The forelimbs of a human, a cat's paw, and the front flipper of a whale are examples of what?
Correct answer: C. Homologous organs
- A. Rudimentary organs
- B. Analogous organs
- C. Homologous organs
- D. Vestigial organs
Explanation
The correct answer is that the forelimbs of humans, cats' paws, and the front flippers of whales are examples of homologous organs. These structures are derived from a common ancestor, meaning they share a similar anatomical origin, despite having evolved to perform different functions across various species. This reflects the concept of divergent evolution, where related species evolve different traits.Conversely, rudimentary organs and vestigial organs refer to structures that have diminished in function over time and do not necessarily highlight common ancestry. Analogous organs are similar in function but arise independently in unrelated species, which is not the case here.
Last updated
About Evolution
Evolution describes heritable change in populations over generations through variation, natural selection and adaptation. Lamarckism explains inheritance of acquired characteristics, while Darwinism explains selection of favourable inherited variations; these historical explanations must not be confused with the modern genetic account of evolutionary change.
Practise Evolution
814 free Evolution MCQs from Biology, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Unlimited attempts, no account needed.
Exams that ask Biology questions like this
Biology is on 6 papers prepared for on TestUstad, and all of them draw the same bank, so this question is worth knowing for every one of them.
Related questions
A change in the frequency of alleles that occurs by chance is called:
A gas absent during the pre-biotic environment was:
A gene pool is disturbed by which of the following?
A group of interbreeding individuals
A group of interbreeding individuals belonging to a particular species and sharing a common geographic area is called: