Questions on Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection – Multiple Choice Questions
1. Who proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection?
A) Gregor Mendel
B) Alfred Wegener
C) Charles Darwin
D) Louis Pasteur
E) Isaac Newton
2. What is the main mechanism of evolution according to Darwin?
A) Artificial selection
B) Natural selection
C) Genetic drift
D) Mutation
E) Gene flow
3. Natural selection results in:
A) Individuals acquiring useful traits in their lifetime
B) The survival of the strongest individuals
C) Favoring traits that increase survival and reproduction
D) All organisms becoming more complex
E) Random trait development
4. What causes variation in a population?
A) Identical DNA
B) Shared environments
C) Genetic differences
D) Equal inheritance
E) Lack of mutation
5. Which of the following is NOT a condition for natural selection to occur?
A) Variation among individuals
B) Inheritance of traits
C) Overproduction of offspring
D) Equal reproductive success
E) Struggle for existence
6. Traits that increase an organism's ability to survive and reproduce are called:
A) Genes
B) Adaptations
C) Mutations
D) Alleles
E) Chromosomes
7. According to natural selection, which individuals are most likely to survive?
A) The largest
B) The fastest
C) The best adapted
D) The oldest
E) The strongest
8. Darwin observed finches on the Galápagos Islands that differed in:
A) Color
B) Size
C) Beak shape
D) Wing length
E) Tail feathers
9. Natural selection acts directly on:
A) Genes
B) Mutations
C) Phenotypes
D) Chromosomes
E) DNA sequences
10. Over many generations, natural selection can lead to:
A) Extinction
B) Genetic cloning
C) Evolution
D) Mutation
E) Artificial traits
11. What is the role of the environment in natural selection?
A) It changes DNA
B) It provides resources
C) It determines which traits are advantageous
D) It eliminates all mutations
E) It causes all individuals to evolve
12. Which of the following best defines "fitness" in evolutionary terms?
A) The strength of an individual
B) The number of mates an organism has
C) The ability to survive and reproduce
D) Resistance to disease
E) The size of the organism
13. The phrase "survival of the fittest" refers to:
A) Physical strength
B) Speed in running
C) Best reproductive success
D) Number of predators killed
E) Ability to find shelter
14. Which scientist co-published the theory of natural selection with Darwin?
A) Thomas Malthus
B) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
C) Alfred Russel Wallace
D) James Watson
E) Rosalind Franklin
15. What type of selection favors the average trait in a population?
A) Disruptive selection
B) Directional selection
C) Stabilizing selection
D) Artificial selection
E) Sexual selection
16. A change in the genetic makeup of a population over time is called:
A) Mutation
B) Evolution
C) Variation
D) Adaptation
E) Selection
17. Which of the following statements is true about natural selection?
A) It gives organisms what they want
B) It acts on entire populations instantly
C) It favors traits that are beneficial in a specific environment
D) It only works on large animals
E) It creates perfect organisms
18. What is overproduction in natural selection?
A) Making too many cells
B) Organisms producing more offspring than can survive
C) Producing large organisms
D) Repeating the same genetic trait
E) Making excess proteins
19. Which of the following can increase variation in a population?
A) Natural disasters
B) Cloning
C) Sexual reproduction
D) Pollution
E) Migration
20. Which of the following best summarizes Darwin’s theory?
A) Species are fixed and unchanging
B) All life was created simultaneously
C) Organisms evolve by inheriting acquired traits
D) Organisms best adapted to the environment survive and reproduce
E) Traits change according to desire
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Answer Key
1. C) Charles Darwin
2. B) Natural selection
3. C) Favoring traits that increase survival and reproduction
4. C) Genetic differences
5. D) Equal reproductive success
6. B) Adaptations
7. C) The best adapted
8. C) Beak shape
9. C) Phenotypes
10. C) Evolution
11. C) It determines which traits are advantageous
12. C) The ability to survive and reproduce
13. C) Best reproductive success
14. C) Alfred Russel Wallace
15. C) Stabilizing selection
16. B) Evolution
17. C) It favors traits that are beneficial in a specific environment
18. B) Organisms producing more offspring than can survive
19. C) Sexual reproduction
20. D) Organisms best adapted to the environment survive and reproduce
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