Bone is composed of
A) living cells that secrete a surrounding matrix.
B) a hard composite of phosphate and sodium ions.
C) channels containing lymphoid tissue.
D) hardened cartilage.
Which of the following occurs when RNA polymerase attaches to the promoter DNA?
A) elongation of the growing RNA molecule
B) termination of the RNA molecule
C) initiation of a new RNA molecule
D) initiation of a new polypeptide chain
You’re conducting an experiment to determine the effect of different wavelengths of
light on the absorption of carbon dioxide as an indicator of the rate of photosynthesis in
aquatic ecosystems. If the rate of photosynthesis increases, the amount of carbon
dioxide in the environment will decrease, and vice versa.
Small aquatic plants are placed into three containers of water mixed with carbon
dioxide. Container A is placed under normal sunlight, B under green light, and C under
red light. The containers are observed for a 24-hour period.
Carbon dioxide absorption is an appropriate indicator of photosynthesis because
A) CO2 is needed to produce sugars in the Calvin cycle.
B) CO2 is needed to complete the light reactions.
C) plants produce oxygen gas by splitting CO2.
D) the energy in CO2 is used to produce ATP and NADPH.
The freshwater leech is an organism that feeds off of the blood of other organisms such
as frogs and turtles. Which of the following describes the relationship between
freshwater leeches and frogs or turtles?
A) herbivory
B) predation
C) mutualism
D) parasitism
If you examine the soil profile revealed by a fresh road cut through a grassy rise, which
of the following features will you probably find in the B horizon?
A) an abundance of worms and burrowing insects
B) an abundance of decomposing organic material
C) an abundance of fine clay but not much organic material
D) a predominance of slightly weathered rock and gravel
If an overlap develops between the ranges of two closely related species, and if the
species occupy the same niche in the zone of overlap, what will probably happen in the
zone of overlap?
A) A new species will arise by hybridization.
B) Both species will coexist, provided the environment in the zone of overlap is
different from that in either individual range.
C) Both species will coexist, provided the environment in the zone of overlap is similar
to that of one of the individual ranges.
D) One species will take over most or all of the zone of overlap.
In which structure will meiosis occur?
A) structure A
B) the petals of the flower
C) structure C
D) structure D
A friend accidentally sends an email to you that contains a computer virus from his
computer. Without knowing it, you infect your computer with the virus when you open
the email. This process of spreading the computer virus via email is most like which of
the following processes?
A) binary fission
B) conjugation
C) transduction
D) transformation
Which gland exerts primary control over the concentration of sugar in the blood?
A) liver
B) pineal
C) pancreas
D) parathyroid
Suppose that the bottom of an ocean floor is disrupted, and bits of algae along with
other bottom-dwelling microorganisms are scattered about into the ocean water. Which
organism would be able to take the best advantage of this temporary food source?
A) sponges
B) cnidarians
C) parasitic flatworms
D) soil-dwelling nematodes
Multicellular organisms evolved from three different ancestral lineages: alveolates,
unikonts, and archaeplastids. Of these, fungi and animals evolved from two different
lineages of ________, and land plants are ________.
A) alveolates; unikonts
B) alveolates; archaeplastids
C) unikonts; archaeplastids
D) archaeplastids; unikonts
The development of atherosclerotic disease can result from a diet high in
A) fiber.
B) protein.
C) saturated fats.
D) sugars.
Vertigo is a medical term used to describe feeling dizzy, as if everything is spinning. As
it can severely compromise an individual’s ability to walk or stand still properly, vertigo
most likely indicates a problem with the person’s
A) eardrum.
B) auditory canal.
C) pinna.
D) inner ear.
Which of the following characteristics tends to limit bryophytes and seedless vascular
plants to habitats that are relatively moist?
A) absence of cuticle
B) presence of flagellated sperm
C) presence of free-living, independent zygotes and early embryos
D) presence of lignified vascular tissues
When a crocodile eats a fish, the interspecific interaction between the two could be
expressed as ________ for the crocodile and ________ for the fish.
A) -; –
B) +; +
C) +; –
D) -; +
Which of the following vitamins is fat-soluble and, consequently, can be stored in body
fat?
A) biotin
B) pantothenic acid
C) niacin
D) K
The human lymphatic system consists of all of the following structures except the
A) thymus.
B) tonsils.
C) spleen.
D) pancreas.
Grass shoots bend toward the light because, on the shadowed side, a(n)
A) reduction in auxin levels promotes cell elongation.
B) reduction in auxin levels prevents cell elongation.
C) increase in auxin levels promotes cell elongation.
D) increase in auxin levels promotes cell division.
If the epithelium that lines the air sacs of your lungs were to gain a layer of cells, which
of the following would likely occur?
A) Oxygen will enter the lungs more quickly.
B) Oxygen will enter the lungs more slowly.
C) Secretion of mucus will increase.
D) Oxygen will enter at the same rate, because it is only the shape of the cells that
matter.
Global warming due to the greenhouse effect may be
A) moderated by photosynthesis, which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
B) made worse by photosynthesis, which adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
C) reduced by the burning of fossil fuels, which removes oxygen from the atmosphere.
D) of little concern, since it is part of the normal cycle for the planet.
In an attempt to determine the source of a growing plant’s mass, van Helmont planted a
willow seedling in a pot of soil. After five years, the willow weighed 76.8 kg, and the
soil had lost 0.06 kg of weight. Only water had been added to the pot. Which of the
following conclusions should van Helmont have drawn?
A) Plants get their mass from water.
B) Plants get their mass from water and air.
C) Plants get their mass from water and atmospheric CO2.
D) Plants get all or almost all of their mass from a source other than soil.
Which of the following statements regarding ferns is true?
A) Ferns do not have lignified cell walls or well-developed roots.
B) Ferns have well-developed vascular tissue, roots, and stems.
C) Ferns produce seeds that are dispersed by water.
D) Ferns produce pollen that is dispersed by air.
Assume that there are five alligators per acre in a swamp in northern Florida. This is a
measure of the alligator population’s
A) dispersion.
B) intrinsic rate of increase.
C) range.
D) density.
The adaptations of pronghorns
A) to open country could be a disadvantage in a densely forested environment.
B) include a reflective coat, an ability to find small pools of water, and chemical
defenses against most predators.
C) to the open plains and shrub deserts of North America have helped them spread to
nearly every continent.
D) demonstrate that meeting the demands of local environmental conditions helps
organisms extend their ranges to other types of environments.
What type of blood vessel is solely responsible for exchange between the blood and the
interstitial fluid?
A) artery
B) arteriole
C) capillary
D) venule
In mammals, which of the following vessels transports oxygenated blood from the lung
back to the heart?
A) pulmonary artery
B) pulmonary vein
C) vena cava
D) coronary artery
Which of the following statements about resting potential is true?
A) A resting membrane allows much more sodium than potassium to diffuse across it.
B) The concentration of sodium is much higher inside the cell than outside.
C) The resting potential exists because of differences in glucose concentration inside
and outside the cell.
D) The sodium-potassium pump contributes to the resting membrane potential.
A group of individuals of a single species that occupy the same general area defines a
A) population.
B) community.
C) subspecies.
D) clone.
Many flower traits are specifically attractive to a certain type of pollinator. For
example, the scent of rotting flesh is attractive to certain flies and beetles but not to
most other pollinators. What adaptive purpose is served by this kind of “niche
marketing” of flowers to specific pollinators?
A) This adaptation works to reduce pollinator traffic at a flower. Therefore, flowers do
not have to produce as much nectar to feed big crowds of pollinators.
B) This adaptation reduces pollinator traffic so that flowers have a chance to develop
their pollen fully before it is spread.
C) This targeting is done because the wrong kind of pollinator might eat all the pollen
instead of delivering it to another flower.
D) This adaptation helps to assure that pollen will be delivered to another flower of the
same species. If less specialized pollinators are used, the odds are greater that pollen
will wind up on the stigma of a different species.
Structural proteins
A) include receptor molecules.
B) include hemoglobin.
C) are found in hair and tendons.
D) include ovalbumin, a protein found in egg white.
In the figure above, if the leaf is like a solar panel receiving light energy and converting
it to another form of energy, structure A is like what part of the solar panel?
A) the clear covering that allows sunlight in where it can be converted to another type
of energy
B) the wires leading the transformed energy to the point of energy use or storage
C) the point of attachment of the solar panel to a rooftop
D) the cells in the panel that trap light energy
The symmetry of echinoderms generally includes
A) radially symmetrical larvae and adults.
B) bilaterally symmetrical larvae and adults.
C) bilaterally symmetrical larvae and radially symmetrical adults.
D) radially symmetrical larvae and bilaterally symmetrical adults.
About how much of the energy in the producers of an ecosystem will be available to
secondary consumers in this ecosystem?
A) 100%
B) about 50%
C) about 10%
D) about 1%
Which of the following describes apoptosis?
A) programmed cell death
B) gastrulation
C) phagocytosis
D) neural tube formation
The carcinogen known to cause the most cases and types of cancer is
A) X-rays.
B) ultraviolet light.
C) alcohol.
D) tobacco.