Chapter 22 Quiz

. Which discovery would likely overturn what we think we know about evolution by the greatest degree?

The development of self-replicating molecules in a chemistry lab

The discovery of a new phylum of animal living in an environment previously thought to be inhospitable to life

The discovery of unambiguously human fossils in Mesozoic fossil deposits

The realization that genetic drift is a much more important mechanism of molecular evolution than natural selection

The recognition that the second law of thermodynamics only applies to closed systems

. Which of the following would be a likely response of an evolutionary biologist to the claim that the "orderliness of the universe" is evidence of intelligent design?

No order exists.

The purpose of evolution is to increase orderliness.

Natural selection is the only alternative to entropy.

This is a religious belief, and no true scientist can possibly have a religious belief.

The appearance of design to the universe is an emergent property of a random process (mutation) and a nonrandom process (natural selection).

. An acquaintance tells you that they believe that the Creator established natural laws (such as natural selection) and then let the universe run on its own, without further supernatural intervention. This person is espousing

special creation.

metaphysical naturalism.

theistic evolution.

young Earth creationism.

non-overlapping magesteria.

. In Dover, Pennsylvania, a 2005 court case resulted in a decision against the teaching of intelligent design in schools. Central to the judge's ruling was the concept that intelligent design (ID) is not a science. Why?

ID relies on the concept of a creator that cannot be proven or disproven.

ID has never been supported by research in peer reviewed journals.

ID is only believed by a small fraction of working scientists.

ID has been rigorously tested and falsified.

Modern scientists are all atheists.

. The most important feature of scientific hypotheses is that they

rely solely on reason.

rely on data collected from high-tech instrumentation.

are mathematical.

are testable.

cannot be disproved.

. Why does creationism fall short of being considered a scientific theory?

It is untestable.

It lacks predictive power.

There is no supporting empirical evidence.

It is a religiously based idea, not a scientific idea.

All of the above

. Which observation does not provide strong evidence for the process of evolution?

The complexity of biological organisms suggests that they have been specially designed.

Discoveries in the fossil record are consistent with predictions made by evolutionary biologists.

Evidence from molecular phylogenetics confirms relationships suggested by morphological similarity.

Data from the field of genomics demonstrate similarities among the genes of different organisms and show how they have changed over time.

The global distribution of organisms shows clear correspondence to geographic events, such as the movement of land masses.

. What is the scientific basis for the research on model organisms (e.g., yeast and mice) that is funded by the National Institutes of Health, with the aim of furthering our understanding of human disease?

The fossil record

The principle of parsimony

Common ancestry

Molecular biology

The endosymbiotic theory

. What fact of evolution makes it so tempting to accept the argument from design fallacy?

Morals produced by natural selection on behaviors overlap with the morals propounded by most religious texts.

Most religions have a creation myth.

Natural selection always proceeds toward optimal design of any structure.

Natural selection often leads to structures that appear to incorporate engineering principles.

Evolution always improves organisms, which makes it appear as though we live in the best of all possible worlds.

. Which of the following is not a good justification for the teaching of evolution?

To present and advance a body of knowledge that unifies the disparate subfields of biology

To disprove religious texts

To increase understanding of the natural world as an end in itself

To introduce students to the scientific method and critical thinking

To advance public health and medicine

. An evolutionary biologist might recommend to a farmer that he or she avoid planting their crops as monocultures of single strains of plants. Why?

Genetically engineered plants are untested and might have negative consequences.

Diversified crops will ensure that populations have a balanced diet.

Genetic diversity is essential for a population's long-term success.

Monocultures require more energy to harvest, leading to increased use of fossil fuels.

Multiple varieties of crop will enhance the farmer's profits.

. The release into the wild of natural enemies of a pest is called

pest control.

biological control.

natural management.

evolutionary control.

antagonistic management.

. How might vaccine development benefit from evolutionary biology?

New pharmaceuticals can be developed by "rational design."

Immunity gained from vaccination will be transmitted to one's children via heredity.

New antibiotics can evolve.

Epidemic strains can be predicted by looking for positive selection in virulence genes.

None of the above; vaccine development does not benefit from evolutionary biology.

. Why do scientists reject the use of evolution and genetics to support racists' ideologies?

The concept of race is largely useless in a biological context and is really a social myth.

It is factually incorrect to claim that some populations are "higher," "superior," or "more evolved" than others.

Studies of human genetics show that the majority of genetic variation is within populations, not among populations.

Scientific racism is a pseudoscience that begins with a conclusion and misuses data to support it.

All of the above

. The field of evolutionary psychology seeks to understand

the history of psychology and how it evolved from earlier attempts to understand the mind.

how behaviors function as adaptive modules in humans.

how people adapt to novel challenges in their personal life.

how exposure to evolutionary theory affects the social development of religious and nonreligious students.

how human ability to perceive their environment varies between cultures.

Chapter 22 Quiz

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