Biology

Heredity and Evolution

Question:

(a) What is meant by a species ? Give two examples of plant species and two of animals.
(b) State the various factors which could lead to the formation of new species.

Answer:

(a) A species is a population of organisms consisting of similar individuals which can breed together and produce fertile offspring’s. Plant species – Wheat, Paddy, Sunflower etc. Animal species – Cat, Dog, Tiger, etc.
(b) The important factors which could lead to the rise (or formation) of a new species are the following:

  1. Geographical isolation of a population caused by various types of barriers (such as mountain ranges, rivers and sea). The geographical isolation leads to reproductive isolation due to which there is no flow of genes between separated groups of population.
  2. Genetic drift caused by drastic changes in the frequencies of particular genes by chance alone.
  3. Variations caused in individuals due to natural selection.
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Heredity and Evolution

Q 1.

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

Q 2.

Define variation.

Q 3.

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

Q 4.

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

Q 5.

Define homologous organs.

Q 6.

Name the scientist who gave the theory of evolution.

Q 7.

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

Q 8.

How do homologous organs provide evidence in support of evolution?

Q 9.

A new born child has an XY pair of chromosmes. Will it be a baby boy or a baby girl ?

Q 10.

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

Q 11.

How do embryological studies provide evidence for evolution?

Q 12.

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

Q 13.

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

Q 14.

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

Q 15.

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

Q 16.

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

Q 17.

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

Q 18.

Where did life originate on the earth ?

Q 19.

How is sex determined in human beings?

Q 20.

What is a gene?

Q 21.

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 22.

The forelimbs of a frog, a bird and a man show the same basic design (or basic structure) of bones. What name is given to such organs ?

Q 23.

What is meant by acquired and inherited traits ? Explain with one example each.

Q 24.

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

Q 25.

If a 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 26.

Write the expanded form of DNA.

Q 27.

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 28.

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

Q 29.

Study the following cross and showing self-pollination in Flf fill in the blank and answer the question that followsncert-exemplar-problems-class-10-science-chapter-9-heredity-evolution-1

Q 30.

Explain Darwin's theory of evolution.

Q 31.

Define Genetics. What is the contribution of Mendel in the field of genetics?

Q 32.

What is a sex chromosome?

Q 33.

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

Q 34.

What evidence do we have for the origin of life from inanimate matter? [All India]

Q 35.

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

Q 36.

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

Q 37.

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

Q 38.

Define the term ‘evolution’. “Evolution cannot be equated with progress”. Justify this statement. [Delhi]

Q 39.

Mendel said that the characteristics or traits of organisms are carried from one generation to the next by internal factors which occur in pairs. What is the modern name for these factors ?

Q 40.

(a) What do you understand by the term ‘variation’ ?
(b) Name two human traits which show variation.

Q 41.

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

Q 42.

Out of bacteria, spider, fish and chimpanzee, which organism has a better body design in evolutionary terms ? Give reason for your answer.

Q 43.

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

Q 44.

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

Q 45.

What evidence do we have for the origin of life from inanimate matter?

Q 46.

During which stage can the chromosomes be seen clearly? Write the features of the eukaryotic and prokaryotic chromosomes.

Q 47.

What constitutes the link between one generation and the next ?

Q 48.

Name the famous book written by Charles Robert Darwin.

Q 49.

(a) Define ‘natural selection’.
(b) “Only variations that confer an advantage to an individual organism will survive in a population”. Do you agree with this statement ? Give reason for your answer.

Q 50.

How do Mendel’s experiments show that traits may be dominant or recessive ?