Variation & Natural Selection (CIE IGCSE Biology: Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award))

Topic Questions

1
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What is a mutation?

  • A process used in genetic engineering.

  • A type of continuous variation.

  • A condition caused by a dominant allele.

  • A change in a gene.

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Which of the following characteristics shows discontinuous variation?

  • Length of foot

  • Body mass

  • Tongue rolling ability

  • Height

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3
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Which of the following is not a feature of natural selection?

  • Production of many offspring.

  • Selection by humans.

  • Competition for resources.

  • Variation in the population.

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An island’s entire population of a butterfly species is descended from just two parents that were introduced from the mainland.

Which of the following statements about this butterfly population, compared with that of the mainland, is correct?

  • The population shows more genetic variety.

  • The population will adapt more slowly to environmental changes.

  • The population shows more phenotypic variation.

  • The population is less in danger of collapsing from disease.

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Extended Tier Only

A patient with a bacterial infection is treated with antibiotics, but some of the bacteria survive.

Which statement about the surviving bacteria is correct?

  • The bacteria have an allele that provides resistance to all antibiotics.

  • The bacteria are the result of selective breeding.

  • The bacteria have an allele that provides resistance to the antibiotic used.

  • The offspring of the bacteria will be more susceptible to the antibiotic.

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The graph below shows the height of bean plants grown from 1000 bean seeds.

variation-graph

What type of variation do the plants show?

  • Discontinuous only.

  • Continuous only.

  • Neither continuous or discontinuous variation.

  • Both continuous and discontinuous variation.

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When growing millet, farmers choose seeds from high-yielding plants.

Which of the following is this an example of?

  • Evolution

  • Adaptation

  • Artificial selection

  • Natural selection

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Which row best describes the variation seen in human blood groups?

  has no intermediates shows continuous variation shows discontinuous variation
A ✓  X ✓ 
B ✓  ✓  X
C X ✓  X
D X X ✓ 

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