Anti-Evolutionary Thinkers Sometimes Argue That Natural Selection Could Not Produce

question 24

Multiple Choice

Anti-evolutionary thinkers sometimes argue that natural selection could not produce a complex structure like the vertebrate eye. They claim that all of the parts of the eye must have arisen at once, asking why natural selection would favor the development of part of an eye that is not yet capable of forming a focused image. Which of the statements about the molluscan eye rejects the claim of anti-evolutionary thinkers?

• A) The anti-evolution argument has a great deal of merit. Only full-blown image-forming eyes are present in modern organisms, including in molluscs.
• B) There are many intermediate stages of eye complexity, such as those in molluscs, that fulfill different adaptive functions.
• C) The vertebrate eye is the ancestral form, and other types of organism, such as molluscs, have degenerate eyes that have lost most of their original structure and function.
• D) The vertebrate eye works in a way that is completely different from the eyes found in molluscs and other invertebrates.

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Definitions:

Basilar Membrane

A part of the cochlea in the inner ear that plays a key role in the sense of hearing by vibrating in response to sound.

Basilar Membrane

The basilar membrane is a structure in the cochlea of the inner ear; it plays a crucial role in the sense of hearing by facilitating the conversion of sound vibration into neural signals.

Kinesthesis

The sense of muscle movement and position, allowing individuals to perceive their body's actions and location even without visual cues.

Audition

The sense of hearing; the process by which sound waves are detected and interpreted by the brain.