Genetics and Evolution Quizzes: Test Your Knowledge

Question 1

A small population of 50 individuals is established by 10 unrelated individuals. Which of the following is expected to occur in this population?

Accepted Answer

Genetic variation will be significantly reduced.

Answer

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium will be reached quickly.

Answer

Genetic variation will remain unchanged.

Answer

Genetic variation will increase substantially.

Question 2

How do environmental factors influence genetic variation within populations, and what are the potential implications for population health?

Accepted Answer

Pollution and climate change can increase genetic variation within populations by introducing new selective pressures.

Answer

Environmental factors can only decrease genetic variation within populations.

Answer

Environmental factors have no impact on population health.

Answer

Improved nutrition always leads to increased genetic variation within populations.

Question 3

Rosalind Franklin made significant contributions to genetics. What was her most notable achievement?

Accepted Answer

Providing crucial evidence for understanding the structure of DNA

Answer

Discovering the double helix structure of DNA

Answer

Pioneering the use of gel electrophoresis to analyze DNA

Answer

Developing the principles of Mendelian genetics

Question 4

Which technique allows scientists to determine the exact order of building blocks in a DNA sample?

Accepted Answer

DNA sequencing

Answer

PCR (polymerase chain reaction)

Answer

Gel electrophoresis

Answer

FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization)

Question 5

In genetic counseling, why is informed decision-making crucial for individuals and their families?

Accepted Answer

It empowers them to make choices aligned with their values and beliefs, understanding the risks and benefits of genetic disorders.

Answer

Genetic counselors make all medical decisions for affected individuals.

Answer

Informed decision-making only applies to those directly affected by genetic disorders.

Answer

Genetic counseling mainly provides emotional support, not decision-making empowerment.

Question 6

How do transcription factors regulate gene expression?

Accepted Answer

Bind to DNA and initiate transcription

Answer

Block RNA polymerase from binding to the promoter

Answer

Only repress gene expression

Answer

Have no role in gene regulation in eukaryotes

Question 7

What is the main purpose of genetic counselors in assisting individuals and families dealing with genetic conditions?

Accepted Answer

Providing information and support to empower individuals and families to make informed health decisions.

Answer

Offering medical diagnoses and treatments for genetic disorders.

Answer

Performing genetic testing without patient consent.

Answer

Advocating for the rights of individuals with genetic disorders, regardless of their personal beliefs.

Question 8

Trace the evolutionary journey of humans, explaining the genetic evidence that supports the narrative of our origins from early hominids to modern humans.

Accepted Answer

Human evolution is marked by changes in skull shape, brain size, the emergence of walking upright, and the use of tools, as seen in the fossil record.

Accepted Answer

Genetic comparisons between humans and Neanderthals suggest interbreeding between the two species.

Answer

Humans evolved directly from chimpanzees around 10 million years ago.

Answer

Human evolution is a simple progression from early hominids to modern humans, with no significant branching or diversification.

Question 9

Which of the following is the correct sequence of nitrogenous bases in a codon that codes for the amino acid glycine?

Accepted Answer

GCC

Answer

GAA

Answer

GGG

Answer

GGT

Question 10

The process by which a population of organisms changes over time is known as:

Accepted Answer

Evolution

Answer

Speciation

Answer

Adaptation

Answer

Natural selection

Question 11

A phylogenetic tree is a diagram that depicts:

Accepted Answer

The evolutionary relationships between species.

Answer

The geographical distribution of species.

Answer

The morphological similarities between species.

Answer

The number of chromosomes in species.

Question 12

The process by which new species are formed is called:

Accepted Answer

Speciation

Answer

Adaptation

Answer

Evolution

Answer

Natural selection

Question 13

Which of the following base pairs is NOT found in DNA?

Accepted Answer

Thymine and Guanine

Answer

Adenine and Thymine

Answer

Guanine and Cytosine

Answer

Adenine and Guanine

Question 14

What is the probability of a child inheriting two recessive alleles from heterozygous parents?

Accepted Answer

25%

Answer

0%

Answer

12.5%

Answer

50%

Question 15

What is the term for the process by which species become better suited to their environment?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Fitness

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Genetic drift

Question 16

What is the primary purpose of mitosis?

Accepted Answer

To create identical daughter cells for growth and repair

Answer

To produce gametes for sexual reproduction

Answer

To repair damaged cells

Answer

To increase genetic variation in offspring

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a type of selective breeding?

Accepted Answer

Genetic engineering

Answer

Inbreeding

Answer

Outbreeding

Answer

Crossbreeding

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a nucleotide base found in DNA?

Accepted Answer

Uracil

Answer

Adenine

Answer

Thymine

Answer

Guanine

Question 19

Which inheritance pattern is characterized by a trait that is expressed in only one sex?

Accepted Answer

X-linked

Answer

Autosomal dominant

Answer

Autosomal recessive

Answer

Y-linked

Question 20

What is the primary role of natural selection in evolution?

Accepted Answer

Favouring traits that enhance an organism's survival and reproductive success

Answer

Creating new species

Answer

Ensuring equal resource distribution among individuals in a population

Answer

Preventing genetic variation

Question 21

What term describes the transmission of genetic material from parents to offspring?

Accepted Answer

Inheritance

Answer

Variation

Answer

Selection

Answer

Adaptation

Question 22

The fundamental unit of heredity is the:

Accepted Answer

Gene

Answer

Chromosome

Answer

Allele

Answer

Nucleus

Question 23

An individual with two different alleles for a gene is:

Accepted Answer

Heterozygous

Answer

Homozygous

Answer

Hemizygotous

Answer

Homozygous dominant

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT one of Gregor Mendel's laws of inheritance?

Accepted Answer

Law of Natural Selection

Answer

Law of Segregation

Answer

Law of Independent Assortment

Answer

Law of Dominance

Question 25

Who proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection?

Accepted Answer

Charles Darwin

Answer

Gregor Mendel

Answer

James Watson

Answer

Francis Crick

Question 26

Which of the following is the fundamental building block of inheritance?

Accepted Answer

Gene

Answer

Chromosome

Answer

Cell

Answer

Protein

Question 27

Which genetic disorder results from an extra copy of chromosome 21?

Accepted Answer

Down syndrome

Answer

Cystic fibrosis

Answer

Haemophilia

Answer

Huntington's disease

Question 28

What is the process by which new species emerge from existing ones?

Accepted Answer

Speciation

Answer

Hybridization

Answer

Recombination

Answer

Mutation

Question 29

What is the primary function of DNA polymerase during DNA replication?

Accepted Answer

Adding nucleotides to the growing DNA strand

Answer

Unzipping the DNA molecule

Answer

Breaking the hydrogen bonds between nitrogenous bases

Answer

Rewinding the DNA molecule

Question 30

What is the principle that states that alleles for different genes are inherited independently of one another?

Accepted Answer

Law of independent assortment

Answer

Law of segregation

Answer

Law of dominance

Answer

Law of heredity

Question 31

What is the term used to describe the passing of traits from parents to offspring?

Accepted Answer

Heredity

Answer

Genetics

Answer

Evolution

Answer

Variation

Question 32

The process by which organisms with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce is known as:

Accepted Answer

Natural Selection

Answer

Artificial Selection

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Genetic drift

Question 33

Which of the following is an example of a homologous structure?

Accepted Answer

The human arm and the wing of a bat

Answer

The human eye and the octopus eye

Answer

The human appendix and the tail of a cat

Answer

The human heart and the gills of a fish

Question 34

The genetic makeup of an individual is referred to as its:

Accepted Answer

Genotype

Answer

Phenotype

Answer

Karyotype

Answer

Proteome

Question 35

A Punnett square is primarily used to:

Accepted Answer

Predict the probability of offspring genotypes

Answer

Identify the parents' genotypes

Answer

Determine the phenotype of an individual

Answer

Calculate the heritability of a trait

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT a factor that can influence the rate of evolution?

Accepted Answer

Cultural innovation

Answer

Population size

Answer

Genetic variation

Answer

Natural selection

Question 37

Speciation occurs when:

Accepted Answer

Two populations of the same species become reproductively isolated and genetically distinct.

Answer

A new species is created through hybridization of two different species.

Answer

A population adapts to a new environment but remains genetically similar to the original population.

Answer

Genetic drift causes significant changes in the gene pool of a small population.

Question 38

What is the genotype of an individual who is heterozygous for a recessive trait?

Accepted Answer

Heterozygous (Aa)

Answer

Homozygous dominant (AA)

Answer

Homozygous recessive (aa)

Answer

Hemizyguous (A or a)

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a genetic disorder?

Accepted Answer

Arthritis

Answer

Cystic fibrosis

Answer

Sickle cell anaemia

Answer

Down syndrome

Question 40

What is the term for the process by which organisms with favourable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on their genes to the next generation?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Adaptation

Question 41

Who is credited with developing the theory of evolution by natural selection?

Accepted Answer

Charles Darwin

Answer

Gregor Mendel

Answer

James Watson

Answer

Francis Crick

Question 42

Which of the following is an example of a homologous structure across different species?

Accepted Answer

The forelimbs of a human, a bat, and a whale

Answer

The wings of a butterfly and the wings of a bird

Answer

The eyes of an octopus and the eyes of a human

Answer

The digestive system of a fish and the digestive system of a mammal

Question 43

Which of the following is not a recognized Mendelian inheritance pattern?

Accepted Answer

Quantitative inheritance

Answer

Complete dominance

Answer

Incomplete dominance

Answer

Codominance

Question 44

According to Darwin's theory of natural selection, individuals with traits that:

Accepted Answer

Are better suited to their environment have a higher chance of survival and reproduction

Answer

Are less suited to their environment have a higher chance of survival and reproduction

Answer

Neither better nor less suited to their environment have a higher chance of survival and reproduction

Answer

Are better suited to their environment have a higher chance of survival but not reproduction

Question 45

Which of the following is an example of a homologous structure?

Accepted Answer

Human arm and bird wing

Answer

Cat's claws and human nails

Answer

Snake's fangs and lion's teeth

Answer

Human appendix and whale's baleen

Question 46

Genetic drift is a process that:

Accepted Answer

Can lead to significant changes in allele frequencies in small populations

Answer

Always leads to an increase in genetic variation

Answer

Only occurs in large populations

Answer

Is the same as natural selection

Question 47

A homozygous recessive genotype is represented by:

Accepted Answer

aa

Answer

AA

Answer

Aa

Answer

aA

Question 48

Who is known as the 'Father of Genetics'?

Accepted Answer

Gregor Mendel

Answer

Charles Darwin

Answer

James Watson

Answer

Francis Crick

Question 49

The section of DNA that contains the code for a specific protein is known as a:

Accepted Answer

Gene

Answer

Genome

Answer

Chromosome

Answer

Allele

Question 50

How does epigenetics influence phenotypic variation, and how does it enhance our understanding of the development of complex traits?

Accepted Answer

Epigenetics involves modifications to DNA packaging and expression, influenced by environmental factors and affecting an organism's phenotype.

Answer

Epigenetics involves changes in DNA sequence that can be inherited.

Answer

Epigenetics has a limited role in the development of complex traits.

Question 51

In the context of genetic disorders, a genetic carrier is an individual who:

Accepted Answer

Has one copy of the dominant allele and one copy of the recessive allele

Answer

Has two copies of the recessive allele and exhibits the disorder

Answer

Has no copies of the recessive allele

Answer

Has three copies of the same allele

Question 52

How do environmental factors influence gene expression, leading to variations in observable traits?

Accepted Answer

Environmental factors activate or deactivate genes without altering their DNA sequences.

Answer

Environmental factors alter DNA sequences, causing changes in gene expression.

Answer

Environmental factors have no impact on gene expression or phenotypic variation.

Answer

Environmental factors only affect genes directly involved in environmental responses.

Question 53

The fundamental unit of heredity is considered to be a:

Accepted Answer

Gene

Answer

Chromosome

Answer

Nucleotide

Answer

Allele

Question 54

Individuals with a heterozygous genotype for a trait possess:

Accepted Answer

One dominant and one recessive allele

Answer

Two copies of the dominant allele

Answer

Two copies of the recessive allele

Answer

Three copies of the allele

Question 55

The process where populations of organisms adapt to their environment over generations is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Genetic drift

Answer

Gene flow

Question 56

An instance of a genetic disorder stemming from a mutation in a single gene is:

Accepted Answer

Cystic fibrosis

Answer

Down syndrome

Answer

Cancer

Answer

Diabetes

Question 57

How has genetic engineering impacted the field of biotechnology?

Accepted Answer

It has the potential for significant advancements.

Answer

It has limited applications, mostly in medicine.

Answer

It's a risk-free technology with no ethical concerns.

Answer

It's a purely theoretical concept with no practical uses.

Question 58

What factors contribute to the development of complex traits like height and eye color?

Accepted Answer

Both genetic and environmental factors

Answer

Only genetic factors

Answer

Only environmental factors

Question 59

Genetic testing offers several advantages in healthcare. Which of these is a key benefit of genetic testing?

Accepted Answer

Early detection and prevention of genetic disorders

Answer

Curing existing genetic conditions

Answer

Modifying an individual's genetic makeup

Answer

Predicting athletic abilities

Question 60

What genetic alteration is the primary cause of antibiotic resistance in bacteria?

Accepted Answer

Mutation

Answer

Deletion

Answer

Duplication

Answer

Recombination

Question 61

**Why is it crucial to preserve genetic diversity in endangered species? Discuss the potential risks of genetic bottlenecks on their long-term survival.**

Accepted Answer

Genetic diversity provides a wider range of traits, enhancing a species' ability to adapt to changing environments.

Answer

Genetic diversity increases the risk of genetic disorders and should be minimized.

Answer

Genetic bottlenecks increase genetic diversity by introducing new alleles into the population.

Answer

Genetic diversity is unimportant for the long-term survival of endangered species.

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT a nitrogenous base found in DNA?

Accepted Answer

U

Answer

C

Answer

T

Answer

A

Question 63

What is the term for different forms of a gene that occupy the same locus on homologous chromosomes?

Accepted Answer

Alleles

Answer

Phenotypes

Answer

Mutations

Answer

Genotypes

Question 64

Which of the following is NOT a mechanism that contributes to genetic variation within a population?

Accepted Answer

Cloning

Answer

Gene flow

Answer

Mutation

Answer

Recombination