Formation of menisci, such as occurs in a tube filled with water, is an important factor
in plant water movement. A meniscus is created by _____.
A) the upward pull of gravity on the water column in the tube
B) downward pressure from the atmosphere on the topmost layer of water molecules
C) the water molecules being pulled upward by adhesion to the air
D) the topmost layer of water molecules being pulled downward by the hydrogen bonds
to the water molecules below
In plant cells, the middle lamella _____.
A) allows adjacent cells to adhere to one another
B) prevents dehydration of adjacent cells
C) maintains the plant’s circulatory system
D) allows for gas and nutrient exchange among adjacent cells
Myelinated neurons are especially abundant in the _____.
A) gray matter of the brain and the white matter of the spinal cord
B) white matter of the brain and the gray matter of the spinal cord
C) gray matter of the brain and the gray matter of the spinal cord
D) white matter in the brain and the white matter in the spinal cord
Mendel’s observation of the segregation of alleles in gamete formation has its basis in
which of the following phases of cell division?
A) prophase I of meiosis
B) anaphase II of meiosis
C) metaphase II of meiosis
D) anaphase I of meiosis
The ability of some viruses to remain inactive (latent) for a period of time is
exemplified by _____.
A) influenza, a particular strain of which returns every 10-20 years
B) herpes simplex viruses (oral or genital) whose reproduction is triggered by
physiological or emotional stress in the host
C) Kaposi’s sarcoma, which causes a skin cancer in people with AIDS but rarely in
those not infected by HIV
D) the virus that causes a form of the common cold, which recurs in patients many
times in their lives
How has the avian lung adapted to the metabolic demands of flight?
A) Airflow through the avian lung is bidirectional like in mammals.
B) There is more dead space within the avian lung so that oxygen can be stored for
future use.
C) Countercurrent circulation is present in the avian lung.
D) Gas exchange occurs during both inhalation and exhalation.
In a single molecule of water, two hydrogen atoms are bonded to a single oxygen atom
by _____.
A) hydrogen bonds
B) nonpolar covalent bonds
C) polar covalent bonds
D) ionic bonds
Blood is pumped at high pressures in arteries from the heart to ensure that all parts of
the body receive adequate blood flow. Capillary beds, however, would hemorrhage
under direct arterial pressures. How does the design of the circulatory network
contribute to reducing blood pressure to avoid this scenario?
A) Blood flow through the capillaries is essentially frictionless, and this reduces the
amount of pressure on their walls.
B) The total cross-sectional diameter of the arterial circulation increases with
progression from artery to arteriole to capillary, leading to a reduced blood pressure.
C) Fluid loss from the arteries is high enough that pressure drops off significantly by
the time blood reaches the capillaries.
D) Capillary beds have the thickest walls of any blood vessel to resist these high
pressures.
Steroids are considered to be lipids because they _____.
A) are essential components of cell membranes
B) are not soluble in water
C) are made of fatty acids
D) contribute to atherosclerosis
Which of the following sex and generation combinations directly produces the fruit of
angiosperms?
A) male gametophyte
B) female gametophyte
C) male sporophyte
D) female sporophyte
The figure above shows the structures of glucose and fructose. These two molecules
differ in the _____.
A) number of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms
B) types of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms
C) arrangement of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms
D) number of oxygen atoms joined to carbon atoms by double covalent bonds
For a plant to initiate chemical responses to herbivory, before it is directly affected by
herbivores,_____.
A) a plant must have already flowered at least once
B) volatile ‘signal” compounds must be perceived
C) gene-for-gene intraspecific recognition must occur
D) phytoalexins must be released
Which of the following organisms is INCORRECTLY paired with its trophic level?
A) cyanobacterium primary producer
B) grasshopper primary consumer
C) zooplankton primary producer
D) fungus detritivore
Some researchers claim that sponge genomes have homeotic genes, but no Hox genes.
If true, this finding would _____.
A) mean that sponges must no longer be classified as animals
B) confirm the identity of sponges as “basal animals”
C) mean that extinct sponges must have been the last common ancestor of animals and
fungi
D) require sponges to be reclassified as choanoflagellates
You disrupt all hydrogen bonds in a protein. What level of structure will be preserved?
A) primary structure
B) secondary structure
C) tertiary structure
D) quaternary structure
Rank the following in order from most general to most specific:
1. gametic isolation
2. reproductive isolating mechanism
3. sperm-egg incompatibility in sea urchins
4. prezygotic isolating mechanism
A) 2, 3, 1, 4
B) 2, 4, 1, 3
C) 4, 1, 2, 3
D) 4, 2, 1, 3
For a protein to be an integral membrane protein, it would have to be _____.
A) hydrophilic
B) hydrophobic
C) amphipathic, with at least one hydrophobic region
D) exposed on only one surface of the membrane
Of the following ecosystem types, which have been impacted the most by humans?
A) wetland and riparian
B) desert and high alpine
C) taiga and second-growth forests
D) tundra and arctic
The chemical reaction illustrated in the accompanying figure _____.
A) is a hydrolysis reaction
B) results in a peptide bond
C) joins two fatty acids together
D) links two polymers to form a monomer
Wernicke’s area _____.
A) is active when speech is heard and comprehended
B) is active during the generation of speech
C) coordinates the response to olfactory sensation
D) is found on the left side of the brain
A fish species known for its success in the aphotic zone may have which of the
following characteristics?
I) symbioses with photosynthetic organisms
II) highly developed chemoreception
III) adaptations for burrowing
IV) adaptations for sit-and-wait predation
A) only I and III
B) only I, II, and IV
C) only II, III, and IV
D) only I, II, and III
Many identical copies of genes cloned in bacteria are produced as a result of _____.
A) plasmid replication
B) bacterial cell replication
C) transformation
D) plasmid and bacterial cell replication
Which of the following occurs in prokaryotes but not in eukaryotes?
A) post-transcriptional splicing
B) concurrent transcription and translation
C) translation in the absence of a ribosome
D) gene regulation
The Brazil nut tree, Bertholletia excels (n = 17), is native to tropical rain forests of
South America. It is a hardwood tree that can grow to over 50 meters tall, is a source of
high-quality lumber, and is a favorite nesting site for harpy eagles. As the rainy season
ends, tough-walled fruits, each containing 8-25 seeds (Brazil nuts), fall to the forest
floor. Brazil nuts are composed primarily of endosperm. About $50 million worth of
nuts are harvested each year. Scientists have discovered that the pale yellow flowers of
Brazil nut trees cannot fertilize themselves and admit only female orchid bees as
pollinators. The agouti (Dasyprocta spp.), a cat-sized rodent, is the only animal with
teeth strong enough to crack the hard wall of Brazil nut fruits. It typically eats some of
the seeds, buries others, and leaves still others inside the fruit, which moisture can now
enter. The uneaten seeds may subsequently germinate.
Orchid bees are to Brazil nut trees as ________ are to pine trees.
A) breezes
B) rain droplets
C) seed-eating birds
D) squirrels
Which of the following features of how seedless land plants get sperm to egg are the
same as for some of their algal ancestors?
A) Conjugation tubes are formed between sperm and egg cells.
B) Packets of sperm are delivered by wind to the eggs.
C) Aquatic invertebrates carry sperm to eggs.
D) Flagellated sperm swim to the eggs in a water drop.
The detector of light during de-etiolation (greening) of a tomato plant is (are)_____.
A) carotenoids
B) xanthophylls
C) phytochrome
D) auxin
Looking at the figure above, what is contributing significantly to stabilizing population
size over time?
I) no migration
II) low migration
III) high migration
A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only II and III
Which of the following can be duplicated in a genome?
A) only DNA sequences
B) only entire sets of chromosomes
C) only entire chromosomes
D) DNA sequences, chromosomes, or sets of chromosomes
Which of the following events would be predicted by the Bohr shift effect as the
amount of carbon dioxide released from your tissues into the blood capillaries
increases? The amount of oxygen in _____.
A) arterial blood would increase
B) arterial blood would decrease
C) venous blood would increase
D) venous blood would decrease
In a healthy person, after a large meal, the production of _____ will increase. After
fasting, the production of _____ will increase.
A) trypsin; trypsinogen
B) glucagon; glucose
C) glucagon; pepsinogen
D) insulin; glucagon
The sea slug Pteraeolidia ianthina (P. ianthina) can harbor living dinoflagellates
(photosynthetic protists) in its skin. These endosymbiotic dinoflagellates reproduce
quickly enough to maintain their populations. Low populations do not affect the sea
slugs very much, but high populations (> 5 x 105 cells/mg of sea slug protein) can
promote sea slug survival.
Percent of sea slug respiratory carbon demand provided by indwelling dinoflagellates.
The sea slug Elysia chorotica has no nematocysts or dinoflagellates but, rather, has
“naked” chloroplasts in its skin. The chloroplasts are all that remain of the seaweed
(Vaucheria sp.) that Elysia feeds upon. The chloroplasts are transferred to the skin;
consequently, this slug is green. It spends most of its time basking in shallow water on
the surface of seaweeds. How should we expect its chloroplasts to benefit the Elysia sea
slug?
1. provide Elysia with fixed carbon dioxide
2. provide Elysia with fixed nitrogen
3. provide Elysia with protective coloration
A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 3 only
D) 1 and 3
What do all deuterostomes have in common?
A) Adults are bilaterally symmetrical.
B) Embryos have pharyngeal pouches that may or may not form gill slits.
C) All have a spinal column.
D) The pore (blastopore) formed during gastrulation becomes the anus.
Displays of nocturnal mammals are usually _____.
A) visual and auditory
B) tactile and visual
C) olfactory and auditory
D) visual and olfactory