Q11. Which scientist conducted experiments on peppered moths, providing evidence for natural selection?
a) Charles Darwin
b) Alfred Russel Wallace
c) Gregor Mendel
d) Bernard Kettlewell
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Correct Answer: d) Bernard Kettlewell
Explanation: Bernard Kettlewell conducted experiments on peppered moths in industrial England, demonstrating how natural selection favored dark-colored moths in polluted areas where they were better camouflaged against tree bark darkened by soot.
Q12. What term describes the process by which species evolve from a common ancestor but develop different traits due to different environmental pressures?
a) Convergent evolution
b) Divergent evolution
c) Parallel evolution
d) Coevolution
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Correct Answer: b) Divergent evolution
Explanation: Divergent evolution occurs when closely related species evolve different traits in response to different environmental pressures, despite originating from a common ancestor.
Q13. Which of the following is an example of vestigial structures?
a) Human appendix
b) Bird wings
c) Fish fins
d) Insect antennae
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Correct Answer: a) Human appendix
Explanation: Vestigial structures are anatomical features that have lost their original function over the course of evolution. The human appendix is an example, believed to be a vestigial remnant of a larger structure in our evolutionary ancestors.
Q14. What type of selection favors extreme phenotypes and acts against intermediate phenotypes?
a) Stabilizing selection
b) Directional selection
c) Disruptive selection
d) Balancing selection
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Correct Answer: c) Disruptive selection
Explanation: Disruptive selection, also known as diversifying selection, favors individuals with extreme phenotypes while acting against individuals with intermediate phenotypes. This can lead to the formation of two distinct phenotypic clusters within a population.
Q15. What term describes the accumulation of small genetic changes in a population over time, leading to the emergence of new species?
a) Macroevolution
b) Microevolution
c) Punctuated equilibrium
d) Adaptive radiation
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Correct Answer: a) Macroevolution
Explanation: Macroevolution refers to the large-scale evolutionary changes that occur over long periods, resulting in the formation of new species and higher taxonomic groups. It involves processes such as speciation, extinction, and adaptive radiation.
Q16. Which concept describes the idea that evolutionary change occurs in rapid bursts followed by long periods of stability?
a) Gradualism
b) Punctuated equilibrium
c) Adaptive radiation
d) Molecular clock
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Correct Answer: b) Punctuated equilibrium
Explanation: Punctuated equilibrium, proposed by Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge, suggests that evolutionary change occurs in rapid bursts of speciation followed by long periods of stasis, where species undergo little change.
Q17. What is the term for the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems across geographic space and through geological time?
a) Paleontology
b) Biogeography
c) Phylogenetics
d) Comparative anatomy
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Correct Answer: b) Biogeography
Explanation: Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems across geographic space and through geological time, including patterns of species diversity and the formation of biotic communities.
Q18. Which of the following is an example of a homologous structure?
a) Bat wing and bird wing
b) Bee wing and butterfly wing
c) Human arm and bird wing
d) Fish fin and dolphin flipper
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Correct Answer: c) Human arm and bird wing
Explanation: Homologous structures are anatomical features that share a common evolutionary origin despite having different functions. The human arm and bird wing are examples, both derived from a common ancestral limb structure.
Q19. Which mechanism of evolution involves the random fluctuation of allele frequencies in a population?
a) Genetic drift
b) Gene flow
c) Mutation
d) Natural selection
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Correct Answer: a) Genetic drift
Explanation: Genetic drift is the random fluctuation of allele frequencies in a population due to chance events. It is most pronounced in small populations and can lead to the loss of genetic variation over time.
Q20. What term describes the evolutionary process by which two species reciprocally affect each other’s evolution?
a) Convergent evolution
b) Divergent evolution
c) Coevolution
d) Parallel evolution
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Correct Answer: c) Coevolution
Explanation: Coevolution occurs when two or more species reciprocally affect each other’s evolution through close ecological interactions, such as predation, competition, or mutualism. This leads to the adaptation of one species in response to evolutionary changes in another species.