Oxford University Press | Online Resource Centre

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Question 01

The difference between two genetic variants is neutral with respect to fitness only if:

a) both variants have on average the same fitness.

b) both variants have no effect on the phenotype.

c) both variants have the same effect on the phenotype.

Question 02

Evolutionary change can be repeatable at the phenotypic level, but never at the genotypic level. True or false?

a) True

b) False

Question 03

Synonymous nucleotide substitutions (those that do not change the coded amino acid) are always neutral. True or false?

a) True

b) False

Question 04

Pseudogenes are:

a) non-functional copies of a gene, once derived from an ancestral gene by gene duplication.

b) genes that are not expressed.

Question 05

Differences in amino acid sequence between two proteins cannot be neutral. True or false?

a) True

b) False

Question 06

What are possible evolutionary consequences of neutral genetic variation?

a) Neutral variation cannot produce evolutionary change.

b) Neutral variation can result in the evolution of adaptations.

c) Neutral variation can produce evolutionary change but these changes are in random directions.

Question 07

The system of genetic transmission itself cannot cause random genetic drift.

a) True

b) False

Question 08

What is the relationship between genetic drift and population size?

a) Genetic drift is equally strong in small and in large populations.

b) Genetic drift is stronger in small than in large populations.

c) Genetic drift is stronger in large than in small populations.

Question 09

The evolutionary changes in the amino acid sequence of proteins and in the underlying DNA sequence in all lines of descent from a common ancestor are characterized by:

a) a fairly constant rate of change at the DNA level but not at the amino acid sequence level.

b) a fairly constant rate of change, both at the amino acid sequence and at the DNA sequence level.

c) a fairly constant rate of change at the amino acid level but not at the DNA level.

Question 10

Different proteins have different rates of evolutionary change. True or false?

a) True

b) False

Question 11

Founder effects may be responsible for the evolution of genetic diseases. True or false?

a) True

b) False

Question 12

A genetic bottleneck refers to which one of the following situations?

a) The amount of genetic variation in a population has been reduced dramatically.

b) The size of a population has been reduced dramatically leading to strong genetic drift.

c) Due to strong genetic drift the size of a population has decreased dramatically.

d) A population has experienced a large change in genetic composition.

Question 13

What is the gene-pool model of genetic drift?

a) The gene-pool model describes genetic drift in a population as the sampling of individuals that are allowed to breed.

b) The gene-pool model describes genetic drift in a population by pooling random changes at different gene loci.

c) The gene-pool model describes genetic drift in a population as the statistical sampling of gametes from the gametic output of all individuals together.

Question 14

What is 'species drift'?

a) Species drift refers to the effects of genetic drift on the evolution of novel species.

b) Species drift refers to the random changes in the abundance of different species in an ecological community.

Question 15

The neutral theory of evolution claims that:

a) most of molecular evolutionary change is a result of genetic drift.

b) the evolution of most phenotypic adaptations is a consequence of genetic drift.

Oxford University Press, Online Resource Centre, Chapter 03.

Chapter 03

Instructions

Question 01

Question 02

Question 03

Question 04

Question 05

Question 06

Question 07

Question 08

Question 09

Question 10

Question 11

Question 12

Question 13

Question 14

Question 15