Use Figure 26.1 to Answer the Following Questions

question 27

Multiple Choice

Use Figure 26.1 to answer the following questions.

Figure 26.1
-If this evolutionary tree is an accurate depiction of relatedness, then which of the following should be correct?
1) The entire tree is based on maximum parsimony.
2) If all species depicted here make up a taxon, this taxon is monophyletic.
3) The last common ancestor of species B and C occurred more recently than the last common ancestor of species D and E.
4) Species A is the direct ancestor of both species B and species C.
5) The species present at position 3 is ancestral to C, D, and E.

• A)2 and 5
• B)1 and 3
• C)3 and 4
• D)2, 3, and 4
• E)1, 2, and 3

---

Definitions:

Heuristic

A problem-solving approach that employs a practical method or various shortcuts to produce solutions that are not guaranteed to be optimal, but sufficient for the immediate goals.

Information Retrieval

The process of obtaining relevant information from a collection of resources in response to a specific query or need.

Hill-climbing

A mathematical optimization technique that involves iterative progress toward a solution or goal by incrementally improving from the current state.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that simplify decision-making processes, often leading to quicker but sometimes less accurate judgments.