SC 139 - Second Exam 2007

 

Links on Numbers go to relevant passages in the online textbook.
 

MULTIPLE CHOICE.

On the line to the left, place the letter of the choice that best answers the question.
Three Points Each. NOTE: "e" answers are never the correct answer.


1.  Alleles are

_______     a. A primitive organism                 b. Epigenetic                c. Colonial organisms
                  d. Variations in gene codes                                e. A very odd word



2. Which are most likely to be type species or ecospecies?

_______     a. Birds and worms                 b. Trees and grasses                c. Cows and grasses
                 d. Lions and tigers                                e. Um, what class was this again-?



3.  Which process is most driven by pure chance?

_______     a. Natural selection                 b. Genetic drift                c. Adaptive radiation
                  d. Dominance                                e. My choices on these questions



4.  When DNA is used as a molecular clock, the "ticks" of the clock are

_______     a. Mutations                 b. Direct products of radioactive decay                c. New species
                  d. Brand new protein products                                e. We have ticks on our DNA???



5.  Most genetic mutations produce what sort of effects?

_______     a. None or minimal                 b. Bad - diseases                c. Good - improvements
                  d. None of these                                    e. Weird laser effects



6. According to prevailing current theories, Life on Earth evolved in what order?

_______     a. Prokaryote, eukaryote, photosynthesis, aerobic respiration
                  b. Prokaryote, photosynthesis, eukaryote, aerobic respiration
                  c. Prokaryote, photosynthesis, aerobic respiration, eukaryote
                  d. Prokaryote, eukaryote, aerobic respiration, photosynthesis
                  e. Itsy guys, then bitsy guys, then teeny guys, then weeny guys



7.  In today's world, the main autotrophs are

_______     a. Animals                 b. Bacteria                 c. Fungi                d. Plants                 e. Toyotas



8.  What was the source of the organic materials in primordial soup?

_______     a. First cells                 b. First plants                c. Space dust                 d. All of these
                                    e. Well, was it a condensed soup, or more of a stew-?



9.  Generally, you can determine which layer of sedimentary rock you're looking at by

_______     a. Seeing how close to the soil surface                                       b. Measuring the minerals in the layer
                  c. Looking to see exactly what sorts of fossils are in it                d. Checking the magnetism in the layer
                                                    e. Finding some nice person to tell you



10.  The concept of panspermia is connected to

_______     a. A type of sexual reproduction                                b. A type of asexual reproduction
                  c. The beginnings of Life on Earth                            d. A particular type of isolation
                                                            e. A fairly dirty Greek myth



11.  In a population with 50% dominant alleles and 50% recessive alleles,

_______     a. The dominants are more likely to be passed on                b. The dominants are more likely to produce traits
                  c. Neither is any more likely to produce traits                      d. There's no way to make a prediction
                                                    e. There'll be a lot of genetic perversion



12.  Stromatolites are

_______     a. Chromosome structures                 b. Rock formations                c. Extremely old fossils
                  d. Dominant genes                                        e. The diet version of something-or-other



SHORT ANSWER.

Answer any eight of the following questions for 4 Points Each.
Note: if you answer more than eight, only the first eight will be corrected.
You can get partial credit on these answers.



1.  What are two examples of different types of memes?
 
2.  The first photosynthesis systems were most likely a combined form of which two pre-existing systems?
 
3. Briefly explain the "plant problem."



 

4. Put these in order so that each one contains the ones before it: Gene, Chromosome, DNA.
1

 

 2 3
5.  Define sexual selection in evolutionary terms.



6.  What are two particular types of Early-Earth energy that might have helped primordial molecules to merge together?
7.  What is the advantage of a high chromosome number?



8.  What circumstances bring about a bottleneck effect?



9.  What are hydrothermal vents, and where are they found?



10.  Explain what is meant if two genes have linkage.



11.  Define alternation of generations, without using those specific words (or verb forms of them).



12.  The rate of evolution is very connected to what two other rates?
13.  What are two different ways that molecules undergoing chemical evolution might gain a competitive advantage over other molecules?
14.  Briefly explain why a layer of rust in the fossil record is a marker for when photosynthesis appeared.






LONG ANSWER.

Answer any four of the following questions for Eight Points Each.
Note: if you answer more than four, only the first four will be corrected.
You can get partial credit on these answers.



1.  What are four conditions, according to the Hardy-Weinberg Law, under which the allele frequencies in a population will stay the same?








2.  What are four different circumstances a dead organism can be in that can likely lead to their becoming fossils?




3.  Describe (don't just give a simple label!) four different isolating situations that can lead to the evolution of new species from the same starting group.




4.  For sexual reproduction, in general -
Definition -











Advantage over asexual reproduction - Advantage asexual has over sexual -

5.  For the endosymbiont theory:

2 cell parts it applies to:
Brief definition:



One piece of evidence to support it:

 

  
6A.  Two critical features that early molecular systems had to have to be considered the first steps of "Life" on Earth -
6B.  Two critical features that didn't have to be there right at the beginning, but had to develop early because all modern Life has them -


Link to Answer Key

BONUS QUESTIONS.

Answer as many as you are able. Wrong answers will not result in points being lost from the main exam. You can get partial credit on these answers.


Why do plants rarely form fossils? Three Points.




What sort of circumstances are usually necessary for footprints to get fossilized? Three Points.




What general conditions seem to bring about an apparent lack of evolutionary change, even over long periods of time? Three Points.





Why, exactly, did Mendel choose pea plants to study? Three Points.




What sort of jobs did Hardy and Weinberg have? Three Points.





Other than evolution, what sort of science area is Alfred Russel Wallace credited with starting? Three Points.





For scientists, what's the main problem with religious explanations for how Life began? Three Points.




What evidence is there for supporting our theories of the conditions on the early Earth? Three Points.




What energy source largely went away once photosynthesis was common? Three Points.

 

 		  
 
 
     

Michael McDarby.

 

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