die faster than babies are born. B) without certain checks on population size, there would soon be insufficient food for the growing human population. C) in the 1700s, England needed more housing. D) the majority of a species' offspring die.
B) without certain checks on populations size, there would soon be insufficient food for the growing human population.
200
The principle of common descent helps explain why... A) well-adapted species have many offspring. B) conditions in an organism's environment ensure its survival. C) birds and reptiles share a number of inherited characteristics. D) tigers are so different from cheetahs.
C) birds and reptiles share a number of inherited characteristics.
300
Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record as... A) evidence that Earth was very young. B) useful support for his theory. C) interesting but unrelated to the evolution of modern species. D) evidence that traits are acquired through use or disuse.
B) useful support for his theory.
300
Lamarck's ideas about evolution included the concept that differences among the traits of organisms arise as a result of... A) continual increases in population size. B) the actions of organisms as they use or fail to use body structures. C) an unchanging local environment. D) the natural variations already present within the population or organisms.
B) the actions of organisms as they use or fail to use body structures.
300
Darwin's concept of natural selection was NOT influenced by... A) the work of Charles Lyell. B) the work of Gregor Mendel. C) his collection of specimens. D) his trip on the H.M.S. Beagle.
B) the work of Gregor Mendel.
400
Based on the adaptations Charles Darwin observed in finches and tortoises in the Galapagos, he wondered... A) if species living on different islands had once been members of the same species. B) if finches and tortoises had originated from the same ancestral species. C) if all birds on the different islands were finches. D) why all tortoises on the different islands were identical.
A) if species living on different islands had once been members of the same species.
400
In the 1800s, Charles Lyell emphasized that... A) the human population will outgrow the available food supply. B) all poulations evolve through natural selection. C) Earth is a few thousand years old. D) past geological events must be explained in terms of processes observable today.
D) past geological events must be explained in terms of processes observable today.
400
Which statement about the members of a population that live long enough to reproduce is consistent with the theory of evolution by natural selection? A) they transmit characteristics acquired by use and disuse to their offspring. B) they tend to produce fewer offspring than others in the population. C) they are the ones that are best adapted to survive in their environment. D) they will perpetuate unfavorable changes in the species.
C) they are the ones that are best adapted to survive in their environment.
500
Darwin noticed that many organisms seemed well suited to... A) being preserved as fossils. B) Providing humans with food. C) surviving in the environments in which they lived. D) swimming from South America to the Galapagos Islands.
D) surviving in the environments in which they lived.
500
Which of the following ideas is supported by Darwin's observation of local variation among tortoises in the Galapagos Islands? A) artificial selection. B) adaptation. C) acquired characteristics. D) tendency towards perfection.
B) adaptation.
500
Each of the following is a condition necessary for natural selection to occur EXCEPT... A) more offspring are born that can survive. B) population size is very large. C) fitness varies among individuals. D) there is heritable variation among members of the population.
B) population size is very large.
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