Lesson 4.6.2.1

4.6.2.1 Variation Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 6

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.6.2.1, Variation: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Biology (8461), Unit 6: Inheritance, variation and evolution, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What term describes the differences in characteristics between individuals of a population?

    • Variation
    • Mutation
    • Evolution
    • Speciation

  2. Which two factors combine to determine the phenotype of an organism?

    • Genes and age
    • Genes and environment
    • Location and climate
    • Diet and exercise

  3. Which human characteristic is affected by environmental factors like diet?

    • Eye colour
    • Natural hair colour
    • Blood group
    • Height

  4. How much genetic variation is typically present within a species population?

    • None
    • Very little
    • Extensive
    • Zero

  5. What do all variants in a population arise from?

    • Mutations
    • Cloning
    • Selective breeding
    • Meiosis only

  6. What effect do most genetic mutations have on phenotype?

    • Fatal effect
    • No effect
    • Beneficial effect
    • Major effect

  7. How many genetic mutations directly determine an organism's phenotype?

    • Most
    • About half
    • All
    • Very few

  8. How often do genetic mutations occur in organisms?

    • Once per lifetime
    • Never
    • Only during stress
    • Continuously

  9. What can a rare mutation produce if it alters protein structure?

    • New nucleus
    • New phenotype
    • New cell type
    • New chromosome

  10. If a new phenotype suits an environmental change, what can occur?

    • Cell division
    • Instant speciation
    • Rapid evolution
    • Rapid extinction

  11. A plant grows tall due to mineral-rich soil. What cause of variation is this?

    • Pathogenic
    • Genetic
    • Evolutionary
    • Environmental

  12. Identical twins differ in weight because of diet. Which cause of variation explains this?

    • Sexual reproduction
    • Environmental
    • Genetic
    • Mutation of genes

  13. A cat's fur shade depends on both its genes and surrounding temperature. What causes this variation?

    • Genes only
    • Selective breeding
    • Environment only
    • Genes and environment

  14. What effect do most genetic mutations have on an organism's phenotype?

    • Major effect
    • No effect
    • Harmful effect
    • Determines phenotype

  15. What process produces all new genetic variants within a population?

    • Mutations
    • Fertilisation
    • Selective breeding
    • Natural selection

  16. What can occur if a rare mutation produces a phenotype suited to a changing environment?

    • No variation
    • Immediate extinction
    • Speciation stops
    • Rapid species change

  17. What term describes the observable physical characteristics of an organism?

    • Genome
    • Phenotype
    • Genotype
    • Allele

  18. Which of these factors causes environmental variation in growing plants?

    • Chromosome count
    • Inherited alleles
    • Flower colour genes
    • Sunlight exposure

  19. How frequently do genetic mutations occur in living organisms?

    • Never
    • Continuously
    • Only during stress
    • Rarely

  20. How many genetic mutations actually determine an organism's phenotype?

    • Exactly half
    • Almost all
    • None
    • Very few

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