Zoology MCQs for NEET — Practice Questions with Answers

Many animals and plants found on islands are termed 'endemic'. This means they are native to a particular region or environment and are not found naturally anywhere else. The isolation of islands often leads to the development of unique species that evolve to adapt to their specific environment.

Haeckel's theory of biogenetic law, also known as the recapitulation theory, states that the development of an organism (ontogeny) expresses all the intermediate forms of its ancestors throughout evolution (phylogeny). In simpler terms, the life history of an organism reflects its evolutionary history.

The age of rock is often calculated based on the amount of uranium present. This method, known as uranium-lead dating, relies on the radioactive decay of uranium isotopes into stable lead isotopes, providing a way to estimate the age of rocks that are millions to billions of years old.

The phenomenon responsible for the conspicuous differences in traits among mammals like whales, dolphins, bats, monkeys, and horses, despite having some common traits, is called divergence. Divergence refers to the process whereby groups from the same common ancestor evolve and accumulate differences, resulting in the formation of new species. This is driven by different selective pressures in different environments, leading to adaptations that are specific to those environments.

In humans, vestigial structures are body parts that have lost most or all of their original function through evolution. Examples of vestigial structures in humans include the wisdom tooth, vermiform appendix, and coccyx. The wisdom tooth is a remnant from a time when human ancestors had larger jaws with more teeth to help chew foliage. The vermiform appendix is a leftover of a larger cecum that was used for digesting cellulose in the diet. The coccyx or tailbone is a vestigial remnant of a tail.

The precipitation test gives evidence from comparative serology. Comparative serology is the study of similarities and differences in the blood serum of different species. The precipitation test involves mixing an antigen with its specific antibody, which results in the formation of a visible precipitate. This test can be used to determine the degree of similarity between proteins of different species, thereby providing evidence for common ancestry.

Mimicry is a phenomenon where one organism evolves to resemble another organism for some advantage, such as avoiding predators. Kraits and lycodons appear similar externally, making it hard to distinguish between them, which is a form of mimicry.

A post-anal tail is a characteristic feature of chordates, which includes the Cobra. Earthworms, scorpions, and centipedes do not belong to this group and do not have a post-anal tail.

The Jurassic period is part of the Mesozoic era, which is known as the age of reptiles and dinosaurs. The Mesozoic era is divided into three periods: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous.