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Organizing the Diversity of Life
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The science of systematics is used to
a. predict an organism’s future evolution. c. show relationships among organisms.
b. decide when an organism died. d. decipher an organism’s DNA.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 2.1 OBJ: Factual
2. Which of the following features is not convergent?
a. the caudal fin of a whale and shark c. the hand of a chimpanzee and human
b. the opposable thumb of a human and
panda
d. the wing of a bat and bird
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 2.1 OBJ: Factual
3. If a biologist finds an insect that doesn’t resemble anything seen before, it
a. may be a new species.
b. may be an undescribed life history stage of an already known species.
c. may be a member of the other gender of a known species.
d. all of the above
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 2.1 OBJ: Factual
4. Evolutionary tree diagrams showing the relationships between various organisms can be drawn
because those organisms share
a. common descendants. c. common cellular metabolism.
b. distinct lineages. d. a common ancestor.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 2.1 OBJ: Applied
5. Evolutionary trees are based on
a. the principle of convergent evolution.
b. a set of shared characteristics believed to have arisen in a common ancestor.
c. similarities in function of a characteristic.
d. consensus regarding the usefulness of particular traits.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 2.1 OBJ: Factual
6. Any two groups of organisms will have
a. 2 most recent common ancestors.
b. no more than 4 most recent common ancestors.
c. only 1 most recent common ancestor.
d. as many as 16 most recent common ancestors.
ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: 2.1 OBJ: Applied
7. All of the following sources of information except _______ can be used to construct evolutionary
trees.
a. habitat preferences c. instinctive behavior
b. body form d. learned behaviors
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: 2.1 OBJ: Applied
8. A set of shared derived features
a. will be unique to each Linnaean taxon.
b. marks a group of species as a set of close relatives.
c. most often indicates convergences.
d. can be found only in humans.
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: 2.1 OBJ: Factual
9. DNA analysis has become a useful tool for understanding the relationships between organisms because
a. DNA codes for all traits, visible or invisible.
b. DNA is used by all organisms to collect energy.
c. only mammals have DNA.
d. knowing the DNA codes means we no longer have to use systematics.
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: 2.1 OBJ: Factual
10. Evolutionary trees have been successfully used to
a. identify those species most closely related to humans.
b. explain how evolution works.
c. explain why most carnivorous mammals have four or five toes.
d. explain the potential impact of global climate change.
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: 2.1 OBJ: Applied
11. The emergence of each new branch on the evolutionary tree represents
a. the addition of a new Linnaean taxon within that lineage.
b. the completion of a generation for that particular organism.
c. the introduction of the most important features of a group.
d. a common ancestor and the introduction of a new shared, derived feature.
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: 2.1 OBJ: Conceptual
12. The presence of convergent features
a. indicates a close evolutionary relationship.
b. indicates that two species have merged to become a single species.
c. indicates distantly related species adapting to similar environmental conditions.
d. occurs only in plants.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: 2.1 OBJ: Factual
13. Descendant organisms
a. do not share any features with their descendants.
b. have all the same features as their descendants.
c. share some features with their ancestors.
d. do not have features their ancestors lacked.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: 2.1 OBJ: Conceptual
14. The organisms farthest from the base of an evolutionary tree are
a. unrelated to the organisms separated by one or more branch points.
b. less primitive than the organisms lower on the tree.
c. those that have evolved most recently.
d. chronologically older than the organisms lower on the tree.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: 2.1 OBJ: Applied
15. Examine the evolutionary tree pictured below.
In this evolutionary tree, which number represents the most recent common ancestor of A, B, and C?
a. 1 c. 3
b. 2 d. 4
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 2.1 OBJ: Conceptual
16. Reconsideration of the Gobi Desert site where Oviraptor fossils were found has led paleontologists to
hypothesize that
a. the most recent common ancestor of the turtles and crocodilians was a dinosaur.
b. some dinosaurs commonly ate eggs.
c. some dinosaurs exhibited parental care.
d. dinosaurs were driven to extinction shortly after the appearance of birds.
ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: 2.2 OBJ: Applied
17. To produce an evolutionary tree it is necessary to first determine
a. which organisms are the oldest.
b. the full DNA sequence of each organism that will be included within the tree.
c. the shared derived features present within each group of organisms.
d. the number of lineages in each group.
ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: 2.2 OBJ: Applied
18. Examine the evolutionary tree pictured below.
In this evolutionary tree, which groups of organisms are likely to share the most behaviors?
a. 5 and 4 c. 5 and 2
b. 5 and 3 d. 5 and 1
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 2.2 OBJ: Conceptual
19.The following numbered sets of characters each represent a distinct group of organisms.
1. three toes per foot, feathers, cold blooded, no finger adaptations
2. three toes per foot, body hair, warm blooded, opposable thumbs
3. three toes per foot, feathers, warm blooded, no finger adaptations
4. three toes per foot, body hair, warm blooded, no finger adaptations
Which of the following choices is the most likely to represent the order in which these groups would
appear on an evolutionary tree, from oldest to youngest group? (Hint: the more primitive characters are
cold bloodedness, feathers, and no finger adaptations.)
a. 1, 2, 3, 4 c. 1, 3, 4, 2
b. 4, 2, 3, 1 d. 2, 1, 4, 3
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: 2.2 OBJ: Conceptual
20. Which of the following events occurred between each branch on an evolutionary tree?
a. the evolution of a new derived feature
b. the loss of a derived feature
c. the evolution of a shared ancestral feature
d. the evolution of a convergent feature
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 2.2 OBJ: Factual
21. At the base of the evolutionary tree of all life is the
a. universal ancestor. c. derived ancestor.
b. convergent ancestor. d. descended ancestor.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
22. There are currently three recognized domains; which of the following is not included within this
taxon?
a. Archaea c. Procarya
b. Bacteria d. Eukarya
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
23. Canis latrans is the scientific name for the coyote. The term Canis represents the coyotes’
a. genus. c. order.
b. kingdom. d. species.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
24. The most inclusive category in the Linnaean classification system is
a. order. c. kingdom.
b. phylum. d. species.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
25. The level in the Linnaean hierarchy immediately above class is
a. phylum. c. kingdom.
b. genus. d. order.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
26.Which of the following would contain the most closely related group of phyla?
a. class c. genus
b. order d. kingdom
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
27. Which of the following taxons in the Linnaean hierarchy has the greatest number of species?
a. family c. phylum
b. class d. order
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
28. Species of the following kingdoms except _______ are placed within the domain Eukarya.
a. Protista c. Bacteria
b. Plantae d. Fungi
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
29. Which of the following is a kingdom?
a. Bacteria c. Plantae
b. Eukarya d. Archaea
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
30. The members of which of the following taxons would be most similar to one another?
a. class c. order
b. genus d. kingdom
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: 2.3 OBJ: Applied
31. The most restrictive category in the Linnaean classification system is
a. species. c. kingdom.
b. order. d. phylum.
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: 2.3 OBJ: Applied
32. In order to determine relationships among organisms scientists would examine
a. DNA. c. body structures.
b. behavior. d. all of the above
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
33. Which of the following avian species are most closely related?
a. Picoides villosus and Picoides borealis
b. Picoides borealis and Phylloscopus borealis
c. Numenius borealis and Picoides borealis
d. Numenius americanus and Grus americana
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: 2.3 OBJ: Applied
34. In taxonomy, individuals belonging of the same class would also belong to the same
a. species. c. order.
b. genus. d. none of the above
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: 2.3 OBJ: Applied
35.Which of the following statements about modern systematics is not correct?
a. Systematic studies have revealed so many errors within the Linnaean hierarchy that it is no
longer reliable.
b. The number of taxons in the Linnaean hierarchy has been determined subjectively; it
represents a human understanding of natural processes..
c. A complete evolutionary lineage includes all the descendants of a single common
ancestor.
d. Many scientists refuse to accept classification information from newer technologies like
DNA analysis.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 2.3 OBJ: Conceptual
36. The figure below illustrates the three-domain, six-kingdom taxonomy of life.
Bacteria are equivalent at the kingdom and domain taxon; what explains this equivalency when the
domain Eukarya is subdivided into four kingdoms?
a. Bacteria are small and relatively insignificant; most systematists focus on more important
biological questions.
b. Bacteria are difficult to study, as more becomes known about them systematists will
undoubtedly propose reclassifications.
c. All living bacteria are so similar that only a handful of families have been proposed.
d. At present, no significant shared derived features have been identified that would indicate
major evolutionary divisions have occurred within the group.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 2.3 OBJ: Conceptual
37. What single feature, shared by all organisms, allows scientists to compare distantly related living
organisms?
a. most recent common ancestor c. most recent common lineage
b. universal ancestor d. DNA
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 2.4 OBJ: Factual
38. Which of the following pairs of kingdoms would be included exclusively in the domain Eukarya?
a. Plantae and Bacteria c. Animalia and Fungi
b. Animalia and Archaea d. Protista and Bacteria
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 2.4 OBJ: Factual
39. Analysis of both cellular metabolism and DNA support the hypothesis that members of the _______
are the most closely related.
a. Fungi and Bacteria c. Plantae and Fungi
b. Fungi and Animalia d. Plantae and Animalia
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 2.4 OBJ: Factual
40.One unexpected result following the inclusion of DNA analysis in systematics is that
a. fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants.
b. plants and fungi should be regrouped to represent a single kingdom.
c. fungi should be placed lower on the evolutionary tree than plants to reflect their
appearance earlier in the history of life.
d. DNA analysis produces inconsistent results and should not be used as a classification tool.
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: 2.4 OBJ: Applied
41. Analysis of body morphology and DNA indicate the closest living relatives of human beings are
a. chimpanzees. c. gibbons.
b. orangutans. d. lemurs.
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: 2.4 OBJ: Applied
42. Along the evolutionary tree which of the following are thought to be most closely related?
a. an oak tree and a squirrel c. a honeybee and a clover plant
b. a mushroom and a cactus d. a clam and a mushroom
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: 2.4 OBJ: Applied
43. There is some debate regarding the recognition of reptiles as a legitimate lineage because
a. reptiles are no longer a dominant group nor particularly important to life on Earth.
b. reptiles and birds share a single common ancestor but are placed into different phyla
within the Linnaean hierarchy.
c. reptiles reproduce using eggs, but are not grouped with other organisms sharing a similar
reproductive method such as the fish and amphibians.
d. as a single group the reptiles contains too many species.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 2.4 OBJ: Conceptual
44. Protists are not considered to represent a complete evolutionary lineage because
a. there are three lineages within the group.
b. they evolved long ago.
c. they evolved recently.
d. there is only one lineage within the group.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 2.4 OBJ: Conceptual
45. Classification systems are continually revised as new information becomes available from various
sources such as
a. better understanding of the details of physiological processes.
b. using DNA analysis to compare nonstructural features of different organisms.
c. the continued evolution of current Earth species.
d. the identification of alien species that have reached Earth via meteorites and comets.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 2.4 OBJ: Applied
46.The evolutionary tree below illustrates the hypothesized relationships among the six kingdoms and the
three domains.
Many biologists have suggested revising the kingdom Protista. One current problem with the Protista,
as shown in the figure, is that
a. protists are single-celled organisms and should be grouped with the bacteria or archaeans.
b. the cells of protists contain nuclei and organelles.
c. the current classification model does not reveal that plants evolved from protist ancestors.
d. the organisms currently grouped as protists do not share a recent common ancestor.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 2.4 OBJ: Conceptual
47.The figure below shows the primate evolutionary tree.
A close human relative, Homo habilis, has been identified by fossil remains. Where on the tree above
should Homo habilis be placed?
a. Homo habilis cannot be positioned on the primate tree because it is not a currently living
species.
b. Without detailed information it’s difficult to be precise, but definitely to the right of the
branch leading to the chimpanzee.
c. Since Homo habilis is an ancient organism and the primates represented are all currently
living, the branch point should be to the left of the lemur.
d. Because humans and the chimpanzee are so closely related its position should be between
the gorilla and the chimpanzee.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 2.4 OBJ: Conceptual
48. In order to determine whether the Iceman mummy was modern or ancient, biologists studied
a. his DNA. c. the construction of his stone tools.
b. his tattoos. d. the ice where he was preserved.
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Applying What We Learned
OBJ: Factual
COMPLETION
1. _______ is the science of naming and classifying organisms and determining the relationships among
them.
ANS: Systematics
DIF: Easy REF: 2.1 OBJ: Factual
2. Within an evolutionary tree descendants share common features because they share a common
______.
ANS: ancestor
DIF: Easy REF: 2.1 OBJ: Factual
3. Systematists can also be called _______.
ANS: taxonomists
DIF: Medium REF: 2.1 OBJ: Factual
4. The closest relatives of modern birds are the ___________.
ANS: dinosaurs
DIF: Easy REF: 2.2 OBJ: Factual
5. Evolutionary trees use shared derived features to determine _______ between organisms.
ANS: relationships
DIF: Easy REF: 2.2 OBJ: Factual
6. A key shared derived feature in fish, reptiles, and humans is a(n) __________.
ANS: backbone
DIF: Easy REF: 2.2 OBJ: Factual
7. A feature may appear to be shared by an unrelated group of organisms if it independently evolved in
both groups. Such features are called _______ features, and can mislead scientists who are trying to
determine evolutionary relationships.
ANS: convergent
DIF: Medium REF: 2.2 OBJ: Applied
8. _______ _______ are diagrams that show the relationships between various organisms as indicated by
DNA analysis or comparative studies on body form, physiology, or behavior.
ANS: Evolutionary trees
DIF: Medium REF: 2.2 OBJ: Applied
9. One unique feature that supports the hypothesis that humans and chimpanzees are closely related is the
_______.
ANS: opposable thumb
DIF: Medium REF: 2.2 OBJ: Factual
10. The most recent common _____________ marks the point at which a lineage diverges to begin a new
evolutionary pathway.
ANS: ancestor
DIF: Medium REF: 2.2 OBJ: Applied
11. The father of modern scientific naming is___________.
ANS: Carolus Linnaeus
DIF: Easy REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
12. The Linnaean hierarchy goes from species to genus to family to order to _______ to phylum to
kingdom.
ANS: class
DIF: Easy REF: 2.3 OBJ: Factual
13. The root of the evolutionary tree of domains begins with an unknown organism termed the
_____________ ancestor.
ANS: universal
DIF: Medium REF: 2.4 OBJ: Factual
14. Most evidence suggests that _______ was the first domain to emerge within the evolutionary tree of
life.
ANS: Bacteria
DIF: Medium REF: 2.4 OBJ: Factual
15. The Iceman mummy was found to be a close relative of people currently living in _______.
ANS: Europe
DIF: Easy REF: Applying What We Learned OBJ: Factual
TRUE/FALSE
1. Evolutionary taxonomy is based on a scientist’s educated decisions.
ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: 2.1 OBJ: Factual
2. Convergent features are good traits to use for revealing relationships.
ANS: F DIF: Medium REF: 2.1 OBJ: Conceptual
3. A lineage is a group of relatives that have a common ancestor.
ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: 2.2 OBJ: Applied
4. DNA analysis has confirmed the relationships among most species well beyond any reasonable doubt.
ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: 2.2 OBJ: Applied
5. Switching the order of the last two organisms on an evolutionary tree has no effect on how the tree is
read.
ANS: T DIF: Medium REF: 2.2 OBJ: Conceptual
6. Evolutionary trees can be used to predict the behavior of organisms.
ANS: T DIF: Medium REF: 2.2 OBJ: Applied
7. The broadest classification category currently used by most biologists is the domain.
ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: 2.4 OBJ: Applied
8. Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya are the three biological domains.
ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: 2.4 OBJ: Factual
9. Protists are part of the domain Bacteria.
ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: 2.4 OBJ: Factual
10. Bacteria, protists, and fungi belong to the domain Archaea.
ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: 2.4 OBJ: Factual
11. Horizontal gene transfer is a hypothesis that proposes genes can move from one branch of an
evolutionary tree to another.
ANS: T DIF: Medium REF: 2.4 OBJ: Factual
12. The kingdom Bacteria consists of the same species as the domain Bacteria.
ANS: T DIF: Medium REF: 2.4 OBJ: Applied