Question 1

Both Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin traveled extensively and were struck by the strong patterns they observed in the geographic distribution of nature's diversity. Which of the following observations did Wallace make?

Accepted Answer

A)   Similar species tended to be widely separated geographically and occupied widely different times in geologic history.
B)   Geographic features seem to play an important role in the clustering of dissimilar, nonrelated species; these dissimilar species clustered together in time and space.
C)   Geographic features seem to play an important role in the clustering of similar, closely related species, and these similar species clustered together in time and space.
D)   Wallace observed that geographic distribution of species appeared to be random, correlating with the random nature of genetic mutation.E) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 2

Robert Chambers, a Scottish geologist and author of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, is often overlooked for recognizing which critical aspect of evolutionary biology?

Accepted Answer

A)   the theory of the inheritance of acquired characteristics
B)   the enormous influence of the environment on evolutionary change
C)   thinking of evolution in terms of populations and not individuals
D)   a theory for why new species came into beingE) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 3

The Greek philosopher Empedocles recognized that plant life preceded animal life. Xenophanes (570-470 B.C.) studied fossils in sedimentary rock and concluded that the rocks must have been under water at one time. Explain why these were important shifts in logical thinking.

Accepted Answer

These were important shifts in logical t...

Question 4

While various religious leaders challenged almost all of Charles Darwin's major conclusions, how did the British scientific community react to his work?

Accepted Answer

A)   All early experimental evolutionists agreed with Darwin's theory of evolution and the mechanism for evolutionary change by natural selection.
B)   They almost universally accepted natural selection but rejected his theory of evolution.
C)   The majority rejected his theory of evolution.
D)   They almost universally accepted Darwin's theory of common ancestry but rejected his theory of natural selection.E) C) and D)
F) A) and D)

Question 5

Compare Charles Darwin's adaptation of Thomas Malthus' argument to plants and animals in nature (Graph A) with the figure representing Malthus' original argument (Graph B). A

B

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary

Question 6

What was one of the ideas that separated Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species as a complete, scientific explanation for evolution when compared to all other previous attempts?

Accepted Answer

A)   Darwin provided copious evidence that each species was completely unique.
B)   Darwin recognized that species can occasionally spontaneously arise.
C)   Darwin articulated a mechanistic explanation for change in species over time and the match between organisms and the environment.
D)   Darwin explained that each domain of living organisms has independent ancestry that diversified over much longer periods of time than previously recognized.E) A) and B)
F) B) and D) C

Question 7

Building on the ideas first proposed by James Hutton, Charles Lyell aimed to explain Earth's geological features using an approach known as uniformitarianism, which hypothesized that

Accepted Answer

A)   large-scale geological events abruptly shaped the surface of Earth.
B)   all geological processes operate in a sporadic manner and vary in their rate of change.
C)   observable geological processes rapidly change Earth's surface, greatly impacting organisms living in the region of change.
D)   the same geological processes currently observable operate over very long periods of time in a slow and gradual manner.E) A) and C)
F) B) and C)

Question 8

Charles Darwin's grandfather Erasmus Darwin, an English physician and philosopher, was one of the first to propose an idea of evolutionary change. What did he propose?

Accepted Answer

A)   He proposed that all life developed from what he called a single living filament, which was modified in endless ways over millions of years.
B)   He proposed that diversity was a result of modification and that traits acquired during the lifetime of an organism were passed down to its progeny resulting in increased diversity.
C)   He proposed that life arose multiple times through spontaneous formation and that diversity arose from the influence of the different environments where formation occurred.
D)   He proposed that each branch of life, or kingdom, resulted from accumulation of change, originating with different filaments for each kingdom.E) None of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 9

How did Charles Lyell explain Earth's geological features?

Accepted Answer

A)   Lyell said Earth's features were a result of supernatural forces creating Earth in the same shape and form he observed and that it had not changed over time.
B)   Lyell said Earth's features were a result of cataclysmic events, like volcano eruptions and earthquakes, which resulted in rapid reshaping of Earth's features.
C)   Lyell said Earth's features were a result of the same processes currently observable, which have occurred over very long periods of time in a slow, gradual manner.
D)   Lyell said Earth's features were a result of the same processes currently observable, which have occurred over relatively short periods of time punctuated by periods of rapid change.E) A) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 10

In 1858 Charles Darwin received a manuscript from Alfred Russel Wallace in which Wallace proposed a theory very similar to his own. Darwin first presented his ideas in a joint paper with Wallace, which was read to the Linnaean Society, also in 1858. Why do you think history primarily associates Darwin's, not Wallace's, name with the theory of evolution?

Accepted Answer

There are a few reasons why history prim...

Question 11

Before Charles Darwin, scientists such as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck envisioned evolutionary change as transformational-properties of an ensemble change because every member of the ensemble changes. Darwin's theory of evolutionary change was, by contrast, a variational one-the properties of an ensemble change because of the action of some sorting process acting on preexisting variation within the ensemble. Referring to the figure, describe the kind of sorting process that takes place (a) when we use artificial selection to change the characteristics of a breed of animals or plants and (b) when natural selection operates on a population.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Before Charles Darwin, scientists such as Jean-Baptiste...

Question 12

Aristotle's scala naturae was a linear classification system that influenced Western thinkers for thousands of years (some would argue it still does) . In this classification system, each species occupied a link in a chain that became increasingly complex. Scala naturae did not recognize the shared degrees of complexity among organisms or the ability of species and taxa to change. Which of the following is an example demonstrating that organisms have shared degrees of complexity?

Accepted Answer

A)   A population of fish become separated by a new dam structure; after 20 years the fish living in the shallower, warmer water at the base of the dam can no longer mate with the fish living in the deeper, colder water behind the dam.
B)   A virus infects a population of black-footed ferrets and kills 60% of the animals. The remaining 20% are immune to the disease; the offspring of this group are 90% immune to the virus.
C)   Due to earlier spring warming resulting from climate change, temperate woodland wildflowers bloom an average of nine days earlier.
D)   Nostoc (a cyanobacterium)  and Helianthus (sunflowers, a vascular plant)  have chloroplasts and conduct photosynthesis.E) A) and B)
F) B) and D)

Question 13

Rather than rely on creation myths to explain the natural world, early Greek philosophers were among the first to

Accepted Answer

A)   quantify the inheritance of genetic traits through sexual reproduction.
B)   describe the heavenly bodies as gods or personages.
C)   develop a philosophy of a natural world driven by physical laws used to explain the world around them.
D)   understand that our planet is much, much older than previously determined.E) None of the above
F) C) and D)

Question 14

To explain how varieties were on the path to becoming new species, Charles Darwin introduced the concept of

Accepted Answer

A)   descent with modification.
B)   transformational change.
C)   variational change
D)   spontaneous change.E) A) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 15

In the figure, the hierarchically arrayed groups indicated by the shaded gray boxes are called ________ by modern evolutionary systematists. A Clusters of species

B Hierarchical patterns of similarity

Accepted Answer

A)   nodes
B)   species
C)   genera
D)   cladesE) A) and D)
F) A) and C)

Question 16

James Hutton, a Scottish geologist and naturalist, argued that the alignment of rock strata, the geological processes of erosion and sedimentation, and fossil data suggested that the world was created

Accepted Answer

A)   on exactly October 23, 4004 B.C.
B)   in 3998 B.C.
C)   an inconceivably long time ago.
D)   between 75,000 and 2-3 million years ago.E) A) and B)
F) All of the above

Question 17

Early Greek philosophers failed to exploit one of the greatest advantages of methodological naturalism, which is the ability to

Accepted Answer

A)   test hypotheses through observation and sometimes manipulation.
B)   formulate principles of science without having facts obtained through experimentation.
C)   formulate hypotheses without verification.
D)   interpret supernatural observations.E) None of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 18

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck hypothesized that changes acquired during the lifetime of an individual organism, as a result of adapting to its environment, are passed on to progeny. Why was this incorrect but still important?

Accepted Answer

A)   Acquired traits are heritable, but not part of the genetic makeup of the organisms. Lamarck's idea was important because he was the first to propose a process for evolutionary change.
B)   Acquired traits are not heritable, but Lamarck's idea was important because he verified Darwin's process of natural selection.
C)   Acquired traits are not heritable, but Lamarck's idea was important because he was the first to propose a process for evolutionary change.
D)   Acquired traits are heritable, and Lamarck's idea was important because he proved Darwin's idea of variational evolution was incorrect.E) A) and C)
F) C) and D)

Question 19

Which scientist of those listed below was a contemporary of Charles Darwin and also developed a complete theory of evolution by natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A)   Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
B)   Alfred Russel Wallace
C)   Aristotle
D)   William PaleyE) B) and C)
F) A) and C)

Question 20

Even if philosophers accept and study the importance of biological change, a full theory of evolution by natural selection cannot exist without

Accepted Answer

A)   understanding the sorts of changes that have taken place.
B)   recognizing the significance of testing one's hypotheses.
C)   an understanding of the vast expanses of time over which some changes take place.
D)   realizing that some species go extinct.E) A) and D)
F) All of the above C

Exam 2: Early Evolutionary Ideas and Darwin S Insight

Both Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin traveled extensively and were struck by the strong patterns they observed in the geographic distribution of nature's diversity. Which of the following observations did Wallace make?

Correct Answer
verified

Robert Chambers, a Scottish geologist and author of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, is often overlooked for recognizing which critical aspect of evolutionary biology?

Correct Answer
verified

The Greek philosopher Empedocles recognized that plant life preceded animal life. Xenophanes (570-470 B.C.) studied fossils in sedimentary rock and concluded that the rocks must have been under water at one time. Explain why these were important shifts in logical thinking.

Correct Answer
Answered by ExamLex AI
These were important shifts in logical t...
View Answer

While various religious leaders challenged almost all of Charles Darwin's major conclusions, how did the British scientific community react to his work?

Correct Answer
verified

Compare Charles Darwin's adaptation of Thomas Malthus' argument to plants and animals in nature (Graph A) with the figure representing Malthus' original argument (Graph B). A B

Correct Answer
verified
Answers will vary

What was one of the ideas that separated Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species as a complete, scientific explanation for evolution when compared to all other previous attempts?

Correct Answer
verified
C

Building on the ideas first proposed by James Hutton, Charles Lyell aimed to explain Earth's geological features using an approach known as uniformitarianism, which hypothesized that

Correct Answer
verified

Charles Darwin's grandfather Erasmus Darwin, an English physician and philosopher, was one of the first to propose an idea of evolutionary change. What did he propose?

Correct Answer
verified

How did Charles Lyell explain Earth's geological features?

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
Answered by ExamLex AI
There are a few reasons why history prim...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Rather than rely on creation myths to explain the natural world, early Greek philosophers were among the first to

Correct Answer
verified

To explain how varieties were on the path to becoming new species, Charles Darwin introduced the concept of

Correct Answer
verified

In the figure, the hierarchically arrayed groups indicated by the shaded gray boxes are called ________ by modern evolutionary systematists. A Clusters of species B Hierarchical patterns of similarity

Correct Answer
verified

James Hutton, a Scottish geologist and naturalist, argued that the alignment of rock strata, the geological processes of erosion and sedimentation, and fossil data suggested that the world was created

Correct Answer
verified

Early Greek philosophers failed to exploit one of the greatest advantages of methodological naturalism, which is the ability to

Correct Answer
verified

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck hypothesized that changes acquired during the lifetime of an individual organism, as a result of adapting to its environment, are passed on to progeny. Why was this incorrect but still important?

Correct Answer
verified

Which scientist of those listed below was a contemporary of Charles Darwin and also developed a complete theory of evolution by natural selection?

Correct Answer
verified

Even if philosophers accept and study the importance of biological change, a full theory of evolution by natural selection cannot exist without

Correct Answer
verified
C

Exam 2: Early Evolutionary Ideas and Darwin S Insight

Both Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin traveled extensively and were struck by the strong patterns they observed in the geographic distribution of nature's diversity. Which of the following observations did Wallace make?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Robert Chambers, a Scottish geologist and author of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, is often overlooked for recognizing which critical aspect of evolutionary biology?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Greek philosopher Empedocles recognized that plant life preceded animal life. Xenophanes (570-470 B.C.) studied fossils in sedimentary rock and concluded that the rocks must have been under water at one time. Explain why these were important shifts in logical thinking.

Correct AnswerAnswered by ExamLex AIThese were important shifts in logical t...View AnswerShow Answer

While various religious leaders challenged almost all of Charles Darwin's major conclusions, how did the British scientific community react to his work?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Compare Charles Darwin's adaptation of Thomas Malthus' argument to plants and animals in nature (Graph A) with the figure representing Malthus' original argument (Graph B). A B

Correct AnswerverifiedAnswers will vary

What was one of the ideas that separated Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species as a complete, scientific explanation for evolution when compared to all other previous attempts?

Correct AnswerverifiedC

Building on the ideas first proposed by James Hutton, Charles Lyell aimed to explain Earth's geological features using an approach known as uniformitarianism, which hypothesized that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Charles Darwin's grandfather Erasmus Darwin, an English physician and philosopher, was one of the first to propose an idea of evolutionary change. What did he propose?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How did Charles Lyell explain Earth's geological features?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerAnswered by ExamLex AIThere are a few reasons why history prim...View AnswerShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Rather than rely on creation myths to explain the natural world, early Greek philosophers were among the first to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

To explain how varieties were on the path to becoming new species, Charles Darwin introduced the concept of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In the figure, the hierarchically arrayed groups indicated by the shaded gray boxes are called ________ by modern evolutionary systematists. A Clusters of species B Hierarchical patterns of similarity

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

James Hutton, a Scottish geologist and naturalist, argued that the alignment of rock strata, the geological processes of erosion and sedimentation, and fossil data suggested that the world was created

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Early Greek philosophers failed to exploit one of the greatest advantages of methodological naturalism, which is the ability to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck hypothesized that changes acquired during the lifetime of an individual organism, as a result of adapting to its environment, are passed on to progeny. Why was this incorrect but still important?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which scientist of those listed below was a contemporary of Charles Darwin and also developed a complete theory of evolution by natural selection?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Even if philosophers accept and study the importance of biological change, a full theory of evolution by natural selection cannot exist without

Correct AnswerverifiedC

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
Answered by ExamLex AI
These were important shifts in logical t...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified
Answers will vary

Correct Answer
verified
C

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
Answered by ExamLex AI
There are a few reasons why history prim...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified
C