GATE 2021 BT – Question 14
Which method tests the significance of a predicted phylogeny?
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Correct answer: (A) Bootstrap
Explanation
Building a phylogeny gives one tree, but we also need to know how reliable each branch is.
- **Bootstrap:** randomly resamples the alignment columns with replacement many times, rebuilds the tree each time, and counts how often each branch appears. The percentage is the support for that branch, so it **tests the significance** of the predicted phylogeny. ✓
- **Maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony and minimum evolution:** these are all methods that **infer** a tree from the data. They are not tests of its significance.
Answer **bootstrap** (A).