The questions below refer to the following table, which compares the % sequence
homology of four different parts (two introns and two exons) of a gene that is found in
five different eukaryotic species. Each part is numbered to indicate its distance from the
promoter (for example, Intron I is the one closest to the promoter). The data reported
for species A were obtained by comparing DNA from one member of species A to
another member of species A.
% Sequence Homology
Which of these four gene parts should allow the construction of the most accurate
phylogenetic tree, assuming that this is the only part of the gene that has acted as a
reliable molecular clock?
A) Intron I
B) Exon I
C) Intron VI
D) Exon V
In the figure above, which number represents DNA synthesis?
A) I
B) II
C) III
D) IV
In a simple synapse, neurotransmitter chemicals are received by _____.
A) the postsynaptic membrane
B) the presynaptic membrane
C) axon hillocks
D) cell bodies
Small swollen areas in the neck, groin, and axillary region are associated with _____.
A) increased activity of the immune system
B) blood sugar that is abnormally high
C) dehydration
D) sodium depletion
“Golden Rice”_____.
A) is resistant to various herbicides, making it practical to weed rice fields with those
herbicides
B) includes bacterial genes that produce a toxin that reduces damage from insect pests
C) produces larger, golden grains that increase crop yields
D) contains daffodil genes that increase vitamin A content
Water molecules can form hydrogen bonds with _____.
A) compounds that have polar covalent bonds
B) oils
C) oxygen gas (O2) molecules
D) chloride ions
If a patient is missing B and T cells, what would be absent from the immune response?
A) memory
B) lysozymes
C) cytokines
D) defense against bacteria
Which of the following statements about epitopes are correct?
I) B-cell receptors bind to epitopes.
II) T-cell receptors bind to epitopes.
III) There can be 10 or more different epitopes on each antigen.
IV) There is a one-to-one correspondence between antigen and epitope.
A) only I and III
B) only II and IV
C) only I, II, and III
D) only II, III, and IV
You are dissecting a fish in your biology laboratory section. Your teaching assistant
points out a long oval structure and tells you it is an endocrine gland. Which of the
following would you then know is a true statement about this structure?
A) It secretes a product that is released through a series of ducts.
B) The gland’s product will only interact with receptors on the cell membrane.
C) The gland’s product is lipid soluble.
D) The gland produces and secretes its product into the blood.
The term applied to a morphogenetic process whereby cells extend themselves, making
the mass of the cells narrower and wider, is _____.
A) convergent extension
B) induction
C) elongational streaming
D) bi-axial elongation
For a species with a haploid number of 23 chromosomes, how many different
combinations of maternal and paternal chromosomes are possible for the gametes?
A) 23
B) 46
C) about 1000
D) about 8 million
An atom has four electrons in its valence shell. What types of covalent bonds is it
capable of forming?
A) single, double, or triple
B) single and double only
C) single bonds only
D) double bonds only
A friend of yours calls to say that his car would not start this morning. He asks for your
help. You say that you think the battery must be dead. If so, then jump-starting the car
from a good battery will solve the problem. In doing so, you are _____.
A) testing a theory for why the car will not start
B) making observations to inspire a theory for why the car will not start
C) stating a hypothesis and using that hypothesis to make a testable prediction
D) comparing multiple hypotheses for why the car will not start
Evolutionary adaptations that help diverse animals directly exchange matter between
cells and the environment include _____.
A) a gastrovascular activity, a two-layered body, and a torpedo-like body shape
B) an external respiratory surface, a small body size, and a two-cell-layered body
C) a large body volume, a long, tubular body, and a set of wings
D) an unbranched internal surface, a small body size, and thick covering
Which of the following are qualities of any good scientific hypothesis?
I. It is testable.
II. It is falsifiable.
III. It produces quantitative data.
IV. It produces results that can be replicated.
A) I only
B) III only
C) I and II
D) III and IV
The fastest way for organisms to adapt to a changing environment involves _____.
A) mutation
B) asexual reproduction
C) sexual reproduction
Soon after the island of Hawaii rose above the sea surface (somewhat less than one
million years ago), the evolution of life on this new island should have been most
strongly influenced by _____.
A) a genetic bottleneck
B) sexual selection
C) habitat differentiation
D) the founder effect
Steroid and peptide hormones typically have in common _____.
A) the building blocks from which they are synthesized
B) their solubility in cell membranes
C) their requirement for travel through the bloodstream
D) their reliance on signal transduction in the cell
In humans, clear gender differentiation occurs, not at fertilization, but after the second
month of gestation. What is the first event of this differentiation?
A) formation of testosterone in male embryos
B) formation of estrogens in female embryos
C) activation of SRY in male embryos and masculinization of the gonads
D) activation of SRY in females and feminization of the gonads
Which of the following items is LEAST likely to form a simple linear relationship with
the number of gene-duplication events, when placed as the label on the vertical axis of
the following graph?
A) number of genes
B) number of DNA base pairs
C) genome size
D) phenotypic complexity
Which of the following statements best describes the rationale for applying the
principle of parsimony in constructing phylogenetic trees?
A) Parsimony allows the researcher to “root” the tree.
B) Similarity due to common ancestry should be more common than similarity due to
convergent evolution.
C) The molecular clock validates the principle of parsimony.
D) The outgroup roots the tree, allowing the principle of parsimony to be applied.
Green algae differ from land plants in that many green algae _____.
A) are unicellular
B) have plastids
C) have alternation of generations
D) have cell walls containing cellulose
The following questions are based on the drawings of root or stem cross sections shown
in the figure.
Refer to the figure above. A monocot stem is represented by _____.
A) I only
B) II only
C) III only
D) IV only
Which of the following combinations correctly matches a phylum to its description?
A) Echinodermata bilateral symmetry as a larva, water vascular system
B) Nematoda segmented worms, closed circulatory system
C) Cnidaria flatworms, gastrovascular cavity, acoelomate
D) Platyhelminthes radial symmetry, polyp and medusa body forms
Which of the following soil minerals is most likely leached away during a hard rain?
A) Na+
B) K+
C) Ca++
D) NO3
–
How could you genetically modify an animal so that it would distinguish more shades
of green?
A) Induce genes to produce a greater number of cone cells in the fovea.
B) Introduce genes for different opsins that respond in the green region of the spectrum.
C) Introduce genes to produce green fluid in the eyeball, because green fluids will not
absorb green light.
D) Induce increased production of cGMP to increase opening of cGMP-gated sodium
channels.
Asexual reproduction occurs during _____.
A) meiosis
B) mitosis
C) fertilization
D) chromosome exchange between organisms of different species
Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding the complexity of biological
systems?
A) An understanding of the interactions between different components within a living
system is a key goal of a systems biology approach to understanding biological
complexity.
B) Knowing the function of a component of a living system can provide insight into its
structure and organization.
C) Understanding the chemical structure of DNA reveals how it directs the functioning
of a living cell.
D) An ecosystem displays complex properties not present in the individual communities
within it.
Immunological memory accounts for _____.
A) the human body’s ability to distinguish self from non-self
B) the observation that some strains of the pathogen that causes dengue fever cause
more severe disease than others
C) the ability of a helper T cell to signal B cells via cytokines
D) the ancient observation that someone who had recovered from the plague could
safely care for those newly diseased
Which of the following would, if it had acted upon a gene, prevent this gene from
acting as a reliable molecular clock?
A) neutral mutations
B) genetic drift
C) mutations within introns
D) natural selection
The partial negative charge at one end of a water molecule is attracted to the partial
positive charge of another water molecule. What is this attraction called?
A) a covalent bond
B) a hydrogen bond
C) an ionic bond
D) a van der Waals interaction
A normal event in the process of blood clotting is the _____.
A) production of erythropoietin
B) conversion of fibrin to fibrinogen
C) activation of prothrombin to thrombin
D) synthesis of hemoglobin
During the alternation of generations in plants, _____.
A) meiosis produces gametes
B) mitosis produces gametes
C) fertilization produces spores
D) fertilization produces gametes
You have a freshly prepared 0.1 M glucose solution. Each liter of this solution contains
how many glucose molecules?
A) 6.02 x 1023
B) 3.01 x 1023
C) 6.02 x 1024
D) 6.02 x 1022
Which of the following sex and generation combinations directly produces the
megasporangium of pine ovules?
A) male gametophyte
B) female gametophyte
C) male sporophyte
D) female sporophyte