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Biology Grade 12 Unit 4: EVOLUTION

national exam questions have come from this unit. It runs 75 pages; one careful study pass takes about 5.6 hours, and its difficulty is harder among Biology units. Each section below lists the questions set from it, with the year, and opens the page that teaches it.

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4.1 EVOLUTION · read p. 161

Not asked in a national paper yet.

4.1.1 Definition · read p. 162

2017 E.C., Q87 – Which one of the following statements disproves spontaneous generation theory based on a step wise experimental work?
2016 E.C., Q25 – The view of biochemical origin of life hypothesized that the first life-forms appeared in warm primitive ocean and were heterotrophic. Which one of the following statements can support this idea?
2014 E.C., Q66 – Which theory of the origin of life states that life has no beginning or ending?
2011 E.C., Q72 – Which of the following is the common idea held by all the creationists?
2010 E.C., Q79 – What is the reason that Stanley Miller excluded free oxygen from the Mixture of the gases that he used for his simulation experiment?
2009 E.C., Q42 – Which of the following groups are believed to be the first photosynthetic organisms to evolve on earth?
2008 E.C., Q29 – "Rats can be produced by keeping rags and grains at a corner of a room". Which of the following thinking supports this statement?
2008 E.C., Q30 – What is the specific name of biological scientists who do research that tries to find evidence of life on other planets in the solar system?
2007 E.C., Q73 – Which of the following is NOT true about the nature of the first form of organisms on earth? They were
2007 E.C., Q57 – What did Francesco Redi prove through his scientific experiment?
2006 E.C., Q84 – Which of the following did the early heterotrophs do that probably assisted the origin of autotrophs?
2005 E.C., Q44 – In the process of the evolution of life on earth , which of the following four processes evolved last?
2005 E.C., Q94 – During the course of evolution, which of the following events came before all the others?
2005 E.C., Q45 – What is a theory in biology?

4.1.2 Theories of evolution · read p. 171

2016 E.C., Q26 – Which statement shows the correct comparison between the Lamarck's and Darwin's theory of evolution?
2013 E.C., Q25 – Which one of the following statements describes the evolutionary theory of Lamarck?
2010 E.C., Q52 – Lamarck's theory of evolution is know as:
2008 E.C., Q77 – How many years have passed since Darwin's book on the theory of evolution was published?
2006 E.C., Q32 – According to Lamarck's theory of evolution what is the mechanism by which evolving organisms acquire new structures?
2005 E.C., Q84 – Which one of the following factors is NOT important for evolutionary change of a population

4.1.3 The evidence for evolution · read p. 177

2017 E.C., Q91 – Based on comparative anatomy, chimpanzee is the closest relative to humans because of the similarities in their
2016 E.C., Q36 – Which of the following is true concerning the evidences of evolution?
2015 E.C., Q14 – Comparative anatomy provides evidence of evolution because it
2013 E.C., Q44 – If organisms share very similar molecules such as DNA, then they must be closely related evolutionarily. Which evidence of evolution supports the above information?
2013 E.C., Q45 – Which one of the following CANNOT be used as an evidence of evolution through paleontology?
2011 E.C., Q81 – If a radioactive substance that weighs 5,600 grams and has a half-life of 100 years is left with 700 grams, for how long has the decaying activity been undergoing?
2010 E.C., Q38 – Which of the following feature do analogous structures mostly share?
2010 E.C., Q54 – Based on differences in DNA which of the following animals is closer to human beings?
2009 E.C., Q89 – Which of the following played an important role in the evolution of human being?
2009 E.C., Q84 – Which of the following characteristic can show the evolutionary relationships among organisms?
2008 E.C., Q23 – What do you call structure that have the same evolutionary origin even though they may now have different structural make-ups or functions?
2008 E.C., Q18 – Based on similarity in number of amino acids found in haemoglobin, which one of the following animals has closer phylogenetic relations to human beings?
2008 E.C., Q66 – Which of the following pairs are ANALOGOUS structures?
2007 E.C., Q74 – Suppose a fossil initially contains 100,000 atoms of a certain radioactive element whose half-life is 10,000 years, after how many years would the number of the atoms be 12500?
2007 E.C., Q38 – From evolutionary point of view, which of the following animals is expected to have haemoglobin proteins that are least similar to that of human?
2007 E.C., Q61 – If a substance that weighs 2000 grams and has a half-life of 100 years is left with only 250 grams, for how long has the radioactive decaying activity been undergoing?
2006 E.C., Q86 – Which of the following conclusions can be drawn the structural similarities observed between the flippers of whales and the arms of humans?
2006 E.C., Q45 – If radioactive substance that weighs one kilogram has a half-life of 100 years what would be the percentage of the substance left after 300 years?
2006 E.C., Q49 – Which do you call structures that have the have the same evolutionary origin but now are different in structure or have different functions?
2006 E.C., Q70 – The half-life of carbon-14 is about 5730 years. If a fossil is 17200 years old, about what percent of its original carbon -14 is still present in the fossil?
2006 E.C., Q47 – In Ethiopia, which one of the following vertebrate groups has the largest number of genera?
2006 E.C., Q76 – which of the following pairs are analogous structures ?
2005 E.C., Q96 – In which geologic period does the fossil record show more diverse and relatively higher forms of organism?
2005 E.C., Q9 – What are the specialists in biology called if he/she studies fossils to generate new knowledge on the origin and evolution of living things of past geologic periods?
2005 E.C., Q59 – Which of the following characteristics can show the evolutionary relationships among organism?

4.1.4 Natural selection: Definition, Types & Examples · read p. 188

2017 E.C., Q95 – Which one of the following causes of variation allows infertile hybrids to become fertile in plant evolution?
2017 E.C., Q77 – Which of the following is an example of anthropogenic driving factor that contributes to species extinction?
2015 E.C., Q15 – About 3 million years ago the Isthmus of Panama separated the shrimp population of the Caribbean Sea and created two populations of shrimps, one on either side of the Isthmus. They still look remarkably similar, but they
2014 E.C., Q64 – A finch with an average length beak was not able to obtain insects out of the cracks in the bark of trees as well as one with a longer beak. It was also not able to crush seeds as well as one with a shorter beak. Over ti
2010 E.C., Q28 – In the process of allopatric speciation, which of the following is the mechanism that prevents populations from exchanging genes?
2010 E.C., Q65 – What is the possible cause or isolating mechanism for the formation of allopatric species?
2009 E.C., Q45 – Which of the following reproductive isolating mechanisms keeps the horse and donkey as two independent species?
2009 E.C., Q85 – Which of the following species isolating processes could lead to the evolution of a new species by the mechanisms known as sympatric speciation?
2008 E.C., Q60 – Why mutations are important in evolution
2007 E.C., Q19 – Why is it that mutations are considered as one of the raw materials of evolution?
2007 E.C., Q42 – Which of the following is an evolutionary requirement for two sub-populations of species to evolve in to independent species?
2005 E.C., Q66 – Which one of the following concepts contains all the other ?
2005 E.C., Q43 – Among the following ,which one is the best criterion to show that two population belong to same species?
2005 E.C., Q33 – What is the reproductive isolating mechanism called if two species of forgs do not interbreed because they cannot understand the mating calls of one another

4.1.5 Human evolution · read p. 200

2017 E.C., Q100 – This item is based on the following course of human evolution. 1.Use of fire and other tools 2.Increase in brain size 3.Emergence of Homo sapiens 4.Bipedal walking and arboreal life Which of the following is the correct
2016 E.C., Q39 – In human evolution, brain size increased over the course of evolution. Which alternative contains the correct series of brain size?
2015 E.C., Q34 – In the course of evolution, which of the following is true about the human brain?
2013 E.C., Q48 – Which one of the following is true about the human evolution?
2013 E.C., Q1 – Which one of the following is true about the importance of Lucy in resolving debates about human evolution?
2011 E.C., Q10 – In which geologic period is the evolution of humans most probably believed to have happened?
2011 E.C., Q73 – Among the following, which one had the cranial capacity of about the same size as that Of Homo sapiens?
2010 E.C., Q11 – To which genus of primates are the Neanderthal humans classified?
2008 E.C., Q58 – Which of the following changes that happened during human evolution had the most contribution to the evolutionary success of Homo sapience?
2007 E.C., Q15 – Which of the following is consistent with the understanding of human evolution?
2005 E.C., Q17 – In which hominid species did scientists find the smallest brain size (cranial capacity)?

4.1.6 Mutation · read p. 208

2017 E.C., Q99 – This item is based on the following diagram, which illustrates the occurrence of mutation in a certain sequence of nucleotides. The type of mutation that occurred in the above sequence of nucleotides is Question Diagram
2017 E.C., Q74 – Which of the following is NOT a common cause of genetic mutation?
2016 E.C., Q38 – The type of gene mutation that results in the change of a triplet (GAG) in a normal hemoglobin to another triplet (GTG) in sickle-cell hemoglobin is
2015 E.C., Q11 – Sickle cell anemia is caused by the replacement of glutamic acid by valine at a specific position in the beta chains of hemoglobin. This change is an example of which mutation?
2014 E.C., Q67 – Which type of chromosome mutation causes leukemia?
2013 E.C., Q21 – If one base in the six triplets of the gene coding for one of the four polypeptides in the haemoglobin molecule alters the triplet from GAG to GTG, which one of the following biological terms best describes the above phe
2009 E.C., Q81 – Mutation may be described as:
2009 E.C., Q83 – Which form of mutation is responsible for the diseases known as leukemia?
2008 E.C., Q16 – Which of the following is true about gene mutation?
2008 E.C., Q17 – What is the circumstance that causes the health condition known as sickl-cell anaemia?
2005 E.C., Q32 – One of the following is an important cause of gene of gene mutation.
2005 E.C., Q93 – What exactly happens during a substitution mutation?

4.1.7 Genetic Drift · read p. 215

2017 E.C., Q76 – In a scenario where a male black lion population left its terrestrial territory and joined a white female lion population in an isolated Island to mate, there would be a
2017 E.C., Q75 – Which genetic phenomenon is common for both bottleneck and founder effects?
2016 E.C., Q6 – Gene flow is the movement of genetic material
2016 E.C., Q40 – Which one of the following statements correctly explains the genetic drift? It is a change in allele frequency due to
2012 E.C., Q27 – Among the following statements, which one is correct about mutations? Mutations
2010 E.C., Q81 – In which of the following ways dose mutation contribute most to evolution?
2010 E.C., Q14 – The ultimate source of genetic variation is:
2007 E.C., Q17 – Which of the following true about mutations that occur in normal body cells?
2006 E.C., Q63 – Which of the following is prevented from taking place if populations are separated by a geographic barrier?
2005 E.C., Q77 – If a new mutant allele arises in a certain population, which of the following factors determines if the allele is going to b adaptive or non- adaptive
2005 E.C., Q29 – Which of the following theories explains evolutionary changes of living things in terms of changes in their allele frequencies?
2005 E.C., Q16 – What are the most likely causes of variations within species?

4.1.8 Gene flow (immigration and emigration) · read p. 223

Not asked in a national paper yet.

4.1.9 Causes of species extinction · read p. 224

Not asked in a national paper yet.

4.2 Renowned Anthropologists in Ethiopia · read p. 224

Not asked in a national paper yet.

4.3 Renowned Evolutionists in Ethiopia · read p. 225

2016 E.C., Q37 – In a fox population, foxes with thicker fur survived better in cold climate compared to those with thinner fur, however, foxes with thinner fur survived better when the climate was very hot. What type of natural selectio
2015 E.C., Q13 – Which one of the following sentences explains the Darwin theory of evolution?
2014 E.C., Q50 – Which one of the following is the neo-Darwinian idea of evolution?
2014 E.C., Q51 – What is the significance of Australopithecus afarensis in the study of human evolution? To confirm
2013 E.C., Q24 – Which one of the following is true about neo-Darwinian theory?
2013 E.C., Q23 – The theory that suggests "life can evolve autonomously from non-living objects" is known as
2013 E.C., Q47 – Which type of selection favors individuals at both extremes of a range to have some advantage over these displaying the mean value?
2012 E.C., Q29 – What is the theory that states disease is caused by microogranisms?
2011 E.C., Q46 – One of the following sources of evidence provides a more direct support to the process of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
2011 E.C., Q30 – On which of the following points do Lamarck's and Darwin's theories of evolution agree?
2011 E.C., Q63 – Which of the following concept is attributed to Charles Darwin?
2010 E.C., Q53 – The evolution of species which is based upon the sum total adaptation changes could be preserved by:
2010 E.C., Q64 – Which of the following is the most accepted theory about the origin of life on earth?
2010 E.C., Q69 – Which one of the following is the primary contribution of Darwin to biological theory?
2010 E.C., Q63 – Among the theories about the origin of life which one better agrees with the concept of change in organisms and their genetic composed over generation being caused by meiosis, hybridization, natural selection or mutation
2009 E.C., Q87 – For which of the following can divergent evolution be taken as an alternative name?
2009 E.C., Q88 – Which one of the following is the result of the similarity observed between the wings of a bird and a pterodactyl?
2009 E.C., Q79 – Which of the following was the most possible mode of evolution by which the many species of Darwin's finches evolved on the Galapagos Islandeds?
2008 E.C., Q88 – What does an evolutionary selective pressure that acts around the mean do?
2008 E.C., Q71 – Choose the one that had the LEAST contribution to human evolution?
2008 E.C., Q90 – In his theory of evolution, the cause of which of the following concepts was MISSING in Darwin's explanation
2007 E.C., Q55 – Which of the following expression is more related to the phase "survival of the fittest"?
2005 E.C., Q95 – What kind of natural selection is at work in a situation where individual at both extreme ends of the range get better survival advantages that those around the middle?