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Evolution and Natural Selection MCQs with Answers

Welcome to the Evolution and Natural Selection MCQs with Answers. In this post, we are sharing Evolution and Natural Selection Multiple Choice Questions and Answers in Everyday Science section for various competitive exams in Pakistan. Each question offers a chance to enhance your knowledge regarding Evolution and Natural Selection online MCQs Test.

What is the primary mechanism of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin?
a) Mutation
b) Genetic drift
c) Natural selection
d) Gene flow

Answer
c) Natural selection

Which of the following best describes “survival of the fittest”?
a) The strongest individuals survive
b) The most adaptable individuals survive
c) The oldest individuals survive
d) The largest individuals survive

Answer
b) The most adaptable individuals survive

What is the term for the gradual change in a species over time?
a) Extinction
b) Speciation
c) Evolution
d) Adaptation

Answer
c) Evolution

Which of the following is an example of artificial selection?
a) Natural climate change
b) Selective breeding of crops
c) Genetic mutations in wild animals
d) Environmental changes

Answer
b) Selective breeding of crops

What is the term for a trait that increases an organism’s chance of survival and reproduction?
a) Mutation
b) Adaptation
c) Genetic drift
d) Gene flow

Answer
b) Adaptation

Which of the following is not a mechanism of evolution?
a) Natural selection
b) Genetic drift
c) Gene flow
d) Inheritance of acquired characteristics

Answer
d) Inheritance of acquired characteristics

What concept did Lamarck propose that is now considered incorrect?
a) Evolution by natural selection
b) The inheritance of acquired characteristics
c) Adaptation to the environment
d) Speciation through isolation

Answer
b) The inheritance of acquired characteristics

Which scientist is known for developing the theory of evolution through natural selection independently of Darwin?
a) Gregor Mendel
b) Alfred Russel Wallace
c) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
d) Charles Lyell

Answer
b) Alfred Russel Wallace

What is the term for the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution?
a) Extinction
b) Speciation
c) Adaptation
d) Migration

Answer
b) Speciation

What type of evolution occurs when unrelated species develop similar traits due to similar environmental pressures?
a) Convergent evolution
b) Divergent evolution
c) Parallel evolution
d) Adaptive radiation

Answer
a) Convergent evolution

Which of the following best illustrates divergent evolution?
a) Dolphins and sharks evolving similar body shapes
b) Different species of Darwin’s finches on the Galápagos Islands
c) Cacti and succulents evolving similar water-storage adaptations
d) The development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria

Answer
b) Different species of Darwin’s finches on the Galápagos Islands

What is the term for a change in allele frequencies in a population due to random sampling effects?
a) Natural selection
b) Genetic drift
c) Gene flow
d) Mutation

Answer
b) Genetic drift

What term describes a situation where a small population becomes isolated and develops distinct traits from the original population?
a) Adaptive radiation
b) Bottleneck effect
c) Founder effect
d) Gene flow

Answer
c) Founder effect

What is the role of mutations in evolution?
a) They cause immediate changes in phenotype
b) They provide the raw material for genetic variation
c) They ensure organisms are well adapted to their environment
d) They always lead to beneficial traits

Answer
b) They provide the raw material for genetic variation

What is the term for the gradual accumulation of genetic changes that can lead to the formation of new species?
a) Adaptive radiation
b) Genetic drift
c) Evolutionary change
d) Natural selection

Answer
c) Evolutionary change

Which of the following is an example of a vestigial structure?
a) The human appendix
b) The wings of a bat
c) The long neck of a giraffe
d) The beak of a finch

Answer
a) The human appendix

What is the main source of genetic variation within a population?
a) Natural selection
b) Genetic drift
c) Mutation
d) Gene flow

Answer
c) Mutation

Which concept explains why similar organisms found in different environments may evolve similar traits?
a) Convergent evolution
b) Divergent evolution
c) Parallel evolution
d) Adaptive radiation

Answer
a) Convergent evolution

What term describes the phenomenon where a species evolves rapidly into a wide variety of forms to fill different ecological niches?
a) Convergent evolution
b) Divergent evolution
c) Adaptive radiation
d) Genetic drift

Answer
c) Adaptive radiation

Which of the following best defines natural selection?
a) The process by which organisms with favorable traits reproduce more successfully
b) The process by which genetic mutations occur randomly
c) The process by which genetic drift occurs in large populations
d) The process by which organisms adapt to environmental changes without genetic changes

Answer
a) The process by which organisms with favorable traits reproduce more successfully

What is the term for a situation where two species evolve traits that are mutually beneficial to each other?
a) Symbiosis
b) Mutualism
c) Coevolution
d) Competition

Answer
c) Coevolution

What is the term for the evolutionary process where isolated populations develop differences as they adapt to their specific environments?
a) Convergent evolution
b) Divergent evolution
c) Parallel evolution
d) Adaptive radiation

Answer
b) Divergent evolution

Which of the following is a key component of Darwin’s theory of evolution?
a) Inheritance of acquired characteristics
b) Uniformitarianism
c) Variation among individuals in a population
d) Sudden catastrophic events

Answer
c) Variation among individuals in a population

What is the term for the evolutionary process that results from the random changes in allele frequencies due to chance events?
a) Natural selection
b) Genetic drift
c) Gene flow
d) Mutation

Answer
b) Genetic drift

Which of the following mechanisms of evolution involves the movement of genes between populations?
a) Genetic drift
b) Natural selection
c) Gene flow
d) Mutation

Answer
c) Gene flow

What is the term for the selective pressure that arises when organisms compete for the same resources?
a) Intraspecific competition
b) Intersexual competition
c) Interspecific competition
d) Mutualistic competition

Answer
c) Interspecific competition

Which of the following best describes adaptive radiation?
a) Evolution of a single species into multiple forms to fill different ecological roles
b) Evolution of similar traits in unrelated species
c) Rapid extinction of multiple species due to environmental changes
d) Slow, gradual change in a single species over time

Answer
a) Evolution of a single species into multiple forms to fill different ecological roles

What type of evolution occurs when two species evolve in response to each other’s adaptations?
a) Coevolution
b) Parallel evolution
c) Convergent evolution
d) Divergent evolution

Answer
a) Coevolution

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of divergent evolution?
a) The development of different beak shapes in Darwin’s finches
b) The evolution of wings in bats and birds
c) The similar body shapes of dolphins and sharks
d) The development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria

Answer
a) The development of different beak shapes in Darwin’s finches

Which term describes the evolutionary process in which organisms develop similar adaptations due to similar environmental pressures, despite not being closely related?
a) Convergent evolution
b) Divergent evolution
c) Parallel evolution
d) Adaptive radiation

Answer
a) Convergent evolution

What concept describes the gradual and incremental evolution of species over long periods of time?
a) Punctuated equilibrium
b) Gradualism
c) Adaptive radiation
d) Convergent evolution

Answer
b) Gradualism

Which of the following mechanisms of evolution can lead to the loss of genetic diversity in a population?
a) Gene flow
b) Genetic drift
c) Natural selection
d) Mutation

Answer
b) Genetic drift

What is the term for the rapid evolution of many new species from a common ancestor in response to diverse environmental opportunities?
a) Convergent evolution
b) Adaptive radiation
c) Divergent evolution
d) Parallel evolution

Answer
b) Adaptive radiation

Which scientist’s work laid the foundation for the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory by integrating genetics with Darwinian evolution?
a) Gregor Mendel
b) Richard Dawkins
c) Ernst Mayr
d) Charles Lyell

Answer
c) Ernst Mayr

What term is used for the observable physical traits of an organism resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment?
a) Phenotype
b) Genotype
c) Allele
d) Mutation

Answer
a) Phenotype

Which concept explains why some traits become more common in a population over time due to their advantages in survival and reproduction?
a) Genetic drift
b) Gene flow
c) Natural selection
d) Mutation

Answer
c) Natural selection

Which of the following is an example of a trait that may be advantageous in a particular environment but disadvantageous in another?
a) Camouflage in prey animals
b) Bright coloration in poisonous frogs
c) Antibiotic resistance in bacteria
d) Long necks in giraffes

Answer
b) Bright coloration in poisonous frogs

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