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Campbell Biology: Concepts and Connections, 8e (Reece et al.)
Chapter 24 The Immune System
24.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) The body’s innate defenses against infection include
A) several specific antibodies.
B) barriers such as dead skin cells and mucus.
C) increased production of certain hormones and changes in microcirculation.
D) memory cells.
2) Which of the following are found in the interstitial fluid and consume any bacteria and virus-
infected cells they encounter?
A) erythrocytes
B) leukocytes
C) macrophages
D) interferons
3) Natural killer cells
A) are phagocytes that attack and kill pathogenic microorganisms.
B) attack virus-infected cells by releasing chemicals that lead to cell death.
C) tag pathogenic microorganisms with antibodies.
D) “eat” microorganisms that have been tagged with antibodies.
4) Virus-infected cells produce ________, proteins that help neighboring cells fight further viral
infections.
A) lysozymes
B) interferons
C) histamines
D) interleukin-2
5) A researcher who detects a higher-than-normal amount of interferon in a laboratory rat would
correctly conclude that
A) the rat has, or recently had, a viral infection.
B) cancerous cells are present in the rat.
C) the rat’s diet is deficient in calcium.
D) monocytes are differentiating into macrophages in the rat’s bloodstream.
6) Some complement proteins
A) induce antibody formation by phagocytic cells.
B) help trigger the inflammatory response.
C) are released by natural killer cells to attack cancer and virus-infected cells.
D) replace T cells in the cell-mediated response.
7) Which of the following helps activate our nonspecific (innate) defense system?
A) active immunity
B) inflammation
C) passive immunity
D) mobilization of erythrocytes
8) When you cut yourself, the damaged cells immediately release chemical alarm signals, such as
A) interferon.
B) complement.
C) histamine.
D) antihistamine.
9) Which of the following is an immediate effect of histamine release?
A) dilation of local blood vessels
B) blocking of a response to ragweed pollen
C) conversion of histamine to histidine
D) increase in blood pressure
10) The main function of the inflammatory response is to
A) initiate the production of antibodies.
B) remove contaminating microorganisms and initiate repair of damaged tissues.
C) initiate T cell-mediated immune responses.
D) initiate the production of killer cells.
11) Bacterial infections can cause a serious, potentially fatal systemic inflammatory response
called
A) anaphylaxis.
B) pelvic inflammatory disease.
C) septic shock.
D) pneumonia.
12) The human lymphatic system consists of all of the following structures except the
A) thymus.
B) tonsils.
C) spleen.
D) pancreas.
13) The two main functions of the lymphatic system are
A) coagulating blood and fighting infections.
B) producing hormones that regulate the immune system and coagulating blood.
C) producing hormones that regulate the immune system and fighting infections.
D) returning tissue fluid to the circulatory system and fighting infections.
14) A molecule that can elicit an adaptive immune response is called
A) a complement.
B) an interferon.
C) an antibody.
D) an antigen.
15) Antibodies are
A) amino acids.
B) lipids.
C) carbohydrates.
D) proteins.
16) One kind of vaccine consists of
A) buffered antibodies.
B) B cells.
C) a harmless variant strain of a disease-causing microbe.
D) antibiotics.
17) Which of the following diseases cannot currently be prevented by vaccination?
A) AIDS
B) polio
C) measles
D) tetanus
18) The transfer of antibodies in breast milk to an infant is an example of ________ immunity.
A) nonspecific
B) passive
C) humoral
D) active
19) Upon which of the following is passive immunity dependent?
A) a person’s own immune system producing antibodies
B) antibodies made by another organism
C) antibody-producing cells from another organism
D) antigens from a person’s own body
20) Which of the following cell types is responsible for the humoral immune response?
A) B cells
B) neutrophils
C) natural killer cells
D) macrophages
21) Which of the following statements about the humoral immune response is true?
A) The humoral immune response defends against bacteria and viruses by activating T cells.
B) The humoral immune response defends primarily against bacteria and viruses present in body
fluids.
C) The humoral immune response plays a major role in protecting the body from cancerous cells.
D) The humoral immune response is the result of macrophages producing antibodies.
22) Which of the following cell types is responsible for the cell-mediated immune response?
A) T cells
B) B cells
C) leukocytes
D) red blood cells
23) The adaptive immune system is capable of mounting specific responses to particular
microorganisms because
A) lymphocytes are able to change their antigen specificity as required to fight infection.
B) stem cells determine which type of B and T cells to make.
C) the body contains an enormous diversity of lymphocytes, each with the ability to respond to a
different antigen.
D) stem cells make different antigen receptors depending on the invading microorganism.
24) Which of the following statements regarding antigens and antibodies is false?
A) An antibody usually recognizes and binds to an antigenic determinant.
B) A single antigen may stimulate the immune system to make several distinct antibodies to it.
C) Most antigens are proteins or large polysaccharides on the surfaces of viruses or foreign cells.
D) Each antibody has only one antigen-binding site.
25) A primary immune response is
A) the immune response elicited by the primary antigen of a disease-causing microorganism.
B) the immune response elicited by the primary antibodies of a disease-causing microorganism.
C) the immune response elicited by the first exposure of lymphocytes to a particular antigen.
D) the immune response elicited by the first exposure of memory cells to a particular antigen.
26) Clonal selection
A) determines the pool of mature leukocytes that will be stimulated by macrophages.
B) requires the activation of natural killer cells.
C) describes the proliferation of B and T lymphocytes after they have been activated by an
antigen.
D) requires the presence and activation of complement.
27) When a B cell first interacts with its particular antigen, the B cell
A) dies after destroying the antigen.
B) engulfs the antigen and digests it.
C) differentiates and develops into a clone of antibody-producing effector cells.
D) alters the chemical configuration of the antigen.
28) Which of the following choices best describes a plasma cell?
A) It is a differentiated T cell.
B) It is a differentiated B cell.
C) It responds to an antigen and differentiates into a B cell.
D) It is produced during a primary immune response, persists, and multiplies in response to a
reappearance of the antigen.
29) The secondary immune response occurs when memory cells are activated by a second
exposure to
A) hormones.
B) antibodies.
C) antigens.
D) plasma cells.
30) Which of the following distinguishes the secondary immune response from the primary
immune response?
A) The primary response is specific; the secondary one is not.
B) The secondary response is faster and stronger.
C) The primary response involves B cells; the secondary one involves T cells.
D) The secondary response allows additional antigens to be recognized faster.
31) While hiking, you must push aside thick branches that are near your face. One of them rips
the skin on your arm and you begin to bleed from the cut. Which of the following plays an
important role in initially protecting you from infection?
A) nonspecific antibodies
B) barriers such as dead skin cells and mucus because they are part of the innate immune system
C) increased production of certain hormones and changes in microcirculation
D) memory cells because they are part of the adaptive immune system
32) Antibody molecules may function by causing the
A) destruction of complement proteins.
B) agglutination of viruses or bacteria.
C) solubilization of viruses or bacteria.
D) crystallization of antigenic particles.
33) The complement system can be activated by
A) inflammatory mediators.
B) antigen-antibody complexes.
C) B cell plasma membrane.
D) T cells.
34) ________ rely completely on innate immunity.
A) Giraffes
B) Dogs
C) Humans
D) Beetles
35) Complement proteins can do all of the following except
A) enhance phagocytosis by innate immune cells by attaching to cell invaders.
B) help trigger the inflammatory response.
C) attack cancer and virus-infected cells after they are released by natural killer cells.
D) act as chemical signals to recruit more immune cells to the site of infection.
36) The basic function of activated T cells is to battle
A) pathogens in blood or lymph.
B) pathogens in interstitial fluid.
C) pathogens that have already entered body cells.
D) chemical mediators of immunity.
37) When an antigen-presenting cell interacts successfully with a helper T cell, the antigen-
presenting cell secretes a signal molecule that assists in the activation of the helper T cell. This
signal molecule is
A) interferon.
B) complement.
C) interleukin-1.
D) perforin.
38) What type of cell helps to stimulate B cells to produce antibodies?
A) plasma cell
B) cytotoxic T cell
C) helper T cell
D) macrophage
39) Which of the following is an effect of interleukin-2?
A) stimulating helper T cells to divide
B) stimulating mast cells to release histamine
C) stimulating antigen-presenting cells
D) modulating macrophage phagocytosis
40) After binding to an infected cell, the cytotoxic T cell
A) releases interleukin-1.
B) becomes a phagocytic cell.
C) neutralizes the infecting bacteria or viruses.
D) releases a protein called perforin.
41) ________ can destroy infected cells.
A) Macrophages
B) Plasma cells
C) B cells
D) Cytotoxic T cells
42) Which of the following statements about HIV is false?
A) The genome of HIV consists of RNA.
B) HIV attacks mast cells.
C) HIV replicates inside helper T cells.
D) Some drugs have proven effective in combating the spread of HIV from mothers to their
children.
43) Which of the following types of cells does HIV preferentially infect?
A) cytotoxic T cells
B) natural killer cells
C) helper T cells
D) memory cells
44) Which of the following statements about AIDS is true?
A) The AIDS vaccine can prevent the spread of HIV.
B) There is now a treatment for AIDS that is simple and effective.
C) Using condoms during sex prevents the spread of the virus that causes AIDS.
D) AIDS patients live no longer than two to three years.
45) HIV is a virus that is particularly difficult to eradicate
A) because of its DNA genome.
B) because it rarely mutates.
C) because it mutates to produce new drug-resistant strains.
D) due to its small size.
46) While playing soccer in your backyard, you disrupt a small fire ant mound. The fire ants
emerge and bite your feet. Your feet begin to show swollen, raised areas around the bites. What
is happening?
A) Your innate internal defenses have been activated.
B) Your adaptive defenses have been activated.
C) Blood flow to the affected area decreases.
D) You are experiencing passive immunity.
47) ________ genes are responsible for coding for self-proteins.
A) STR
B) MHC
C) RFLP
D) PCR
48) Which of the following diseases is thought to be an autoimmune disease?
A) cancer of the bone marrow
B) insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
C) measles and mumps
D) duodenal ulcer