Use the figure to answer the following question.

If the figure above is an accurate depiction of relatedness, then which of the following should be an accurate statement?
A) The entire tree is based on minimum parsimony.
B) If all species depicted here make up a taxon, this taxon is paraphyletic.
C) The last common ancestor of species B and C occurred more recently than the last common ancestor of species D and E.
D) Species A is the direct ancestor of both species B and species C.

Question

Use the figure to answer the following question.

If the figure above is an accurate depiction of relatedness, then which of the following should be an accurate statement?
A) The entire tree is based on minimum parsimony. 
B) If all species depicted here make up a taxon, this taxon is paraphyletic. 
C) The last common ancestor of species B and C occurred more recently than the last common ancestor of species D and E. 
D) Species A is the direct ancestor of both species B and species C.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Based on the figure, the last common ancestor of species B and C occurred more recently than the last common ancestor of species D and E. This can be inferred from the fact that species B and C share a more recent branch than species D and E. The other options can be ruled out as there is no information in the figure to support them.

Use the Figure to Answer the Following Question