Evolution – Evidences for Evolution and Adaptive Radiation: NEET MCQs with Answers

15 free questions on Evolution – Evidences for Evolution and Adaptive Radiation for NEET (UG), starting with previous-year NEET and AIPMT questions. Try each one, then tap Show answer for the answer and a short explanation.

Syllabus covered: Evidences for Evolution and Adaptive Radiation: Biological evolution and evidences for biological evolution from Paleontology, comparative anatomy, embryology and molecular evidence); Adaptive Radiation

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Question 1

Previous-year question
Which of the following refers to correct example(s) of organisms which have evolved due to changes in the environment brought about by anthropogenic action? (A) Darwin's finches of the Galapagos islands, (B) herbicide-resistant weeds, (C) drug-resistant eukaryotes, (D) man-created breeds of domesticated animals like dogs. [NEET 2020]
  1. (A) and (C)
  2. (B), (C) and (D)
  3. Only (D)
  4. Only (A)
Show answer
Answer: (B) (B), (C) and (D)
Explanation: Herbicide-resistant weeds, drug-resistant organisms and domesticated dog breeds have all arisen because of selection pressures created by human activity. Darwin's finches evolved by natural selection without any human involvement.

Question 2

Previous-year question
In a species the weight of newborn ranges from 2 to 5 kg. Ninety-seven per cent of the newborn with an average weight between 3 and 3.3 kg survive, whereas 99% of the infants born with weights from 2 to 2.5 kg or 4.5 to 5 kg die. Which type of selection process is taking place? [NEET 2019]
  1. Directional selection
  2. Stabilising selection
  3. Disruptive selection
  4. Cyclical selection
Show answer
Answer: (B) Stabilising selection
Explanation: Both extremes of the range are being eliminated while the intermediate values survive best. Such selection reduces variation about an unchanged mean and is called stabilising selection.

Question 3

Previous-year question
Variations caused by mutation, as proposed by Hugo de Vries, are [NEET 2019]
  1. Random and directional
  2. Random and directionless
  3. Small and directional
  4. Small and directionless
Show answer
Answer: (B) Random and directionless
Explanation: de Vries described mutations as large, random and directionless changes, in contrast with the Darwinian variations, which he regarded as small and directional.

Question 4

Previous-year question
According to Hugo de Vries, the mechanism of evolution is [NEET 2018]
  1. Multiple step mutations
  2. Saltation (single-step large mutation)
  3. Minor mutations
  4. Phenotypic variations
Show answer
Answer: (B) Saltation (single-step large mutation)
Explanation: de Vries held that evolution occurs not through Darwin's small, gradual variations but through sudden large mutations that produce a new species in a single step, a process he called saltation.

Question 5

Previous-year question
Industrial melanism is an example of [AIPMT 2015]
  1. Natural selection
  2. Mutation
  3. Neo-Lamarckism
  4. Neo-Darwinism
Show answer
Answer: (A) Natural selection
Explanation: Both the light and dark forms of Biston betularia already existed. Sooty tree trunks made the dark form less visible to predatory birds, so nature selected it, providing direct observational evidence for natural selection.

Question 6

Previous-year question
Embryological support for evolution was disapproved by [NEET 2020]
  1. Alfred Wallace
  2. Charles Darwin
  3. Oparin
  4. Karl Ernst von Baer
Show answer
Answer: (D) Karl Ernst von Baer
Explanation: Karl Ernst von Baer rejected the recapitulation idea, pointing out that embryos never pass through the adult stages of other animals; they merely retain some common early features. He therefore disapproved of embryological support for evolution in that form.

Question 7

Previous-year question
Flippers of penguins and dolphins are examples of [NEET 2020]
  1. Convergent evolution
  2. Industrial melanism
  3. Adaptive radiation
  4. Divergent evolution
Show answer
Answer: (A) Convergent evolution
Explanation: Penguins are birds and dolphins are mammals, so their flippers have separate ancestries. The similar paddle shape has evolved independently in response to the demands of swimming, which is convergent evolution.
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Question 8

Previous-year question
The similarity of bone structure in the forelimbs of many vertebrates is an example of [NEET 2018]
  1. Homology
  2. Analogy
  3. Adaptive radiation
  4. Convergent evolution
Show answer
Answer: (A) Homology
Explanation: Homology is similarity of structure and embryonic origin despite difference in function. The identical bone plan of the vertebrate forelimb, used for walking, flying, swimming or grasping, is the standard example.

Question 9

Previous-year question
Among the following sets of examples for divergent evolution, select the incorrect option. [NEET 2018]
  1. Forelimbs of man, bat and cheetah
  2. Heart of bat, man and cheetah
  3. Eye of octopus, bat and man
  4. Brain of bat, man and cheetah
Show answer
Answer: (C) Eye of octopus, bat and man
Explanation: The eyes of the octopus and of vertebrates develop from different embryonic tissues and have no common ancestral eye, so they illustrate convergent evolution. The forelimbs, hearts and brains of mammals are truly homologous and show divergent evolution.

Question 10

Previous-year question
Which of the following represents the order of Horse? [NEET 2017]
  1. Perissodactyla
  2. Caballus
  3. Ferus
  4. Equidae
Show answer
Answer: (A) Perissodactyla
Explanation: The horse is classified as Equus caballus, in the family Equidae, order Perissodactyla — the odd-toed ungulates. Caballus is the species name, Ferus a subspecies name and Equidae the family.

Question 11

Previous-year question
Which of the following structures is homologous to the wing of a bird? [NEET 2016]
  1. Dorsal fin of a shark
  2. Wing of a moth
  3. Hind limb of a rabbit
  4. Flipper of a whale
Show answer
Answer: (D) Flipper of a whale
Explanation: The bird's wing is a modified forelimb, so the structure homologous to it must also be a forelimb built on the pentadactyl plan. The flipper of a whale is such a modified forelimb, whereas a moth's wing is analogous and a shark's dorsal fin is neither.

Question 12

Previous-year question
Analogous structures are a result of [NEET 2016]
  1. Divergent evolution
  2. Convergent evolution
  3. Shared ancestry
  4. Stabilising selection
Show answer
Answer: (B) Convergent evolution
Explanation: Analogous structures perform similar functions but differ in origin, arising when unrelated groups are exposed to similar environmental demands. This independent acquisition of similar features is convergent evolution.

Question 13

Previous-year question
Forelimbs of cat and lizard used in walking, forelimbs of whale used in swimming and forelimbs of bats used in flying are an example of [AIPMT 2014]
  1. Analogous organs
  2. Adaptive radiation
  3. Homologous organs
  4. Convergent evolution
Show answer
Answer: (C) Homologous organs
Explanation: All these forelimbs contain the same set of bones in the same arrangement, inherited from a common ancestor, though they have been modified for different functions. This is the classical example of homology and divergent evolution.

Question 14

Previous-year question
Which one of the following are analogous structures? [AIPMT 2014]
  1. Wings of bat and wings of pigeon
  2. Gills of prawn and lungs of man
  3. Thorns of Bougainvillea and tendrils of Cucurbita
  4. Flippers of dolphin and legs of horse
Show answer
Answer: (B) Gills of prawn and lungs of man
Explanation: The gills of a prawn and the lungs of a human are entirely different in origin and structure but both serve for gaseous exchange, which makes them analogous. The remaining pairs are all homologous structures.

Question 15

Previous-year question
Parallelism is [AIPMT 1990]
  1. adaptive divergence
  2. adaptive divergence of widely separated species
  3. adaptive convergence of widely different species
  4. adaptive convergence of closely related groups
Show answer
Answer: (D) adaptive convergence of closely related groups
Explanation: When convergent evolution occurs within closely related species it is called parallel evolution or parallelism, e.g. the independent development of a running habit in deer (two-toed) and horse (one-toed), each retaining two vestigial splint bones.

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