Use the following information to answer the question(s) below.
For several decades now, amphibian species worldwide have been in decline. A
significant proportion of the decline seems to be due to the spread of the chytrid fungus,
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Chytrid sporangia reside within the epidermal
cells of infected animals, animals that consequently show areas of sloughed skin. They
can also be lethargic, which is expressed through failure to hide and failure to flee. The
infection cycle typically takes four to five days, at the end of which zoospores are
released from sporangia into the environment. In some amphibian species, mortality
rates approach 100%; other species seem able to survive the infection.
Sexual reproduction has not been observed in Bd. If its morphology and genetics did
not identify it as a chytridiomycete, then to which fungal group would Bd be assigned?
A) zygomycetes
B) glomeromycetes
C) basidiomycetes
D) deuteromycetes
Five dialysis bags constructed of membrane, which is permeable to water and
impermeable to sucrose, were filled with various concentrations of sucrose and then
placed in separate beakers containing an initial concentration of 0.6 M sucrose solution.
At 10-minute intervals, the bags were massed (weighed) and the percent change in mass
of each bag was graphed.
Which line in the graph represents the bag with the highest initial concentration of
sucrose?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
The pedigree in the figure above shows the transmission of a trait in a particular family.
Based on this pattern of transmission, the trait is most likely _____.
A) mitochondrial
B) sex-linked dominant
C) sex-linked recessive
D) autosomal dominant
At the time of fertilization, the maturation of the human oogonium has resulted in
_____.
A) one secondary oocyte
B) two primary oocytes
C) four secondary oocytes
D) four zygotes
If you found a vertebrate skull in the woods and the teeth were sharp and scissor-like,
what type of food would you expect this animal to eat?
A) grass
B) flesh of another animal
C) nectar
D) blood
The questions below refer to the following evolutionary tree, in which the horizontal
axis represents time (present time is on the far right) and the vertical axis represents
morphological change.
Which conclusion can be drawn from this evolutionary tree?
A) A single clade (that is, a group of species that share a common ancestor) can include
species that formed by gradualism and other species that formed by punctuated
equilibrium.
B) A single clade (that is, a group of species that share a common ancestor) will either
include species that formed by gradualism or species that formed by punctuated
equilibrium.
C) Assuming that the tip of each line represents a species, there are five extant (that is,
not extinct) species resulting from the earliest common ancestor.
D) Species X and Z best represent species that evolved by punctuated equilibrium.
You are maintaining a small population of fruit flies in the laboratory by transferring the
flies to a new culture bottle after each generation. After several generations, you notice
that the viability of the flies has decreased greatly. Recognizing that small population
size is likely to be linked to decreased viability, the best way to reverse this trend is to
_____.
A) cross your flies with flies from another lab
B) reduce the number of flies that you transfer at each generation
C) transfer only the largest flies
D) change the temperature at which you rear the flies
A cell with a predominance of free ribosomes is most likely _____.
A) primarily producing proteins for secretion
B) primarily producing proteins in the cytosol
C) constructing an extensive cell wall or extracellular matrix
D) enlarging its vacuole
A DNA microarray is a tool that owes its existence to earlier genomics investigations.
What essential contribution of genomics makes microarrays possible?
A) recently improved RNA sequencing technologies
B) continuously improving methods of gene cloning
C) more efficient techniques for cDNA synthesis
D) knowledge of which DNA sequences to synthesize for the array
You have just sequenced a new protein found in mice and observe that sulfur-containing
cysteine residues occur at regular intervals. What is the significance of this finding?
A) Cysteine residues are required for the formation of α-helices and β-pleated sheets.
B) It will be important to include cysteine in the diet of the mice.
C) Cysteine residues are involved in disulfide bridges that help form tertiary structure.
D) Cysteine causes bends, or angles, to occur in the tertiary structure of proteins.
Imagine that a deep temperate zone lake did not turn over during the spring and fall
seasons. Based on the physical and biological properties of limnetic ecosystems, what
would be the difference from normal seasonal turnover?
A) The lake would fail to freeze over in winter.
B) An algal bloom of algae would result every spring.
C) Lakes would suffer a nutrient depletion in surface layers.
D) The pH of the lake would become increasingly alkaline.
RNAi methodology uses double-stranded pieces of RNA to trigger breakdown of a
specific mRNA or inhibit its translation. For which of the following might this
technique be useful?
A) to decrease the production from a harmful mutated gene
B) to destroy an unwanted allele in a homozygous individual
C) to form a knockout organism that will not pass the deleted sequence to its progeny
D) to raise the concentration of a desired protein
A species that has a normal resting systolic blood pressure of greater than 260 mm Hg
is likely to be _____.
A) an animal that is small and compact, without the need to pump blood very far from
the heart
B) a species that has very wide diameter veins
C) an animal that has a very long distance between its heart and its brain
D) an animal that makes frequent, quick motions
Exercise and emergency reactions include _____.
A) increased activity in all parts of the peripheral nervous system
B) increased activity in the sympathetic, and decreased activity in the parasympathetic
divisions
C) decreased activity in the sympathetic, and increased activity in the parasympathetic
divisions
D) increased activity in the enteric nervous system
The following questions are based on the accompanying figure.
In the figure, the dots in the space between the two structures represent which of the
following?
A) receptor molecules
B) signal transducers
C) neurotransmitters
D) hormones
A gardener is concerned that her greenhouse is getting too hot from too much light and
seeks to shade her plants with colored translucent plastic sheets, the color of which
allows passage of only that wavelength. What color should she use to reduce overall
light energy but still maximize plant growth?
A) green
B) blue
C) orange
D) Any color will work equally well.
Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors cause less movement of carbonic acid toward carbon
dioxide production and are used as a prophylactic treatment of altitude sickness.
Altitude sickness occurs when a hiker ascends to altitudes where the density of oxygen
is low. How does this decrease the symptoms of high altitude sickness?
A) The excess hydrogen ions are excreted in the urine and the resulting loss of acidity
increases respiration rate.
B) The excess bicarbonate ions are excreted in the urine and the resulting loss of blood
pressure increases respiration rate.
C) The excess bicarbonate ions are excreted in the urine and the resulting increase in
blood acidity leads to an increase in ventilation.
D) The excess bicarbonate ions in the blood increase the affinity of hemoglobin for
oxygen.
Liverworts, hornworts, and mosses are grouped together as the Bryophytes. Besides not
having vascular tissue, what do they all have in common?
A) They are all wind pollinated.
B) They are heterosporous.
C) They can reproduce asexually by producing gemmae.
D) They require water for reproduction.
What is typically the result of double fertilization in angiosperms?
A) The endosperm develops into a diploid nutrient tissue.
B) A triploid zygote is formed.
C) Both a diploid embryo and triploid endosperm are formed.
D) Two embryos develop in every seed.
Which of the following examples would most accurately measure the density of the
population being studied?
A) counting the number of times a one-kilometer transect is intersected by tracks of red
squirrels after a snowfall
B) counting the number of coyote droppings per hectare
C) counting the number of moss plants in one-square-meter quadrants
D) counting the number of zebras from airplane census observations.
If the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus experiences a cost for maintaining one or more
antibiotic-resistance genes, what would happen in environments that lack antibiotics?
A) These genes would be maintained in case the antibiotics appear.
B) These bacteria would be outcompeted and replaced by bacteria that have lost these
genes.
C) These bacteria would try to make the cost worthwhile by locating and migrating to
microenvironments where traces of antibiotics are present.
D) The number of genes conveying antibiotic resistance would increase in these
bacteria.
Which of these might have been observed in the common ancestor of chondrichthyans
and osteichthyans?
A) a mineralized, bony skeleton
B) opercula
C) a spiral valve intestine
D) a swim bladder
The following experiment is used for the corresponding question(s).
A researcher discovered a species of moth that lays its eggs on oak trees. Eggs are laid
at two distinct times of the year: early in spring when the oak trees are flowering and in
midsummer when flowering is past. Caterpillars from eggs that hatch in spring feed on
oak flowers and look like oak flowers. But caterpillars that hatch in summer feed on
oak leaves and look like oak twigs.
How does the same population of moths produce such different-looking caterpillars on
the same trees? To answer this question, the biologist caught many female moths from
the same population and collected their eggs. He put at least one egg from each female
into eight identical cups. The eggs hatched, and at least two larvae from each female
were maintained in one of the four temperature and light conditions listed below.
In each of the four environments, one of the caterpillars was fed oak flowers, the other
oak leaves. Thus, there were a total of eight treatment groups (4 environments 2 diets).
Refer to the accompanying figure. Which one of the following is NOT a plausible
hypothesis to explain the differences in caterpillar appearance observed in this
population?
A) The longer day lengths of summer trigger the development of twig-like caterpillars.
B) The cooler temperatures of spring trigger the development of flowerlike caterpillars.
C) Differences in air pressure, due to differences in elevation, trigger the development
of different types of caterpillars.
D) Differences in diet trigger the development of different types of caterpillars.
What type of signal is fast and requires daylight with no obstructions?
A) olfactory
B) visual
C) auditory
D) tactile
A localized group of organisms that belong to the same species is called a _____.
A) community
B) population
C) ecosystem
D) family
Refer to the life cycles illustrated in the figure below to answer the following
question(s).
Which of the life cycles is typical for animals?
A) I only
B) II only
C) III only
D) I and III
Soil leaching can cause nutrient deficiencies in the soil. Which of the following are
symptoms of nutrient deficiency in plants?
I) chlorosis
II) death of meristems
III) excess storage of chlorophyll
IV) small internodes
A) I, II, and III
B) II, III, and IV
C) I, II, and IV
D) I, II, III, and IV
Thylakoids, DNA, and ribosomes are all components found in _____.
A) chloroplasts
B) mitochondria
C) lysosomes
D) nuclei
Use the following diagram of a hypothetical food web to answer the question(s) below.
The arrows represent the transfer of energy between the various trophic levels.
Which letter represents an organism that could be a producer?
A) A
B) B
C) D
D) E
Which of the following is true when comparing an uncatalyzed reaction to the same
reaction with a catalyst?
A) The catalyzed reaction will be slower.
B) The catalyzed reaction will have the same ∆G.
C) The catalyzed reaction will have higher activation energy.
D) The catalyzed reaction will consume all of the catalyst.
Which sensory distinction is NOT encoded by a difference in neuron identity?
A) red and green
B) loud and faint
C) salty and sweet
D) spicy and cool