CLEP Biology Mechanisms of Natural Selection 2

Question 1

Which condition is NOT required for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium to apply to a population?

Accepted Answer

Small population size

Answer

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium requires a large (ideally infinite) population, so small population size violates the assumptions.

Question 2

A cheetah population that went through a severe bottleneck event would most likely show:

Accepted Answer

Reduced genetic variation

Answer

Bottleneck events drastically reduce population size, causing loss of alleles and reduced genetic variation.

Question 3

Disruptive selection in a population tends to:

Accepted Answer

Favor both extreme phenotypes

Answer

Disruptive selection favors both extreme phenotypes while selecting against intermediate ones, potentially splitting a population.

Question 4

Industrial melanism in peppered moths is a classic example of which evolutionary mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Directional selection

Answer

The shift from light to dark moths during industrialization illustrates directional selection favoring the darker phenotype in polluted environments.

Question 5

Which statement best describes stabilizing selection?

Accepted Answer

It reduces variation by favoring intermediate phenotypes

Answer

Stabilizing selection favors the average phenotype and eliminates extremes, reducing overall variation in the population.

CLEP Practice Test