Sequencing an entire genome, such as that of C. elegans, a nematode, is most important
because _____.
A) it allows researchers to use the sequence to build a “better” nematode, which is
resistant to disease
B) it allows research on a group of organisms we do not usually care much about
C) a sequence that is found to have a particular function in the nematode is likely to
have a closely related function in vertebrates
D) a sequence that is found to have no introns in the nematode genome is likely to have
acquired the introns from higher organisms
The evolution of similar insulating skin coverings such as fur, hair, and feathers in
mammals and birds is a result of _____.
A) shared ancestry
B) convergent evolution
C) homology
D) evolutionary divergence
At the moment of sperm penetration, human eggs _____.
A) have used flagellar propulsion to move from the ovary to the oviduct
B) are still located within the ovary
C) have a paper-thin cell of calcium carbonate that prevents desiccation
D) are still surrounded by follicular cells
DNA microarrays have made a huge impact on genomic studies because they _____.
A) can be used to eliminate the function of any gene in the genome
B) can be used to introduce entire genomes into bacterial cells
C) allow the expression of many or even all of the genes in the genome to be compared
at once
D) allow physical maps of the genome to be assembled in a very short time
What is metagenomics?
A) genomics as applied to a species that most typifies the average phenotype of its
genus
B) the sequencing of one or two representative genes from several species
C) the sequencing of only the most highly conserved genes in a lineage
D) sequencing DNA from a group of species from the same ecosystem
Refer to the information and figure below to answer the following question(s).
A certain (hypothetical) organism is diploid, has either blue or orange wings as the
consequence of one of its genes on chromosome 12, and has either long or short
antennae as the result of a second gene on chromosome 19, as shown in the figure.
A certain female’s number 12 chromosomes both have the blue gene and number 19
chromosomes both have the long gene. As cells in her ovaries undergo meiosis, her
resulting eggs (ova) may have which of the following?
A) either two number 12 chromosomes with blue genes or two with orange genes
B) either two number 19 chromosomes with long genes or two with short genes
C) either one blue or one orange gene in addition to either one long or one short gene
D) one chromosome 12 with one blue gene and one chromosome 19 with one long gene
Which of the following are compounds?
A) H2O, O2, and CH4
B) H2O and O2
C) O2 and CH4
D) H2O and CH4, but not O2
In the development of terrestrial biomes, which factor is most dependent on all the
others?
A) the species of colonizing animals
B) prevailing rainfall
C) mineral nutrient availability
D) soil structure
Forms of the Ras protein found in tumors usually cause which of the following?
A) DNA replication to stop
B) cell-to-cell adhesion to be nonfunctional
C) cell division to cease
D) excessive cell division
A female fly, full of fertilized eggs, is swept by high winds to an island far out to sea.
She is the first fly to arrive on this island and the only fly to arrive in this way.
Thousands of years later, her numerous offspring occupy the island, but none of them
resembles her. There are, instead, several species, each of which eats only a certain type
of food. None of the species can fly and their balancing organs (halteres) are now used
in courtship displays. The male members of each species bear modified halteres that are
unique in appearance to their species. Females bear vestigial halteres. The ranges of all
of the daughter species overlap.
According to the concept of punctuated equilibrium, _____.
A) natural selection is unimportant as a mechanism of evolution
B) given enough time, most existing species will gradually give rise to new species
C) a new species accumulates most of its unique features as it comes into existence
D) evolution of new species features long periods during which changes are occurring,
interspersed with short periods of equilibrium, or stasis
An injury to the occipital lobe will likely impair the function of the _____.
A) primary visual cortex
B) thalamus
C) sense of taste
D) sense of touch
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects cells that have both CD4 and CCR5 cell
surface molecules. The viral nucleic acid molecules are enclosed in a protein capsid,
and the protein capsid is itself contained inside an envelope consisting of a lipid bilayer
membrane and viral glycoproteins. One hypothesis for viral entry into cells is that
binding of HIV membrane glycoproteins to CD4 and CCR5 initiates fusion of the HIV
membrane with the plasma membrane, releasing the viral capsid into the cytoplasm. An
alternative hypothesis is that HIV gains entry into the cell via receptor-mediated
endocytosis, and membrane fusion occurs in the endocytotic vesicle. To test these
alternative hypotheses for HIV entry, researchers labeled the lipids on the HIV
membrane with a red fluorescent dye.
In an HIV-infected cell producing HIV virus particles, the viral glycoprotein is
expressed on the plasma membrane. How do the viral glycoproteins get to the plasma
membrane? They are synthesized _____.
A) on ribosomes on the plasma membrane
B) by ribosomes in the rough ER and arrive at the plasma membrane in the membrane
of secretory vesicles
C) on free cytoplasmic ribosomes and then inserted into the plasma membrane
D) by ribosomes in the rough ER, secreted from the cell, and inserted into the plasma
membrane from the outside
Homologous pairs of chromosomes align opposite of each other at the equator of a cell
during _____.
A) mitosis metaphase
B) meiosis metaphase I
C) meiosis telophase II
D) meiosis metaphase II
Cotton-topped tamarins are small primates with tufts of long white hair on their heads.
While studying these creatures, you notice that males with longer hair get more
opportunities to mate and father more offspring. To test the hypothesis that having
longer hair is adaptive in these males, you should _____.
A) test whether other traits in these males are also adaptive
B) look for evidence of hair in ancestors of tamarins
C) determine if hair length is heritable
D) test whether males with shaved heads are still able to mate
Wernicke’s and Broca’s regions of the brain affect _____.
A) olfaction
B) vision
C) speech
D) hearing
Five dialysis bags constructed of membrane, which is permeable to water and
impermeable to sucrose, were filled with various concentrations of sucrose and then
placed in separate beakers containing an initial concentration of 0.6 M sucrose solution.
At 10-minute intervals, the bags were massed (weighed) and the percent change in mass
of each bag was graphed.
Which line in the graph represents the bag that contained a solution isotonic to the 0.6
M solution at the beginning of the experiment?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
The molecule that functions as the reducing agent (electron donor) in a redox or
oxidation-reduction reaction _____.
A) gains electrons and gains potential energy
B) loses electrons and loses potential energy
C) gains electrons and loses potential energy
D) loses electrons and gains potential energy
Some beetles and flies have antler-like structures on their heads, much like male deer
do. The existence of antlers in beetle, fly, and deer species with strong male-male
competition is an example of _____.
A) convergent evolution
B) a synapomorphy
C) homology
D) parsimony
Compared to the seawater around them, most marine invertebrates are _____.
A) hyperosmotic
B) hypoosmotic
C) isoosmotic
D) hyperosmotic and isoosmotic
The “undershoot” phase of after-hyperpolarization is due to _____.
A) slow opening of voltage-gated sodium channels
B) sustained opening of voltage-gated potassium channels
C) rapid opening of voltage-gated calcium channels
D) slow restorative actions of the sodium-potassium ATPase
Statocysts contain cells that are _____.
A) mechanoreceptors used to detect orientation relative to gravity
B) chemoreceptors used in selecting migration routes
C) photoreceptors used in setting biological rhythms
D) thermoreceptors used in prey detection
A human blastomere is _____.
A) an embryonic cell that is smaller than the ovum
B) an embryonic structure that includes a fluid-filled cavity
C) that part of the acrosome that opens the egg’s membrane
D) a cell that contains a (degenerating) second polar body
What strategy was used to rescue Illinois prairie chickens from a recent extinction
vortex?
A) determining the minimum viable population size by taking into account the effective
population size
B) establishing a nature reserve to protect its habitat
C) introducing individuals from other populations to increase genetic variation
D) reducing the population size of its predators and competitors
The termite gut protist Mixotricha paradoxa has at least two kinds of bacteria attached
to its outer surface. One kind is a spirochete that propels its host through the termite
gut. A second type of bacteria synthesizes adenosine triphosphate (ATP), some of which
is used by the spirochetes. The locomotion provided by the spirochetes introduces the
ATP-producing bacteria to new food sources. Which term(s) is (are) applicable to the
relationship between the two kinds of bacteria?
1. mutualism
2. parasitism
3. symbiosis
4. metabolic cooperation
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 1, 3, and 4
D) 2, 3, and 4
In the digestive system, peristalsis is _____.
A) a process of fat emulsification in the small intestine
B) voluntary control of the rectal sphincters regulating defecation
C) the transport of nutrients to the liver through the hepatic portal vessel
D) smooth muscle contractions that move food along the esophagus
On the diagram of the nitrogen cycle, which number represents the ammonium ion
(NH4
+)?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
In the figure, the dots in the space between the two structures represent which of the
following?
A) receptor molecules
B) signal transducers
C) neurotransmitters
D) hormones
Which of the following is common to the development of birds and mammals?
A) the formation of an embryonic epiblast and hypoblast
B) the formation of an embryonic trophoblast
C) the formation of an embryonic yolk plug
D) the formation of an embryonic gray crescent
Which of the following is most likely to be aquatic?
A) suspension feeder
B) mass feeder
C) deposit feeder
D) fluid feeder
Which type of bond must be broken for water to vaporize?
A) ionic bonds
B) polar covalent bonds
C) hydrogen bonds
D) both polar covalent bonds and hydrogen bonds
While looking at some seawater through your microscope, you spot the egg of an
unknown animal. Which of the following tests could you use to determine whether the
developing organism is a protostome or a deuterostome? See whether the embryo
_____.
A) develops germ layers
B) exhibits spiral cleavage or radial cleavage
C) develops a blastopore
D) develops an archenteron