MISA - Maryland Integrated Science Assessment Natural Selection and Evolution Questions and Answers

Question 1

A population of beetles lives on the bark of trees that are gradually darkening over time due to industrial pollution.
Within the beetle population, there is variation in color, from light gray to dark gray.
Which of the following outcomes is the most likely result of natural selection in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

The frequency of the alleles for dark gray coloration will increase in the population over generations.

Answer

The beetles will try to change their color to match the trees, and their offspring will be born with the darker color.

Answer

The light-gray beetles will survive and reproduce more successfully than the dark-gray beetles.

Answer

The beetle population will migrate to an area with lighter-colored trees.

Question 2

The forelimbs of a human, the wing of a bat, and the flipper of a whale all contain a similar pattern of bones (humerus, radius, ulna). These structures serve different functions but suggest a shared evolutionary history. What is the correct term for these types of structures?

Accepted Answer

Homologous structures

Answer

Analogous structures

Answer

Vestigial structures

Answer

Convergent structures

Question 3

Which of the following is required for natural selection to occur in a population?

Accepted Answer

There must be heritable variation for a trait within the population.

Answer

The population must be geographically isolated from other populations.

Answer

All individuals in the population must be genetically identical.

Answer

The environment must remain stable and unchanging over a long period.

Question 4

In a particular species of fish, a river is dammed, separating the population into two isolated groups. The upstream environment is rocky and has fast-moving water, while the downstream environment is muddy with slow-moving water. Over thousands of years, the two groups become so genetically different that they can no longer interbreed. This process is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Speciation

Answer

Gene flow

Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Artificial selection

Question 5

A strain of bacteria becomes resistant to a common antibiotic. A doctor continues to prescribe the same antibiotic to infected patients. How does this situation illustrate the process of natural selection?

Accepted Answer

The antibiotic acts as a selective pressure, favoring the survival and reproduction of resistant bacteria.

Answer

The antibiotic causes new mutations in the bacteria, making them resistant.

Answer

The bacteria learn to tolerate the antibiotic and pass this tolerance to their offspring.

Answer

The non-resistant bacteria evolve into resistant bacteria within a single generation.

Question 6

The pelvic bones of modern whales are small, non-functional structures that are remnants of the hind limbs of their land-dwelling ancestors. These non-functional structures are best described as:

Accepted Answer

Vestigial structures

Answer

Homologous structures

Answer

Analogous structures

Answer

Embryonic structures