Biology

Heredity and Evolution

Question:

Where did life originate on the earth ?

Answer:

Sea water.

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Heredity and Evolution

Q 1.

What is meant by the term speciation? List four factors which could lead to speciation. [Delhi]

Q 2.

Define variation.

Q 3.

Define homologous organs.

Q 4.

Name the various tools of tracing evolutionary relationships which have been used for studying human evolution.

Q 5.

What are the different ways in which individuals with a particular trait may increase in a population ?

Q 6.

How do homologous organs provide evidence in support of evolution?

Q 7.

What do you understand by the term ‘evolution’ ? State Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Q 8.

Which of the processes, sexual reproduction or asexual reproduction, brings about maximum variations in the offsprings ?

Q 9.

Name five varieties of vegetables which have been produced from ‘wild cabbage’ by the process of artificial selection.

Q 10.

What factors could lead to the rise of a new species ?

Q 11.

Write the expanded form of DNA.

Q 12.

In human beings, the statistical probability of getting either a male or female child is 50 : 50. Give a suitable explanation.

Q 13.

How do embryological studies provide evidence for evolution?

Q 14.

What is a sex chromosome?

Q 15.

”The sex of the children is determined by what they inherit from their father and not their mother.” Justify.

Q 16.

Give the contrasting traits of the following characters in pea plant and mention which is dominant and which is recessive :
(a) Yellow seed (b) Round seed

Q 17.

State one characteristic which shows that the birds are very closely related to dinosaurs.

Q 18.

Write the names of at least three inorganic molecules which helped in the origin of life on the earth.

Q 19.

Choose the one term from the following which includes the other three :
broccoli, wild cabbage, cauliflower, cabbage

Q 20.

Will geographical isolation be a major factor in the speciation of an organism that reproduces asexually ? Give reason for your answer.

Q 21.

Does geographical isolation of individual of a species lead to formation of a new species? Provide a suitable explanation.

Q 22.

In evolutionary terms, can we say which among bacteria, spiders, fish and chimpanzees have a ‘better body design’ why or why not ?

Q 23.

What is a retrovirus?

Q 24.

How is sex determined in human beings?

Q 25.

Give an example of body characteristics used to determine how close two species are in terms of evolution and explain it. [All India]

Q 26.

Why are human beings who look so different from each other in terms of size, colour and looks said to belong to the same species ?

Q 27.

With the help of an example, explain how variation leads to evolution.

Q 28.

How do Mendel’s experiments show that traits are inherited independently ?

Q 29.

Where are the genes located? What is the chemical nature of genes?

Q 30.

What is a gene?

Q 31.

Explain the mechanism of sex determination in humans. [All India]
Or
With the help of a flow chart explain in brief how the sex of a newborn is genetically determined in human beings. Which of the two parents, the mother or the father, is responsible for determination of sex of a child? [Foreign]

Q 32.

What type of plants were used by Mendel for conducting his experiments on inheritance ?

Q 33.

Fill in the following blanks with suitable words :Fill in the following blanks with suitable words :
(a) Genes always work in …………………
(b) In pea plants, the gene for dwarfness is………………… whereas that for tallness is…………………
(c) Most people have………………… earlobes but some have………………… earlobes.
(d) A human gamete contains………………… chromosomes whereas a normal body cell has………………… chromosomes in it.
(e) All races of man have………………… blood groups.
(f) The………………… chromosomes for a………………… are XX whereas that for a………………… are XY.

Q 34.

(a) What is the genotype of dwarf plants which always produced dwarf offspring ?
(b) What is the genotype of tall plants which always produced tall offspring ?
(c) What is the genotype of

  1.  dwarf plants, and
  2.  tall plants, whose parental cross always produces tall offspring ?

Q 35.

Bacteria have a simpler body plan when compared with human beings. Does it mean that human beings are more evolved than bacteria ? Explain your answer.

Q 36.

Can the wing of butterfly and the wing of a bat be considered homologous organs ? Why or why not ?

Q 37.

What are the components of the chromosome?

Q 38.

An individual cannot pass on to its progeny the experiences of its lifetime.” Justify the statement with the help of an example and also give reason for the same. [Foreign]

Q 39.

If the trait A exists in 10% of a population of an asexually reproducing species and a trait B exists in 60% of the same population, which trait is likely to have arisen earlier ?

Q 40.

Explain with an example, how genes control the characteristics (or traits).

Q 41.

Name the famous book written by Charles Robert Darwin.

Q 42.

Out of the wing of a bird, wing of an insect and the wing of a bat :
(a) which two are homologous organs ?
(b) which two are analogous organs ?

Q 43.

Why are the traits acquired during the lifetime of an individual not inherited ?

Q 44.

Name two animals having homologous organs and two having analogous organs. Name these organs.

Q 45.

Does geographical isolation of individuals of a species lead to the formation of a new species ? Provide a suitable explanation for your answer.

Q 46.

(a) Explain the terms ‘analogous organs’ and ‘homologous organs’ with examples.
(b) In what way are analogous organs evidence for evolution ?

Q 47.

Mention three important features of fossils which help in the study of evolution.

Q 48.

Does the occurrence of diversity of animals on earth suggest their diverse ancestry also? Discuss this point in the light of evolution.

Q 49.

Why are traits acquired during the lifetime of an individual not inherited ?

Q 50.

Will geographical isolation be a major factor in the speciation of an organism that reproduces asexually ? Why or why not ?