Free Evolution MCQs with Answers

814 Evolution MCQs from Biology, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

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.

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814 questions · page 37 of 41

  • A. How giraffes got their long neck
  • B. How humans lost their tail
  • C. How humans became bipedal
  • D. All of these options are correct

Explanation: The ideas about evolution presented by Lamarck are known as Lamarckism.

Correct answer: All of these options are correct
  • A. Polymorphism
  • B. Gene linkage
  • C. Specializaion
  • D. Replication

Explanation: OPTION A: The existence of a single species in more than two morphological forms (individual types) is termed as polymorphism.

Correct answer: Specializaion
  • A. Lamark
  • B. Darwin
  • C. Mendel
  • D. Linnaeus

Explanation: According to Lamarck's theory, the modifications an organism acquires during its lifetime can be passed along to its offspring.

Correct answer: Lamark
  • A. Genetic drift
  • B. Outbreeding
  • C. Inbreeding
  • D. Bottleneck

Explanation: The reduction of population size with some specific allele and genotype due to a natural disaster is called the bottleneck effect.

Correct answer: Bottleneck
  • A. Wing of an insect, wing of a bird
  • B. Leg of a dog, leg of a spider
  • C. The arm of a human, wing of a bat
  • D. All of these

Explanation: Birds and humans both are vertebrates. Both share a common ancestor and have a similar embryonic origin.

Correct answer: The arm of a human, wing of a bat
  • A. They have same organs
  • B. They have common ancestors
  • C. They have similiar appearance
  • D. All of above

Explanation: Evolutionary descent and gene similarity are relatively connected with each other.

Correct answer: They have common ancestors
  • A. Mitochondria contain their own DNA, which is a single circular chromosome
  • B. Mitochondria and other plastids multiply by binary fission
  • C. Mitochondria have their own ribosomes, which are 70S
  • D. None of these

Explanation: The endosymbiotic theory posits that some eukaryotic cell organelles evolved from free-living prokaryotes.

Correct answer: None of these
  • A. Polymorphism
  • B. Gene linkage
  • C. Speciation
  • D. Replication

Explanation: Speciation occurs when a group within a species separates from other members of its species and develops its own unique characteristics.

Correct answer: Speciation
  • A. Genus
  • B. Family
  • C. Specie
  • D. Community

Explanation: Correct option is C. Species is defined as a group of organisms that consist of similar individuals capable of interbreeding or exchanging…

Correct answer: Specie
  • A. Wallace
  • B. Lamark
  • C. Lyell
  • D. Darwin

Explanation: The correct option is D. Darwin was the first to propose an objective definition of instincts in terms of animal behavior.

Correct answer: Darwin
  • A. Forelimbs of man and bat
  • B. Wings of birds and insects
  • C. Darwin's finches
  • D. All of above options are correct

Explanation: Wings of birds and insects are examples of convergent evolution because they independently evolved similar structures to adapt to similar…

Correct answer: Wings of birds and insects
  • A. Fossil record
  • B. Common ancestor organisms
  • C. Vestigial structures
  • D. None of these options are correct

Explanation: Fossils provide solid evidence that organisms from the past are not the same as those found today; fossils show a progression of…

Correct answer: None of these options are correct
  • A. Organisms ranged from simple to complex
  • B. One type of organisim give rise to another type of organism
  • C. Both A & B
  • D. All living things specially created by nature

Explanation: The idea that organisms might evolve through time, with one type of organism giving rise to another type of organism, is an ancient one…

Correct answer: Both A & B
  • A. Water
  • B. Sedimentary rocks
  • C. Igneous rocks
  • D. Metamorphic rocks

Explanation: Fossils are predominantly found in sedimentary rocks. These rocks are formed from sediments that accumulate in layers over time, often in…

Correct answer: Sedimentary rocks
  • A. Increase rapidly
  • B. Remains same
  • C. Slows Down
  • D. Declines

Explanation: When resources become scarce, the population growth of a species tends to slow down or stabilize.

Correct answer: Slows Down
  • A. The fastest organism in its environment
  • B. The strongest organism in its environment
  • C. The organism that survives the longest
  • D. The organism that leaves the most viable offspring

Explanation: In evolutionary terms, fitness is defined by an organism's ability to pass on its genes to the next generation, not by traits like speed…

Correct answer: The organism that leaves the most viable offspring
  • A. Genetic linkage
  • B. Genetic expression
  • C. Genetic drift
  • D. Gene pool

Explanation: Bottlenecks reduce population size drastically, causing a sharper impact of genetic drift.

Correct answer: Genetic drift
  • A. Vestigial
  • B. Analogous structures
  • C. Homologous structures
  • D. None of these

Explanation: Structures that were once functional in the past but no longer serve a purpose due to evolutionary adaptations and physiological changes…

Correct answer: Vestigial
  • A. High
  • B. Moderate
  • C. Average
  • D. 0

Explanation: Fitness in evolutionary terms is measured by the number of offspring that an individual produces that survive and reproduce themselves.

Correct answer: 0
  • A. Homologous organs are functionally different but structurally alike
  • B. Examples of homologous structures are arms of humans, forelimbs of cats, and flippers of whales
  • C. Examples of analogous structures are wings of bats, birds, and insects
  • D. Analogous organs are functionally different but structurally alike

Explanation: The correct answer is the statement that describes analogous organs as being functionally different but structurally alike, which is…

Correct answer: Analogous organs are functionally different but structurally alike