Unlock hundreds more features
Save your Quiz to the Dashboard
View and Export Results
Use AI to Create Quizzes and Analyse Results

OR
Sign inSign in with Facebook
Sign inSign in with Google
Quizzes > High School Quizzes > Science

Natural Selection Quiz Practice

Master key concepts with engaging practice questions

Difficulty: Moderate
Grade: Grade 10
Study OutcomesCheat Sheet
Colorful paper art promoting Selection Showdown, a trivia challenge for high school science students.

What is natural selection?
A process that only involves human intervention in breeding.
A process where evolution occurs due to the accumulation of mutations without selection.
The process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
A process where organisms choose their mates randomly.
Natural selection is the mechanism of evolution whereby organisms with favorable traits tend to survive and reproduce. This leads to a gradual change in the population as advantageous traits become more common.
Which of the following best describes directional selection?
Selection that favors multiple extremes simultaneously.
A type of selection that favors individuals at one extreme of a trait.
A selection that maintains the average trait in a population.
Selection against extreme traits.
Directional selection favors one extreme phenotype, causing a shift in the population's trait distribution. This type of selection is common in changing environments where one trait provides a reproductive advantage.
What is stabilizing selection?
It increases genetic variation in a population.
It favors the extreme variations at both ends.
It favors individuals with average traits, reducing variation.
It favors rare phenotypes over common ones.
Stabilizing selection acts against extreme phenotypes and preserves the average traits in a population. It reduces the variance around the optimal trait to maintain stability in the population's appearance and function.
What is disruptive selection?
It favors individuals at both extremes over the average phenotype.
It favors individuals that are average in their traits.
It reduces the frequency of extreme phenotypes.
It solely occurs due to human interference.
Disruptive selection favors extreme values over intermediate ones, leading to potential divergence in the population. This can result in a bimodal distribution of traits, where two or more distinct forms co-exist.
What does sexual selection refer to in evolutionary biology?
A type of natural selection arising from differences in mating success.
Selection based on survival only.
A selection process that favors larger body sizes in both sexes.
Random changes in allele frequencies.
Sexual selection involves traits that improve an individual's chances of attracting a mate and reproducing. It does not always align with traits that improve survival, sometimes leading to elaborate or seemingly disadvantageous features.
Which example best illustrates stabilizing selection in a bird population's beak size?
Birds with extreme beak sizes have an advantage in certain environments.
Birds with the largest beaks are favored during times of drought.
Birds with the smallest beaks are favored when food is scarce.
Birds with medium-sized beaks have higher survival than those with very large or small beaks.
This example demonstrates stabilizing selection because it shows that individuals with average traits are more successful. It reduces the occurrence of extreme traits in the population.
Why can disruptive selection increase genetic diversity within a population?
It favors extremes over intermediate phenotypes, which can lead to a split in the population.
It reduces the number of alleles in the gene pool.
It leads to the elimination of all intermediate traits.
It only increases diversity if the environment remains constant.
Disruptive selection increases genetic diversity by promoting extreme phenotypes that can exploit different ecological niches. This divergence can sometimes lead to speciation over time.
Which of the following scenarios is an example of directional selection?
A population of fish with two distinct size advantages.
A stable environment that favors mid-range traits.
A population of frogs maintaining an average size with little change over time.
A population of moths shifting from light-colored to dark-colored due to industrial pollution.
The moth example is a classic case of directional selection where environmental changes favor darker coloration. The shift in traits demonstrates how the selective pressure leads to a change in the population's average trait.
How does sexual selection differ from natural selection?
Sexual selection does not affect genetic diversity.
Sexual selection involves traits that improve mating success rather than survival.
Sexual selection always leads to larger body sizes.
Sexual selection is not influenced by environmental factors.
Sexual selection specifically targets traits that enhance an individual's reproductive success. These traits may not necessarily improve survival, and sometimes they even reduce an individual's survival prospects.
Which factor is most likely to drive artificial selection rather than natural selection?
Random mutations occurring naturally.
Natural environmental changes.
Predators hunting slower prey.
Humans breeding animals for specific traits.
Artificial selection is driven by human preferences and selective breeding practices. It is a controlled process unlike natural selection which results from environmental pressures.
Which of the following best explains frequency-dependent selection?
The fitness of a phenotype depends on its frequency in the population.
It results in the dominance of one phenotype over others.
The fitness of a phenotype is constant regardless of its frequency.
It always reduces genetic variability.
Frequency-dependent selection means that the success of a particular phenotype varies with its frequency. This type of selection can stabilize or destabilize the traits in a population depending on common or rare traits.
In a changing environment, directional selection typically leads to:
The stabilization of the existing trait distribution.
A complete randomization of trait values.
A clear bimodal distribution of traits.
A shift in the population's trait distribution towards a particular extreme.
Directional selection causes a change in the population by favoring one extreme. This process gradually shifts the overall traits within the population over time.
What is a potential outcome of disruptive selection on a population?
It causes a decrease in overall genetic variation.
It results in one dominant phenotype sweeping through the population.
It may lead to the formation of two distinct groups that exploit different ecological niches.
It leads to uniformity among phenotypes.
Disruptive selection can cause a divergence in traits, resulting in two or more groups within the same population. This variation can lead to differences that may eventually result in reproductive isolation.
How can natural selection lead to speciation?
Natural selection stops at genetic variation and never affects speciation.
Natural selection always results in a single, homogeneous population.
Natural selection acts only on individuals, not on population divergence.
Natural selection may cause populations to diverge sufficiently, especially under disruptive selection.
When different environments impose different selective pressures, populations of the same species can diverge over time. This divergence can lead to reproductive isolation, ultimately resulting in speciation.
Which of the following is NOT typically a result of natural selection?
Evolution of new species over time.
Development of traits that improve survival.
Increased adaptation to the environment.
Increase in trait frequencies due to random chance alone.
Natural selection is driven by non-random factors such as environmental pressures that favor certain traits. An increase in trait frequencies due to random chance is a result of genetic drift, not natural selection.
How does stabilizing selection contribute to the concept of evolutionary fitness in a stable environment?
It enhances the survival of extreme traits over the optimum.
It increases the range of variation within the population.
It promotes the emergence of entirely new traits rapidly.
It maintains the optimal phenotype that is best adapted to the steady environment.
In a stable environment, the average trait is often the most fit because it is well-suited to prevailing conditions. Stabilizing selection helps to maintain this optimum phenotype by eliminating deviations that may be less successful.
In what way can disruptive selection lead to sympatric speciation?
It decreases genetic divergence among all individuals.
By favoring extreme phenotypes, disruptive selection can cause reproductive isolation within the same geographic area.
It prevents changes in gene frequencies within a single population.
It only occurs when populations are geographically separated.
Disruptive selection can create two distinct phenotypic groups within the same population. Over time, these groups may begin to mate preferentially among themselves, leading to reproductive isolation and eventually speciation.
Why might sexual selection sometimes counteract natural selection in a population?
Because sexual selection is an entirely random process.
Because natural selection never considers mating success in its calculations.
Because traits that enhance mating success may be detrimental to survival, creating a trade-off.
Because sexual selection always supports traits that enhance survival.
Sexual selection can favor traits that are attractive to potential mates even if they reduce an individual's chances of survival. This trade-off highlights the complex balance between different evolutionary pressures.
How does frequency-dependent selection alter allele frequencies differently from directional selection?
Frequency-dependent selection's effect on fitness changes with phenotype frequency, while directional selection consistently favors a particular trait.
Frequency-dependent selection always increases the prevalence of rare alleles, unlike directional selection.
Both selection types function in the same manner and have identical outcomes.
Directional selection depends on the frequency of alleles, whereas frequency-dependent selection is constant.
Frequency-dependent selection means the success of a phenotype depends largely on how common or rare it is in the population. Directional selection, on the other hand, consistently favors one phenotypic extreme regardless of its frequency.
Which statement best describes the interplay between mutation and natural selection in evolutionary processes?
Natural selection causes mutations to occur in an organism's DNA.
Mutations introduce new genetic variations that can be acted upon by natural selection, leading to evolutionary change.
Mutations are always harmful, and natural selection eliminates them regardless of their effect.
Natural selection and mutation are unrelated mechanisms in evolution.
Mutations generate genetic diversity, which is essential for evolution. Natural selection then acts on these variations, favoring those that improve fitness and contributing to evolutionary change.
0
{"name":"What is natural selection?", "url":"https://www.quiz-maker.com/QPREVIEW","txt":"What is natural selection?, Which of the following best describes directional selection?, What is stabilizing selection?","img":"https://www.quiz-maker.com/3012/images/ogquiz.png"}

Study Outcomes

  1. Analyze the mechanisms and outcomes of natural selection processes.
  2. Evaluate real-world examples to determine the type of natural selection at work.
  3. Interpret data and scenarios to identify key evolutionary adaptations.
  4. Apply fundamental principles of natural selection to answer selection-based questions.
  5. Synthesize information to boost confidence in understanding evolutionary concepts.

Natural Selection Quiz: Types & Review Cheat Sheet

  1. Directional Selection - Directional selection occurs when one extreme trait is favored, shifting a population's characteristics over generations. A classic case is the peppered moth, where darker moths thrived in soot-stained forests during the Industrial Revolution. Peppered moth evolution
  2. Stabilizing Selection - Stabilizing selection favors the middle ground, reducing variation and keeping traits steady. In humans, babies of average birth weight tend to survive best, while very small or very large infants face higher risks. Stabilizing selection
  3. Disruptive Selection - Disruptive selection boosts extremes at both ends and can split a population into distinct groups. Imagine a rabbit species where very light or very dark fur helps you hide, but medium shades stand out like a sore thumb. Disruptive selection
  4. Industrial Melanism - This is a famous example of directional selection driven by pollution, as darker individuals gain the upper hand. The peppered moth's color shift in dirty industrial areas shows how human activity can rapidly alter nature. Industrial melanism
  5. Adaptive Radiation - Adaptive radiation is when a single ancestor splits into many species, each adapted to a unique niche. Darwin's finches in the Galápagos evolved beaks for different foods, from seeds to insects - nature's own experiment in diversity! Darwin's finches case study
  6. Balancing Selection - Balancing selection keeps multiple versions of a gene in the mix, preserving diversity. The sickle cell trait persists in malaria regions because carriers dodge the worst of the disease while still passing on both healthy and mutated genes. Balancing selection
  7. Sexual Selection - Sexual selection arises when traits boost mating success, even if they're a survival hurdle. Think of the peacock's extravagant tail - costly to carry but irresistible to peahens on the lookout for a showstopper. Types of selection - Britannica
  8. Artificial Selection - Artificial selection is humanity's version of nature's sieve: we breed plants and animals for desired traits. From fluffy dog breeds to high-yield crops, this hands-on evolution shapes species to suit our tastes and needs. Types of selection - Britannica
  9. Genetic Drift - Genetic drift is evolution by chance, not choice - random allele shifts can dominate small populations and erase variation. Picture a storm wiping out most of a beetle colony; the survivors' genes will drive the next generation by luck alone. Genetic drift
  10. Gene Flow - Gene flow mixes up gene pools when individuals migrate and breed in new populations. This traffic of alleles can introduce fresh traits, like a surprise guest bringing novel recipes to the family dinner. Gene flow
Make a Quiz (FREE) Copy & Edit This Quiz Create a Quiz with AI

Science Quizzes

Powered by: Quiz Maker