After eating a large meal, which nerves are most active in your digestive system?
I) parasympathetic nerves
II) somatic (motor) nerves
III) sympathetic nerves
A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only II and III
Which of the following is responsible for the differences in summer and winter
temperature stratification of deep temperate zone lakes?
A) Water is densest at 4C.
B) Oxygen is most abundant in deeper waters.
C) Winter ice sinks in the summer.
D) Stratification is caused by a thermocline.
What is the major structural difference between starch and glycogen?
A) the types of monosaccharide subunits in the molecules
B) the type of glycosidic linkages in the molecule
C) whether glucose is in the α or β form
D) the amount of branching that occurs in the molecule
Mendel’s second law of independent assortment has its basis in which of the following
events of meiosis I?
A) synapsis of homologous chromosomes
B) crossing over
C) alignment of tetrads at the equator
D) separation of cells at telophase
The following figure depicts the outline of a large fairy ring that has appeared overnight
in an open meadow, as viewed from above. The fairy ring represents the furthest
advance of this mycelium through the soil. Locations A-D are all 0.5 meters below the
soil surface.
If the fungus that produced the fairy ring can also produce arbuscules, then which of the
following is most likely to be buried at location “C”?
A) tree stump
B) deceased animal
C) fire pit
D) cement-capped well
Given a population that contains genetic variation, what is the correct sequence of the
following events under the influence of natural selection?
1. Well-adapted individuals leave more offspring than do poorly adapted individuals.
2. A change occurs in the environment.
3. Genetic frequencies within the population change.
4. Poorly adapted individuals have decreased survivorship.
A) 2 → 4 → 1 → 3
B) 4 → 2 → 1 → 3
C) 4 → 2 → 3 → 1
D) 2 → 4 → 3 → 1
Energy released by the electron transport chain is used to pump H+ into which location
in eukaryotic cells?
A) mitochondrial outer membrane
B) mitochondrial inner membrane
C) mitochondrial intermembrane space
D) mitochondrial matrix
The last common ancestor of all animals was probably a _____.
A) unicellular chytrid
B) multicellular algae
C) multicellular fungus
D) flagellated protist
What amino acid sequence will be generated, based on the following mRNA codon
sequence?
5′ AUG-UCU-UCG-UUA-UCC-UUG
A) met-arg-glu-arg-glu-arg
B) met-glu-arg-arg-glu-leu
C) met-ser-leu-ser-leu-ser
D) met-ser-ser-leu-ser-leu
In the experiment outlined in the figure above, what would you expect to happen if
researchers supplied an enzyme that blocked the expression of the Dll gene?
A) The embryo would have appendages in abnormal locations.
B) The origins of the embryo’s appendages would fluoresce.
C) The developing embryo would have no appendages.
D) The embryo’s appendages would be shorter than usual.
Carbon-12 is the most common isotope of carbon and has a mass number of 12.
However, the average atomic mass of carbon found on a periodic table is slightly more
than 12 daltons. Why?
A) The atomic mass does not include the mass of electrons.
B) Some carbon atoms in nature have an extra proton.
C) Some carbon atoms in nature have more neutrons.
D) Some carbon atoms in nature have a different valence electron distribution.
The primary difference between enhancers and promoter-proximal elements is that
enhancers _____.
A) are transcription factors; promoter-proximal elements are DNA sequences
B) enhance transcription; promoter-proximal elements inhibit transcription
C) are at considerable distances from the promoter; promoter-proximal elements are
close to the promoter
D) are DNA sequences; promoter-proximal elements are proteins
A drug designed to inhibit the response of cells to testosterone would most likely result
in _____.
A) lower cytoplasmic levels of cAMP
B) a decrease in transcriptional activity of certain genes
C) an increase in cytosolic calcium concentration
D) a decrease in G protein activity
Sweating allows a person to lose heat through the process of _____.
A) conduction
B) convection
C) radiation
D) evaporation
Which of the following arise, directly or indirectly, from meristematic activity?
A) secondary xylem
B) leaves
C) dermal tissue
D) secondary xylem, leaves, dermal tissue, and tubers
During a stressful interval, _____.
A) thyroid-stimulating hormaon (TSH) stimulates the adrenal cortex and medulla to
secrete acetylcholine
B) the alpha cells of islets secrete insulin and simultaneously the beta cells of the islets
secrete glucagon
C) adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulates the adrenal cortex, and neurons of
the sympathetic nervous system stimulate the adrenal medulla
D) the calcium levels in the blood are increased due to actions of two antagonistic
hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine
Totipotency is a term used to describe a cell’s ability to give rise to a complete new
organism. In plants, this means that _____.
A) plant development is not under genetic control
B) the cells of shoots and the cells of roots have different genes
C) cell differentiation depends largely on the control of gene expression
D) a cell’s environment has no effect on its differentiation
Acid precipitation lowered the pH of soil in a terrestrial ecosystem that supported a
diverse community of plants and animals. The decrease in pH eliminated all
nitrogenfixing bacteria populations in the area. Which prediction most accurately
reflects the impact this will have on the community?
A) Since phosphorus can replace nitrogen as an essential nutrient, the impact will be
minimal.
B) Plants can obtain the nitrogen necessary for growth from the atmosphere, but
bacterial communities will be negatively impacted.
C) Primary producers will suffer from nitrogen deficiency and the entire community
will experience a decrease in carrying capacity.
D) The decrease in pH actually increases the availability of soil nutrients, so other
nutrients that were less available cause an increase in primary production and an
increase in biomass at other trophic levels.
Gaucher disease is the most common of lipid storage diseases in humans. It is
caused by a deficiency of an enzyme necessary for lipid metabolism. This leads to a
collection of fatty material in organs of the body including the spleen, liver, kidneys,
lungs, brain, and
bone marrow. Using your knowledge of the structure of eukaryotic cells, identify the
statement below that best explains how internal membranes and the organelles of cells
would be involved in Gaucher disease.
A) The mitochondria are most likely defective and do not produce adequate amounts
of ATP needed for cellular respiration.
B) The rough endoplasmic reticulum contains too many ribosomes which results in
an overproduction of the enzyme involved in carbohydrate catalysis.
C) The lysosomes lack sufficient amounts of enzymes necessary for the metabolism
of lipids.
D) The Golgi apparatus produces vesicles with faulty membranes that leak their
contents into the cytoplasm of the cell.
Which of the following is an example of cooperativity?
A) the binding of an end product of a metabolic pathway to the first enzyme that acts in
the pathway
B) one enzyme in a metabolic pathway passing its product to act as a substrate for the
next enzyme in the pathway
C) a molecule binding at one unit of a tetramer, allowing faster binding at each of the
other three
D) binding of an ATP molecule along with one of the substrate molecules in an active
site
The phenomenon in which RNA molecules in a cell are destroyed if they have a
sequence complementary to an introduced double-stranded RNA is called _____.
A) RNA interference
B) RNA obstruction
C) RNA blocking
D) RNA disposal
Suppose that the number of bird species is determined mainly by the number of vertical
strata found in the environment. If so, in which of the following biomes would you find
the greatest number of bird species?
A) tropical rain forest
B) savanna
C) temperate broadleaf forest
D) temperate grassland
While looking at a flower in your garden, you notice that it has carpels with very long
styles, and stamens with very short filaments. This plant is most likely to reproduce by
_____.
A) cross-pollination
B) selfing
C) asexual reproduction
What would probably happen if a long neuron had one continuous myelin sheath down
the length of the axon with no nodes of Ranvier?
A) The action potential would be propagated nearly instantaneously to the synapse.
B) There could be no action potential generated at the axon hillock.
C) The signal would fade because it is not renewed by the opening of more sodium
channels.
Imagine that you’ve isolated a yeast mutant that contains histones resistant to
acetylation. What phenotype do you predict for this mutant?
A) The mutant will grow rapidly.
B) The mutant will require galactose for growth.
C) The mutant will show low levels of gene expression.
D) The mutant will show high levels of gene expression.
Use the figure and the following description to answer the question(s) below.
In a particular plant, leaf color is controlled by gene locus D. Plants with at least one
allele D have dark green leaves, and plants with the homozygous recessive dd genotype
have light green leaves. A true-breeding, dark-leaved plant is crossed with a
light-leaved one, and the F1 offspring is allowed to self-pollinate. The predicted
outcome of the F2 is diagrammed in the Punnett square shown in the figure, where 1, 2,
3, and 4 represent the genotypes corresponding to each box within the square.
Which of the boxes marked 1-4 correspond to plants with a heterozygous genotype?
A) 1
B) 1, 2, and 3
C) 2 and 3
D) 2, 3, and 4
When climbing a mountain, we can observe transitions in biological communities that
are analogous to the changes _____.
A) in biomes at different latitudes
B) in a community through different seasons
C) in an ecosystem as it evolves over time
D) across the United States from east to west
In animals, what is the difference between reproductive cloning and therapeutic
cloning?
A) Reproductive cloning uses totipotent cells, whereas therapeutic cloning does not.
B) Reproductive cloning uses embryonic stem cells, whereas therapeutic cloning does
not.
C) Therapeutic cloning uses nuclei of adult cells transplanted into enucleated
nonfertilized eggs.
D) Therapeutic cloning supplies cells for repair of diseased or injured organs.
Which of the following is true of steroid receptors?
A) The receptor molecules are themselves lipids or glycolipids.
B) The receptor may be inside the nucleus of a target cell.
C) The unbound steroid receptors are quickly recycled by lysosomes.
D) Steroid receptors are typically bound to the external surface of the nuclear
membrane.
Thylakoids, DNA, and ribosomes are all components found in _____.
A) chloroplasts
B) mitochondria
C) lysosomes
D) nuclei
Snake behavior in Wisconsin changes throughout the year. For example, a snake is
_____.
A) less active in winter because the food supply is decreased
B) less active in winter because it does not need to avoid predators
C) more active in summer because that is the period for mating
D) more active in summer because it can gain body heat by conduction
A biologist doing a long-term study on a wild spider population observes increased
variation in silk thickness. Which of the following could the spider population be
experiencing?
A) directional selection
B) stabilizing selection
C) disruptive selection
D) genetic drift
Most cnidarians are known to produce toxins. In fact, it has been claimed that one
particular species produces the most deadly of all toxins on the planet. What feature of
this group most likely evolved simultaneously with the evolution of these toxins?
A) the medusa body form
B) asexual reproduction
C) a slow-moving or sessile lifestyle in the adult
D) diploblastic design
Which of the following is the most correct interpretation of the figure?
A) Energy from catabolism can be used directly for performing cellular work.
B) ADP + i are a set of molecules that store energy for catabolism.
C) ATP is a molecule that acts as an intermediary to store energy for cellular work.
D) i acts as a shuttle molecule to move energy from ATP to ADP.