LESSON 4: PHYLOGENY AND THE TREE OF LIFE 11. What is a molecular clock?

a. A device used for measuring the speed of light

1. What is phylogeny? b. A technique used to determine the age of fossils
a. The study of plant physiology c. A method for dating the origin of life on Earth
b. The study of evolutionary relationships among organisms d. A tool used to estimate the time since two species diverged
c. The study of atomic structure from a common ancestor based on DNA or protein sequences
d. The study of climate patterns 12. What is horizontal gene transfer?
2. Which of the following represents the correct order of taxonomic a. The transfer of genetic material between different species
categories from broadest to most specific? b. The transfer of genetic material from parent to offspring
a. Family, genus, species, phylum c. The transfer of genetic material from nucleus to cytoplasm
b. Kingdom, class, order, genus d. The transfer of genetic material within the same species
c. Domain, kingdom, phylum, genus 13. Which scientist is credited with developing the concept of the
d. Class, order, family, species phylogenetic tree?
3. What is a phylogenetic tree? a. Charles Darwin
a. A diagram showing evolutionary relationships among b. Gregor Mendel
organisms c. Carolus Linnaeus
b. A tool used for measuring atmospheric pressure d. Ernst Haeckel
c. A type of flower arrangement 14. What is a node in a phylogenetic tree?
d. A method for classifying rocks a. A branch point representing the common ancestor of two or
4. Which domain contains organisms with prokaryotic cells? more lineages
a. Archaea b. A leaf representing a single species or taxon
b. Eukarya c. A tool used for cutting branches
c. Bacteria d. A term used to describe the connection between roots and
d. Protista leaves
5. What is the purpose of constructing a phylogenetic tree? 15. What is the purpose of an outgroup in phylogenetic analysis?
a. To determine the age of the Earth a. To represent the ancestral group in the tree
b. To predict future evolutionary trends b. To serve as a reference point for determining the direction of
c. To understand the evolutionary history of organisms evolutionary change
d. To study the behavior of primates c. To identify the most recently evolved species
6. Which term refers to a group of organisms that includes an ancestor d. To exclude certain species from the analysis
and all of its descendants? 16. What is the name of the scientist who proposed the three-domain
a. Polyphyletic group system of classification?
b. Monophyletic group a. Carl Woese
c. Paraphyletic group b. Linus Pauling
d. Taxonomic group c. Barbara McClintock
7. What is a cladogram? d. Rosalind Franklin
a. A type of diagram that shows the structure of an atom 17. What is the study of evolutionary history and relationships among
b. A diagram representing the relationships between organisms organisms called?
based on shared characteristics a. Ecology
c. A tool used for measuring ocean depth b. Phylogenetics
d. A method for classifying chemical compounds c. Taxonomy
8. Which kingdom contains multicellular organisms that obtain energy d. Genetics
through photosynthesis? 18. Which of the following statements about phylogenetic trees is true?
a. Animalia a. They always represent linear evolutionary progressions.
b. Fungi b. They can be based on morphological, molecular, or behavioral
c. Plantae data.
d. Protista c. They show only the relationships between species but not their
9. What is convergent evolution? ancestors.
a. The process by which unrelated organisms evolve similar traits d. They are static and do not change over time.
due to similar environmental pressures 19. Which taxonomic rank is the most inclusive?
b. The process by which organisms evolve from a common a. Species
ancestor b. Family
c. The process by which organisms adapt to different c. Order
environments d. Kingdom
d. The process by which organisms become more closely related 20. What does the term "homoplasy" refer to in phylogenetics?
over time a. The presence of shared derived characteristics among different
10. Which of the following is an example of homologous structures? species
a. The wings of birds and insects b. The presence of shared ancestral characteristics among
b. The fins of fish and the flippers of dolphins different species
c. The arms of humans and the wings of bats c. The independent evolution of similar traits in different lineages
d. The eyes of vertebrates and the compound eyes of insects d. The common descent of similar traits from a shared ancestor in
different lineages