Archive for December 2016

The contrast of color on one side and black and white on the other in Warhol's Marilyn Diptych implies a contrast between

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The contrast of color on one side and black and white on the other in Warhol's Marilyn Diptych implies a contrast between




A) love and hate based on the subject's relationships
B) life and death based on the actress's suicide
C) low and high brow art based on the artist's choice of subject matter
D) sincerity and irony based on artistic influences







Answer: B

Andy Warhol's Marilyn Diptych addresses the idea that

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Andy Warhol's Marilyn Diptych addresses the idea that 





A) humans share impulses to destroy as well as create
B) identity is constructed and transformable
C) images are valued in our culture by their familiarity
D) hierarchies used to judge art should be abolished








Answer: C

The original function of this work was to

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The original function of this work was to 





A) highlight the excesses of a consumer culture
B) support a war protest movement
C) draw attention to the artist's gender
D) critique the ubiquity of stereotypes






Answer: B

Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte reflects a modern sensibility due to all of the following EXCEPT

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Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte reflects a modern sensibility due to all of the following EXCEPT





A) the nonconventional figural groupings depicted in the scene
B) the analytic study of color based on scientific color theories
C) references to newly found leisure time among the urban classes
D) an exploration of the fleeting effects of light and color at midday






Answer: D

The central figure of this painting may refer to all of the following EXCEPT

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The central figure of this painting may refer to all of the following EXCEPT






A) the idea of sin derived from a strict Catholic upbringing
B) a belief in the spiritual powers of a mahu, or hermaphrodite
C) the use of color to denote a connection to the divine in theosophy
D) a Polynesian goddess Hina, associated with mercy and regeneration





Answer: D


James Ensor identifies with Christ in his painting Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889 in that Christ is depicted

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James Ensor identifies with Christ in his painting Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889 in that Christ is depicted




A) at peace and complacent with his status in life
B) isolated and detatched from the masses of humanity
C) as a socialist advocate for the poor and downtrodden
D) beaten and tortured by a group of cruel soldiers







Answer: B

Rodin chose NOT to place his figures in this sculpture on a high pedestal because he wanted

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Rodin chose NOT to place his figures in this sculpture on a high pedestal because he wanted 




A) viewers to see the detailed figures closeup without straining their necks
B) people to view the work by looking down on it from windows and terraces
C) the sculpture to interact more convincingly with plants in a surrounding garden
D) the figures to embody a sense of ordinariness and humanity









Answer: D

Which of the following is NOT a feature of this structure?

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Which of the following is NOT a feature of this structure?



A) a variety of sizes in the living spaces to accommodate a wide range of families
B) a rooftop communal area with gardens and terraces
C) large pilotis designed for support and circulation
D) balconies protected by a brise-soleil allowing for cross ventilation








Answer: A

The visual appearance, similar to that of a Peruvian mummy, of the elderly figure of a woman in Gauguin's Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where are we Going?may MOST LIKELY refer to Gauguin's own

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The visual appearance, similar to that of a Peruvian mummy, of the elderly figure of a woman in Gauguin's Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where are we Going?may MOST LIKELY refer to Gauguin's own 





A) religious upbringing
B) disdain of materialism
C) mixed racial identity
D) fear of dead spirits







Answer: C

A map in Hannah Höch's Cut with the Kitchen Knife... refers to

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A map in Hannah Höch's Cut with the Kitchen Knife... refers to




A) areas of the world aligned with the Catholic church
B) governments who have repressed political dissidents
C) countries Germany conquered during the war
D) places where women are allowed to vote








Answer: D

The controversial phrase "God does not exist" in Diego Rivera's mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central Park was written on a piece of paper held by

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The controversial phrase "God does not exist" in Diego Rivera's mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central Park was written on a piece of paper held by 




A) Ignacio Ramirez, a writer and poet
B) Emiliano Zapata, an armed revolutionary
C) Francisco Madero, an advocate for social justice
D) Jose Guadalupe Posada, a printmaker and cartoonist









Answer: B

Gauguin's Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where are we Going? was created at a time when the artist was

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Gauguin's Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where are we Going? was created at a time when the artist was 





A) desirous of competing with his rivals at the Salon
B) contemplating suicide in the face of disappointment
C) establishing a commune for artists in a tropical setting
D) organizing an exhibition on Oceanic art in Paris






Answer: B

Which of the following is true of Fauvism?

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Which of the following is true of Fauvism? 




A) It celebrated the arbitrary use of color to create jarring effects.
B) It aimed to create a universal style of art designed for a utopian society.
C) It eliminated representational imagery in favor of nonobjectivity.
D) It created art for a society shaped by spiritual goals through theosophy.







Answer: A

Which of the following is NOT true of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater?

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Which of the following is NOT true of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater? 






A) It utilized cantilver construction to create projecting elements.
B) The colors Wright used were chosen so that the home would blend into its surroundings.
C) The building celebrates the growth and industry of the modern city through the use of steel and glass.
D) Wright consciously created a design that was harmoniously organized around the hearth.





Answer: C

Neutral theory proposes that

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Neutral theory proposes that 






A) molecular clocks are more reliable when the surrounding pH is close to 7.0.
B) most mutations of highly conserved DNA sequences should have no functional effect.
C) DNA is less susceptible to mutation when it codes for amino acid sequences whose side groups (or R groups) have a neutral pH.
D) DNA is less susceptible to mutation when it codes for amino acid sequences whose side groups (or R groups) have a neutral electrical charge.
E) a significant proportion of mutations are not acted upon by natural selection.






Answer: E

The most important feature that permits a gene to act as a molecular clock is

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The most important feature that permits a gene to act as a molecular clock is 





A) having a large number of base pairs.
B) having a larger proportion of exonic DNA than of intronic DNA.
C) having a reliable average rate of mutation.
D) its recent origin by a gene-duplication event.
E) its being acted upon by natural selection.






Answer: C

Paralogous genes that have lost the function of coding for any functional gene product are known as "pseudogenes." Which of these is a valid prediction regarding the fate of pseudogenes over evolutionary time?

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Paralogous genes that have lost the function of coding for any functional gene product are known as "pseudogenes." Which of these is a valid prediction regarding the fate of pseudogenes over evolutionary time? 





A) They will be preserved by natural selection.
B) They will be highly conserved.
C) They will ultimately regain their original function.
D) They will be transformed into orthologous genes.
E) They will have relatively high mutation rates.







Answer: E

The reason that paralogous genes can diverge from each other within the same gene pool, whereas orthologous genes diverge only after gene pools are isolated from each other, is that

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The reason that paralogous genes can diverge from each other within the same gene pool, whereas orthologous genes diverge only after gene pools are isolated from each other, is that 





A) having multiple copies of genes is essential for the occurrence of sympatric speciation in the wild.
B) paralogous genes can occur only in diploid species; thus, they are absent from most prokaryotes.
C) polyploidy is a necessary precondition for the occurrence of sympatric speciation in the wild.
D) having an extra copy of a gene permits modifications to the copy without loss of the original gene product.





Answer: D

Which statement represents the best explanation for the observation that the nuclear DNA of wolves and domestic dogs has a very high degree of sequence homology?

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Which statement represents the best explanation for the observation that the nuclear DNA of wolves and domestic dogs has a very high degree of sequence homology? 






A) Dogs and wolves have very similar morphologies.
B) Dogs and wolves belong to the same order.
C) Dogs and wolves are both members of the order Carnivora.
D) Dogs and wolves shared a common ancestor very recently.





Answer: D

The lakes of northern Minnesota are home to many similar species of damselflies of the genus Enallagma that have apparently undergone speciation from ancestral stock since the last glacial retreat about 10,000 years ago. Sequencing which of the following would probably be most useful in sorting out evolutionary relationships among these closely related species?

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The lakes of northern Minnesota are home to many similar species of damselflies of the genus Enallagma that have apparently undergone speciation from ancestral stock since the last glacial retreat about 10,000 years ago. Sequencing which of the following would probably be most useful in sorting out evolutionary relationships among these closely related species?





A) nuclear DNA
B) mitochondrial DNA
C) small nuclear RNA
D) ribosomal RNA
E) amino acids in proteins





Answer: B

Which kind of DNA should provide the best molecular clock for determining the evolutionary relatedness of several species whose common ancestor became extinct billions of years ago?

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Which kind of DNA should provide the best molecular clock for determining the evolutionary relatedness of several species whose common ancestor became extinct billions of years ago? 






A) that coding for ribosomal RNA
B) intronic DNA belonging to a gene whose product performs a crucial function
C) paralogous DNA that has lost its function (i.e., no longer codes for functional gene product)
D) mitochondrial DNA
E) exonic DNA that codes for a noncrucial part of a polypeptide







Answer: A

Species that are not closely related and that do not share many anatomical similarities can still be placed together on the same phylogenetic tree by comparing their

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Species that are not closely related and that do not share many anatomical similarities can still be placed together on the same phylogenetic tree by comparing their 





A) plasmids.
B) mitochondrial genomes.
C) homologous genes that are poorly conserved.
D) homologous genes that are highly conserved.






Answer: D

Nucleic acid sequences that undergo few changes over the course of evolutionary time are said to be conserved. Conserved sequences of nucleic acids

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Nucleic acid sequences that undergo few changes over the course of evolutionary time are said to be conserved. Conserved sequences of nucleic acids 





A) are found in the most crucial portions of proteins.
B) include all mitochondrial DNA.
C) are abundant in ribosomes.
D) are proportionately more common in eukaryotic introns than in eukaryotic exons.
E) comprise a larger proportion of pre-mRNA (immature mRNA) than of mature mRNA.




Answer: C

A researcher wants to determine the genetic relatedness of several breeds of dog (Canis lupus familiaris). The researcher should compare homologous sequences of this type of biochemical?________which can be described as ________.

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A researcher wants to determine the genetic relatedness of several breeds of dog (Canis lupus familiaris). The researcher should compare homologous sequences of this type of biochemical?________which can be described as ________. 





A) fatty acids; highly conserved
B) lipids; poorly conserved
C) proteins; highly conserved
D) amino acids; highly conserved
E) nucleic acids, poorly conserved






Answer: E

There is some evidence that reptiles called cynodonts may have had whisker-like hairs around their mouths. If true, then what can be properly said of hair?

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There is some evidence that reptiles called cynodonts may have had whisker-like hairs around their mouths. If true, then what can be properly said of hair? 




A) It is a shared derived character of mammals, even if cynodonts continue to be classified as reptiles.
B) It is a shared derived character of the amniote clade, and not of the mammal clade.
C) It is a shared ancestral character of the amniote clade, but only if cynodonts are reclassified as mammals.
D) It is a shared derived character of the mammals, but only if cynodonts are reclassified as mammals.






Answer: D

Which of the following is true of all horizontally oriented phylogenetic trees, where time advances to the right?

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Which of the following is true of all horizontally oriented phylogenetic trees, where time advances to the right? 







A) Each branch point represents a point in absolute time.
B) Organisms represented at the base of such trees are descendants of those represented at higher levels.
C) The fewer branch points that occur between two taxa, the more divergent their DNA sequences should be.
D) The common ancestor represented by the rightmost branch point existed more recently in time than the common ancestors represented at branch points located to the left.
E) The more branch points there are, the fewer taxa are likely to be represented.





Answer: D

The common ancestors of birds and mammals were very early (stem) reptiles, which almost certainly possessed three-chambered hearts (two atria, one ventricle). Birds and mammals, however, are alike in having four-chambered hearts (two atria, two ventricles). The four-chambered hearts of birds and mammals are best described as

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The common ancestors of birds and mammals were very early (stem) reptiles, which almost certainly possessed three-chambered hearts (two atria, one ventricle). Birds and mammals, however, are alike in having four-chambered hearts (two atria, two ventricles). The four-chambered hearts of birds and mammals are best described as 





A) structural homologies.
B) vestiges.
C) homoplasies.
D) the result of shared ancestry.
E) molecular homologies.





Answer: C

Some molecular data place the giant panda in the bear family (Ursidae) but place the lesser panda in the raccoon family (Procyonidae). Consequently, the morphological similarities of these two species are probably due to

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Some molecular data place the giant panda in the bear family (Ursidae) but place the lesser panda in the raccoon family (Procyonidae). Consequently, the morphological similarities of these two species are probably due to 





A) inheritance of acquired characteristics.
B) sexual selection.
C) inheritance of shared derived characters.
D) possession of analogous structures.
E) possession of shared primitive characters.






Answer: D

The best classification system is that which most closely

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The best classification system is that which most closely 






A) unites organisms that possess similar morphologies.
B) conforms to traditional, Linnaean taxonomic practices.
C) reflects evolutionary history.
D) reflects the basic separation of prokaryotes from eukaryotes.





Answer: C

If, someday, an archaean cell is discovered whose rRNA sequence is more similar to that of humans than the sequence of mouse rRNA is to that of humans, the best explanation for this apparent discrepancy would be

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If, someday, an archaean cell is discovered whose rRNA sequence is more similar to that of humans than the sequence of mouse rRNA is to that of humans, the best explanation for this apparent discrepancy would be 





A) homology.
B) homoplasy.
C) common ancestry.
D) retro-evolution by humans.
E) coevolution of humans and that archaean.





Answer: B

The term homoplasy is most applicable to which of the following features?

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The term homoplasy is most applicable to which of the following features? 





A) the legless condition found in various lineages of extant lizards
B) the five-digit condition of human hands and bat wings
C) the ß hemoglobin genes of mice and of humans
D) the fur that covers Australian moles and North American moles
E) the bones of bat forelimbs and the bones of bird forelimbs








Answer: A

Linnaeus was a "fixist" who believed that species remained fixed in the form in which they had been created. Linnaeus would have been uncomfortable with

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Linnaeus was a "fixist" who believed that species remained fixed in the form in which they had been created. Linnaeus would have been uncomfortable with 





A) classifying organisms using the morphospecies concept.
B) the scientific discipline known as taxonomy.
C) phylogenies.
D) nested, ever-more inclusive categories of organisms.
E) a hierarchical classification scheme.





Answer: C

If organisms A, B, and C belong to the same class but to different orders and if organisms D, E, and F belong to the same order but to different families, which of the following pairs of organisms would be expected to show the greatest degree of structural homology?

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If organisms A, B, and C belong to the same class but to different orders and if organisms D, E, and F belong to the same order but to different families, which of the following pairs of organisms would be expected to show the greatest degree of structural homology? 






A) A and B
B) A and C
C) B and D
D) C and F
E) D and F





Answer: E

The various taxonomic levels (namely, genera, classes, etc.) of the hierarchical classification system differ from each other on the basis of

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The various taxonomic levels (namely, genera, classes, etc.) of the hierarchical classification system differ from each other on the basis of 





A) how widely the organisms assigned to each are distributed throughout the environment.
B) their inclusiveness.
C) the relative genome sizes of the organisms assigned to each.
D) morphological characters that are applicable to all organisms.








Answer: B

The legless condition that is observed in several groups of extant reptiles is the result of

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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.






Answer: C

A genetic change that caused a certain Hox gene to be expressed along the tip of a vertebrate limb bud instead of farther back helped make possible the evolution of the tetrapod limb. This type of change is illustrative of

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A genetic change that caused a certain Hox gene to be expressed along the tip of a vertebrate limb bud instead of farther back helped make possible the evolution of the tetrapod limb. This type of change is illustrative of 





A) the influence of environment on development.
B) paedomorphosis.
C) a change in a developmental gene or its regulation that altered the spatial organization of body parts.
D) heterochrony.
E) gene duplication.






Answer: C

Which of the following steps has not yet been accomplished by scientists studying the origin of life?

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Which of the following steps has not yet been accomplished by scientists studying the origin of life? 






A) synthesis of small RNA polymers by ribozymes
B) abiotic synthesis of polypeptides
C) formation of molecular aggregates with selectively permeable membranes
D) formation of protocells that use DNA to direct the polymerization of amino acids
E) abiotic synthesis of organic molecules








Answer: D

Adaptive radiations can be a direct consequence of four of the following five factors. Select the exception.

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Adaptive radiations can be a direct consequence of four of the following five factors. Select the exception. 





A) vacant ecological niches
B) genetic drift
C) colonization of an isolated region that contains suitable habitat and few competitor species
D) evolutionary innovation
E) an adaptive radiation in a group of organisms (such as plants) that another group uses as food





Answer: B

Which factor most likely caused animals and plants in India to differ greatly from species in nearby southeast Asia?

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Which factor most likely caused animals and plants in India to differ greatly from species in nearby southeast Asia? 




A) The species have become separated by convergent evolution.
B) The climates of the two regions are similar.
C) India is in the process of separating from the rest of Asia.
D) Life in India was wiped out by ancient volcanic eruptions.
E) India was a separate continent until 45 million years ago.





Answer: E

The oxygen revolution changed Earth's environment dramatically. Which of the following took advantage of the presence of free oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere?

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The oxygen revolution changed Earth's environment dramatically. Which of the following took advantage of the presence of free oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere? 






A) the evolution of cellular respiration, which used oxygen to help harvest energy from organic molecules
B) the persistence of some animal groups in anaerobic habitats
C) the evolution of photosynthetic pigments that protected early algae from the corrosive effects of oxygen
D) the evolution of chloroplasts after early protists incorporated photosynthetic cyanobacteria
E) the evolution of multicellular eukaryotic colonies from communities of prokaryotes





Answer: A

Fossilized stromatolites

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Fossilized stromatolites 





A) all date from 2.7 billion years ago.
B) formed around deep-sea vents.
C) resemble structures formed by bacterial communities that are found today in some warm, shallow, salty bays.
D) provide evidence that plants moved onto land in the company of fungi around 500 million years ago.
E) contain the first undisputed fossils of eukaryotes and date from 2.1 billion years ago.






Answer: C

All animals with eyes or eyespots that have been studied so far share a gene in common. When mutated, the gene Pax-6 causes lack of eyes in fruit flies, tiny eyes in mice, and missing irises (and other eye parts) in humans. The sequence of Pax-6 in humans and mice is identical. There are so few sequence differences with fruit fly Pax-6 that the human/mouse version can cause eye formation in eyeless fruit flies, even though vertebrates and invertebrates last shared a common ancestor more than 500 million years ago.

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All animals with eyes or eyespots that have been studied so far share a gene in common. When mutated, the gene Pax-6 causes lack of eyes in fruit flies, tiny eyes in mice, and missing irises (and other eye parts) in humans. The sequence of Pax-6 in humans and mice is identical. There are so few sequence differences with fruit fly Pax-6 that the human/mouse version can cause eye formation in eyeless fruit flies, even though vertebrates and invertebrates last shared a common ancestor more than 500 million years ago. 



The appearance of Pax-6 in all animals with eyes can be explained in multiple ways. Based on the information above, which explanation is most likely? 

A) Pax-6 in all of these animals is not homologous; it arose independently in many different animal phyla due to intense selective pressure favoring vision.
B) The Pax-6 gene is really not "one" gene. It is many different genes that, over evolutionary time and due to convergence, have come to have a similar nucleotide sequence and function.
C) The Pax-6 gene was an innovation of an ancestral animal of the early Cambrian period. Animals with eyes or eyespots are descendants of this ancestor.
D) The perfectly designed Pax-6 gene appeared instantaneously in all animals created to have eyes or eyespots.


Answer: C


Fruit fly eyes are of the compound type, which is structurally very different from the camera-type eyes of mammals. Even the camera-type eyes of molluscs, such as octopi, are structurally quite different from those of mammals. Yet, fruit flies, octopi, and mammals possess very similar versions of Pax-6. The fact that the same gene helps produce very different types of eyes is most likely due to A) the few differences in nucleotide sequence among the Pax-6 genes of these organisms. 

B) variations in the number of Pax-6 genes among these organisms.
C) the independent evolution of this gene at many different times during animal evolution.
D) differences in the control of Pax-6 expression among these organisms.


Answer: D


Pax-6 usually causes the production of a type of light-receptor pigment. In vertebrate eyes, though, a different gene (the rh gene family) is responsible for the light-receptor pigments of the retina. The rh gene, like Pax-6, is ancient. In the marine ragworm, for example, the rh gene causes production of c-opsin, which helps regulate the worm's biological clock. Which of these most likely accounts for vertebrate vision? 

A) The Pax-6 gene mutated to become the rh gene among early mammals.
B) During vertebrate evolution, the rh gene for biological clock opsin was co-opted as a gene for visual receptor pigments.
C) In animals more ancient than ragworms, the rh gene(s) coded for visual receptor pigments; in lineages more recent than ragworms, rh has flip-flopped several times between producing biological clock opsins and visual receptor pigments.
D) Pax-6 was lost from the mammalian genome, and replaced by the rh gene much later.


Answer: B

A female fly, full of fertilized eggs, is swept by high winds to an island far out to sea. She is the first fly to arrive on this island, and the only fly to arrive in this way. Thousands of years later, her numerous offspring occupy the island, but none of them resembles her. There are, instead, several species, each of which eats only a certain type of food. None of the species can fly, for their flight wings are absent, and their balancing organs (in other words, halteres) are now used in courtship displays. The male members of each species bear modified halteres that are unique in appearance to their species. Females bear vestigial halteres. The ranges of all of the daughter species overlap.

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A female fly, full of fertilized eggs, is swept by high winds to an island far out to sea. She is the first fly to arrive on this island, and the only fly to arrive in this way. Thousands of years later, her numerous offspring occupy the island, but none of them resembles her. There are, instead, several species, each of which eats only a certain type of food. None of the species can fly, for their flight wings are absent, and their balancing organs (in other words, halteres) are now used in courtship displays. The male members of each species bear modified halteres that are unique in appearance to their species. Females bear vestigial halteres. The ranges of all of the daughter species overlap. 


If these fly species lost the ability to fly independently of each other as a result of separate mutation events in each lineage, then the flightless condition in these species could be an example of A) adaptive radiation. 

B) species selection.
C) sexual selection.
D) allometric growth.
E) habitat differentiation.


Answer: B


In each fly species, the entire body segment that gave rise to the original flight wings is missing. The mutation(s) that led to the flightless condition could have A) duplicated all of the Hox genes in these flies' genomes. 

B) altered the nucleotide sequence within a Hox gene.
C) altered the expression of a Hox gene.
D) all three of the above responses
E) two of the above answers are correct


Answer: E

Fly species W, found in a certain part of the island, produces fertile offspring with species Y. Species W does not produce fertile offspring with species X or Z. If no other species can hybridize, then species W and Y 

A) have genomes that are still similar enough for successful meiosis to occur in hybrid flies.
B) have more genetic similarity with each other than either did with the other two species.
C) may fuse into a single species if their hybrids remain fertile over the course of many generations.
D) Three of the above statements are correct.
E) Two of the statements above are correct.


Answer: D

Which of these fly organs, as they exist in current fly populations, best fits the description of an exaptation? 

A) wings
B) balancing organs
C) mouthparts
D) thoraxes
E) walking appendages


Answer: B

The following question is based on the observation that several dozen different proteins comprise the prokaryotic flagellum and its attachment to the prokaryotic cell, producing a highly complex structure.

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The following question is based on the observation that several dozen different proteins comprise the prokaryotic flagellum and its attachment to the prokaryotic cell, producing a highly complex structure. 



If the complex protein assemblage of the prokaryotic flagellum arose by the same general processes as those of the complex eyes of molluscs (such as squids and octopi), then 

A) natural selection cannot account for the rise of the prokaryotic flagellum.
B) ancestral versions of this protein assemblage were either less functional or had different functions than modern prokaryotic flagella.
C) scientists should accept the conclusion that neither eyes nor flagella could have arisen by evolution.
D) we can conclude that both of these structures must have arisen through the direct action of an "intelligent designer."


Answer: B

Certain proteins of the complex motor that drives bacterial flagella are modified versions of proteins that had previously belonged to plasma membrane pumps. This evidence supports the claim that 

A) some structures are so complex that natural selection cannot, and will not, explain their origins.
B) the power of natural selection allows it to act in an almost predictive fashion, producing organs that will be needed in future environments.
C) the motors of bacterial flagella were originally synthesized abiotically.
D) natural selection can produce new structures by coupling together parts of other structures.
E) bacteria that possess flagella must have lost the ability to pump certain chemicals across their plasma membranes.



Answer: D

Fossils of Lystrosaurus, a dicynodont therapsid, are most common in parts of modern-day South America, South Africa, Madagascar, India, South Australia, and Antarctica. It apparently lived in arid regions, and was mostly herbivorous. It originated during the mid-Permian period, survived the Permian extinction, and dwindled by the late Triassic, though there is evidence of a relict population in Australia during the Cretaceous period. The dicynodonts had two large tusks, extending down from their upper jaws. The tusks were not used for food gathering, and in some species were limited to males. Food was gathered using an otherwise toothless beak. Judging from the fossil record in sedimentary rocks, these pig-sized organisms were the most common mammal-like reptiles of the Permian.

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Fossils of Lystrosaurus, a dicynodont therapsid, are most common in parts of modern-day South America, South Africa, Madagascar, India, South Australia, and Antarctica. It apparently lived in arid regions, and was mostly herbivorous. It originated during the mid-Permian period, survived the Permian extinction, and dwindled by the late Triassic, though there is evidence of a relict population in Australia during the Cretaceous period. The dicynodonts had two large tusks, extending down from their upper jaws. The tusks were not used for food gathering, and in some species were limited to males. Food was gathered using an otherwise toothless beak. Judging from the fossil record in sedimentary rocks, these pig-sized organisms were the most common mammal-like reptiles of the Permian. 




Anatomically, what was true of Lystrosaurus? 

A) Its jaw would have been hinged the same way as the jaws of the early reptiles were hinged.
B) It was a tetrapod.
C) It had skin without scales, typical of modern amphibians.
D) It would have had no temporal fenestra in its skull.
Answer: B


How many of Lystrosaurus' features below can help explain why these organisms fossilized so abundantly? 

I. the presence of hard parts, such as tusks
II. its arid environment
III.its persistence across at least two geological eras
IV. its widespread geographic distribution
V. its mixture of reptilian and mammalian features

A) only one of these statements
B) two of these statements
C) three of these statements
D) four of these statements
E) all five of these statements


Answer: C


Which of the following is the most likely explanation for the modern-day distribution of dicynodont fossils? A) There had been two previous supercontinents that existed at different times long before the Permian period. 

B) The dicynodonts were evenly distributed throughout all of Pangaea.
C) The dicynodonts were distributed more abundantly throughout Gondwanaland than throughout any other land mass.
D) The dicynodonts were amphibious and able to swim long distances.
E) The dicynodonts could survive for periods of months aboard "rafts" of vegetation, few of which made their way to the northern hemisphere.


Answer: C


If an increase in dicynodont species diversity (in other words, number of species) occurred soon after the Permian extinction, and if it occurred for the same general reason usually given for the increase in mammalian diversity following the Cretaceous extinction, then it should be attributed to 

A) an innovation among the dicynodonts that allowed them to fill brand-new niches.
B) the availability of previously occupied niches.
C) the extinction of the dinosaurs (except the birds).
D) their outcompetition of many other terrestrial organisms.


Answer: B

In order to assign absolute dates to fossils in this sediment core, it would be most helpful if

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In order to assign absolute dates to fossils in this sediment core, it would be most helpful if 






A) we knew the order in which the fossils occurred in the core.
B) the sediments had not been affected by underwater currents during their deposition.
C) volcanic ash layers were regularly interspersed between the sedimentary strata.
D) metamorphic rock strata alternated with sedimentary rock strata.
E) fossils throughout the column had equal ratios of a parental radioisotope to its daughter isotope.







Answer: C

Assuming the existence of fossilized markers for each of the following chemicals, what is the sequence in which they should be found in this sediment core, working from ancient sediments to recent sediments? 1. chitin coupled with protein 2. chlorophyll 3. bone 4. cellulose

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Assuming the existence of fossilized markers for each of the following chemicals, what is the sequence in which they should be found in this sediment core, working from ancient sediments to recent sediments?
1. chitin coupled with protein
2. chlorophyll
3. bone
4. cellulose 







A) 2, 4, 3, 1
B) 2, 4, 1, 3
C) 4, 2, 1, 3
D) 4, 2, 3, 1




Answer: B

Fossil evidence indicates that several kinds of flightless dinosaurs possessed feathers. If some of these feather-bearing dinosaurs incubated clutches of eggs in carefully constructed nests, this might be evidence supporting the claim that

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Fossil evidence indicates that several kinds of flightless dinosaurs possessed feathers. If some of these feather-bearing dinosaurs incubated clutches of eggs in carefully constructed nests, this might be evidence supporting the claim that 






A) dinosaurs were as fully endothermal (warm-blooded) as modern birds and mammals.
B) their feathers originally served as insulation, and only later became flight surfaces.
C) the earliest reptiles could fly, and the feathers of flightless dinosaurs were vestigial flight surfaces.
D) the feathers were plucked from the bodies of other adults to provide nest-building materials.
E) all fossils with feathers are actually some kind of bird.





Answer: B

The existence of evolutionary trends, such as increasing body sizes among horse species, is evidence that

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The existence of evolutionary trends, such as increasing body sizes among horse species, is evidence that 






A) a larger volume-to-surface area ratio is beneficial to all mammals.
B) an unseen guiding force is at work.
C) evolution always tends toward increased complexity or increased size.
D) in particular environments, similar adaptations can be beneficial in more than one species.
E) evolution generally progresses toward some predetermined goal.






Answer: D

In the 5-7 million years that the hominid lineage has been diverging from its common ancestor with the great apes, dozens of hominid species have arisen, often with several species coexisting in time and space. As recently as 30,000 years ago, Homo sapiens coexisted with Homo neanderthalensis. Both species had large brains and advanced intellects. The fact that these traits were common to both species is most easily explained by which of the following?

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In the 5-7 million years that the hominid lineage has been diverging from its common ancestor with the great apes, dozens of hominid species have arisen, often with several species coexisting in time and space. As recently as 30,000 years ago, Homo sapiens coexisted with Homo neanderthalensis. Both species had large brains and advanced intellects. The fact that these traits were common to both species is most easily explained by which of the following? 





A) species selection
B) uniformitarianism
C) sexual selection
D) convergent evolution






Answer: A

Many species of snakes lay eggs. However, in the forests of northern Minnesota where growing seasons are short, only live-bearing snake species are present. This trend toward species that perform live birth in a particular environment is an example of

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Many species of snakes lay eggs. However, in the forests of northern Minnesota where growing seasons are short, only live-bearing snake species are present. This trend toward species that perform live birth in a particular environment is an example of 







A) natural selection.
B) sexual selection.
C) species selection.
D) goal direction in evolution.
E) directed selection.






Answer: C
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