Which one of the following correctly ranks these organisms in order from lowest to
highest percent in production efficiency?
A) mammals, fish, insects
B) insects, fish, mammals
C) fish, insects, mammals
D) mammals, insects, fish
A major group of G protein-coupled receptors contains seven transmembrane α helices.
The amino end of the protein lies at the exterior of the plasma membrane. Loops of
amino acids connect the helices either at the exterior face or on the cytosol face of the
membrane. The loop on the cytosol side between helices 5 and 6 is usually substantially
longer than the others.
Where would you expect to find the carboxyl end?
A) at the exterior surface
B) at the cytosol surface
C) connected with the loop at H5 and H6
D) between the membrane layers
Unequal crossing over during prophase I can result in one sister chromosome with a
deletion and another with a duplication. A mutated form of hemoglobin, so-called
hemoglobin Lepore, exists in the human population. Hemoglobin Lepore has a deleted
series of amino acids. If this mutated form was caused by unequal crossing over, what
would be an expected consequence?
A) There should also be persons whose hemoglobin contains two copies of the series of
amino acids that is deleted in hemoglobin Lepore.
B) Each of the genes in the hemoglobin gene family must show the same deletion.
C) The deleted gene must have undergone exon shuffling.
D) The deleted region must be located in a different area of the individual’s genome.
In a simple synapse, neurotransmitter chemicals are released by _____.
A) the presynaptic membrane
B) axon hillocks
C) cell bodies
D) ducts on the smooth endoplasmic reticulum
Current analysis indicates that less than 2% of the human genome codes for proteins.
Based on the systems approach employed by the ENCODE project, what percentage of
the genome is estimated to contain functional elements (includes functional RNAs and
regulatory sequences)?
A) Less than 2%
B) About 50%
C) At least 80%
D) 100%
You have isolated DNA from three different cell types of the same organism,
determined the relative DNA content for each type, and plotted the results on the graph
shown in the figure below. Refer to the graph to answer the following question(s).
Which sample of DNA might be from a nerve cell arrested in G0 of the cell cycle?
A) I
B) II
C) III
D) either I or II
Standard metabolic rate (SMR) and basal metabolic rate (BMR) are _____.
A) used differently: SMR is measured during exercise, whereas BMR is measured at
rest
B) used to compare metabolic rates during feeding and other active conditions
C) both measured across a wide range of temperatures for a given species
D) both measured in animals in a resting and fasting state
Suppose an efficient conducting system evolved in a moss that could transport water
and other materials as high as a tall tree. Which of the following statements about
“trees” of such a species would be FALSE?
A) Fertilization would probably be more difficult.
B) Spore dispersal distances would probably increase.
C) Females could produce only one archegonium.
D) Individuals would probably compete more effectively for access to light.
Which event during the evolution of land plants favored the synthesis of secondary
compounds?
A) the greenhouse effect throughout the Devonian period
B) the reverse-greenhouse effect during the Carboniferous period
C) the association of the roots of land plants and fungi
D) the rise of herbivory
Independent of whether an organism is an endotherm or ectoderm, the LEAST reliable
indicator of an animal’s metabolic rate is the amount of _____.
A) food eaten in one day
B) heat generated in one day
C) oxygen used in mitochondria in one day
D) water consumed in one day
Consider two old-growth forests: one is undisturbed while the other is being logged. In
which region are species likely to experience exponential growth, and why?
A) Old growth, because of stable conditions that would favor exponential growth of all
species in the forest.
B) Old growth, because each of the species is well established and can produce many
offspring.
C) Logged, because the disturbed forest affords more resources for increased specific
populations to grow.
D) Logged, because the various populations are stimulated to a higher reproductive
potential.
The following questions refer to the generalized life cycle for land plants shown in the
figure below. Each number within a circle or square represents a specific plant or plant
part, and each number over an arrow represents either meiosis, mitosis, or fertilization.
In the figure above, which number represents an embryo?
A) 1
B) 3
C) 7
D) 11
What is the pH of a solution with a hydroxyl ion (OH-) concentration of 10-12M?
A) pH 2
B) pH 4
C) pH 10
D) pH 12
When oxygen is released as a result of photosynthesis, it is a direct by-product of
_____.
A) splitting water molecules
B) chemiosmosis
C) the electron transfer system of photosystem I
D) the electron transfer system of photosystem II
Which of the following best describes the significance of the TATA box in eukaryotic
promoters?
A) It is the recognition site for a specific transcription factor.
B) It sets the reading frame of the mRNA.
C) It is the recognition site for ribosomal binding.
D) Its significance has not yet been determined.
Examine the figure above. Near a goose’s abdomen, the countercurrent arrangement of
the arterial and venous blood vessels causes the _____.
A) temperature difference between the contents of the two sets of vessels to be
minimized
B) venous blood to be as cold near the abdomen as it is near the feet
C) blood in the feet to be as warm as the blood in the abdomen
D) loss of the maximum possible amount of heat to the environment
Which structure or compartment is separate from the apoplastic route?
A) the lumen of a xylem vessel
B) the lumen of a sieve tube
C) the cell wall of a mesophyll cell
D) the cell wall of a root hair
Other than predation by introduced Nile perch, the most likely explanation for the
recent decline in cichlid species diversity in Lake Victoria is _____.
A) reinforcement
B) fusion
C) stability
D) polyploidy
Approximately how many molecules of ATP are produced from the complete oxidation
of one molecule of glucose (C6H12O6) in aerobic cellular respiration?
A) 2
B) 4
C) 18-24
D) 30-32
The following is a map of four genes on a chromosome.
Between which two genes would you expect the highest frequency of recombination?
A) A and W
B) E and G
C) A and E
D) A and G
Epinephrine is an example of _____.
A) an androgen
B) an estrogen
C) a catecholamine
D) a glucocorticoid
In certain plants, tall is dominant to short. If a heterozygous plant is crossed with a
homozygous tall plant, what is the probability that the offspring will be short?
A) 1
B) 1/2
C) 1/4
D) 0
What technique would be most appropriate to use to observe the movements of
condensed chromosomes during cell division?
A) standard light microscopy
B) scanning electron microscopy
C) transmission electron microscopy
The unconscious control of respiration and circulation are associated with the _____.
A) thalamus
B) cerebellum
C) medulla oblongata
D) cerebrum
Which of the following normally occurs regardless of whether or not oxygen (O2) is
present?
A) glycolysis
B) fermentation
C) citric acid cycle
D) oxidative phosphorylation (chemiosmosis)
The sun shining on a tidal pool during a hot day heats the water. As some water
evaporates, the pool becomes saltier, causing _____.
A) an increase in its carbon dioxide content
B) a decrease in its oxygen content
C) an increase in its ability to sustain aerobic organisms
D) a decrease in the water’s density
Using the table above, determine which age class year would hurt the population
growth most if it were wiped out by disease.
A) age class year 1
B) age class year 2
C) age class year 3
D) age class year 4
The following questions are based on the 15 molecules illustrated in the accompanying
figure. Each molecule may be used once, more than once, or not at all.
Which of the following pairs of molecules could be joined together by a peptide bond in
a dehydration reaction?
A) 2 and 3
B) 7 and 8
C) 8 and 9
D) 12 and 13
A narrow hybrid zone separates the toad species Bombina bombina and Bombina
variegata. What is true of those alleles that are unique to the parental species?
A) Such alleles should be absent.
B) Their allele frequency should be nearly the same as the allele frequencies in toad
populations distant from the hybrid zone.
C) The alleles’ heterozygosity should be higher among the hybrid toads than in toad
populations distant from the hybrid zone.
D) Their allele frequency on one edge of the hybrid zone should roughly equal their
frequency on the opposite edge of the hybrid zone.
The cycads, a mostly tropical phylum of gymnosperms, evolved about 300 million
years ago and were dominant forms during the Age of the Dinosaurs. Though their
sperm are flagellated, their ovules are pollinated by beetles. These beetles get nutrition
(they eat pollen) and shelter from the microsporophylls. Upon visiting
megasporophylls, the beetles transfer pollen to the exposed ovules. In cycads, pollen
cones and seed cones are borne on different plants. Cycads synthesize neurotoxins,
especially in the seeds, that are effective against most animals, including humans.
Which feature of cycads distinguishes them from most other gymnosperms?
1. They have exposed ovules.
2. They have flagellated sperm.
3. They are pollinated by animals.
A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 3 only
D) 2 and 3
If the sex ratio in a population is significantly different from 50:50, then which of the
following will always betrue?
A) The population will enter the extinction vortex.
B) The genetic variation in the population will increase over time.
C) The effective population size will be greater than the actual population size.
D) The effective population size will be less than the actual population size.
In research on aging (both cellular aging and organismal aging), it has been found that
aged cells do not progress through the cell cycle as they had previously. Which of the
following, if found in cells or organisms as they age, would provide evidence that this is
related to cell signaling?
A) Growth factor ligands do not bind as efficiently to receptors.
B) Hormone concentrations decrease.
C) cAMP levels change very frequently.
D) Enzymatic activity declines.
Which of the structures illustrated above is an impossible covalently bonded molecule?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
Some plants have continually produced secondary defense compounds. Other plants are
induced to form secondary defense compounds when they are injured. Corn seedling
leaves that are chewed on by the caterpillars of a type of cutworm moth emit immediate
volatile chemicals (LOX products), and after six hours large amounts of terpenoid
compounds are released into the air. The terpenoids are released not only from the leaf
being chewed, but from all leaves of the plant. The terpenoid compounds attract a
parasitoid wasp female that lays her eggs on the caterpillar. When the wasp larvae
hatch, they eat and kill the moth caterpillar. (T.C.J. Turlings, J. H. Loughrin, P. J.
McCall, U. S. R. Rose, W. J. Lewis, and J. H. Tumlinson. 1995. How
caterpillar-damaged plants protect themselves by attracting parasitic wasps.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 92:4169-74.)
Refer to the paragraph on how caterpillar-damaged plants protect themselves by
attracting parasitic wasps. To test the hypothesis that caterpillar saliva and a wound are
both necessary to attract the parasitoid wasps you would need to include which of the
following in your experiment?
I) Slash the corn leaves with a razor blade.
II) Put caterpillar saliva on a leaf wound.
III) Put caterpillar saliva on an intact leaf.
A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) I, II, and III