| Date | May 2009 | Marks available | 1 | Reference code | 09M.1.HL.TZ1.17 |
| Level | Higher level | Paper | Paper 1 | Time zone | Time zone 1 |
| Command term | Question number | 17 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
What is the mechanism of natural selection?
A. Any individuals in a population can be selected entirely by chance.
B. After a change in the environment a species will evolve adaptations to the new conditions.
C. If an adaptation to the environment is useful, an individual will develop it and pass it on to its offspring.
D. Variations amongst individuals of a population are selected by a changing environment.
Markscheme
D
Examiners report
Many candidates considered that C was a correct answer. This shows a lack of understanding of the process of natural selection, as they considered Lamarkian inheritance part of natural selection.
Syllabus sections
Show 67 related questions
- 17N.1.SL.TZ0.21: What causes variation within a population? A. Fertilization and change in the...
- 16N.2.HL.TZ0.4b: Describe how variation contributes to evolution by natural selection.
- 16N.1.SL.TZ0.21: What is the major contributor to the increase in antibiotic resistance in bacteria? A....
- 16N.1.SL.TZ0.19: Lichens are returning to the forests of the industrial areas of the United Kingdom due to...
- 16M.1.HL.TZ0.32: How can species of bacteria evolve to be resistant to antibiotics? I. A variation within one...
- 16M.1.SL.TZ0.22: Which process promotes variation in a population? A. MutationB. MitosisC. Ageing in a...
- 15M.2.SL.TZ1.5c: Explain the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
- 15M.1.HL.TZ2.18: What promotes natural selection? I. Overpopulation II. Competition III. Variation A. I...
- 15N.1.SL.TZ0.23: Darwin described evolution as “descent with modification”. What would make evolution less...
- 15N.2.SL.TZ0.5c: Explain how evolution may happen in response to an environmental change.
- 15N.3.SL.TZ0.10a: State the infant mass relative to mother mass of Homo sapiens.
- 15N.3.SL.TZ0.10b: Outline the difference in infant mass relative to mother mass in extinct hominids and modern...
- 15N.3.SL.TZ0.10c: Suggest a hypothesis, based on evidence in the data, for when the shift to giving birth to...
- 15N.3.SL.TZ0.10d: Suggest one disadvantage of infants being born with a relatively large size in humans.
- 13M.2.HL.TZ1.7c: Explain two examples of evolution in response to an environmental change.
- 13M.2.SL.TZ2.3b: Outline how overpopulation of a species in a given environment may lead to evolution.
- 13N.1.SL.TZ0.20: What causes heritable variation in a species? I. Muscle development through exerciseII....
- 13N.2.SL.TZ0.6b: Explain the various possible consequences of overproduction of offspring.
- 13M.1.SL.TZ1.22: The long-term exposure of bacteria to antibiotics has led to the spread of resistant...
- 11M.3.HL.TZ2.1a (i): Determine the greatest genetic distance between any pair of colonies of V. squamosa.
- 11M.3.HL.TZ2.1a (ii): Identify the greatest geographic distance between any pair of colonies of V. maculifrons.
- 11M.3.HL.TZ2.1b: Describe the relationship between the geographic distance and genetic distance in the two...
- 11M.3.HL.TZ2.1c: Compare the two species in terms of genetic distance between the pairs of colonies.
- 12M.1.HL.TZ2.18: What type of process causes antibiotic resistance to develop in bacteria? A. Competition...
- 12M.3.HL.TZ2.1b: Suggest one feature of butterfly wings that might help a butterfly to escape from a predator.
- 12M.3.HL.TZ2.1c (ii): The graph shows that distasteful butterflies tend to have a lower ability to escape from...
- 12M.3.HL.TZ2.1a: State which butterfly (sub)family contains the species with the greatest escaping ability.
- 12M.3.HL.TZ2.1c (i): Explain how the ability of a butterfly to escape from predators could increase by natural...
- 12M.1.SL.TZ2.22: What type of process causes antibiotic resistance to develop in bacteria? A. Competition...
- 12M.2.SL.TZ1.4c: Explain how sexual reproduction promotes variation in a species.
- 09M.2.HL.TZ1.7a: Outline how antibiotic resistance in bacteria can arise in response to environmental change.
- 09M.2.SL.TZ2.6b: Describe how natural selection leads to evolution.
- 09M.1.SL.TZ2.21: Which process tends to reduce variety within a population? A. Natural selectionB. Random...
- 10M.2.HL.TZ2.8c: Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is an example of evolution in response to environmental...
- 10M.2.SL.TZ2.6b: Explain how sexual reproduction can eventually lead to evolution in offspring.
- 10M.3.HL.TZ1.1b (i): Compare the data for wing size of D. subobscura in North and South America with wing size in...
- 10M.3.HL.TZ1.1b (ii): Suggest one reason for the differences.
- 10M.3.HL.TZ1.1c: Predict, with a reason, what might happen to D. subobscura in the future as a result of its...
- 10M.3.HL.TZ1.1a: Identify the relationship between wing size and latitude shown by D. subobscura in Europe.
- 09N.1.SL.TZ0.21: Charles Darwin used domesticated animals to provide evidence for evolution by natural...
- 11N.3.HL.TZ0.1a: State the year in which G. fortis had the greatest change in relative beak size.
- 11N.3.HL.TZ0.1b: Compare the trends in relative beak size of G. fortis and G. scandens.
- 11N.3.HL.TZ0.1c: Outline possible reasons for the trends in relative beak size in finches.
- 12N.2.SL.TZ0.4a: The correlation shown in the data above can be explained by natural selection. Outline how...
- 10N.3.SL.TZ0.16d: Suggest how antibiotic-resistant bacteria are passed from animals to humans.
- 10N.3.SL.TZ0.16b: Compare the incidence of drug resistance in bacteria from chickens and egg laying hens.
- 10N.3.SL.TZ0.16a: Calculate the percentage risk of bacteria becoming resistant to more than five kinds of...
- 10N.3.SL.TZ0.16c: Discuss the hypothesis that giving antibiotics increases antibiotic resistance in poultry...
- 09N.3.HL.TZ0.1b: Suggest, giving a reason, the expected trend in the proboscis length of the soapberry bug in...
- 09N.3.HL.TZ0.4a(i): State the effect of the presence of the helpers on mean chick mass.
- 09N.3.HL.TZ0.1a(i): Outline the trends in proboscis length in soapberry bugs shown in the graph.
- 09N.3.HL.TZ0.4b: Calculate the percentage decrease in mean egg volume found in the presence of helpers as...
- 09N.3.HL.TZ0.4c: With reference to the data, suggest why the activity of the helper affects the probability of...
- 10N.3.HL.TZ0.7b: Compare the incidence of drug resistance in bacteria from chickens and egg laying hens.
- 10N.3.HL.TZ0.7d: Suggest how antibiotic-resistant bacteria are passed from animals to humans.
- 10N.3.HL.TZ0.7a: Calculate the percentage risk of bacteria becoming resistant to more than five kinds of...
- 10N.3.HL.TZ0.7c: Discuss the hypothesis that giving antibiotics increases antibiotic resistance in poultry...
- 17M.2.HL.TZ1.1f.ii: Suggest a reason for the greater expression of the gene for the urea transporter after an...
- 17M.2.SL.TZ2.4b.ii: Some lice live in human hair and feed on blood. Shampoos that kill lice have been available...
- 17M.2.SL.TZ1.4b.ii: Suggest one type of additional evidence that could provide strong support for Turtles 3 as...
- 17M.2.SL.TZ1.1c: Estimate how much smaller drilled oysters raised in seawater at a high CO2 concentration were...
- 17M.1.HL.TZ2.28: The photograph shows vegetation in a rocky area. Which characteristic of the plants...
- 17M.1.HL.TZ1.17: A bacterial population with no resistance to an antibiotic may develop into a bacterial...
- 17M.1.SL.TZ2.27: The bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes infections related to the human reproductive...
- 17M.1.SL.TZ2.21: What is a direct consequence of the overproduction of offspring? A. Individuals become more...
- 17M.1.SL.TZ1.21: Cladograms can be created by comparing DNA or protein sequences. The cladogram on the left is...
- 17M.1.SL.TZ1.20: A bacterial population with no resistance to an antibiotic may develop into a bacterial...
