Basic Concepts in Genetics and Evolution Quiz

Test your understanding of basic genetics and evolutionary concepts with this quiz. Explore key terms, scientists, and processes in genomics.

#1

Which scientist is known as the 'Father of Genetics'?

Charles Darwin
Gregor Mendel
Louis Pasteur
Thomas Hunt Morgan
#2

What is the name given to the process by which genetic information is passed from parent to offspring?

Mutation
Fertilization
Recombination
Heredity
#3

What is the term for the alternative forms of a gene that can exist at a particular locus?

Genotype
Allele
Phenotype
Chromosome
#4

Which type of cell division results in the formation of gametes (sperm and egg cells)?

Mitosis
Meiosis
Cytokinesis
Interphase
#5

What is the term for the random change in allele frequencies in a population?

Mutation
Gene flow
Genetic drift
Natural selection
#6

Which of the following is NOT a mechanism of evolution?

Natural selection
Genetic drift
Gene flow
Photosynthesis
#7

What term describes the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time?

Ecology
Biogeography
Ethology
Paleontology
#8

Who proposed the theory of natural selection as the mechanism of evolution?

Charles Darwin
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Alfred Russel Wallace
Thomas Malthus
#9

What is the term for a trait that increases an organism's chances of survival and reproduction in a particular environment?

Mutation
Genotype
Adaptation
Homozygosity
#10

What is the name given to the process by which unrelated species evolve similar traits due to similar environmental pressures?

Convergent evolution
Divergent evolution
Parallel evolution
Adaptive radiation
#11

Which evolutionary concept describes the idea that species change over time through the process of natural selection?

Convergent evolution
Adaptive radiation
Descent with modification
Punctuated equilibrium
#12

Which type of selection favors individuals at both extremes of a trait's range and eliminates the intermediate individuals?

Stabilizing selection
Disruptive selection
Directional selection
Balanced selection
#13

Which evolutionary process occurs when a small subgroup of a population becomes isolated and evolves separately from the main population?

Gene flow
Genetic drift
Bottleneck effect
Founder effect
#14

Which of the following evolutionary forces introduces new genetic variation into a population by the movement of individuals or gametes?

Mutation
Gene flow
Genetic drift
Natural selection
#15

What is the term for a type of selection that favors individuals with an intermediate phenotype and selects against individuals with extreme phenotypes?

Stabilizing selection
Disruptive selection
Directional selection
Balanced selection

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