Questions on Phylogeny and Cladistics
Phylogeny and Cladistics – Multiple Choice Questions
1. What does a phylogenetic tree represent?
A) The genetic material of organisms
B) The food web of a community
C) The evolutionary relationships among organisms
D) The physical similarities among species
E) The ecological niches of organisms
2. Which of the following best defines a clade?
A) A group of species with the same habitat
B) A group of organisms that share a common trait
C) A group that includes an ancestor and all its descendants
D) Any group of unrelated organisms
E) A group based on physical appearance
3. A shared derived characteristic is also known as a:
A) Homologous trait
B) Synapomorphy
C) Analogous trait
D) Convergent trait
E) Mutation
4. In a cladogram, what does a node represent?
A) The present-day species
B) The point of extinction
C) A common ancestor
D) A fossil record
E) A habitat
5. Which of the following would be considered an outgroup in a cladistic analysis?
A) The most evolved organism
B) A species not part of the clade being studied
C) The oldest fossil
D) A species from another domain
E) A common ancestor
6. The more shared derived characteristics two species have:
A) The less related they are
B) The more likely they are to compete
C) The more distantly related they are
D) The more recently they shared a common ancestor
E) The more traits they lost
7. Which of the following structures is an example of a homologous structure?
A) Wings of birds and insects
B) Flippers of whales and arms of humans
C) Fins of fish and legs of dogs
D) Antennae of insects and ears of mammals
E) Beaks of birds and jaws of snakes
8. Cladistics is primarily based on:
A) Genetic distance
B) Morphological similarities
C) Evolutionary novelty
D) Shared derived characters
E) Geographic distribution
9. Which of the following is not a valid assumption in cladistics?
A) Evolution occurs
B) Speciation produces new lineages
C) Organisms pass down traits to descendants
D) Analogous traits reflect close ancestry
E) Traits can be traced to common ancestors
10. Which group includes a common ancestor but not all of its descendants?
A) Monophyletic
B) Clade
C) Polyphyletic
D) Paraphyletic
E) Synapomorphic
11. What is the purpose of using an outgroup in a phylogenetic analysis?
A) To increase genetic diversity
B) To root the tree and infer ancestral traits
C) To identify mutations
D) To analyze the fossil record
E) To test environmental influences
12. What kind of traits can mislead phylogenetic analysis?
A) Synapomorphies
B) Homologies
C) Analogies
D) Derived characters
E) Molecular sequences
13. The principle of parsimony in cladistics favors:
A) The tree with the most nodes
B) The tree with the fewest evolutionary changes
C) The most symmetrical tree
D) The tree with the longest branches
E) The tree that shows convergent evolution
14. Which type of grouping includes species that do not share an immediate common ancestor?
A) Monophyletic
B) Clade
C) Polyphyletic
D) Paraphyletic
E) Genus
15. Which type of character is present in all members of a group and in their common ancestor?
A) Analogous
B) Derived
C) Shared derived
D) Ancestral
E) Unique
16. What is molecular phylogenetics?
A) Study of fossils for evolutionary data
B) Study of gene flow among populations
C) Use of DNA/RNA to determine evolutionary relationships
D) Use of skeletal structures in taxonomy
E) Study of epigenetic changes
17. What does a branch on a phylogenetic tree represent?
A) A new taxonomic kingdom
B) The location of an organism
C) A lineage evolving through time
D) Extinction of a species
E) A mutation site
18. Which type of evidence is most commonly used in modern phylogenetics?
A) Fossil evidence
B) Comparative embryology
C) Molecular data (DNA, proteins)
D) Behavior patterns
E) Ecological interactions
19. Which of the following terms means “single origin” in evolutionary terms?
A) Polyphyletic
B) Monophyletic
C) Paraphyletic
D) Divergent
E) Cladistic
20. What is the main goal of phylogenetic classification?
A) To create categories based on physical traits
B) To eliminate extinct species from classification
C) To reflect evolutionary relationships among organisms
D) To group organisms by habitat
E) To simplify taxonomy for students
Answer Key
1. C) The evolutionary relationships among organisms
2. C) A group that includes an ancestor and all its descendants
3. B) Synapomorphy
4. C) A common ancestor
5. B) A species not part of the clade being studied
6. D) The more recently they shared a common ancestor
7. B) Flippers of whales and arms of humans
8. D) Shared derived characters
9. D) Analogous traits reflect close ancestry
10. D) Paraphyletic
11. B) To root the tree and infer ancestral traits
12. C) Analogies
13. B) The tree with the fewest evolutionary changes
14. C) Polyphyletic
15. D) Ancestral
16. C) Use of DNA/RNA to determine evolutionary relationships
17. C) A lineage evolving through time
18. C) Molecular data (DNA, proteins)
19. B) Monophyletic
20. C) To reflect evolutionary relationships among organisms
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