A LevelBiologyOCRExam Questions4. Biodiversity, Evolution & Disease4.3 Classification & Evolution

Classification & Evolution (OCR A Level Biology)

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4.3 Classification & Evolution

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4.3 Classification & Evolution

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1
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Which of the following can provide evidence to support the theory of evolution by natural selection?

1 Genetic variation from mutation
2 Observation of beak size in finches
3 Comparing the DNA base sequence in organisms

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • Only 1 and 2

  • Only 2 and 3

  • Only 1

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2
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A student investigated tongue rolling ability among students in their school. 

The results are shown in the table.

Phenotype Number of students
Ability to roll tongue 31
No ability to roll tongue 14

Which of the following correctly describes tongue rolling ability?

  • It is continuous variation, controlled by one or two genes

  •  It is continuous variation, controlled by both genetic and environmental factors

  • It is discontinuous variation, controlled by one or two genes

  •  It is discontinuous variation, controlled by both genetic and environmental factors

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3
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Which of the following statements about antibiotic-resistant bacteria is correct?

  • Bacteria are unable to build new cell walls in the presence of the antibiotic

  • Exposure to an antibiotic causes a mutation in bacteria

  • Bacteria produce antibiotics to kill other bacteria

  • A random mutation in bacteria provides resistance to an antibiotic

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4
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Snowshoe hares are well adapted to survive in the harsh conditions of winter and to avoid their predator, the Canadian lynx. 

Which of the following are adaptations that will aid survival in snowshoe hares?

1 Brown fur changes to white during winter
2 Thick fur
3 Hares are more active at night than during the day

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • Only 1 and 2

  • Only 2 and 3

  • Only 1

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5
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The diagram below shows an organism known as Euglena.

ocr-a-4-3e-mcq-q5-euglena

Euglena gracilis and Trachelomonas armata are both species of algae that belong to the family Euglenaceae. 

Which of the following statements are correct about the classification of both algae species?

1 They belong to the same class
2 They belong to different genera (singular genus)
3 They are both eukaryotes

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • Only 1 and 2

  • Only 2 and 3

  • Only 1

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1
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An extract of the bark of the Indian fig tree, Ficus racemosa, has antioxidant properties. It has been suggested that this extract could protect against damage to non-cancerous cells during radiotherapy.

Cultures of non-cancerous cells were exposed to increasing doses of radiation and the percentage of damaged cells was measured. The experiments were performed multiple times either with or without the bark extract.

The graph shows the results for the two sets of data. Each data point shows the mean ±1 standard deviation.q9-paper-1-nov-2020-ocr-a-level-biology

A student used Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to test for correlation between radiation dose and cell damage.

Which of the following statements, A to D, about this correlation shown on the graph is correct?

  • Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, rs, for cells without extract will be between 0 and +1.

  • Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, rs, for cells with extract will be between 0 and −1.

  • There is a negative correlation between radiation dose and cell damage in both cases.

  • There is no correlation between radiation dose and cell damage in either case.

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2
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Polar bears, Ursus maritimus, and giant pandas, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, both belong to the family Ursidae.

Which of the following, A to D, is not true about the classification of polar bears and giant pandas?

  • They each belong to a different class.

  • They each belong to a different species.

  • They each belong to the same order, carnivora.

  • They each belong to the same phylum, chordata.

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3
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The adult wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans, has wingspans that range from 2.5 m to 3.5 m.

Which of the following describes the variation in wingspan of the wandering albatross?

  • intraspecific and controlled only by genetic factors

  • interspecific and controlled only by environmental factors

  • intraspecific and controlled by both genetic and environmental factors

  • interspecific and polygenic

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41 mark

These two organisms show very similar anatomical adaptations but are classified in different taxonomic groups.

q5-paper-2-specimen-ocr-a-level-biology

What is this an example of?

  • convergent evolution

  • divergent evolution

  • disruptive selection

  • stabilising selection

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5
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A number of events occur for a new species to emerge in a population.

Which of the following statements correspond to events that are involved in the formation of a new species?

Statement 1:    Gene mutation.
Statement 2:    Selection pressure.
Statement 3:    A change in the environment.

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • Only 1 and 2

  • Only 2 and 3

  • Only 1

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6
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The image below shows a European badger, Meles meles, which is a member of the family Mustelidae.q15-paper-2-june-2017-ocr-a-level-biology

The American badger belongs to a different genus within the same family.

Which of the options, A to D, is the correct binomial name for the American badger?

  • Meles leucurus

  • mellivora capensis

  • mustelidus Everetti

  • Taxidea taxus

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7
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Which of the following statements about classification are correct?

  1. The eukarya make up one of the five kingdoms
  2. The archaea have different ribosomal RNA to eubacteria
  3. The five kingdoms are the highest level in the classification hierarchy
  4. Protoctists are a group of prokaryotes

  • Only 1 and 2

  • Only 2

  • Only 2, 3 and 4

  • Only 2 and 4

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8
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The image below shows a phylogenetic tree.

phylogenetic, evolutionary tree_canis

Which of the following statements about this phylogenetic tree is not correct?

  • This tree could have been built using information gained from the sequencing of RNA.

  • The DNA of closely related species in the tree is more similar than the DNA of more distantly related species.

  • Scientists could have built this tree using sequence data from any protein.

  • The tree shows the evolutionary relationships between these species.

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9
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Which of the following statements about the student's t-test is correct?

  • A student's t-test is used to determine whether the difference between observed and expected results is statistically significant.

  • If the t value is 2.9 and the critical value is 2.45 then the null hypothesis is accepted.

  • The degrees of freedom can be calculated using the formula v = (n1-1) + (n2-1).

  • A null hypothesis is a statement of what we would expect to see if there is a statistically significant difference between data sets.

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10
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The image below shows the result of an investigation into the effect of two antibiotics, streptomycin and penicillin, on the growth of E. coli bacteria.

yywlAQhg_e-coli

Which of the following correctly explain(s) the results of this investigation?

  1. Streptomycin and penicillin are drugs that inhibit the growth of bacteria.
  2. Exposure to penicillin has caused a mutation to occur in E.coli that has provided the bacteria with penicillin resistance.
  3. Random mutation can provide some bacteria with resistance to penicillin.
  4. The E. coli colonies are resistant to penicillin but not to streptomycin

  • Only 1, 2 and 4

  • Only 2 and 4

  • Only 3 and 4

  • Only 4

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1
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The Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, is part of the Salmonidae family.

What genus does the Atlanatic salmon belong to?

  • Salmo

  • Salar

  • Gadus

  • Scomber

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2
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Sharks and whales look quite similar and both live in the sea but are classified in different taxonomic groups.4-3-classification-and-evolution-hard-q2

What is this an example of?

  • Convergent evolution

  • Divergent evolution

  • Disruptive selection

  • Stabilsing selection

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3
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The image below shows part of a phylogenetic tree for some aquatic organisms.4-3-classification-and-evolution-hard-q3

Using information in the phylogenetic tree, name the order that Cassiopea andromeda belongs to.

  • Cassiopea

  • Cassiopeidae

  • Rhizostomae

  • Scyphozoa

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4
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Diagrams A, B and C represent populations of microorganisms.4-3-classification-and-evolution-hard-q4

Which of the sequences, A to D, demonstrates the changes caused by addition of a drug to which some individuals are resistant?

  • C, B, A

  • B, A, C

  • B, C, A

  • C, A, B

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5
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Which of the following statements about antibiotic resistance is correct?

1 Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is evidence to support Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection
2 All antibiotics cause mutations in bacterial DNA
3 The development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is an example of genetic drift

  • 1, 2 and 3

  • Only 1 and 2

  •  Only 2 and 3

  • Only 1

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