Systematics MCQs
Systematics MCQs
Try to answer these Systematics MCQs and check your understanding of the Systematics subject. Scroll down and let's begin!
1: A human is classified in domain _____ and kingdom _____
A. Eukarya ... Fungi
B. Eukarya ... Protista
C. Eukarya ... Plantae
D. Eukarya ... Animalia
E. Bacteria ... Archaea
2: Animals that possess homologous structures probably _____
A. Have increased genetic diversity
B. Evolved from the same ancestor
C. Are not related
D. Are the result of convergent evolution
E. Are the result of similar environmental pressures in different evolutionary lineages
3: In a comparison of birds and mammals, having four limbs is _____.
A. A shared ancestral character
B. A shared derived character
C. A character useful for distinguishing birds from mammals
D. An example of analogy rather than homology
4: Phylogenetic analysis of hiv and nonhuman siv demonstrates that hiv is _______ and siv is _______.
A. Polyphyletic; paraphyletic
B. Polyphyletic; monophyletic
C. Paraphyletic; monophyletic
D. Monophyletic; monophyletic
E. Monophyletic; paraphyletic
5: The process of protein synthesis (translation) does not include ________.
A. Mutation
B. Transcription
C. Replication
D. Translation
E. Mitosis
6: The legless condition that is observed in several groups of extant reptiles is the result of _____.
A. Their common ancestor having been legless.
B. A shared adaptation to an arboreal (living in trees) lifestyle.
C. Several instances of the legless condition arising independently of each other.
D. Individual lizards adapting to a fossorial (living in burrows) lifestyle during their lifetimes
7: Feathers are an example of a/an ________; they originally evolved ________
A. Exaptation . . . for some other function
B. Exaptio.... became adapted for fligh..
C. Systematics
D. None
8: The language used in taxonomy is _____.
A. Latin
B. Dichotomy
C. Linnaeus
D. Morphology
9: To apply parsimony to constructing a phylogenetic tree, __________.
A. Choose the tree that assumes all evolutionary changes are equally probable.
B. Choose the tree in which the branch points are based on as many shared derived characters as possible.
C. Base phylogenetic trees only on the fossil record, as this provides the simplest explanation for evolution.
D. Choose the tree that represents the fewest evolutionary changes, either in DNA sequences or morphology.
E. Choose the tree with the fewest branch points
10: The best classification system is that which most closely _____.
A. Conforms to traditional, Linnaean taxonomic practices
B. Reflects evolutionary history
C. Reflects the basic separation of prokaryotes from eukaryotes
D. Unites organisms that possess similar morphologies
11: In the five-kingdom system, prokaryotes are placed in the kingdom _____.
A. Protista
B. Animalia
C. Fungi
D. Plantae
E. Monera
12: Taxonomy is the ______
A. Study of cells
B. Naming and classifying of species
C. Study of organisms and their interaction with the environment
D. Study of genes
13: Molecular clocks are based on the idea that _____
A. Molecules resonate at a certain frequency that can be measured
B. Advantageous mutations arise at a constant rate.
C. Directional selection occurs at a constant rate.
D. Mutations occur once every generation.
E. On average neutral mutations arise at a constant rate
14: A(n) _______ is one that is present in the common ancestor and all members of a group.
A. Ancestral character
B. Clade
C. Character trait
D. Derived character
E. Analogous structure
15: A derived character that is shared among two or more lineages is also called a(n) ________.
A. Apomorphy.
B. Plesiomorphy.
C. Synapomorphy.
D. Clade
16: An example of parallel choices in a key is _____.
A. Flower color is red; AA. flower color is blue
B. Object can fly; AA. object is black
C. Animal has 4 legs; AA. animal has 4 teeth
17: Prokaryotic cells are found in the domain(s) _____.
A. Bacteria and Archaea
B. Whether its nucleic acid is DNA or RNA
C. The proteins in the host's cytoplasm
D. The proteins on its surface and that of the host
18: According to the phylogenetic tree in the figure above, g. intestinalis constitutes a _____ group.
A. Paraphyletic
B. Monophyletic
C. Polyphyletic
D. None of these
19: If organisms are of the same species, _____.
A. They can interbreed
B. They share genetic similarities
C. They are the same color
D. They fall under the same genus
E. All of the above
20: In mammals, the presence of four limbs is ________, and hair is ________.
A. A shared derived character; a shared ancestral character that places mammals in the tetrapod clade
B. A shared ancestral character; a shared derived character unique to mammals
C. A homologous feature; an analogous feature
D. Monophyletic; parsimonious
21: The scientific name of an organism (critter) refers to it's _____________ and ____________.
A. Species; Genus
B. Unique
C. Genus
D. Family
E. Phylum
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