The following questions refer to the generalized life cycle for land plants shown in the
figure below. Each number within a circle or square represents a specific plant or plant
part, and each number over an arrow represents either meiosis, mitosis, or fertilization.
In the figure above, which number represents an embryo?
A) 1
B) 3
C) 7
D) 11
Arrange in the correct sequence these components of the mammalian immune system as
it first responds to a pathogen.
I) Pathogen is destroyed.
II) Lymphocytes secrete antibodies.
III) Antigenic determinants from pathogen bind to antigen receptors on lymphocytes.
IV) Lymphocytes specific to antigenic determinants from pathogen become numerous.
V) Only memory cells remain.
A) I → III → II → IV → V
B) II → I → IV → III → V
C) IV → II → III → I → V
D) III → IV → II → I → V
In close comparisons, external fertilization often yields more offspring than does
internal fertilization. However, internal fertilization typically offers the advantage that
_____.
A) it requires less time and energy to be devoted to reproduction
B) the smaller number of offspring produced often receive a greater amount of parental
investment
C) it permits the most rapid population increase
D) it requires expression of fewer genes and maximizes genetic stability
The figure above shows a diagram of blocks of genes on human chromosome 16 and
the locations of blocks of similar genes on four chromosomes of the mouse.
The movement of these blocks suggests that _____.
A) during evolutionary time, these sequences have separated and have returned to their
original positions
B) DNA sequences within these blocks have become increasingly divergent
C) sequences represented have duplicated at least three times
D) chromosomal translocations have moved blocks of sequences to other chromosomes
Which of the following is LEAST associated with the others?
A) horizontal gene transfer
B) conjugation
C) transformation
D) binary fission
Assume that acid rain has lowered the pH of a particular lake to pH 4.0. What is the
hydroxide ion concentration of this lake?
A) 1 x 10-10 mol of hydroxide ions per liter of lake water
B) 1 x 10-4 mol of hydroxide ions per liter of lake water
C) 4.0 M with regard to hydroxide ion concentration
D) 4.0 10-4 mol of hydroxide ions per liter of lake water
Which of the following is a protein produced by a regulatory gene?
A) operon
B) inducer
C) promoter
D) repressor
Which of the following graphs illustrates the population growth curve of single
bacterium growing in a flask of ideal medium at optimum temperature over a two-hour
period?
A)
B)
C)
D)
To act as an effective coolant in a car’s radiator, a substance has to have the capacity to
absorb a great deal of heat. You have a reference book with tables listing the physical
properties of many liquids. In choosing a coolant for your car, which table would you
check first?
A) pH
B) density at room temperature
C) heat of vaporization
D) specific heat
In the figure, when new viruses are being assembled at the point marked IV, what
mediates the assembly?
A) host cell chaperones
B) assembly proteins coded for by the host nucleus
C) assembly proteins coded for by the viral genes
D) nothing; they self-assemble
For the duration of meiosis I, each chromosome _____.
A) is paired with a homologous chromosome
B) consists of two sister chromatids joined by a centromere
C) consists of a single strand of DNA
D) is joined with its homologous pair to form a synaptonemal complex
The least amount of yolk would be found in the egg of a _____.
A) bird
B) frog
C) eutherian mammal
D) reptile
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.
Birds secrete uric acid as their nitrogenous waste because uric acid _____.
A) is readily soluble in water
B) is metabolically less expensive to synthesize than other excretory products
C) requires little water for nitrogenous waste disposal, thus reducing body mass
D) can be reused by birds as a protein source
Insect wings may have begun to evolve as lateral extensions of the body that were used
as heat dissipaters for thermoregulation. When they had become sufficiently large, these
extensions became useful for gliding through the air. Additional selection refined them
as flight-producing wings. If this hypothesis is correct, modern insect wings would be
an example of _____.
A) the loss of Hox genes in the evolution of new form
B) mutations
C) an exaptation
D) an adaptive radiation
What is the final result of mitosis in a human?
A) genetically identical 2n somatic cells
B) genetically different 2n somatic cells
C) genetically identical 1n somatic cells
D) genetically identical 2n gamete cells
Consider the following data: (a) Most ancient eukaryotes are unicellular. (b) All
eukaryotes alive today have a nucleus and cytoskeleton. (c) Most ancient eukaryotes
lack a cell wall. Which of the following conclusions could reasonably follow the data
presented? The first eukaryote may have been _____.
A) very similar to a plant cell
B) anaerobic
C) capable of phagocytosis
D) photosynthetic
In deep water, which of the following abiotic factors would most limit productivity?
A) temperature
B) light availability
C) solute concentration
Comparisons of DNA sequences within the human species have revealed many
variations. Which of the following variations involves duplication of relatively long
stretches of chromosomes, often including the duplication of protein-coding genes?
A) CNVs
B) SNPs
C) STRs
D) Transposable elements
Aspirin and ibuprofen both _____.
A) inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandins
B) inhibit the release of nitric oxide, a potent vasodilator
C) activate the paracrine signaling pathways that form blood clots
D) stimulate vasoconstriction in the kidneys
Which of these observations gives the most support to the endosymbiotic theory for the
origin of eukaryotic cells?
A) the existence of structural and molecular differences between the plasma membranes
of prokaryotes and the internal membranes of mitochondria and chloroplasts
B) the similarity in size between the cytosolic ribosomes of prokaryotes and the
ribosomes within mitochondria and chloroplasts
C) the size disparity between most prokaryotic cells and most eukaryotic cells
D) the observation that some eukaryotic cells lack mitochondria
Cytosine makes up 42% of the nucleotides in a sample of DNA from an organism.
Approximately what percentage of the nucleotides in this sample will be thymine?
A) 8%
B) 16%
C) 42%
D) 58%
You observe scrub jays hiding food and notice that one particular individual only
pretends to hide food. Your experiments associate the presence of other individuals with
the frequency of pretending to cache food. A colleague shows you animals of the same
species that do not perform this pretend caching. How does this information affect your
conclusions about this behavior?
A) It suggests that this behavior might be learned.
B) It prevents you from making conclusions.
C) It suggests that your experimental design is flawed.
D) It does not change your initial conclusions.
Preparation for the fight-or-flight response includes activation of the _____ nervous
system
A) sympathetic
B) somatic
C) central
D) parasympathetic
From its atomic number of 15, it is possible to predict that the phosphorus atom has
_____.
A) 5 neutrons, 5 protons, and 5 electrons
B) 15 neutrons and 15 protons
C) 8 electrons in its outermost electron shell
D) 15 protons and 15 electrons
You have a friend who lost 7 kg (about 15 pounds) of fat on a regimen of strict diet and
exercise. How did the fat leave his body?
A) It was released as CO2 and H2O.
B) It was converted to heat and then released.
C) It was converted to ATP, which weighs much less than fat.
D) It was converted to urine and eliminated from the body.
When the body’s blood glucose level rises, the pancreas secretes insulin and, as a result,
the blood glucose level declines. When the blood glucose level is low, the pancreas
secretes glucagon and, as a result, the blood glucose level rises. Such regulation of the
blood glucose level is the result of _____.
A) catalytic feedback
B) positive feedback
C) negative feedback
D) protein-protein interactions
A male stickleback fish will attack other male sticklebacks that invade its nesting
territory. It will only attack male fish, which display the red belly characteristic of the
species. Why has natural selection favored this behavior?
A) The behavior reduces interspecific competition, which gives the male stickleback
access to more food.
B) The behavior allows the male stickleback to attract females with its aggressive
display.
C) The behavior allows the male to establish a defined space for breeding with female
sticklebacks.
D) The behavior is a mechanism to reduce predation and resource competition.
Stanley Miller’s 1953 experiments supported the hypothesis that _____.
A) life on Earth arose from simple inorganic molecules
B) organic molecules can be synthesized abiotically under conditions that may have
existed on early Earth
C) life on Earth arose from simple organic molecules, with energy from lightning and
volcanoes
D) the conditions on early Earth were conducive to the origin of life
Examine the figure above, which notes the average barrels of oil used per person per
year in different countries. What can be concluded?
A) Residents in warmer climates use more energy per person.
B) Residents of industrialized countries use more energy per person.
C) Residents of more populated countries use more energy per person.
D) English-speaking countries tend to use more energy per person.