Questions

1. Accounts of the existence of the different kinds of organisms were explained by the
following groups except ….
A. African societies
B. Modern day philosophers
C. Academic scholars
D. Religious societies
2. According to the …………………, organisms that exist on earth were birthed after a god
named “Atum” mated with its own Shadow.
A. Chinese B. Yorubas C. Egyptians D. Greeks
3. Which of the following religions attribute the existence of the earth and its inhabitants to
a six-day activity of a supreme being?
A. Islam B. Budhism C. Christianity D. Judaism
4. Which of the following statements best describes the account of the Chinese explanation
on the existence of a wide range of species on earth?
Species respond to ……….
A. a changing environment that is in a state of cyclic constant transformation
B. a changing environment that is in a state of linear constant transformation
C. a static environment that is in a state of cyclic constant transformation
D. a static environment that is in a state of linear constant transformation
5. According to Anaximander’s account, all life forms begun in ……….
A. the garden of Eden B. water C. dust D. the sea
6. The following statements are examples of evolutionary thoughts by early societies
except?
A. All life forms converged into a single dominant species through which new species
evolved
B. All life forms are imperfect and striving towards perfection
C. All living organisms were created in a perfect state
D. All living organisms came into existence after a disturbance in the cosmos
7. Which of the following scholars cannot be said to be a proponent of an evolutionary
theory?
A. Empedocles B. Anaximander C. Einstein D. Plato
8. According to the theory of transmutation of species, …………….
 A. species have an external drive/need to become more complex
B. a change in the environment causes a causes species to lose structures
C. an internal driving force causes species to evolve into new species
D. species have an internal drive to become more complex
9. ………………………… is credited with the proposition of the theory of transmutation of
species
A. John Ray B. Jean Baptiste Larmark C. Charles Darwin D. Georges Cuiver
10. The theory of transmutation of species is also known as …………………….
A. Theory of use and disuse B. Theory of disuse
C. Theory of discontinuation D. Theory of transmutation
11. Which of the following is a shortfall of the theory of transmutation of species?
A. Change in species did not occur by a catastrophic event
B. Structures become more prominent with use
C. Form does not dictate function
D. Traits that do not have genetic bases cannot be passed on
12. Which philosopher attributed the origin and variation of life form to the wisdom of God
being manifested?
A. Georges Cuiver B. Erasmus Darwin C. John Ray D. Anaximander
13. In evolutionary cosmology, what accounts for the origin of species?
A. Organisms sprang forth from the womb of a cosmos god
B. Organisms sprang forth from through creation
C. Organisms sprang forth from a big bang
D. Organisms sprang forth from the galaxies
14. Which of the pairs of philosophers listed can be said to have proposed exact opposite
theories on the earth’s geological processes?
A. Charles Lyell and James Hutton
B. Charles Lyell and Erasmus Darwin
C. James Hutton and Charles Darwin
D. Erasmus Darwin and Charles Darwin
15. According to the theory of uniformitarianism, ……………………………..
A. The earth’s structure in the past and present are the same
B. The earth’s geological processes in the past and present are the same
C. The earth’s tectonic plates in the past and present are the same
D. The earth’s ecosystems are in the past and present are the same
16. The theory of gradualism was proposed by ………………..
A. John Ray B. Charles Lyell C. Aristotle D. James Hutton
17. The theory that competition between individuals can lead to the rise of new species was
first proposed by ………….
A. James Hutton B. Charles Darwin C. Erasmus Darwin D. Charles Lyell
18. Which of the following is not an evidence of evolution?
A. Homologous structures B. Homologous pairs
C. Fossil records D. Vestigial structures
19. Which of the following statements is true about analogous structures?
A. They are different in appearance and function
B. They have diminished in size and have lost their usefulness
C. They are similar in appearance but different in function
D. They do not evolve from the same organ in an ancestor
20. Which of the following statements is true about vestigial structures?
A. They are different in appearance and function
B. They have diminished in size and have lost their usefulness
C. They are similar in appearance but different in function
D. They do not evolve from the same organ in an ancestor
21. Georges Cuvier is known to have proposed the theory of ……………………
A. Catastrophism B. Gradualism
C. Uniformitarianism D. Natural selection
22. Charles Darwin is known to have proposed the theory of …………………….
A. Artificial selection B. Gradualism
C. Uniformitarianism D. Natural selection
23. A trait or character can be said to be primitive if …………………..
A. It is shared by different primitive species
B. It is present in a common ancestor of two species
C. It is present in older species but absent in a younger one
D. It was the first trait a species developed
24. Evolved forms of primitive characters or traits are called?
A. Developed characters B. Diverged characters
C. Converged characters D. Advanced characters
25. Which of the following statements best describes the tectonic plate theory in relation to
distribution of organisms in time and space?
 A. The earth’s plates constantly moves the magnetic field and causes organisms to
aggregate together
B. The tectonic plates are constantly change position and move towards the north pole
causing species to become adapted to colder climates
C. Continents of the earth are huge land masses that gradually move and cause organisms
to be segregated
D. Continents of the earth gradually change their position which causes some organisms
become extinct
26. Which philosopher attributed the origin and evolution of life form to acclimatization and
hybridization of organisms from the Garden of Eden?
A. Charles Darwin B. Carolus Linnaeus C. Albert Einstein D. John Ray
27. In developing the theory of natural selection, which animals did Charles Darwin observe
and how many were they?
A. 14 finches B. 10 finches C. 14 birds D. 10 birds
28. The following are postulates of Darwin except …….
A. Individuals within species are birthed from the same parent
B. Variations within species are heritable
C. More offspring are produced than can survive
D. Survival and reproduction are non-random
28. Why is heritability of traits an important concept in evolution?
A. It reflects the ability of genetic material to be transferred between individuals of the
same species
B. It reflects the proportion of individuals within a generation that can survive
C. It reflects the proportion of variation in a trait that has genetic basis
D. It reflects the ability of generations to reproduce through non-random means
29. Darwin’s third postulate explains that ……………….
A. organisms produce the exact number of offspring they desire
B. the number of individuals in each age cohort of a species is equal
C. large organisms tend to produce fewer offspring than small organisms
D. proportions of juveniles of organisms die even before maturity
30. Which of the following methods would be suitable for testing Darwin’s first postulate?
A. Select 10 individuals of a species and observe their response to increasing temperature
B. Cross male and female rabbit with different fur colour and observe the differences in
the fur of their offspring
 C. Observe the mortality and natality of the offspring of a rabbit as they age from day 1
to maturity
D. Observe the life histories and reproductive success of a selected species in varying
environmental conditions
31. The theory of natural selection can simply be summarised as?
A. Survival of the strongest B. Survival of the smartest
C. Survival of the fittest D. Survival of the largest
32. Which of the following is an example of a trait not mediated by stabilization selection?
A. Height B. Blood pressure C. Skin colour D. Sex
33. According to Darwinian postulates, some organisms produce more offspring than can
survive because of the following reasons except ……..
A. to ensure high chances of survival and reproduction of their offspring
B. such organisms show little maternal care to their offspring
C. such organisms are extremely large in size and can produce more
D. to make up for offspring that may die of natural and unforeseen circumstances
34. The application of evolutionary concept in plant and animal breeding where species with
desirable characteristics are specifically selected for breeding can be termed as?
A. Assortative mating B. Cross-breeding
C. Artificial selection D. Purposive selection
35. The following are applications of evolutionary concept to improve human livelihood
except?
A. Development of competitive and resistant crop varieties
B. Construction of modern technology inspired architecture
C. Sterile Insect technique for pest control
D. Genetically modifying organisms to possess desired traits
36. Which of the following shared derived characters separated the gorilla from Chimpanzees
and Humans?
A. Similarities in DNA make-up B. Similarities in genitalia
C. Differences in upright posture D. Differences in teeth
37. Which of the following characteristics separated the old-world monkeys from humans
and the great apes?
A. Loss of tail B. Increased brow ridge
C. Loss of some hair D. Skull elongation
38. The following animals are considered as fossils of pre-man in human evolutionary history
except ………….
A. Homo sapiens B. Homo habilis C. Homo erectus D. Homo ergaster
39. The main character that separated humans from gorillas and chimpanzees was …..
A. Loss of some hair B. Loss of tail
C. Increased brain size D. Knuckle walking morphology
40. According to molecular data, humans are most closely related to the ……………
A. Orangutans B. Gibbons C. Chimpanzees D. Gorillas