During the inventory of bacterial genes present in the Sargasso Sea in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean, a research team concluded that at least 1800 bacterial species were
discovered. Based on what you know about this area, what would you expect to see in
coral reef waters?
A) slightly greater genetic diversity
B) slightly smaller genetic diversity
C) markedly greater genetic diversity
D) markedly smaller genetic diversity
Students conducted an experiment to determine the effect of light intensity on the rate
of photosynthesis. They punched 40 leaf disks from spinach leaves and used a syringe
partially filled with water to pull the gases from the leaf disks so that all leaf disks sunk
to the bottom of the syringe. Ten (10) leaf disks from the syringe were placed in each of
four cups and covered with 50 ml of the solutions as indicated below. All leaf disks
were resting on the bottom of the cups when the experiment began. The volume of
liquid in each cup and the temperature of the solutions were held constant. All cups
were placed 0.5 meters from the designated light source. A large beaker of water was
placed between the light and the cups to act as a heat sink to prevent a change in
temperature. At the end of 10 minutes, the number of disks floating in each cup was
recorded.
Use your knowledge of the mechanism of photosynthesis and the data presented in the
chart to determine which of the statements below is a correct explanation for the
student’s data.
A) Cup 1 had a low rate of photosynthesis because 0.5 grams of baking soda did not
provide a sufficient amount of CO2.
B) Cup 2 had the highest rate of photosynthesis because 5 disks were floating at the end
of 10 minutes using a 50 watt light bulb.
C) Cup 3 had the same rate of photosynthesis as Cup 1 because they had the same ratio
of disks floating to wattage of light.
D) Cup 4 had the slowest rate of photosynthesis because it had the least baking soda.
The NPK percentages on a package of fertilizer refer to the_____.
A) percentages of manure collected from different types of animals
B) relative percentages of organic and inorganic nutrients in the fertilizer
C) percentages of three important mineral nutrients
D) proportions of three different nitrogen sources
The oceans affect the biosphere by _____.
I) producing a substantial amount of the biosphere’s oxygen
II) adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
III) being the source of most of Earth’s rainfall
IV) regulating the pH of freshwater biomes and terrestrial groundwater
A) only I and III
B) only II and IV
C) only I, II, and IV
D) only I, II, and III
Wakefulness is regulated by the reticular formation, which is present in the _____.
A) basal nuclei
B) cerebral cortex
C) brainstem
D) limbic system
As a youngster, you drive a nail in the trunk of a young tree that is 3 meters tall. The
nail is about 1.5 meters from the ground. Fifteen years later, you return and discover
that the tree has grown to a height of 30 meters. About how many meters above the
ground is the nail?
A) 0.5
B) 1.5
C) 3.0
D) 15.0
Micronutrients are needed in very small amounts because_____.
A) most of them are mobile in the plant
B) most serve mainly as cofactors of enzymes
C) they play only a minor role in the growth and health of the plant
D) only the most actively growing regions of the plants require micronutrients
Theoretically, P. bursaria can obtain zoochlorella either vertically (via the asexual
reproduction of its mother cell) or horizontally (by ingesting free-living Chlorella from
its habitat). Consider a P. bursaria cell containing zoochlorellae but whose habitat lacks
free-living Chlorella. If this cell subsequently undergoes many generations of asexual
reproduction, if all of its daughter cells contain roughly the same number of
zoochlorellae as it had originally contained, and if the zoochlorellae are all haploid and
identical in appearance, then what is true? The zoochlorellae _____.
A) also reproduced asexually, at an increasing rate over time
B) also reproduced asexually, at a decreasing rate over time
C) also reproduced asexually, at a fairly constant rate over time
D) reproduced sexually, undergoing heteromorphic alternation of generations
A new species of aquatic chordate is discovered that closely resembles an ancient form.
It has the following characteristics: external armor of bony plates, no paired lateral fins,
and a suspension-feeding mode of nutrition. In addition to these, it will probably have
which of the following characteristics?
A) legs
B) no jaws
C) an amniotic egg
D) endothermy
Clay in soils represents a trade-off in nutrient availability, such that _____.
A) anions are less likely to leach out of soil and are difficult for plants to extract
B) cations are less likely to leach out of soil and are difficult for plants to extract
C) nitrogen levels are exceptionally high, but much of the nitrogen leaches away
D) oxygen levels are exceptionally high, but much of the nitrogen leaches away
Genetic variation _____.
A) is created by the direct action of natural selection
B) arises in response to changes in the environment
C) must be present in a population before natural selection can act upon the population
D) tends to be reduced by when diploid organisms produce gametes
The electron transport chain _____.
A) is a series of redox reactions
B) is a series of substitution reactions
C) is driven by ATP consumption
D) takes place in the cytoplasm of prokaryotic cells
What does the biological species concept use as the primary criterion for determining
species boundaries?
A) geographic isolation
B) niche differences
C) gene flow
D) morphological similarity
Which of the following conditions would most likely be due to high blood pressure in a
mammal?
A) bursting of blood vessels in capillary beds
B) inability of the right ventricle to contract
C) reversal of normal blood flow direction in arteries
D) destruction of red blood cells
You cut your finger, and after putting pressure on the wound for several minutes, you
notice that it is still bleeding profusely. What may be the problem?
A) Platelets are not functioning properly, or there are too few to be effective.
B) Mast cells are not releasing their chemical messengers.
C) There are too many antigens to allow clotting.
D) Hemoglobin levels are too high to allow clotting.
During chordate evolution, what is the sequence (from earliest to most recent) in which
the following structures arose?
1. amniotic egg
2. paired fins
3. jaws
4. swim bladder
5. four-chambered heart
A) 2, 3, 4, 1, 5
B) 3, 2, 4, 5, 1
C) 3, 2, 1, 4, 5
D) 2, 1, 5, 3, 4
A botanist discovers a new species of plant in a tropical rain forest. After observing its
anatomy and life cycle, he notes the following characteristics: flagellated sperm, xylem
with tracheids, separate gametophyte and sporophyte generations with the sporophyte
dominant, and no seeds. This plant is probably most closely related to _____.
A) mosses
B) ferns
C) gymnosperms
D) flowering plants
What structures would neurobiologists look for if they are interested in determining if
an animal can see in color?
A) opsins
B) electroreceptors
C) pupil
D) lens
A multigene family is composed of _____.
A) multiple genes whose products must be coordinately expressed
B) genes whose sequences are very similar and that probably arose by duplication
C) a gene whose exons can be spliced in a number of different ways
D) a highly conserved gene found in a number of different species
In humans, ABO blood types refer to glycoproteins in the membranes of red blood
cells. There are three alleles for this autosomal gene: IA, IB, and i. The IA allele codes
for the A glycoprotein, The IB allele codes for the B glycoprotein, and the i allele
doesn’t code for any membrane glycoprotein. IA and IB are codominant, and i is
recessive to both IA and IB. People with type A blood have the genotypes IAIA or IAi,
people with type B blood are IBIB or IBi, people with type AB blood are IAIB, and
people with type O blood are ii. If a woman with type AB blood marries a man with
type O blood, which of the following blood types could their children possibly have?
A) A and B
B) AB and O
C) A, B, and O
D) A, B, AB, and O
Thalidomide, now banned for use as a sedative in pregnancy, was used in the early
1960s by many women in their first trimester of pregnancy. Some of these women gave
birth to children with arm and leg deformities, suggesting that the drug most likely
influenced _____.
A) early cleavage divisions
B) differentiation of bone tissue
C) morphogenesis
D) organogenesis
Which taxon is essentially equivalent to the “embryophytes”?
A) Plantae
B) Pterophyta
C) Bryophyta
D) Charophycea
Which elements are most often the limiting nutrients for plant growth?
A) nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus
B) nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen
C) carbon, sodium, chlorine
D) carbon, nitrogen, oxygen
You find yourself standing next to a beautiful rose bush. Which of the following do you
and the rose have in common?
A) You both are multicellular.
B) You both lack a membrane-bound nucleus.
C) You are both prokaryotic.
D) You and the rose have nothing in common.
Healthy individuals of Paramecium bursaria contain photosynthetic algal
endosymbionts of the genus Chlorella. When within their hosts, the algae are referred to
as zoochlorellae. In aquaria with light coming from only one side, P. bursaria gather at
the well-lit side, whereas other species of Paramecium gather at the opposite side. The
zoochlorellae provide their hosts with glucose and oxygen, and P. bursaria provides its
zoochlorellae with protection and motility. P. bursaria can lose its zoochlorellae in two
ways: (1) if kept in darkness, the algae will die; and (2) if prey items (mostly bacteria)
are absent from its habitat, P. bursaria will digest its zoochlorellae.
The motility that permits P. bursaria to move toward a light source is provided by
_____.
A) pseudopods
B) a single flagellum featuring the 9 + 2 pattern
C) many cilia
D) contractile vacuoles
Which of the groups above is an acidic functional group that can dissociate and release
H+ into a solution?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
If the figure above is an accurate depiction of relatedness, then which of the following
should be correct?
1. The entire tree is based on maximum parsimony.
2. If all species depicted here make up a taxon, this taxon is monophyletic.
3. The last common ancestor of species B and C occurred more recently than the last
common ancestor of species D and E.
4. Species A is the direct ancestor of both species B and species C.
5. The species present at position 3 is ancestral to C, D, and E.
A) 1 and 3
B) 3 and 4
C) 2, 3, and 4
D) 1, 2, and 3
Which of the following is an example of alternation of generations?
A) A grandparent and grandchild each have dark hair, but the parent has blond hair.
B) A diploid plant (sporophyte) produces, by meiosis, a spore that gives rise to a
multicellular, haploid pollen grain (gametophyte).
C) A diploid animal produces gametes by meiosis, and the gametes undergo fertilization
to produce a diploid zygote.
D) A haploid mushroom produces gametes by mitosis, and the gametes undergo
fertilization, which is immediately followed by meiosis.
A spaceship is designed to support animal life for a multiyear voyage to the outer
planets of the solar system. Plants will be grown to provide oxygen and to recycle
carbon dioxide. Since the spaceship will be too far from the sun for photosynthesis, an
artificial light source will be needed.
Suppose a plant has a unique photosynthetic pigment and the leaves of this plant appear
to be reddish yellow. What wavelengths of visible light are absorbed by this pigment?
A) red and yellow
B) blue and violet
C) green and yellow
D) blue, green, and red
The molar mass of glucose is 180 grams per mole (g/mol). Which of the following
procedures should you carry out to make a 1 M solution of glucose? Into 0.8 liter (L) of
water, dissolve _____.
A) 1 g of glucose and then add more water until the total volume of the solution is 1 L
B) 18 g of glucose and then add more water until the total volume of the solution is 1 L
C) 180 g of glucose and then add 0.2 L more of water
D) 180 g of glucose and then add more water until the total volume of the solution is 1
L
Which of the following ecosystems would likely have the largest net primary
productivity per hectare and why?
A) open ocean, because of the total biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs
B) grassland, because of the small standing crop biomass that results from consumption
by herbivores and rapid decomposition
C) tundra, because of the incredibly rapid period of growth during the summer season
D) cave, due to the lack of photosynthetic autotrophs
Oviparous (egg-laying) animals have internal fertilization (sperm cells encounter eggs
within the female’s body). Yolk and/or albumen is (are) provided to the embryo, and a
shell is then deposited around the embryo and its food source. Eggs are subsequently
deposited in an environment that promotes their further development, or are incubated
by one or both parents.
The laying of eggs has what type of analog in angiosperms?
A) endosperm breakdown
B) fusion of carpels into a fruit
C) fruit dispersal
D) seed coat hardening