Currently, Two Extant Elephant Species (X and Y)are Placed in the Genus

question 35

Multiple Choice

Currently, two extant elephant species (X and Y) are placed in the genus Loxodonta, and a third species (Z) is placed in the genus Elephas. Thus, which statement should be true?

• A) Species X and Y are not related to species Z.
• B) Species X and Y share a greater number of homologies with each other than either does with species Z.
• C) Species X and Y share a common ancestor that is still extant (in other words, not yet extinct).
• D) Species X and Y are the result of artificial selection from an ancestral species Z.
• E) Species X, Y, and Z share a common ancestor, but nothing more can be claimed than this.

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Definitions:

Defense Mechanism

A psychological strategy unconsciously used by individuals to protect themselves from anxiety or to avoid facing uncomfortable truths.

Projection

A defense mechanism where individuals attribute their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or motives to another person.

Life Instincts

In psychoanalysis, these are the drives or instincts that are directed towards preservation and enhancement of life, including basic needs such as hunger and sex.

Death Instincts

In Freudian psychology, innate drives or impulses leading towards aggression, self-destruction, and death, opposed to life-sustaining instincts.