Honors Biology (HBio) Evolution Practice Exam

What defines a clade?

A group with a common ancestor but not all descendants. A population of identical individuals. A geographic region containing multiple species. A group consisting of a common ancestor and all its descendants.

Correct Answer:

A group consisting of a common ancestor and all its descendants.

Explanation:

A clade is a group that includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants, forming a complete branch on the evolutionary tree. This means the group is monophyletic, with nothing left out that shares that ancestor. The option that describes this exactly is the best answer. If you include the ancestor but leave out some descendants, you’re describing a paraphyletic group, which isn’t a clade. A population of identical individuals isn’t about ancestral relationships, and a geographic region with multiple species is about location rather than lineage, so neither fits the idea of a clade.

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