Multiple Choice Questions, Quiz Example

1) The characteristics that give an organism an advantage in a given environment are called

A) mutations. B) genes. C) adaptations. D) phenotypes.

2) In logistic growth, the level at which population growth ceases is referred to as the

A) threshold of security. B) Malthusian parameter. C) saturation point. D) carrying capacity. 

3) The growth of populations inhabiting favorable environments at low population densities, such as during the process of colonization and establishment in new environments, is usually

A) exponential. B) logistic. C) tangential. D) dynamic.

4) A systematic compilation of mortality and survival data for a population is called a(n)

1. A) age pyramid. B) cohort group. C) life table. D) probability summary.

5) You drive through the country in the spring and notice that every fence post for 3km has a male redwing blackbird on it defending nesting territory. This is an example of_________

A) more birds than we need
B) clumped distribution
C) random distribution
D) uniform distribution
E) artificial selection

6) Perhaps the greatest constraint imposed on life in terrestrial environments is

A) low nutrient availability. B) ultraviolet radiation. C) desiccation. D) difficulty of dispersal.

7) The mechanism of evolution on which Darwin focused in The Origin of Species was

A) genetic drift. B) natural selection. C) plasticity. D) acclimatization.

8) A species whose mortality rate is highest early in life, with relatively few surviving to reproduce, has a survivorship curve referred to as

A) Type I. B) Type II. C) Type III. D) Type IV.

9) Evolution is a change in ________ over time.

A) phenotypes B) mutations C) gene frequencies D) inheritance

10) Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth would

A) be much warmer than it currently is. B) be much colder than it currently is. C) have uniform temperatures and would lack seasons. D) have constant sunlight.

11) Which of the following is NOT a property of a population?

A) size B) density C) number of species D) distribution

12) Clumping of individuals into scattered groups can result from

A) spatial variation in habitat availability. B) social behavior. C) electromagnetic force. D) all of the above. E) both A and B.

13) Which of the following would not be expected to change with the age of individuals in a population?

A) sex ratio B) reproductive output C) probability of survival D) species identity 

14) Aquatic organisms are usually more streamlined than terrestrial organisms because of water’s high

A) buoyancy. B) viscosity. C) surface tension. D) density.

15) Density-independent population regulation

A) is increasingly probable as density increases. B) occurs in unpredictable environments. C) is characterized by a population stabilizing at K. D) is due to factors such as competition, disease and predation.

Fill in the blank questions (1 mark each)

1) Production of offspring by a single parent, without the participation of egg and sperm is called asexual reproduction.

2) Perhaps the greatest constraint imposed on life in terrestrial environments is  desiccation.

3) Those wavelengths that make up visible light are referred to as ultra violet radiation.

4) Animals that feed on dead plant and animal matter are called detrivores.

5) Animals that maintain a fairly constant internal temperature, regardless of external temperatures, are called homeotherms.

6) In animals, a cycle of physiological activity that occurs within a 24-hour period is called a circadian rhythm.

7) Natural selection is a type of sexual selection driven by competition between members of the same sex for access to matings with the opposite sex.

8) Big bang reproduction is a mode of reproduction in which an organism expends all its energy in growth and reproduction and then dies.

9) Plants that have separate male and female individuals are called dioecious.

10) An animal with both male and female organs is called hermaphrodite.

11) The scientific study of the relationship between organisms and their environment is called ecology.

12) An “educated guess” that a scientist poses to explain an observed phenomenon is referred to as a(n) hypothesis.

True/False questions ( 1 mark each)

1) Polygamy is the acquisition by an individual of two or more mates. True

2) Species distributions are NOT often determined by minimum and maximum temperature tolerances. True

3) Individuals in a population are generally not affected by the density of the population. False

4) The probability of survival and death usually varies with age. True

5) When a population is stable, the net reproductive rate, R0, is equal to zero. False

6) Water molecules are held to each other by covalent bonds. True

7) Temperatures fluctuate more in aquatic habitats than in terrestrial habitats. False

8) Of the visible light spectrum, blue wavelengths penetrate the deepest in water. True

Please answer 2 of the following questions.

1. Define population density and different techniques used to measure it.

Population density is a key term in human geography. It is often referred to as the density of the number of living organisms occupying a certain area or specific measured location. To measure the density of population, geographers often use the arithmetic method which is a calculation based on numbers alone. Others utilize the urban, residential or agricultural density measurement depending on what aspect of the population is being measured.

2. Give an example of an adaptation, and describe in detail the process of natural selection that may have led to the evolution of the adaptation.

Monkeys are said to have adapted to the lifestyle they are supposed to live with especially in relation to obtaining food and creating shelter. Notably, natural selection has been assumed to occur depending on who are considered mutually compatible for survival between the different species of the said animal.