As electrons are passed through the system of electron carriers associated with
photosystem II, they lose energy. What happens to this energy?
A) It excites electrons of the reaction center of photosystem I.
B) It is lost as heat.
C) It is used to establish and maintain a proton gradient.
D) It is used to phosphorylate NAD+ to NADPH, the molecule that accepts electrons
from photosystem I.
A possible sequence of nucleotides in the template strand of DNA that would code for
the polypeptide sequence phe-leu-ile-val would be _____.
A) TTG-CTA-CAG-TAG
B) AUG-CTG-CAG-TAT
C) AAA-AAT-ATA-ACA
D) AAA-GAA-TAA-CAA
Although many chimpanzees live in environments containing oil palm nuts, members
of only a few populations use stones to crack open the nuts. The likely explanation is
that _____.
A) the behavioral difference is caused by genetic differences between populations
B) members of different populations have different nutritional requirements
C) the cultural tradition of using stones to crack nuts has arisen in only some
populations
D) members of different populations differ in learning ability
Immature seed cones of conifers are usually green before pollination, and flowers of
grasses are inconspicuously colored. What does this indicate about their pollination?
A) They self-fertilize and do not need pollen carried from one plant to another.
B) Their pollinating insects are color blind.
C) They are wind pollinated.
D) They probably attract pollinators using strong fragrances.
A female fly, full of fertilized eggs, is swept by high winds to an island far out to sea.
She is the first fly to arrive on this island and the only fly to arrive in this way.
Thousands of years later, her numerous offspring occupy the island, but none of them
resembles her. There are, instead, several species, each of which eats only a certain type
of food. None of the species can fly and their balancing organs (halteres) are now used
in courtship displays. The male members of each species bear modified halteres that are
unique in appearance to their species. Females bear vestigial halteres. The ranges of all
of the daughter species overlap.
According to the concept of punctuated equilibrium, the ‘sudden” appearance of a new
species in the fossil record means that _____.
A) the species is now extinct
B) speciation occurred in one generation
C) speciation occurred rapidly in geologic time
D) the species will consequently have a relatively short existence, compared with other
species
In cattle, roan coat color (mixed red and white hairs) occurs in the heterozygous (Rr)
offspring of red (RR) and white (rr) homozygotes. Which of the following crosses
would produce offspring in the ratio of 1 red:2 roan:1 white?
A) red x white
B) roan x roan
C) white x roan
D) red x roan
Imagine that you compare two DNA sequences found in the same location on
homologous chromosomes. On one of the homologs, the sequence is AACTACGA. On
the other homolog, the sequence is AACTTCGA. Within a population, you discover
that each of these sequences is common. These sequences _____.
A) contain an SNP that may be useful for genetic mapping
B) identify a protein-coding region of a gene
C) cause disease
D) do none of the listed actions
Opening all of the sodium channels on an otherwise typical neuron, with all other ion
channels closed (which is an admittedly artificial setting), should move its membrane
potential to _____.
A) -90 mV
B) 0 mV
C) +30 mV
D) +62 mV
Which of the following molecules is the pentose sugar found in RNA?
A) 1
B) 6
C) 12
D) 13
Which of the following examples describes a behavioral pattern that results from a
proximate cause?
A) A cat kills a mouse to obtain nutrition.
B) A male sheep fights with another male because it helps to improve its social position.
C) A female bird lays its eggs because the amount of daylight is decreasing slightly
each day.
D) A goose squats and freezes motionless to escape a predator.
B cells interacting with helper T cells are stimulated to differentiate when _____.
A) B cells produce IgE antibodies
B) B cells release cytokines
C) cytotoxic T cells present the class II MHC molecule-antigen complex on their
surface
D) helper T cells release cytokines
In marine sponges, intracellular digestion of peptides is usually immediately preceded
by _____.
A) hydrolysis
B) phagocytosis
C) absorption
D) secretion
The metabolic breakdown of specialized brown fat depots in certain animals is
substantially increased during _____.
A) acclimatization
B) torpor
C) nonshivering thermogenesis
D) shivering thermogenesis
Within a double-stranded DNA molecule, adenine forms hydrogen bonds with thymine
and cytosine forms hydrogen bonds with guanine. This arrangement _____.
A) allows variable width of the double helix
B) permits complementary base pairing
C) determines the tertiary structure of a DNA molecule
D) determines the type of protein produced
Which of the following is the most important assumption for the mark-recapture
method to estimate the size of wildlife populations?
A) More individuals emigrate from, as opposed to immigrate into, a population.
B) Over 50% of the marked individuals need to be trapped during the recapture phase.
C) There is a 50:50 ratio of males to females in the population before and after trapping
and recapture.
D) Marked individuals have the same probability of being recaptured as unmarked
individuals during the recapture phase.
Some animals have no gills when young, but then develop gills that grow larger as the
animal grows larger. What is the reason for this increase in gill size?
A) The young of these animals are much more active than the adult, which leads to a
higher BMR (basal metabolic rate) and, therefore, a higher need for oxygen.
B) Relative to their volume, the young have more surface area across which they can
transport all the oxygen they need.
C) The young have a higher basal metabolic rate.
D) Relative to their surface area, the young have more body volume in which they can
store oxygen for long periods of time.
Which of the following is most true of sexual reproduction?
A) Only half of the offspring from sexually reproducing females are also females.
B) Asexual reproduction produces offspring of greater genetic variety.
C) Sexual reproduction is completed more rapidly than asexual reproduction.
D) Asexual reproduction is better suited to environments with extremely varying
conditions.
Unikonta is a supergroup that includes all of the following except _____.
A) fungi
B) protists
C) animals
D) plants
Which of the following terms includes all of the others?
A) species diversity
B) biodiversity
C) genetic diversity
D) ecosystem diversity
How do altruistic behaviors arise through natural selection?
A) By his/her actions, the altruist increases the likelihood that some of its genes will be
passed on to the next generation.
B) The altruist is appreciated by other members of the population because its
survivability has been enhanced by virtue of its risky behavior.
C) Animals that perform altruistic acts are allowed by their population to breed more,
thereby passing on their behavior genes to future generations.
D) Altruistic behaviors lower stress in populations, which increases the survivability of
all the members of the population.
The driving force that pushes the root tip through the soil is primarily _____.
A) continuous cell division in the root cap at the tip of the root
B) continuous cell division just behind the root cap in the center of the apical meristem
C) elongation of cells behind the root apical meristem
D) continuous cell division of root cap cells
If the flow of energy in an arctic ecosystem goes through a simple food chain, perhaps
involving humans, starting from phytoplankton to zooplankton to fish to seals to polar
bears, then which of the following could be true?
A) Polar bears can provide more food for humans than seals can.
B) The total biomass of the fish is lower than that of the seals.
C) Seal populations are larger than fish populations.
D) Fish can potentially provide more food for humans than seal meat.
The osmoregulatory/excretory system of a freshwater flatworm is based on the
operation of _____.
A) protonephridia
B) metanephridia
C) Malpighian tubules
D) nephrons
A pregnant woman comes into the hospital past her due date. The doctor decides it is
time for the baby to be delivered. Before performing a cesarean section, the doctor
wants to try to induce labor. Which of the following would she most likely inject?
A) progesterone
B) luteinizing hormone (LH)
C) follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
D) oxytocin
Which of the groups above is a basic functional group that can accept H+ and become
positively charged?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
Many mammals have skins and mucous membranes that are sensitive to phenolic
secretions of plants like poison oak (Rhus). These secondary compounds are primarily
adaptations that _____.
A) favor pollination
B) foster seed dispersal
C) decrease competition
D) inhibit herbivory
Which of the following statements would be LEAST acceptable to most zoologists?
A) The first fossils resembling lancelets appeared in the fossil record around 530
million years ago.
B) Recent work in molecular systematics supports the hypothesis that lancelets are the
basal clade of chordates.
C) The extant lancelets are the immediate ancestors of the fishes.
D) Lancelets display the same method of swimming as do fishes.
Apoptosis involves all but which of the following?
A) fragmentation of the DNA
B) activation of cellular enzymes
C) lysis of the cell
D) digestion of cellular contents by scavenger cells
Self-propagation and refractory periods (states) are typical of _____.
A) action potentials
B) graded hyperpolarizations
C) excitatory postsynaptic potentials
D) threshold potentials
Which molecule shown above has a carbonyl functional group in the form of an
aldehyde?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
What adaptations should one expect of the seed coats of angiosperm species whose
seeds are dispersed by frugivorous (fruit-eating) animals, as opposed to angiosperm
species whose seeds are dispersed by other means?
1. The exterior of the seed coat should have barbs or hooks.
2. The seed coat should contain secondary compounds that irritate the lining of the
animal’s mouth.
3. The seed coat should be able to withstand low pHs.
4. The seed coat, upon its complete digestion, should provide vitamins or nutrients to
animals.
5. The seed coat should be resistant to the animals’ digestive enzymes.
A) 4 only
B) 1 and 2
C) 3 and 5
D) 3, 4, and 5