SAMPLE TEST QUESTIONS FROM 2001—BIO 15



EXAMPLES OF Multiple choice. From the choices given, put the letter corresponding to the BEST answer in the space provided. One point each.

_____ 1. In your textbook (and in a slide during lecture) there was a detailed diagram of the evolution (including bone structure) of which of the following animals showing a sequence of forms from very different ancestors to modern day forms:
a. giraffes
b. glyptodonts
c. cattle
d. horses
e. zebras
f. none of the above

_____ 2. Selection for increased milk production, speed in race horses, high egg production in chickens are all examples of:
a. stabilizing selection
b. disruptive selection
c. directional selection
d. random selection
e. none of the above

_____ 3. A slide was shown in class including a Mexican grass known as teosinte which has a very small fruiting structure (there was also an illustration in your textbook). This grass can hybridize with and is very similar to a plant that you know well. This example was used in a discussion of:
a. comparative biochemistry or molecular biology
b. geographic distribution
c. fossil evidence
d. comparative morphology & anatomy
e. observed small changes in nature
f. comparative embryology
g. observed changes in domesticated animals and cultivated plants

_____ 4. Based on Bergmann’s Rule and our knowledge of house sparrows after their introduction into North America, in which of the following cities would we expect to find the largest sparrows:
a. Miami
b. Dallas
c. Sherman
d. St. Louis
e. Chicago

_____ 5. In class you saw a slide of a fish that could move from pond to pond. That fish was used as an analogy of which of the following:
a. succession of forms through time
b. stratigraphy
c. scientific creationism
d. transitional forms
e. comparative molecular biology
f. vestigial structures

_____ 6. Which of the following concepts discussed in class assumes an extraterrestrial influence on the origin of life on Earth:
a. panspermia
b. chemosynthetic origin of life
c. exotectozooia
d. hypogeophilia
e. none of the above



EXAMPLES OF Fill in the blanks. One point each.

1. In your textbook, order, sensitivity, regulation, and homeostasis were all given as characteristics of _________.

2. One of the articles given out in class was titled, “Third Branch of Life Bares Its Genes.” What is the name of this “third branch”? __________________________________

3. In which half of what century was Darwin born? __________________________

4. In a phrase, explain what an extremeophile is (from your textbook). ____________________________________________________________________________________

5. The experiment in which numerous generations of mice had their tails cut off disproves what mechanism of
evolution/heredity? __________________________________

6. Ideas or concepts that go under the disguise of science but have no actual scientific basis (they are not
backed up by evidence; examples include astrology and creation "science") were discussed in class as
examples of ______________________________.

7. Why are all of the species of Galapagos finches similar in many ways? ___________________________

8. The pelvis of a snake, your appendix, the hip bones of a whale, and the reduced eyes of a blind cave catfish are all examples of _______________________________ structures.

9. What major concept did Lynn Margulis develop in detail? ________________________________


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EXAMPLES OF True/False. Put a T or F in the space provided. One point each.

_____ 1. Darwin got his degree in the study of geology and zoology and was thus well prepared for his
voyage on the Beagle.

_____ 2. If you went to the Grand Canyon, you would expect to find the oldest fossils in rocks near
the bottom of the canyon.

_____ 3. The closest continent to the Galapagos Islands is Africa

_____ 4. Darwin published the “Origin of Species” in 1839, shortly after his return from the voyage of the Beagle.

_____ 5. Darwin was the first person to develop a theory of evolution of living things.



This work was prepared in accordance with the Austin College academic integrity
policy. ____________________ Signature __________________ Name printed