NEET Biology Evolution MCQs Set 06

Answer: (b) Light years

Explanation:
1. Stellar distances are measured in light years.

Teacher's Note:
1. Darwin's theory rests on branching descent and natural selection; the observations are limited resources, stable populations, variation among individuals and inheritance of variation.
2. Adaptive radiation (Darwin's finches, Australian marsupials) is divergent evolution, whereas convergent evolution gives analogous structures such as eyes of octopus and mammals.

Answer: (b) Galapagos

Explanation:
1. Darwin worked on the Galapagos islands, where he saw the finches.

Teacher's Note:
1. Miller (1953) produced amino acids from CH4, H2, NH3 and water vapour with electric discharge, supporting chemical evolution.
2. Human evolution: Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were hairy apes, Homo habilis about 650-800 cc, Homo erectus about 900 cc, Neanderthal about 1400 cc.

Answer: (d) None of them

Explanation:
1. Both the light and dark forms of Biston betularia persisted; only their frequencies changed with the environment.

Teacher's Note:
1. Natural selection can be stabilising (peak gets higher and narrower), directional (peak shifts) or disruptive (two peaks).
2. Industrial melanism in Biston betularia is a classic example of natural selection.

Answer: (a) Seed eater

Explanation:
1. Darwin's finches arose from a seed eating ancestor.

Teacher's Note:
1. Darwin's theory rests on branching descent and natural selection; the observations are limited resources, stable populations, variation among individuals and inheritance of variation.
2. Adaptive radiation (Darwin's finches, Australian marsupials) is divergent evolution, whereas convergent evolution gives analogous structures such as eyes of octopus and mammals.

Answer: (d) All of them

Explanation:
1. All the statements about the link of evolution to life span, natural selection and fitness are true.

Teacher's Note:
1. Miller (1953) produced amino acids from CH4, H2, NH3 and water vapour with electric discharge, supporting chemical evolution.
2. Human evolution: Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were hairy apes, Homo habilis about 650-800 cc, Homo erectus about 900 cc, Neanderthal about 1400 cc.

Answer: (d) Both 1 and 2

Explanation:
1. The two key concepts of Darwin's theory are branching descent and natural selection.

Teacher's Note:
1. Natural selection can be stabilising (peak gets higher and narrower), directional (peak shifts) or disruptive (two peaks).
2. Industrial melanism in Biston betularia is a classic example of natural selection.

Answer: (a) 2000

Explanation:
1. The first cellular forms of life appeared about 2000 million years ago.

Teacher's Note:
1. Darwin's theory rests on branching descent and natural selection; the observations are limited resources, stable populations, variation among individuals and inheritance of variation.
2. Adaptive radiation (Darwin's finches, Australian marsupials) is divergent evolution, whereas convergent evolution gives analogous structures such as eyes of octopus and mammals.

Answer: (d) Tyrannosaurus rex

Explanation:
1. Tyrannosaurus rex was the biggest dinosaur, about 20 feet in height.

Teacher's Note:
1. Miller (1953) produced amino acids from CH4, H2, NH3 and water vapour with electric discharge, supporting chemical evolution.
2. Human evolution: Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were hairy apes, Homo habilis about 650-800 cc, Homo erectus about 900 cc, Neanderthal about 1400 cc.

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Explanation:
1. Mutations are random and directionless.

Teacher's Note:
1. Natural selection can be stabilising (peak gets higher and narrower), directional (peak shifts) or disruptive (two peaks).
2. Industrial melanism in Biston betularia is a classic example of natural selection.

Answer: (b) Homologous organs

Explanation:
1. The forelimbs of whale, bat, cheetah and human have the same basic structure but different functions, so they are homologous.

Teacher's Note:
1. Darwin's theory rests on branching descent and natural selection; the observations are limited resources, stable populations, variation among individuals and inheritance of variation.
2. Adaptive radiation (Darwin's finches, Australian marsupials) is divergent evolution, whereas convergent evolution gives analogous structures such as eyes of octopus and mammals.

Answer: (d) Saltation

Explanation:
1. Hugo de Vries called single step large mutations saltation.

Teacher's Note:
1. Miller (1953) produced amino acids from CH4, H2, NH3 and water vapour with electric discharge, supporting chemical evolution.
2. Human evolution: Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were hairy apes, Homo habilis about 650-800 cc, Homo erectus about 900 cc, Neanderthal about 1400 cc.

Answer: (a) 1953

Explanation:
1. S.L. Miller carried out his experiment in 1953.

Teacher's Note:
1. Natural selection can be stabilising (peak gets higher and narrower), directional (peak shifts) or disruptive (two peaks).
2. Industrial melanism in Biston betularia is a classic example of natural selection.

Answer: (d) None

Explanation:
1. The Miller apparatus had a vacuum pump, electrodes and a condenser, so none was absent.

Teacher's Note:
1. Darwin's theory rests on branching descent and natural selection; the observations are limited resources, stable populations, variation among individuals and inheritance of variation.
2. Adaptive radiation (Darwin's finches, Australian marsupials) is divergent evolution, whereas convergent evolution gives analogous structures such as eyes of octopus and mammals.

Answer: (b) Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus

Explanation:
1. Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were hairy and walked like gorillas and chimpanzees.

Teacher's Note:
1. Miller (1953) produced amino acids from CH4, H2, NH3 and water vapour with electric discharge, supporting chemical evolution.
2. Human evolution: Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were hairy apes, Homo habilis about 650-800 cc, Homo erectus about 900 cc, Neanderthal about 1400 cc.

Answer: (c) 900 cc

Explanation:
1. The cranial capacity of Homo erectus was about 900 cc.

Teacher's Note:
1. Natural selection can be stabilising (peak gets higher and narrower), directional (peak shifts) or disruptive (two peaks).
2. Industrial melanism in Biston betularia is a classic example of natural selection.

Answer: (b) Continental drift

Explanation:
1. Isolation caused by continental drift let Australian marsupials survive without competition from placentals.

Teacher's Note:
1. Darwin's theory rests on branching descent and natural selection; the observations are limited resources, stable populations, variation among individuals and inheritance of variation.
2. Adaptive radiation (Darwin's finches, Australian marsupials) is divergent evolution, whereas convergent evolution gives analogous structures such as eyes of octopus and mammals.

Answer: (c) 65 million years ago

Explanation:
1. Dinosaurs disappeared about 65 million years ago.

Teacher's Note:
1. Miller (1953) produced amino acids from CH4, H2, NH3 and water vapour with electric discharge, supporting chemical evolution.
2. Human evolution: Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were hairy apes, Homo habilis about 650-800 cc, Homo erectus about 900 cc, Neanderthal about 1400 cc.

Answer: (b) Lobefins

Explanation:
1. Lobefins (lobe finned fishes) evolved into the first amphibians.

Teacher's Note:
1. Natural selection can be stabilising (peak gets higher and narrower), directional (peak shifts) or disruptive (two peaks).
2. Industrial melanism in Biston betularia is a classic example of natural selection.

Answer: (a) Stabilising selection

Explanation:
1. In stabilising selection the peak gets higher and narrower as extreme forms are removed.

Teacher's Note:
1. Darwin's theory rests on branching descent and natural selection; the observations are limited resources, stable populations, variation among individuals and inheritance of variation.
2. Adaptive radiation (Darwin's finches, Australian marsupials) is divergent evolution, whereas convergent evolution gives analogous structures such as eyes of octopus and mammals.

Answer: (b) A, B, C and D

Explanation:
1. All four are Darwin's observations: limited resources, stable population size, variation and inheritance of variation.

Teacher's Note:
1. Miller (1953) produced amino acids from CH4, H2, NH3 and water vapour with electric discharge, supporting chemical evolution.
2. Human evolution: Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were hairy apes, Homo habilis about 650-800 cc, Homo erectus about 900 cc, Neanderthal about 1400 cc.

Answer: (b) Adaptive radiation

Explanation:
1. Adaptive radiation is the process of evolution of different species from a point of origin radiating into new habitats.

Teacher's Note:
1. Natural selection can be stabilising (peak gets higher and narrower), directional (peak shifts) or disruptive (two peaks).
2. Industrial melanism in Biston betularia is a classic example of natural selection.

Answer: (c) Natural selection

Explanation:
1. Industrial melanism shows natural selection acting on moth colour.

Teacher's Note:
1. Darwin's theory rests on branching descent and natural selection; the observations are limited resources, stable populations, variation among individuals and inheritance of variation.
2. Adaptive radiation (Darwin's finches, Australian marsupials) is divergent evolution, whereas convergent evolution gives analogous structures such as eyes of octopus and mammals.

Answer: (b) Convergent evolution

Explanation:
1. When more than one adaptive radiation occurs in one area, so that similar forms develop independently, it is convergent evolution.

Teacher's Note:
1. Miller (1953) produced amino acids from CH4, H2, NH3 and water vapour with electric discharge, supporting chemical evolution.
2. Human evolution: Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were hairy apes, Homo habilis about 650-800 cc, Homo erectus about 900 cc, Neanderthal about 1400 cc.

Answer: (d) A, B and C

Explanation:
1. All are analogous structures that evolved independently, so all are examples of convergent evolution.

Teacher's Note:
1. Natural selection can be stabilising (peak gets higher and narrower), directional (peak shifts) or disruptive (two peaks).
2. Industrial melanism in Biston betularia is a classic example of natural selection.

Answer: (a) Divergent evolution

Explanation:
1. Same structures developing in different directions for different needs is divergent evolution.

Teacher's Note:
1. Darwin's theory rests on branching descent and natural selection; the observations are limited resources, stable populations, variation among individuals and inheritance of variation.
2. Adaptive radiation (Darwin's finches, Australian marsupials) is divergent evolution, whereas convergent evolution gives analogous structures such as eyes of octopus and mammals.

Answer: (d) All of these

Explanation:
1. Special creation holds that organisms were created as such, diversity is constant and the earth is only about 4000 years old.

Teacher's Note:
1. Miller (1953) produced amino acids from CH4, H2, NH3 and water vapour with electric discharge, supporting chemical evolution.
2. Human evolution: Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were hairy apes, Homo habilis about 650-800 cc, Homo erectus about 900 cc, Neanderthal about 1400 cc.