Lesson 4.6.3.6

4.6.3.6 Extinction Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 6

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.6.3.6, Extinction: 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. When is a species described as being extinct?

    • Moved to captivity
    • Population below 100
    • No individuals alive
    • Unable to fly

  2. Which event is an example of a catastrophic cause of mass extinction?

    • Seasonal migration
    • Asteroid impact
    • Normal weathering
    • Photosynthesis

  3. Which biotic factor can directly cause a native species to become extinct?

    • New predator
    • Temperature drop
    • Volcanic eruption
    • Flooding

  4. Why might rapid environmental change lead to species extinction?

    • Higher birth rates
    • Increased mutations
    • Inability to adapt
    • Faster growth

  5. Why are species with low genetic variation more vulnerable to extinction?

    • Larger body size
    • Faster reproduction
    • Higher mutation rates
    • Fewer useful alleles

  6. How can a newly introduced species drive an existing species to extinction?

    • Increasing biodiversity
    • Expanding territory
    • Decreasing mutations
    • Outcompeting for food

  7. Why can a new pathogen cause a species to go extinct?

    • Excess food supply
    • Lack of immunity
    • High genetic diversity
    • Fast cell division

  8. What is the primary risk when a population is reduced to very few individuals?

    • Extinction
    • Hybrids
    • Speciation
    • Polymorphism

  9. Which biotic factor can lead to the extinction of a predator species?

    • Warmer weather
    • Loss of prey
    • Higher rainfall
    • New habitat

  10. A lake dries up completely, causing fish to die out. Which factor caused this extinction?

    • Overhunting
    • New predators
    • Loss of habitat
    • New pathogens

  11. What happens if a slow-reproducing species faces a rapid increase in a new predator?

    • Population decline
    • Rapid mutation
    • Increased variation
    • Instant speciation

  12. Why are species restricted to a single small area particularly vulnerable to extinction?

    • Excess food supply
    • Increased gene flow
    • Higher mutation rate
    • Single catastrophe risk

  13. How do multiple environmental factors usually cause a species to become extinct?

    • Preventing mutations
    • Acting independently
    • Acting together
    • Cancelling out

  14. What happens to a species' gene pool when the last individual dies?

    • Transfers to predators
    • Doubles in size
    • Remains in fossils
    • Completely lost

  15. Why is high genetic variation important for preventing the extinction of a population?

    • Stops mutations
    • Prevents predation
    • Enables adaptation
    • Increases size

  16. What is the most likely impact on island prey species when a new predator is introduced?

    • Rapid growth
    • Genetic isolation
    • Population crash
    • Increased reproduction

  17. When is a species officially defined as being extinct?

    • Fossils disappear
    • Habitat destroyed
    • No living individuals
    • Population drops 50%

  18. What is the direct consequence when a species loses its primary food source?

    • Habitat expansion
    • Faster reproduction
    • Population decline
    • Increased biodiversity

  19. What type of event can cause the simultaneous mass extinction of many different species?

    • Speciation
    • Selective breeding
    • Single mutation
    • Climate change

  20. Which genetic factor increases a small population's vulnerability to extinction?

    • Excess alleles
    • Low genetic variation
    • High mutation rate
    • Gene duplication

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