The biological species concept defines a species as a group of organisms that ____.
Correct answer C. can interbreed to produce fertile offspring
Topic / 45 questions
Evolution MCQs
Evolution MCQs are multiple-choice questions on how life began and how species change over time, covering the origin of life, Lamarckism, Darwin's theory of natural selection and population genetics. Every question on MCQs360 shows the correct answer instantly, so you can review each idea as soon as you answer.
- Biological Molecules 74
- Coordination and Control 72
- Biology Diagnostic 70
- Cell Structure and Function 67
- Biotechnology 65
- Reproduction 58
- Bioenergetics 55
- Circulation 50
- Inheritance 48
- Digestion 45
- Immunity 45
- Support and Movement 45
- Acellular Life (Viruses) 45
- Homeostasis 45
- Respiration and Gaseous Exchange 45
- Evolution 45
- Enzymes 45
- Cell Cycle 41
- Chromosome and DNA 40
- Biology Introduction 38
- Ecosystem 27
Two frog species in the same pond breed in different months of the year and so do not interbreed. This is ____.
Correct answer D. temporal isolation
A horse and a donkey can mate to produce a mule, but mules are sterile. This is an example of which reproductive isolating mechanism?
Correct answer A. Hybrid sterility (post-zygotic isolation)
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Many new plant species have arisen in a single generation without geographical isolation. The most common mechanism is ____.
Correct answer D. polyploidy
Speciation that occurs when a population is divided by a geographical barrier such as a mountain range is called ____.
Correct answer B. allopatric speciation
A natural disaster kills most of a population at random, leaving a few survivors with reduced genetic diversity. This is known as ____.
Correct answer D. the bottleneck effect
A few individuals colonise a new island and the new population has allele frequencies very different from the mainland. This is called ____.
Correct answer C. the founder effect
The forelimb of a human, the flipper of a whale and the wing of a bat have the same basic bone pattern but different functions. Such organs are called ____.
Correct answer A. homologous organs
The sickle-cell allele remains common in parts of Africa because heterozygous carriers ____.
Correct answer A. are more resistant to malaria
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The wing of a butterfly and the wing of a bird are ____.
Correct answer D. analogous organs showing convergent evolution
Which of the following is a vestigial structure in humans?
Correct answer D. Nictitating membrane (plica semilunaris)
Comparison of the amino acid sequence of cytochrome c in different species is an example of which evidence of evolution?
Correct answer A. Biochemical (molecular) evidence
Pharyngeal pouches (gill slits) and a post-anal tail appear in the early embryos of fish, birds and humans. This provides ____ evidence of evolution.
Correct answer C. embryological
The Galápagos finches, which evolved many beak forms from a single ancestral species to exploit different foods, illustrate ____.
Correct answer C. adaptive radiation
Which of the following is NOT a condition for a population to remain in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?
Correct answer B. Strong natural selection for one allele
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In a population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, 16% of individuals show a recessive phenotype. What is the frequency of heterozygotes?
Correct answer D. 0.48
A recessive disorder affects 1 in 2500 people in a population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. What is the approximate frequency of carriers?
Correct answer C. 0.039
In a population of 1000 individuals there are 360 AA, 480 Aa and 160 aa. What is the frequency of allele A?
Correct answer C. 0.6
If the frequency of allele B in a population at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is 0.7, what is the expected frequency of BB individuals?
Correct answer C. 0.49
In a population at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, 9% of people show a recessive trait. What percentage show the dominant phenotype?
Correct answer D. 91%
About Evolution MCQs
Questions on the origin of life cover the ideas of Oparin and Haldane, coacervates and the early Earth atmosphere. The theories section compares Lamarck's inheritance of acquired characters with Darwin's natural selection, and includes Weismann's experiment on mouse tails and the germ plasm theory that challenged Lamarckism. Further questions test the evidence for evolution, such as homologous, analogous and vestigial organs, embryology and fossils, and the modern synthetic theory. Population genetics questions include Hardy-Weinberg calculations, genetic drift, the founder and bottleneck effects, types of natural selection and the role of polyploidy and isolation in forming new species.
Key facts to remember
- Lamarck proposed the inheritance of acquired characters in his 1809 book Philosophie Zoologique.
- Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, setting out the theory of natural selection.
- Weismann cut the tails of mice for many generations and the offspring were still born with normal tails, evidence against Lamarckism.
- In Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, p + q = 1 and p² + 2pq + q² = 1.
- Homologous organs share the same basic structure and origin but may have different functions, such as a human arm and a whale's flipper.
- Oparin named the droplets of organic molecules that may have led to the first cells coacervates.
Exams that include Evolution MCQs
Pakistan
- MDCAT
- NUMS
- AKU
- FSc boards
India
- NEET
Bangladesh
- HSC
- Medical Admission Test
How to prepare for Evolution MCQs
- Practise Hardy-Weinberg problems by always finding q first, using the frequency of the recessive phenotype as q².
- Make a comparison table of Lamarckism and Darwinism with one example each, such as the giraffe's neck.
- Learn clear examples of homologous, analogous and vestigial structures, as examiners often mix them in options.
- Distinguish stabilising, directional and disruptive selection using simple graphs of trait frequency.
Frequently asked questions
Which exams ask Evolution MCQs?
In Pakistan, Evolution questions appear in MDCAT, the NUMS and AKU entry tests and FSc board papers. Students in India meet the same content in NEET, and in Bangladesh it is tested in HSC Biology and the Medical Admission Test.
What is the main difference between Lamarckism and Darwinism?
Lamarck argued that features gained through use or lost through disuse during an organism's life are passed to its offspring. Darwin argued that natural variation already exists, and individuals with helpful variations survive and reproduce more, so those traits become more common over generations.
What does the Hardy-Weinberg principle state?
It states that allele and genotype frequencies in a population stay constant from generation to generation if there is no mutation, migration, natural selection or genetic drift and mating is random. It gives a baseline for detecting evolution in real populations.
Last reviewed October 2026