EVOLUTION

Important questions for class 12 Biology

Practice Question & worksheet for chapter 7

1. The branch of science dealing with process of improvement of human race by selective
breeding is called:
A. Eugenics B. Euthenics
C. Euphenics D. Obstetrics
Ans. C. Eugenics deals with factors related to the improvement of human race by
controlled selective breeding. Euphenics deals with the improvement of human race
by improving body functions and treatment of defective heredity by genetic
engineering. Euthenics deals with the improvement of human race by providing better
conditions of life.
2. Highest cranial capacity is present in:
A. Peiking man B. Java man
C. Cro-magnon man D. Neanderthal man
Ans. C. Cranial capacity of peiking man is 900-1100 cm3, Java man is 800-1000 cm3, cro-
magnon man is 1650 cm3 and that of Neanderthal man is 1300-1600 cm3.
3. Reduced nictitating membrane is an example of:
A. Analogous organ
B. Homologous organ
C. Vestigial organ
D. Essential organ
Ans. C. Reduced nictitating membrane is a vestigial organ. Vermiform appendix is also an
example of vestigial organ.
4. Which of the following provides most evident proof of evolution?
A. Fossils B. Morphology
C. Embryo D. Vestigial organs
Ans. D. The existence of vestigial/useless organs provides most evident proof of evolution.
These organs were fully developed, functional and necessary in the ancestral forms
but are gradually disappearing in the living forms due to change in their mode of life.
5. Evolution is
 A. Progressive development of a race
B. History and development of race along with variations
C. History of race
D. Development of race
Ans. B. The term Evolution is given by Herbert Spencer. Evolution is a process of cumulative
change of living populations and in descendant populations of an organism, i.e.
“Descent with modifications”.
6. Which was absent in the atmosphere at the time of origin of life?
A. NH3 B. H2 C. O2 D. CH4
Ans. C. Oxygen gas was not present due to reducing atmosphere , it was only came to being
after the evolution of photosynthesis process.
7. Evolutionary convergence is development of
A. Common set of characters in group of different ancestry.
B. Dissimilar characters in closely related groups.
C. Common set of characters closely related groups.
D. Random mating.
Ans. A. Common set of characters in group of different ancestry.
8. The earliest fossil form in the phylogeny of Horse is
A. Merychippus B. Mesohippus C. Eohippus D. Equus.
Ans. C. Evolutionary history of horse was described by O.C. Marsh, 1879. Origin of horse
took place in Eocene period and first fossil of horse was Eohippus found in North
America.
Evolutionary trend of Horse :
Fossil : Eohippus ® Mesohippus ® Merychippus ® Pliohippus ® Equs
Period : (Eocene) (Oligocene) (Miocene) (Pliocene) Recent
(Holocene)

9. Identify the correct sequence in which the following substances have appeared during
the course of evolution of life on earth
A. Glucose, amino acids, nucleic acids, proteins
B. Ammonia, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids
C. Water, amino acids, nucleic acids, enzymes

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 D. Amino acids, ammonia, phosphates, nucleic acids
Ans. B. Elements present on the surface of the earth as well as in the early atmosphere
combined to produce simple and compound molecules. Atmospheric elements
produced molecules of Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Water, CO, CO2, Ammonia, methane etc.
UV-radiations, cosmic rays, lightning and heat made these to react amongst
themselves and produce organ compounds like sugars, fatty acid, glycerol and amino
acids.
CH4 + NH3 + CO2 + H2O ® Amino acids

CH4 + NH3 + CO2 + N2 + H2 + H2O ¾¾

® Purines + Pyrimidines

10. Two different species cannot live for long duration in the same niche or habitat. This
law is
A. Allen's law B. Gause's hypothesis
C. Dollo's rule D. Weisman's theory
Ans. B. According to Allen’s rule, extremities of warm blooded animals become smaller in
colder areas as compared to animals of warmer areas.
11. In a random mating population in equilibrium, which of the following brings about a
change in gene frequency in a non-directional manner?
A. Migration B. Mutations C. Random drift D. Selection
Ans. C. Migration refers to the movement of individuals into and out of population.
Mutation refers to random and sudden heritable variations or changes arising in the
genetic constitution.
12. In which era reptiles were dominant?
A. Coenozoic era B. Mesozoic era
C. Palaeozoic era D. Archaeozoic era
Ans. B. Coenozoic is the era of modern life. Paleozoic was the age of fishes. Archaeozoic
marked the origin of life.
13. Convergent evolution is illustrated by
A. Dogfish and whale B. Rat and dog
C. Bacterium and protozoan D. Starfish and cuttle fish
Ans. A. Independent formation of functionally similar structures by unrelated organism is
called convergent evolution.

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14. Darwin in his 'Natural Selection Theory' did not believe in any role of which one of the
following in organic evolution?
A. Discontinuous variations
B. Parasites and predators as natural enemies
C. Survival of the fittest
D. Struggle for existence
Ans. A. In any population, there is always competition for space and food resources.
15. For testing Oparin’s hypothesis, Stanley Miller and Harold Urey used H2, NH3 and two
other chemicals, which were
A. O2 & CH4 B. O2 & H2O C. CH4 & H2O D. salt and H2O
Ans. C. The chemicals that were taken by Miller and Urey were NH3, CH2, H2O in the
proportion of 2 : 2 : 1 to produce amino acids using electric spark for energy.
16. Chemical theory of origin was given by
A. Louis Pasteur B. Oparin and Haldane C. Stanley Miller D. Spallanzani
Ans. B. The chemical theory of origin was given by oparin and Haldane.
17. The key point of Lamarck’s theory was or Lamarck theory on evolution is stated as
A. Inheritance of acquired character B. Nature selection
C. Survival of fittest D. Decent with change
Ans. A. Evolution is a continuous process taking place due to changes in the environment.
This also leads to new needs and then acquired characters creating a new Species.
18. One major criticism against Darwin theory of evolution is that
A. It does not explain presence of vestigial organs found in many mammals.
B. It over estimate the reproductive capacity of organism.
C. It does not into account variation with heredity.
D. None
Ans. C. Darwin had not taken into account variation and heredity. Mutation in DNA leads
to variation in species, which is followed by inheritance of the character.
19. A child has single kidney since birth & thus the variation is:
A. Positive meristic B. Negative meristic
C. Substantive D. Blastogenic

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Ans. B. Presence of single kidney in a child is Negative meristic variation. This occurs during
the formation of Gastrocoel. This is a congenital abnormality.
20. Connecting link between reptiles and bird:
A. Archeopteryx B. Euglena C. Neopilina D. Latimaria
Ans. A. Archeopteryx is the connecting link between birds & reptiles. It shows reptilian
characters like presence of teeth in jaws, fingers with claws, long tail with free caudal
vertebrae. The avian characters are presence of feathers, forelimbs modified into
wings, presence of V-shaped furala or wishbone, limb bones & girdles like birds.

21. Theory of Natural selection, proposed by Darwin to explain organic evolutions was
based on:
A. Modification of organ through use & disease
B. Prodigality in reproduction, struggle for existence and survival of the fittest
C. Inheritance of acquired character
D. Appearance of sudden large variation inheritance and survival of those lead to
these variation
Ans. B. Due to suitability of environment there is an increase in population. This leads to
struggle for existence resulting in survival of the fittest and origin of species.
22. Adaptation is a type of
A. Convergent evolution B. Divergent evolution
C. Adaptive radiation D. Speciation

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Ans. A. Adaptation is a type of convergent evolution where distantly related groups adapt
for the same function.

23. Phenomenon of industrial melanism demonstrates:

A. Geographical isolation B. Natural selection
C. Reproductive isolation D. Induced mutation
Ans. B. It is adaptation where the moth living in the industrial area develop melanin
pigment to match their body to scot-covered surrounding. This melanin pigment
development is an adaptation with the locality. It is the best example of Natural
selection.
24. The ultimate source of organic evolution
A. Sexual reproduction B. Hormonal effect
C. Natural selection D. Mutation
Ans. C. According to natural selection of Darwin overproduction, struggle for existence,
survival of the fittest, natural selection & inheritance of variations leads to Origin of
Species.
25. Parallel evolution is
A. Adaptive divergence in evolution
B. Adaptive convergence of widely different species in evolution
C. Adaptive convergence of closely related species in evolution
D. Natural selection
Ans. C. Adaptive convergence when found in closely related species, it is called parallel
evolution.
26. Oxygen in the atmosphere has been formed by-
A. Evaporation of water B. Photosynthesis of plants
C. Metabolism of microorganisms D. Decaying organisms
Ans. B. It has been suggested that through a series of mutations in the early heterotrophs,
a more complex set of reactions originated within some cells. Such cells could use
chemical reactions to convert inorganic molecules into usable organic materials. These

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 cells managed to make photosynthesis and were responsible for the formation of the
O2 in the atmosphere.
27. According to Oparin, eukaryotic cell evolved by-
A. Evolution from prokaryotic cell
B. Separate line of evolution
C. By symbiotic association of prokaryotic cell
D. None of these
Ans. A. The earliest cell fossils appear to be similar in structure to
that of bacteria. They were prokaryotes, cells that lacked nucleus and other
membranous organelles. The eukaryotic cell is thought to have evolved from the
prokaryotic ones.
28. Who proposed that life originated from pre-existing life-
A. Aristotle B. Malpighi C. Redi D. None of these
Ans. B. Malpighi had given his views that life was originated from pre-existing life.
29. In today’s environment, no organic compounds are being synthesized in direction of
origin of life because-
A. Low temperature B. High temperature
C. High percentage of oxygen D. High percentage of nitrogen
Ans. C. In today’s environment, no organic compounds are being synthesized in direction
of origin of life because of high percentage of oxygen.
30. Evolution means-
A. History and development of race with variation
B. Progressive development of the race
C. Development of race
D. History of race
Ans. A. Evolution is a process that results in heritable changes in a population spread over
many generations.
31. Dinosaurs are extinct-
A. Birds B. Amphibians C. Reptiles D. Mammals
Ans. C. Dinosaurs were several types of extinct prehistoric reptile that lived 230–65 million
years ago.

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32. Which set of organ supports the theory of evolution-
A. Wings of bat and birds and front legs of horse
B. Wings of pigeon and front legs of horse and cockroach
C. Wings of locust, pigeon and bat
D. None of these
Ans. A. Wings of bat and birds and front legs of horse are the examples of homologous
organs and support the theory of evolution.
33. Some of the important evidences of the organic evolution are-
A. Occurrence of analogous and vestigial organs
B. Occurrence of homologous and vestigial organs
C. Occurrence of analogous organs only
D. None of these
Ans. B. Organic evolution traces the development of simple unicellular forms to more
complex forms, ultimately to the flowering plants and vertebrate animals, including
humans. There are several lines of evidence: the fossil record, the existence of
similarities or homologies between different groups of organisms, embryology, and
geographical distribution.
34. Analogous structures are those which are-
A. Functionally similar
B. Normally non-functional
C. Structurally similar
D. Structurally as well as functionally similar
Ans. A. Two structures are said to be analogous if they perform the same or similar function
by a similar mechanism but evolved separately.
35. Life originated in-
A. Mesozoic B. Coenozoic C. Precambrian D. None of these
Ans. C. It is not known when life originated, but carbon in 3800 million year old rocks from
islands off western Greenland may be of organic origin. Well-preserved bacteria older
than 3460 million years have been found in Western Australia. Probable fossils 100
million years older have been found in the same area. There is a fairly solid record of
bacterial life throughout the remainder of the Precambrian.

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36. The first theory of organic evolution was proposed by-
A. Hugo-de-Vries B. Lamarck C. Darwin D. None of these
Ans. B. Although he was not the first thinker to advocate organic evolution, he was the first
to develop a truly coherent organic evolutionary theory.
37. Which of the following facts definitely casts doubt on the Lamarckian hypothesis-
A. High altitude pines in Himalayan Mountains have branches which slope down so
that snow fails to collect upon them in winter
B. Deer have a capacity to escape from agile enemies, because these can run very fast
C. Giraffes have long necks because they have to eat leaves from tall trees in their
habitat
D. Indian woman have been getting their ears pierced for thousand of years but not a
single baby is born with pierced ears
Ans. D. Lamarckism or Lamarckian evolution refers to the once widely accepted idea that
an organism can pass on characteristics that it acquired during its lifetime to its
offspring (also known as based on heritability of acquired characteristics) and this
statement creates doubt on this hypothesis.
38. Galapagos islands are associated with-
A. Lamarck B. Wallace C. Malthus D. Darwin
Ans. D. In 1831, Charles Darwin sailed to the Galapagos Islands in the HMS Beagle.

39. The evolution of a species can be considered as the sum total of adaptive changes of
the species preserved by-
A. Laws of motion B. Evolution
C. Mass conservation D. Natural selection
Ans. D. Natural selection is the process by which species adapt to their environment.
Natural selection leads to evolutionary change when individuals with certain
characteristics have a greater survival or reproductive rate than other individuals in a
population and pass on these inheritable genetic characteristics to their offspring.
40. Which principal is associated with Darwin-
A. Survival of the fittest in the struggle for existence
B. Every cell is produced by pre-existing cell

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 C. Gametes receives only one of the contrasting characters
D. Inheritance of acquired characters
Ans. A. Darwin stated that as many more individuals of each species are born than can
possibly survive; and as, consequently, there is a frequently recurring struggle for
existence, it follows that any being, if it vary however slightly in any manner profitable
to itself, under the complex and sometimes varying conditions of life, will have a better
chance of surviving, and thus be naturally selected.
41. Attempt giving a clear definition of the term species.
Ans. A Species includes all those organisms with the characteristics similar enough, so
that they can interbreed and perpetuate.
42. Can we call human evolution as adaptive radiation?
Ans. No, we cannot call human evolution as adaptive radiation. Adaptive radiation is the
diversifying of organisms from a single species due to various factors such as
competition for resources, isolation in a different environment, etc. Human evolution
was a gradual process of anatomical, physiological and changes that took place over a
long period of time. The humans did not diversify into many species from a common
ancestor. They rather enhanced over the period of time, suiting best according to their
current environment.
43. Find out through internet and popular science articles whether animals other than
man has self-consciousness.
Ans.
I. Various animals such as Chimpanzees, Bottlenose dolphins, Gorillas, Orcas and even
elephants have been observed to show variable levels of self-consciousness.
II. Self-consciousness is the ability to introspect and identify self from the others. It is
checked through various techniques and one such is mirror test in which many animals
including Dolphins passed.
III. They exhibit intimacy and chemistry with their partners and communicate with
through various body gestures including certain specific sounds and movements.
44. Explain antibiotic resistance observed in bacteria in light of Darwinian selection
theory.
Ans.

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 • Darwinian Selection Theory states that “The organisms with the characteristics
that enable them to survive better in natural conditions (the existing
environmental conditions) would outbreed others that are less-endowed to
survive under those conditions.”
• Bacteria have been subjected to antibiotics since the earliest discovery of the
first antibiotic i.e. Penicillin. Due to these constant treatments, certain strains of
bacteria, due to mutations, developed resistance, or the already present
resistance gene, now got selected as they could still survive in the presence of
the antibiotics.
• Only the ones that survived the antibiotic treatment could further perpetuate
and produce offsprings, resulting in the increase of antibiotic resistance in the
bacterial population.
• Hence, the antibiotic resistance was observed in bacteria.
45. List 10 modern-day animals and using the internet resources link it to a corresponding
ancient fossil. Name both.
Ans.
S.No. Name of the animal Corresponding ancient fossil
1. Horse Mesohippus, Eohippus
2. Dog Leptocyon
3. African Elephant Deinotherium gigannteum
4. Goat Myotragus
5. Crocodiles Sarcosuchus
6. Snakes Parviraptor estesi
7. Arthropods Trilobite
8. Coelacanths Living fossil
9. Bat Archaeonycteris
10. Girrafe Palaeotragus

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