Q21. What term describes the evolutionary process by which unrelated species evolve similar traits due to similar environmental pressures?
a) Convergent evolution
b) Divergent evolution
c) Adaptive radiation
d) Coevolution
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Correct Answer: a) Convergent evolution
Explanation: Convergent evolution occurs when unrelated species independently evolve similar traits in response to similar environmental pressures, such as living in similar habitats or facing similar challenges. This results in analogous structures with similar functions but different evolutionary origins.
Q22. Which evolutionary concept suggests that species evolve rapidly in short bursts followed by long periods of little change?
a) Gradualism
b) Punctuated equilibrium
c) Adaptive radiation
d) Convergent evolution
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Correct Answer: b) Punctuated equilibrium
Explanation: Punctuated equilibrium is a theory proposed by Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge, which suggests that evolution occurs in rapid bursts of change followed by long periods of stasis, where species undergo little evolutionary change.
Q23. What is the term for the process by which unrelated organisms evolve similar traits due to living in similar environments?
a) Convergent evolution
b) Divergent evolution
c) Parallel evolution
d) Coevolution
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Correct Answer: a) Convergent evolution
Explanation: Convergent evolution occurs when unrelated organisms independently evolve similar traits in response to similar environmental pressures. This results in the development of analogous structures with similar functions but different evolutionary origins.
Q24. Which type of genetic drift occurs when a small population becomes isolated from the larger population, leading to a loss of genetic variation?
a) Founder effect
b) Bottleneck effect
c) Gene flow
d) Mutation drift
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Correct Answer: a) Founder effect
Explanation: The founder effect occurs when a small group of individuals becomes isolated from the larger population, leading to a loss of genetic variation due to the limited genetic diversity of the founding individuals.
Q25. What term describes the evolutionary process by which one species splits into two or more species?
a) Speciation
b) Extinction
c) Hybridization
d) Polyploidy
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Correct Answer: a) Speciation
Explanation: Speciation is the process by which one species diverges into two or more distinct species over time. This typically occurs due to reproductive isolation, where populations become genetically distinct and unable to interbreed.
Q26. What is the mechanism proposed by Charles Darwin as the driving force of evolution?
a) Genetic drift
b) Lamarckism
c) Natural selection
d) Mutation
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Correct Answer: c) Natural selection
Explanation: Natural selection is the process by which organisms with advantageous traits that enhance survival and reproduction in a given environment tend to leave more offspring, leading to the gradual change of species over time.
Q27. Which scientist independently formulated the theory of evolution by natural selection?
a) Alfred Russel Wallace
b) Gregor Mendel
c) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
d) Thomas Malthus
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Correct Answer: a) Alfred Russel Wallace
Explanation: Alfred Russel Wallace, a contemporary of Charles Darwin, independently developed the theory of evolution by natural selection. His work, along with Darwin’s, led to the joint publication of their theories in 1858.
Q28. What term describes the accumulation of small, heritable changes within a population over successive generations?
a) Genetic drift
b) Mutation
c) Microevolution
d) Macroevolution
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Correct Answer: c) Microevolution
Explanation: Microevolution refers to the small-scale changes that occur within populations, such as changes in allele frequencies, resulting from processes like mutation, natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow.
Q29. Which of the following is NOT a requirement for natural selection to occur?
a) Variation in traits within a population
b) Differential reproductive success
c) Mutation of genes
d) Heritability of traits
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Correct Answer: c) Mutation of genes
Explanation: While mutation contributes to genetic variation, it is not a requirement for natural selection to occur. Natural selection acts on existing variation within a population that is heritable and leads to differential reproductive success.
Q30. What term describes the process by which unrelated species independently evolve similar traits due to similar environmental pressures?
a) Convergent evolution
b) Divergent evolution
c) Parallel evolution
d) Coevolution
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Correct Answer: a) Convergent evolution
Explanation: Convergent evolution occurs when unrelated species evolve similar traits independently in response to similar environmental pressures. This results in analogous structures with similar functions but different evolutionary origins.