BIO309 Final Exam (Zoology) | Practice Test / Quiz / MCQs

1. What is one reason why annelids and mollusks are thought to share a common ancestor?

Chitons and polychaetes share many similar features.Many primitive mollusks are segmented like annelids.Members of both phyla are primarily hermaphroditic.The larvae of some annelids and mollusks are very similar.

2. Which of the following is TRUE of Platyhelminthes (flatworms) and nematodes (roundworms)?

Both A and C are true of both groups.They both have tube-within-a-tube body plans.Both groups contain parasitic species.They are both triploblastic (have three tissue layers).

3. Which of the following is NOT an example of top-down control on a community?

In the presence of a fish predator, small prey species are more abundant, but when the fish is removed large prey species are more abundant.When killer whales are present in an area, the urchins that otters (their prey) eat are more abundant and devour kelp beds.When raised alone, black-sided salamanders and yellow-sided salamanders each are present in lower densities unlike when they are raised together.When a voracious starfish predator is removed from a tide pool, some of its prey species disappear while others' abundance increases hugely.

4. Why do the eyes of most animal species only register a small portion of the spectrum of light?

Because of the evolutionary constraints on the development of photoreceptors in the eyeBecause the 'blind spot' (the place where the optic nerve passes through the retina) constrains the placement of color-sensitive photoreceptorsBecause the shape and thickness of lenses filters out a portion of the spectrum before it reaches the photoreceptorsBecause eyes first evolved in water-dwelling animals and water filters out most of the spectrum

5. A species of ground squirrel is found in many areas of the United States along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains.One population, however, is found to the west of the Rockies.Which of these potential explanations for the squirrels' distribution is an example of the dispersal hypothesis in zoogeography?

The squirrels were historically present only on the western side, but once anthropogenic (human) influences brought them over they flourished on the eastern side.The squirrels can travel in and across the Rockies near the area in which the western population is found, and some individuals happened to settle in the western habitat.The squirrels were brought across the geographic boundary of the Rockies by anthropogenic (human) influences and established themselves in a western habitat.The squirrels were present long ago on both sides of the mountains but geographic shifts separated them, leaving one population 'stranded' on the western side.

6. Identify the organism from its description. As adults, these organisms have long bodies with segmented muscles and a notochord running from head to tail; they filter food in through their mouths.

VertebratesHemichordatesCephalochordatesUrochordates

7. The release of which of the following kinds of hormones would result in an increase in blood-glucose levels and a suppression of the immune and inflammatory response?

EpinephrineNorepinephrineMineralocorticoidsGlucocorticoids

8. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic that animals and plants share?

Both demonstrate the evolution of organisms from water to land.Both demonstrate the evolution of multicellularity.Both demonstrate the evolution of organisms from land back to water.Both demonstrate tremendous cell-type diversity.

9. Identify the type of migrants by their behavior in the following statement: Certain kinds of eels will travel up steep cliff-side waterfalls in order to arrive in calm, predator-free waters.

Irruptive migrantsRemoval migrantsReproductive migrantsAltitudinal migrants

10. Which of the following is TRUE about the electric organs of most fish?

They operate in a fashion similar to sonar, emitting constant weak signals and using changes in those signals to detect movement.They are the most primitive kinds of sensory structures present in vertebrates.Unlike those of land vertebrates, they are used exclusively to stun prey or potential predators.Both B and C

11. Consider the following cladogram. What is a derived characteristic that ONLY groups 3 and 4 share?

Heterodont (having different kinds of teeth)Limbs that have become finsGiving life birthAn aquatic lifestyle

12. In what way has the crocodile 'solved' the problem of maintaining pressure when forcing blood to 1) its tissues and 2) its gas-exchange organ?

It has a three-chambered heart that directs blood to either its tissues or its gas-exchange organ each time it is pumped.It has not 'solved' this problem.It has a four-chambered heart that allows for the pumping of blood, at high pressure, to each system, the gas-exchange organ and the tissues.It has separate hearts, which pump blood to either its gas-exchange organ or to its tissues.

13. Which of the following facts best supports the hypothesis that marsupials were outcompeted by placental mammals?

The young of placental mammals are less vulnerable at birth than the young of marsupials.The fossil record shows evidence of a variety of marsupial saber-toothed 'cats' and 'wolves' in South America and Australia.Australia, which has few native placental mammals, is the only continent with many extant marsupial species.The earliest marsupial fossils are similar to those of North American opossums.

14. Choose the statement that is most appropriate to the particular group.A flatworm might tell a jellyfish:

'Your radial symmetry may be cute, but I am a-head of you!(Get it? Get it?)''Say all you want about your new-fangled traits, but nothing succeeds like cellular organization and a good use of water flow.''There is no excuse for digestive inefficiency, and, frankly, the singe-sac body plan is just sloppy.''I am stung by your words!And, I will sting you, too!'

15. Identify the type of eye from its description.In this eye, a liquid-filled bubble increases the clarity and focus of the image without losing image brightness.

Vesicular eyePinhole eyeLens eyePit (or cup) eye

16. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of having an endoskeleton instead of an exoskeleton?

Support for a larger, heavier body sizeBetter leverage for musclesAll of theseSmooth and gradual growth, rather than growth occurring in bursts

17. Choose the type of speciation pattern exhibited in the following example: Two species of forest berry plants hybridize, and their offspring are not only fertile but are better adapted to the forest conditions.

Allopatric speciationAdaptive radiationSympatric speciationParapatric speciation

18. Which of these is FALSE in regards to cephalopod eyes vs. vertebrate eyes?

Both cephalopods and vertebrates have ciliar muscles that move the lens back and forth to focus.Both cephalopods and vertebrates use the light-sensitive molecule opsin.Vertebrate eyes have a blind-spot, while cephalopod eyes do not.In cephalopods the photosensitive cells point outwards, while in vertebrates they point backwards.

19. Which statement is TRUE about species of different trophic levels?

A trophic-level pyramid is a model of the equilibrium number of species on an island.Small herbivores, like voles, form the base of every trophic-level pyramid.Energy is lost at each level of a food chain, so high-trophic-level organisms are the least numerous.High-trophic-level species are more dominant and therefore more numerous.

22. Why are there so many more animal fossils from the Phanerozoic eon than any other eon?

This is the eon during which animals evolved hard body parts (i.e. hard shells).This is the eon during which animals evolved.It is the eon during which complex life forms first developed.The geological shifts during this eon created the conditions for more compression fossils.

24. In this graph of population growth, what does the dashed line represent?

The population's point of extinctionThe population's period of exponential growthThe population's carrying capacityThe population's point of fastest growth

25. Which of the following is FALSE in regards to tracheal breathing in insects?

It directly carries air to virtually every individual cell.It can lead to water loss via water-vapor diffusion.It is especially useful in large insects (>5cm), because it employs chitinous supports.It is used even by aquatic insects.

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25 Questions

❤ If you liked Fatskills, consider supporting us by checking out The Life Manuals You Never Got.

About | Explore | User Guide | Topics | Subjects | Doubt Solver | Career Aptitude Test | Answers | Free Tools | OSHA Basics Quiz | What Should We Know? Privacy | Terms |

Without work one finishes nothing. - Ralph Waldo Emerson© 2026 Fatskills.com

All trademarks, logos and brand names are the property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, trademarks and brands does not imply endorsement.

About | Explore | User Guide | Topics | Subjects | Doubt Solver | Career Aptitude Test | Answers | Free Tools | OSHA Basics Quiz | What Should We Know?
Privacy | Terms |

Without work one finishes nothing. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
© 2026 Fatskills.com