In the human knee-jerk reflex of a seated individual, as the calf is raised from a vertical
position to a horizontal position, the muscles of the quadriceps (on the front of the
thighs) and the muscles of the hamstring (on the back side of the thighs) are _____.
A) both excited and contracting
B) both inhibited and relaxed
C) excited and inhibited, respectively
D) inhibited and excited, respectively
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.
What wavelengths of light should be used to maximize plant growth with a minimum of
energy expenditure?
A) full-spectrum white light
B) green light
C) a mixture of blue and red light
D) UV light
Which of the following was a challenge to the survival of the first land plants?
A) too much sunlight
B) a shortage of carbon dioxide
C) desiccation
D) animal predation
Silencing of selected genes is often done using RNA interference (RNAi). Which of the
following questions would NOT be answered with this process?
A) What is the function of gene 432 in a particular species of annelid?
B) What will happen in a particular insect’s digestion if gene 173 is not able to be
translated?
C) Is gene HA292 expressed in individuals for a disorder in humans?
D) Will the disabling of this gene in Drosophila and in a mouse cause similar results?
In an open circulatory system, blood is _____.
A) always inside of vessels and is under higher pressure than in closed circulatory
systems
B) not always confined to blood vessels and is under higher pressure than in closed
circulatory systems
C) always inside of vessels and is under lower pressure than in closed circulatory
systems
D) not always confined to blood vessels and is under lower pressure than in closed
circulatory systems
The value for Ψ in root tissue was found to be -0.15 MPa. If you take the root tissue and
place it in a 0.1 M solution of sucrose (Ψ = -0.23 MPa), the net water flow would
_____.
A) be from the tissue into the sucrose solution
B) be from the sucrose solution into the tissue
C) be in both directions and the concentration of water would remain equal
D) be impossible to determine from the values given here
Which of the following sex and generation combinations most directly produces the
integument of a pine seed?
A) male gametophyte
B) female gametophyte
C) male sporophyte
D) female sporophyte
If a cell were unable to produce histone proteins, which of the following would be a
likely effect?
A) There would be an increase in the amount of ‘satellite” DNA produced during
centrifugation.
B) The cell’s DNA couldn’t be packed into its nucleus.
C) Spindle fibers would not form during prophase.
D) Amplification of other genes would compensate for the lack of histones.
To make a vaccine against mumps, measles, or rabies, which type of viruses would be
useful?
A) dsDNA viruses
B) negative-sense ssRNA viruses
C) positive-sense ssRNA viruses
D) dsRNA viruses
Which of these characteristics added most to vertebrate success in relatively dry
environments?
A) the shelled, amniotic egg
B) the ability to maintain a constant body temperature
C) two pairs of appendages
D) a four-chambered heart
Upon exposure to blue light, plants not only begin to grow toward the light, but move
their chloroplasts to the sunny side of each cell. The adaptive advantage of moving
chloroplasts to the sunny side of each cell _____.
A) maximizes light absorption by the chloroplasts for photosynthesis
B) increases production of phototropic hormones
C) maximizes heat absorption by the chloroplasts for cellular respiration
D) increases adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production during the light-independent
reactions
In a plant’s sexual life cycle _____.
A) sporophytes produce gametes by meiosis
B) gametophytes produce gametes by mitosis
C) gametophytes produce gametes by meiosis
D) sporophytes produce gametes by mitosis
Asbestos is a material that was once used extensively in construction. One risk from
working in a building that contains asbestos is the development of asbestosis caused by
the inhalation of asbestos fibers. Cells will phagocytize asbestos, but are not able to
degrade it. As a result, asbestos fibers accumulate in _____.
A) mitochondria
B) ribosomes
C) peroxisomes
D) lysosomes
If you were writing an essay, the part(s) of your brain that would be actively involved in
this task is/are the _____.
A) frontal lobes
B) parietal lobe
C) Broca’s area
D) occipital lobe
In some jacana species, males take care of the eggs and young, and females compete
among themselves for territories that contain one to several males. Female jacanas are
significantly larger than males. Which of these statements would you predict to be true
of this bird species?
1. Male jacana fitness is primarily limited by ability to take care of eggs and raise
young.
2. Female jacana fitness is limited by the number of males in her territory with which a
female mates.
3. Variation in reproductive success should be greater in male jacanas than in females.
4. Variation in reproductive success should be greater in female jacanas than in males.
5. Males and females have equal variation in reproductive success.
A) 1 and 3
B) 2 and 4
C) 1, 2, and 4
D) 5
Shoot elongation in a growing bud is due primarily to _____.
A) cell division at the shoot apical meristem
B) cell elongation directly below the shoot apical meristem
C) cell elongation localized in each internode
D) cell division at the shoot apical meristem and cell elongation directly below the
shoot apical meristem
Receptors for neurotransmitters are of primary functional importance in assuring
one-way synaptic transmission because they are mostly found on the _____.
A) axonal membrane
B) axon hillock
C) postsynaptic membrane
D) presynaptic membrane
In correct chronological order, the three phases of the human uterine cycle are _____.
A) follicular → luteal → secretory
B) menstrual → proliferative → secretory
C) follicular → ovulation → luteal
D) proliferative → luteal → ovulation
Once a cell completes mitosis, molecular division triggers must be turned off. What
happens to MPF during mitosis?
A) It is completely degraded.
B) It is exported from the cell.
C) The cyclin component of MPF is degraded.
D) The Cdk component of MPF is degraded and exported from the cell.
Why does planting a cover crop help conserve soil?
I) controls weed populations
II) reduces soil loss due to wind and water erosion
III) increases soil nutrients when plowed under and allowed to decompose
A) only I
B) I and II
C) II and III
D) I, II, and III
Use the following information when answering the corresponding question(s).
In 1668, Francesco Redi performed a series of experiments on spontaneous generation.
He began by putting similar pieces of meat into eight identical jars. Four jars were left
open to the air, and four were sealed. He then did the same experiment with one
variation: Instead of sealing four of the jars completely, he covered them with gauze
(the gauze excluded the flies while allowing the meat to be exposed to air). In both
experiments, he monitored the jars and recorded whether or not maggots (young flies)
appeared in the meat.
Refer to the paragraph on Redi’s experiments. What hypothesis was being tested in the
initial experiment with open versus sealed jars?
A) Spontaneous generation is more likely during the long days of summer.
B) The type of meat used affects the likelihood of spontaneous generation.
C) Maggots do not arise spontaneously, but from eggs laid by adult flies.
D) Spontaneous generation can occur only if meat is exposed to air.
Whatever its ultimate cause(s), the Cambrian explosion is a prime example of _____.
A) mass extinction
B) evolutionary stasis
C) adaptive radiation
D) a large meteor impact
Which of the following is true of a species that has a chromosome number of 2n = 16?
A) The species is diploid with 32 chromosomes per cell.
B) The species has 16 sets of chromosomes per cell.
C) Each diploid cell has eight homologous pairs.
D) A gamete from this species has four chromosomes.
The formation of the fertilization envelope requires an increase in the availability of
_____.
A) calcium ions
B) hydrogen ions
C) potassium ions
D) sodium ions
Nudibranchs, a type of predatory sea slug, can have various protuberances (that is,
extensions) on their dorsal surfaces. Rhinophores are paired structures, located close to
the head, which bear many chemoreceptors. Dorsal plummules, usually located
posteriorly, perform respiratory gas exchange. Cerata usually cover much of the dorsal
surface and contain nematocysts at their tips.
A natural predator of the crown-of-thorns sea star is a mollusc called the Giant Triton,
Charonia tritonis. If the triton uses a radula to saw into the sea star, then to which clade
should the triton belong?
A) chitons
B) bivalves
C) gastropods
D) cephalopods
Which of the following is an example of monosomy?
A) Turner’s syndrome
B) Klinefelter’s syndrome
C) Down syndrome
D) trisomy X
Different body cells can respond differently to the same peptide hormones because
_____.
A) different target cells have different sets of genes
B) a target cell’s response is determined by the components of its signal transduction
pathways
C) the circulatory system regulates responses to hormones by routing the hormones to
specific targets
D) the hormone is chemically altered in different ways as it travels through the
circulatory system
Even though plants cells photosynthesize, they still use their mitochondria for oxidation
of pyruvate. This will occur in _____.
A) photosynthetic cells in the light, while photosynthesis occurs concurrently
B) cells that are storing glucose only
C) all cells all the time
D) photosynthesizing cells in the light and in other tissues in the dark
The fact that plants can be cloned from somatic cells demonstrates that _____.
A) differentiated cells retain all the genes of the zygote
B) genes are lost during differentiation
C) the differentiated state is normally very unstable
D) differentiation does not occur in plants
Which of the following represents a difference between viruses and viroids?
A) Viruses infect many types of cells, whereas viroids infect only prokaryotic cells.
B) Viruses have capsids composed of protein, whereas viroids have no capsids.
C) Viruses have genomes composed of RNA, whereas viroids have genomes composed
of DNA.
D) Viruses cannot pass through plasmodesmata, whereas viroids can.
Suppose you attend a town meeting at which some experts tell the audience that they
have performed a cost-benefit analysis of a proposed transit system that would probably
reduce overall air pollution and fossil fuel consumption. The analysis, however, reveals
that ticket prices will not cover the cost of operating the system when fuel, wages, and
equipment are taken into account. As a biologist, you know that if ecosystem services
had been included in the analysis, the experts might have arrived at a different answer.
Why are ecosystem services rarely included in economic analyses?
A) Their cost is difficult to estimate and people take them for granted.
B) They are not worth much and are usually not cost effective.
C) Ecosystem services only take into account abiotic factors that affect local
environments.
D) Federal laws of the United States exclude their inclusion in any cost benefit analysis.
Predict the effects of a drug that increases adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
synthesis.
A) increase in glucocorticoid production
B) increase in release of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)
C) decrease in cortisol release
D) decrease in release of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)
Naturally acquired passive immunity can result from the _____.
A) injection of vaccine
B) ingestion of interferon
C) placental transfer of antibodies
D) absorption of pathogens through mucous membranes
In onions (Allium), cells of the sporophyte have 16 chromosomes within each nucleus.
Match the number of chromosomes present in each of the following onion tissues.
How many chromosomes should be in an embryo sac nucleus?
A) 8
B) 16
C) 24
D) 32
Lymph hearts are pumping structures that drive lymph through the lymphatic system,
returning it to the circulatory system at the large veins entering the heart. Researchers
examined rate and strength of pumping of lymph hearts in two species of amphibians, a
toad (Bufo marinus) and a frog (Rana catesbiana). During hemorrhage or dehydration,
the volume of blood in the circulatory system falls. (E. A. DeGrauw and S. S. Hillman.
2004. General function and endocrine control of the posterior lymph hearts in Bufo
marinus and Rana catesbiana. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 77(4):594-600.)
Refer to the paragraph on lymph hearts. What effect would increasing lymph heart
pressure have first?
A) Blood volume would increase.
B) Blood volume would decrease.
C) Hemorrhage would increase.
D) Hemorrhage would decrease.