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Biology: High School: 9th and 10th Grade Quiz - Biology - Evolution (Questions)

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High school science looks at evolution in depth. There are several aspects to this, such as competition and variation. This quiz looks at Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and the process of natural selection in particular.

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Particular genes or accidental changes in the genes of plants or animals may give them characteristics which enable them to survive better. Over time this may result in entirely new species. There are different theories of evolution but Charles Darwin’s theory is the most widely accepted. His theory is based on natural selection or "survival of the fittest".

Variation of individuals of a species occurs naturally - variation makes you different from everyone else. If variation gives an animal an advantage in the wild, it is likely to live longer and have more offspring. It is likely that the variation is passed on to the offspring, making them more successful. Bad variations will mean that the individual is less successful and could even die so the individuals who are best adapted to the environment will survive. So as this carries on over a period of millions of years, animals and plants will slowly evolve through the process of natural selection.

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck suggested that evolution happened because of use and disuse. A characteristic which is used more by an organism becomes bigger and stronger, and one that is not used eventually disappears. Any feature of an organism that is improved through use is passed to its offspring. An example of this is the neck of a giraffe. He thought that early giraffes had short necks and as they used them to reach as high as possible they stretched. He thought that this stretched neck would then be inherited by the next generation of giraffes and so on.

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1. What is the timescale needed for evolution according to Darwin's theory?
[ ] A few years
[ ] A few hundreds of years
[ ] Several thousand years
[ ] Millions of years
2. Which one of the following provides strong evidence for Darwin's theory of evolution?
[ ] Fossils
[ ] Living creatures
[ ] Records made by naturalists in the 19th Century
[ ] Books
3. Darwin's theory was not widely accepted when he published it in 1859. Which one of the following is not a reason why scientists at the time rejected it?
[ ] It conflicted with religious views
[ ] Darwin had little evidence
[ ] Other scientists were jealous of Darwin
[ ] No-one knew how variation and inheritance worked
4. Which organisms are most likely to survive long enough to reproduce?
[ ] Ones which are badly adapted to their environment
[ ] Ones which are well adapted to their environment
[ ] The biggest ones
[ ] The smallest ones
5. According to Darwin, new species evolve by which process?
[ ] Unnatural selection
[ ] Artificial selection
[ ] Premium selection
[ ] Natural selection
6. Which of the following is true?
[ ] Environmental variation is inherited
[ ] Variation can not be inherited
[ ] Genetic variation is inherited
[ ] Genetic variation is not inherited
7. Why did Lamarck's theory of evolution fall out of favor?
[ ] It can't explain why simple organisms continue to exist
[ ] It is based on genetic variation
[ ] It is older than Darwin's and therefore out of date
[ ] Scientists forgot about it
8. Before the Industrial Revolution most peppered moths were pale, but there was a mutant form which had dark colouration - the black peppered moth. During the Industrial Revolution, in cities the mutant black peppered moth became more numerous. Which of the following statements could explain why?
[ ] White peppered moths are bigger
[ ] Dark peppered moths are bigger
[ ] White peppered moths are easier to see on dirty tree bar
[ ] Dark peppered moths are easier to see on dirty tree bark
9. Why is the evolutionary record of the horse so well documented?
[ ] They started small and evolved to become larger
[ ] There is a very good fossil record
[ ] It is a popular animal
[ ] Only one scientist has ever worked on it
10. Which of the following is an example of rapid evolution caused by mutation?
[ ] Dinosaurs
[ ] Dogs
[ ] Antibiotic resistant bacteria in hospitals
[ ] Humans
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Biology: High School: 9th and 10th Grade Quiz - Biology - Evolution (Answers)
1. What is the timescale needed for evolution according to Darwin's theory?
[ ] A few years
[ ] A few hundreds of years
[ ] Several thousand years
[x] Millions of years
Darwin believed that evolution took place very slowly in complex plants and animals. It is possible to see evolution happening over much shorter time periods when you look at simple organisms like bacteria
2. Which one of the following provides strong evidence for Darwin's theory of evolution?
[x] Fossils
[ ] Living creatures
[ ] Records made by naturalists in the 19th Century
[ ] Books
Human fossils from 7 million years ago have been found. Early humans are called 'hominids' and were smaller than modern humans, with much smaller brains but they walked upright on two legs
3. Darwin's theory was not widely accepted when he published it in 1859. Which one of the following is not a reason why scientists at the time rejected it?
[ ] It conflicted with religious views
[ ] Darwin had little evidence
[x] Other scientists were jealous of Darwin
[ ] No-one knew how variation and inheritance worked
Darwin was ridiculed by the press and some of the leading scientists of the time as they did not like the idea that they were descended from the apes
4. Which organisms are most likely to survive long enough to reproduce?
[ ] Ones which are badly adapted to their environment
[x] Ones which are well adapted to their environment
[ ] The biggest ones
[ ] The smallest ones
Well adapted individuals survive longer and will have more offspring
5. According to Darwin, new species evolve by which process?
[ ] Unnatural selection
[ ] Artificial selection
[ ] Premium selection
[x] Natural selection
Negative characteristics that are passed on to offspring gradually disappear from the gene pool as the organisms that carry them do not survive long enough to have many offspring
6. Which of the following is true?
[ ] Environmental variation is inherited
[ ] Variation can not be inherited
[x] Genetic variation is inherited
[ ] Genetic variation is not inherited
Variation is carried by the genes and is therfore inherited. Environmental variation occurs after birth and is not recorded on the genes so cannot be passed from parent to offspring
7. Why did Lamarck's theory of evolution fall out of favor?
[x] It can't explain why simple organisms continue to exist
[ ] It is based on genetic variation
[ ] It is older than Darwin's and therefore out of date
[ ] Scientists forgot about it
According to Lamarck's theory, evolution creates more and more complexity therefore simple life like bacteria and amoeba should not exist
8. Before the Industrial Revolution most peppered moths were pale, but there was a mutant form which had dark colouration - the black peppered moth. During the Industrial Revolution, in cities the mutant black peppered moth became more numerous. Which of the following statements could explain why?
[ ] White peppered moths are bigger
[ ] Dark peppered moths are bigger
[x] White peppered moths are easier to see on dirty tree bar
[ ] Dark peppered moths are easier to see on dirty tree bark
This question is about camouflage. Air pollution from the Industrial Revolution made trees near factories dirty. Factories were built in urban areas so the first two options can be dismissed as size is not related to the color mutation. Even if you haven't come across peppered moths in your lessons, you should be able to work out that white ones would poorly camouflaged against a dirty tree bark meaning that they are more likely to be spotted and eaten by predators
9. Why is the evolutionary record of the horse so well documented?
[ ] They started small and evolved to become larger
[x] There is a very good fossil record
[ ] It is a popular animal
[ ] Only one scientist has ever worked on it
This question is testing whether or not you understand that one of the strong arguments for Darwin's theory is that evolution can be seen by looking at fossils
10. Which of the following is an example of rapid evolution caused by mutation?
[ ] Dinosaurs
[ ] Dogs
[x] Antibiotic resistant bacteria in hospitals
[ ] Humans
Normally, evolution occurs slowly over a period of millions of years. Most antibiotic resistant bacteria have evolved since the 1950s when antibiotics were first widely used