Chapter 6 : Evolution 2025

RSK Higher Secondary School, Trichy

Managed by DAV Group of School, Chennai
Biology Class Test
NEET Integrated Course

EVOLUTION

TWO MARK QUESTIONS

1. Mention one example each from plants and animals exhibiting

divergent evolution.
 Thorns of Bougainvillea and tendrils of Cucurbita,
 forelimbs of whales, bats, cheetah and humans (all mammals) /
vertebrate hearts / vertebrates brains.

2. State two postulates of Oparin and Haldane with reference to origin

of life.
(i) First form of life could have come from preexisting non-living organic
molecules such as RNA & protein.
(ii) Formation of life was preceded by chemical evolution or formation of
diverse organic molecules from inorganic constituents.

3. Wings of birds and wings of butterflies contribute to locomotion.

Explain the type of evolution such organs are a result of.
Wings of birds and wings of butterflies are not anatomically similar bit
contribute to the same function i.e. locomotion which exactly represents to
similar functions in common habitat and converge in a same direction.
Hence, they represent convergent type of evolution through having
analogous organ and no common ancestors.

4. Write the technical term that describes each one of the following
statements with reference to their evolution:
(i) Microbes developing resistance to antibiotics in a much lesser time
scale.

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(ii) Resemblance of varieties of placental mammals to corresponding

marsupials in Australia.

(i) Evolution by anthropogenic action i.e., by human activities.

(ii) Adaptive radiation (convergent evolution)

5. State two principal outcomes of the experiments conducted by Louis

Pasteur on origin of life.

Life comes from pre-existing life / biogenesis, dismissed the concept of

spontaneous generation.

6. State a reason for the increased population of dark coloured moths

with the loss of lichens (on tree barks) during the period of
industrialisation in England.
 During industrialisation period in England, lichens got wiped out due
to air pollution and tree trunks became dark due to industrial smoke
so that the dark-colored moths could camouflage in the dark
background without any risk of predation.
 Thus, they escaped predation, survived and, therefore, increased in
population, whereas white-winged moth did not survive due to
predation and industrial pollution.

7. Explain divergent evolution with two examples.

When the same structure in different animals, develops along different

directions due to adaptations to different needs, the condition is called as
divergent evolution. Such evolution results in the development of
homologous organs.
Examples:
(i) Forelimbs of mammals like whales, bats, cheetahs and
humans show homology as they share similarities in the
pattern of bones - all of them have humerus, radius, ulna,

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carpals, metacarpals and phalanges in their forelimbs though

these forelimbs perform different functions in these animals.
For instance, the forelimbs of whales are adapted for
swimming, while those of bats are modified for flight, and in
humans, they are used for grasping and manipulation.
(ii) Vertebrate hearts or brains

8. Is sweet potato analogous or homologous to potatotuber? Give

reasons to support your answer.
Analogous. Sweet potato-root modification, potato tubers–stem
modification. They are structurally different but both are functionally similar
as they both store food.

9. Explain with the help of an example the type of evolution homology

is based on ?
 Homology is based on divergent evolution. It indicates the common
ancestry.
 The homologous organs perform different functions but have the same
fundamental structure.
 During development, these organs follow the same basic plan of
organisation.
 However, in adult condition, they get modified to perform different
functions in response to adaptation according to different
environmental conditions e.g., the forelimbs of man, whale and bat.
 They have same structural plan but have different functions.

10. “Some species of insects and frogs have evolved with various,
specific features that help them from being detected".
(a) Justify the statement by giving reasons.
(b) Mention any two such features
(a) Some species of insects and frogs avoid being detected easily by the
predators through camouflage in which they get blended with their
surroundings.

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(b)
(i) Some species of insects and frogs are cryptically coloured.
(ii) Some species are poisonous and, therefore, avoided by the predator

11. Mention Darwin’s observations of finches during his visit to the

Galapagos Islands. Write the explanation given by Darwin on his
observations.
 A large variety of finches are present in the Galapagos Islands that
arose from a single species, which reached this island accidently.
 As a result, many new species have evolved, diverged and adapted to
occupy new habitats.
 These finches have developed different eating habits and different
types of beaks to suit their feeding habits.
 The insectivorous, blood sucking and other species of finches, with
varied dietary habits have evolved from a single seed-eating finch
ancestor.
 This process of evolution of different species, in a given geographical
area, starting from a point and literally radiating to other areas of
geography, is called adaptive radiation.

12. Rearrange the human activities mentioned below as per the order
in which they developed after the modern Homo sapiens came into
existence during ice age:
(i) Human settlement
(ii) Prehistoric cave art
(iii) Agriculture

(ii) Pre-historic cave art.

(iii) Agriculture
(i) Human Settlement.
13. According to de Vries what is saltation?
Saltation is a single step large mutation which brings major change as
speciation.

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14. How would the gene flow or genetic drift affect the population in
which either of them happen to take place?
Results in changed frequency of genes (or alleles) in both populations,
causing variation, leading to evolution / speciation / founder effect.

15. Given below is Hardy-Weinberg Principle's algebraic equation:

p2+2pq+q2=1
(a) State Hardy-Weinberg principle as indicated in the equation.
(b) What would you interpret if the value of '1' in the equation gets
deviated?

(a)
 Hardy-Weinberg principle states that allele frequencies in a population
are stable and is constant from generation to generation.
 This means that the gene pool remains constant.
 Thus it is also termed as genetic equilibrium.
 According to this, the sum total of all the allelic frequencies is 1.
(b)
 If the value of 1 in the equation gets deviated or there is a
disturbance in genetic equilibrium, or Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium,
it would indicate a change in the frequency of alleles in a population.
 This deviation from equilibrium suggests evolutionary processes are
occurring within the population.

16. Name the first human-like hominid. Mention his food habits and
brain capacity.
Homo habilis were first human like hominid. They probably did not eat
meat/vegetarian and their brain capacity were between 650-800 cc.

17. Archaeopteryx was quite significant from the evolutionary point of

view. How?
Archaeopteryx was actually discovered as a fossil in 1861. It provided
paleontological evidence to support organic evolution. It is considered as a

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connecting link between reptiles and birds, having wings like birds and
teeth and tail resembling reptiles.

THREE MARK QUESTIONS

1. Observe the diagram and answer the questions below:

(a) Identify the types of evolution in the concept diagrams A and B.

(b) Write example pair each for homologous and analogous organs.

(a) A – Divergent evolution

B – Convergent evolution
(b) Homologous organs: Cheetah and human – bones of forelimbs, thorn of
Bougainvillea and tendrils of Cucurbits.
Analogous organs: Eye of the octopus and mammals, and flippers of
Penguins and Dolphins.

2. Excessive and continuous use of pesticides led to evolution of some

new species of pests. Explain what must have led to this. What is this
type of evolution called?
 Excessive use of pesticides has resulted in selection of resistant
varieties in a much lesser time scale, as evolution is stochastic
process based on chance
events in nature and chance mutation in organism.
 Evolution by anthropogenic action.

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3. (a) Differentiate between analogous and homologous structures.

(b) Select and write analogous structures from the list given below:
(i) Wings of butterfly and birds
(ii) Vertebrate hearts.
(iii) Tendrils of Bougainvillea and Cucurbita
(iv) Tuber of sweet potato and potato.

a) Differences between analogous and homologous structures:

Analogous: Anatomically not similar though perform similar functions/ is a
result of convergent evolution.
Homologous: Anatomically similar but perform different functions/is a
result of divergent evolution.

(b) Option
(i) Wings of butterfly and birds.
(iv) Tubers of sweet potato and potato.

4. Differentiate between divergent and convergent evolution. Give one

example of each.
S.No. Divergent evolution Convergent evolution
i Divergent evolution is the Convergent evolution is the
process by which related species process by which unrelated
become less similar in order to species become more similar in
survive and adapt in different order to survive and adapt in
environmental condition. similar environmental condition.
ii Here, the same structure evolves Here, different structures evolve
in different directions in different in the same direction in different
organisms. organisms.
iii Example: Forelimbs of whales, Example: Wings of butterfly and
bats, cheetah and humans of birds, potato and sweet potato
perform different functions, but
have same origin.

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5. (a) State the hypothesis which S.L. Miller tried to prove in the
laboratory with the help of the set up given below
(b) Name the organic compound observed by him in the liquid water at
the end of his experiment.
(c) A scientist simulated a similar set up and added CH4, NH3 and
water vapour at 800°C. Mention the important component that is
missing in his experiment.

(a) Chemical evolution: First form of life originated from pre-existing non-
living organic molecules.
(b) Amino acids
(c) H2

6. According to Darwinian theory of Natural Selection, the rate of

appearance of new forms is linked to the life cycle or the life span of an
organism. Explain with the help of an example.
 A colony of bacteria (say A), growing in a given medium, has built-in
variation in terms of the ability to utilise a feed component, a change
in the medium composition would bring out only that part of the
population (say B) that can survive under the new conditions.

 In due course of time, this variant population outgrows the others and
appears as new species thus organisms with shorter life-cycle or life-
span will undergo evolution faster / for the same thing to happen in
fish or fowl would take millions of years as life spans of these animals
are in years.

7. (a) Name the primates that lived about 15 million years ago. List
their characteristic features.
(b) (i) Where was the first man-like animal found?
(ii) When did modern Homo sapiens appear on this planet?

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(a) Primates like Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus appeared about 14-15

million years ago.
Characteristic features of Dryopithecus:
(i) They were more ape-like.
(ii) Their body is hairy.
(iii) They ate soft fruits and leaves.
Characteristic features of Ramapithecus:
(i) They were more man-like.
(ii) Their body is hairy.
(iii) They walked more erect.
(b)
(i) First man-like animal was found in the East Africa.
(ii) Modern Homo sapiens arrived during the ice age between 75,000-10,000
years ago.

8. Explain Hardy-Weinberg principle.

Or
With the help of an algebraic equation, how did Hardy-Weinberg explain
that in a given population the frequency of occurrence of alleles of a
gene is supposed to remain the same through generations?
 Hardy-Weinberg principle states that allele frequencies in a population
are stable and is constant from generation to generation unless
disturbances such as mutations, genetic drift, natural selection,
etc., are introduced.
 Sum total of all the allelic frequencies is 1.
 In a diploid, p and q represent the frequency of allele A and allele a.
The frequency of AA individuals in a population is simply p2 , that of
aa is q2 and that of Aa is 2pq.
 Hence, p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1.
 When the frequency measured is different from that expected, it is
indicative of evolutionary change.

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9. (a) State any FOUR phenomena in which the HardyWeinberg theorem

may not hold true.
(b) A population of 100 individuals has a frequency of allele A of 0.3 and
a frequency of allele a of 0.7. The frequency of the heterozygous
genotype (Aa) is 0.49. Is this population in Hardy-Weinberg
equilibrium? Justify.
(a) - gene migration
- genetic drift
- mutation
- genetic recombination
- natural selection
(b)
 For the population to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the expected
frequency of the heterozygous genotype (Aa) has to be: 2pq = 2 × 0.7 ×
0.3 = 0.42
 Since the frequency of the heterozygous genotype (Aa) is 49%, it
deviates from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium/the population is not
in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium.

10. The given graphs show three types of natural selection. The shaded
areas marked with arrows show the individuals in the population which
are not selected. The dotted vertical lines show the statistical means.

(a) What names are given to the types of selection shown in graphs A, B
and C.

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 Chapter 6 : Evolution 2025

(b) After the selection has operated for several generations in the above
populations indicated as Graph A, B and C, graphically illustrate the
probable results.
a) A -Disruptive; B - Directional; C - Stabilising.
(b) Graph A – Disruptive
Graph B – Directional
Graph C – Stabilising

11. Branching descent and natural selection are the two key concepts
of Darwinian theory of evolution. Explain each concept with a suitable
example.
(a) Branching descent: Different species descending from the common
ancestor - get adapted in different habitats. e.g. Darwin finches - varieties of
finches arose from grain eaters / Australian marsupials - evolved from
common marsupial.
(b) Natural selection: A process in which heritable variations enable better
survival of a species to reproduce in large number. For e.g. the white moth
survived before the industrial revolution and the black moth survived after
industrial revolution/Long necked giraffe survived / DDT resistant mosquito
survived.

12. Study the figures given below and answer the following questions.

(a) Under the influence of which type of natural selection would graph
(a) become like graph (b).
(b) What could be the likely reason of new variations arising in a
population?

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(c) Who suggested natural selection as a mechanism of evolution?

(a) Disruptive selection

(b) Because individuals at the extremes contribute more offspring compared
to those in the centre and produces two peaks in distribution of a trait.
(c) Charles Darwin.

13. Industrial melanism in England after 1850 is an excellent example

of natural selection. Explain how?
 Natural selection is the process by which the organisms, that are best
suited for their environment, survive and reproduce.
 The classical example of natural selection can be explained by the
response of a peppered moth Biston betularia due to industrial
melanism in England.
 Before industrialisation (1850s), it was observed that there were more
white winged moths (Biston betularia) on trees than dark winged or
melanised moths (Biston carbonaria).
 The reason behind this was that more white-coloured lichens covered
the trees.
 Hence, white-winged moths were able to camouflage themselves and
survived.
 But the dark coloured moths were picked out by predators. However,
after industrialisation (1920), there were more dark-winged moths and
less white-winged moths.
 This was because the tree trunks had became dark due to industrial
smoke and soot. Under this condition the white-winged moth did not
survive as the predators could identify them easily.
 However, dark-winged moth survived because of suitable dark
background.
 Therefore, before the industrial revolution, white moths have
advantageous features and got selected by nature but post industrial
revolution while the melanised moths were better adapted to their
environment and hence, survived more.

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14. (A) How is Hardy-Weinberg's expression “(p2 + 2pq + q2) = 1”

derived?
(B) List any two factors that can disturb the genetic equilibrium.
 Sum total of all the allele frequencies is 1.
 Let there be two alleles A and a in a population.
 The frequencies of alleles A and a are ‘p’ and ‘q’ respectively.
 The frequency of AA individuals in a population is p2 and it can be
explained that the probability that an allele A with a frequency of p
would appear on both the chromosomes of a diploid individual is
simply the product of the probabilities, i.e., p2.
 Similarly, the frequency of aa is q2 and that of Aa is 2pq. (p2 + 2pq +
q2) = 1, where p2 represents the frequency of homozygous dominant
genotype, 2pq represents the frequency of the heterozygous genotype
and q2 represents the frequency of the homozygous recessive.
(B) Factors that affect Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium:
(1) Gene migration or gene flow
(2) Genetic drift
(3) Mutation
(4) Genetic recombination
(5) Natural Selection

FIVE MARK QUESTIONS

1. (i) List any four evidences of evolution.

(ii) Explain any one of the evidences that helps to understand the
concept of evolution.
(i) Four evidences: Fossils / comparative anatomy/ homologous
organs/Analogous organs / Bio-Chemical evidences/embryological
evidences.
(ii) Paleontological evidences:
(a) The study of fossils is known as paleontology.

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(b) Fossils are the remains of or impressions of life forms of the past
preserved in sedimentary rocks or in other media like volcanic ash or peat
etc.
(c) Fossils are the written documents of evolution.
(d) The study of fossils reveals the existence of life in the past and illustrates
the course of evolution of plants and animals.
(e) Rock sediments of different ages in the earth crust indicate the presence
of fossils of different life forms.
(f) A variety of fossils ranging complex to simple and modern to extinct
organisms can be observed.
(g) Study of fossils in different sedimentary layers indicate the geological
period in which they existed and the geologic time is a chronological
sequences or the history of evolution based on the study of fossils.
(h) For example, fossils of earliest life consisted only of prokaryotes. Later
on, eukaryotes developed. The differences found in the fossils of different
periods are due to changes in form, structure habits of organisms due to
evolution.

2. A population of a certain plant species inhabits an area with variable

water availability. The plant species carry a gene that influences
drought resistance, with two alleles, D and d, where D confers extreme
drought resistance and d confers poor drought resistance. Plants with
the heterozygous genotype (Dd) were able to survive in different water
conditions. In a population of 1000 plants, it was found that 250 plants
had the DD genotype.
(a) Calculate the frequency of the DD, Dd and dd genotypes in the
population. Show calculation.
(b) Which kind of graph would it represent: Stabilising, Directional or
Disruptive? Justify your answer.
(c) Due to climate change, the frequency of drought periods has increased
and the dd genotype is put under selective pressure. At this stage, which
kind of graph would it represent: Stabilising, Directional or Disruptive?
Justify your answer.

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 Chapter 6 : Evolution 2025

(a) Frequency of DD = p2 = 250/1000 = 0.25

p = 0.5
Therefore, q = 1 - p = 1 - 0.5 = 0.5
Frequency of dd = q2 = 0.25
Frequency of Dd = 2pq = 2 × 0.5 × 0.5 = 0.5 1
Stabilising evolution
- The DD genotype (extreme drought resistance) and the dd genotype (poor
drought resistance) are not favoured due to their disadvantages under
varying water availability. The Dd genotype (intermediate drought
resistance) has the highest fitness and is favoured, leading to a peak in the
middle of the graph.
- Directional evolution - Due to the increased drought periods, the selective
pressure will favour genotypes with better drought resistance (like DD and
possibly Dd), reducing the frequency of the dd genotype, leading to a
directional shift towards the D allele.

3. Among plants, angiosperms, or flowering plants stand out as the

most diverse and numerous group of plants on Earth today, a reflection
of their evolutionary triumph.
Mark this statement as TRUE/FALSE and give any FOUR reasons for
your answer using the characteristic features of angiosperms.

True
- Angiosperms adapt widely, spanning deserts to rainforests, and high
altitudes to aquatic habitats, driving global diversity and distribution.
- Angiosperms' flower and fruit evolution enables efficient reproduction by
luring diverse pollinators, promoting successful pollination and genetic
variety.
Angiosperms use varied strategies — self and crosspollination — to thrive in
diverse conditions, leading to their evolutionary triumph.

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- They co-evolve with pollinators, developing traits that attract specific

species, and enhancing pollination efficiency. This symbiotic bond boosts
both plant and pollinator success.
- Many angiosperms have relatively short life cycles, allowing them to
reproduce and spread rapidly. This quick turnaround time increases their
evolutionary potential.

CASE BASED SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONS

1. Consider a hypothetical situation:
A species of butterflies exhibit a range of wing colours. Butterflies with
extremely bright wing colours attract predators easily as compared to
the ones with very dull wing colours. Butterflies with very dull wing
colours fail to attract mates as compared to the ones with bright wing
colours. Butterflies with intermediate wing colours have the best
chance of both avoiding predators and finding mates.
(a) Which type of natural selection does this phenomenon exemplify?
Justify your answer.
(b) A few years later, the rise in industries and pollution, caused the
habitat to become darker. How would it affect the survival of the
different kinds of butterflies belonging to this species? Which type of
natural selection does this phenomenon exemplify?
(c) In a specific region where this species is prevalent, a mutation in its
population leads to butterflies with a shades of wing colour brighter
than the existing shades. How would the long-term survivability of
this variant be?

(a)
- Stabilising selection.
- Stabilising selection occurs when the intermediate traits of a population,
the intermediate wing colour in this case, are favoured over the extreme
traits, such as wings with extremely bright or dull colours.
(b)

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- The darker environment aids camouflage for dullwinged butterflies,

reducing predator visibility. Over time, the population could shift towards
duller-winged individuals for increased survival and reproduction in the
altered habitat.
- Directional selection
(c) The brighter wing colour variant's long-term survivability would decrease
due to heightened predator attraction.

2. A group of students perform the following experiment - Three plates

of nutrient media were taken - A, B and C and studied for the extent of
microbial growth in the plate post-incubation of 24 hours.
Plate Incubation condition
A The sterile plate was sealed and incubated.
B The sterile plate was not sealed and incubated.
C A microbial culture was spread in the plate and it was sealed and
incubated.
(a) What would be the post-incubation results for the three plates?
(b) Which widely believed theory of the origin of life does this
experiment disprove? Justify your answer.
(c) Based on (b), how was it originally disproved?
A - No microbial growth would be observed since it was sterile and sealed.
- B - Microbial growth could potentially occur due to airborne contaminants
reaching the nutrient media.
- C - Microbial growth from the initially spread culture would likely be
observed, as the sealed environment would prevent external contaminants
from entering.
(b) [0.5 mark each for each of the following points] - It disproves the theory
of spontaneous generation. - The lack of growth on the sterile, sealed plate
(A) contradicts the idea of life spontaneously forming.
(c) Louis Pasteur's swan-necked flask experiment involved sealed and
unsealed flasks containing broth to demonstrate that microorganisms do
not spontaneously generate but come from external sources, supporting the
concept of biogenesis.

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3. Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow:
Everyone is familiar with dinosaurs Undoubtedly, their size and the fact
that why they dominated the Earth in a similar manner to how humans do
it now. In the broader scheme of things, the emergence of dinosaurs marked
a significant turning point in the evolution of life on Earth. Insects, due to
their size, were adaptable and already diverse, meaning that at least their
short term survival and close relationship with plants (at the bottom of any
food chain) was secured. Marine life was still plentiful, and diversifying,
while mammals were emerging to be the next dominant force on planet
Earth. Birds were also diversifying, and taking advantage of their
proportionately larger body in comparison to insects, alongside their ability
to fly. On the other hand, Humans are mammals, the most successful
taxonomic class of organisms to colonize the Earth. An array of experimental
findings suggest that the simple molecules required for the origin of life may
have been available on the primitive earth.
On the basis of this case study, answer the following questions:
(B) Enlist the gases that were present in Earth's primitive, reducing
atmosphere?
(C) The origin of the universe has been attributed to a large thermonuclear
explosion. Who gave the theory that carried the aforementioned concept?

(B) The primitive, reducing atmosphere on the Earth contained Methane

(CH4), Ammonia (NH2), Hydrogen (H2) etc., in addition with higher
temperatures and volcanic storms. These conditions on Earth favoured the
chemical evolution.
(C) The Big Bang theory given by Abbe Lemaitre (in 1931) is the most
accepted theory that explain the origin of universe. According to this theory,
the universe came into existence with a huge thermonuclear explosion (big
bang). This led to expansion of universe and thus, the temperature came
down. Hydrogen and Helium were formed later. Ultimately, the gases
condensed under gravitation and hence, resulted in the formation of
galaxies that are present today in the Universe.

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