Archives: Quiz

Chitin is a major component of the _____. A) skeleton of mammals B) hydrostatic skeletons of earthworms C) exoskeleton of insects D) body hairs of mammals Density-dependent inhibition is a phenomenon in which crowded cells stop dividing at some optimal […]

What is an adaptive advantage of recombination between linked genes? A) Recombination is required for independent assortment. B) Recombination must occur or genes will not assort independently. C) New allele combinations are acted upon by natural selection. D) The forces […]

For the following questions, match the labeled component of the cell membrane in the figure with its description. Which component is cholesterol? A) B B) C C) D D) E Which of the following terms includes all of the others? […]

During a field trip, an instructor touched a moth resting on a tree trunk. The moth raised its forewings to reveal large eyespots on its hind wings. The instructor asked why the moth lifted its wings. One student answered that […]

Fossils of Thrinaxodon, a species that lived during the Triassic period, have been found in both South Africa and Antarctica. Thrinaxodon had a reptile-like skeleton and laid eggs, but small depressions on the front of its skull suggest it had […]

What causes the shape of the molecule shown above? A) the shape of the 2 p orbitals in the carbon atom B) the shape of the 1 s orbital in the carbon atom C) the shape of the sp3 hybrid […]

A recent study compared the Homo sapiens genome with that of Neanderthals. The results of the study indicated that there was a mixing of the two genomes at some period in evolutionary history. Additional data consistent with this hypothesis could […]

Use the following information to answer the question(s) below. Nudibranchs, a type of predatory sea slug, can have various protuberances (that is, extensions) on their dorsal surfaces. Rhinophores are paired structures, located close to the head, which bear many chemoreceptors. […]

For a chemotherapeutic drug to be useful for treating cancer cells, which of the following is most desirable? A) It is safe enough to limit all apoptosis. B) It does not alter metabolically active cells. C) It interferes with cells […]

The fact that plants can be cloned from somatic cells demonstrates that _____. A) differentiated cells retain all the genes of the zygote B) genes are lost during differentiation C) the differentiated state is normally very unstable D) differentiation does […]

If a portion of the pancreas is surgically removed from a rat and the rat subsequently loses its appetite, one explanation is that the removed portion contains cells that secrete a chemical signal that somehow stimulates appetite. Given this scenario, […]

Besides the ability of some cancer cells to overproliferate, what else could logically result in a tumor? A) changes in the order of cell cycle stages B) lack of appropriate cell death C) inability to form spindles D) inability of […]

What is the probable sequence in which the following clades of animals originated, from earliest to most recent? 1. tetrapods 2. vertebrates 3. deuterostomes 4. amniotes 5. bilaterians A) 5 → 3 → 2 → 1 → 4 B) 5 […]

Which of the following is a consequence of biological magnification (biomagnification)? A) Toxic chemicals in the environment pose greater risk to top-level predators than to primary consumers. B) Populations of top-level predators are generally smaller than populations of primary consumers. […]

Two students studying physiology taste a known “bitter” substance, and both report sensing bitterness. They then sample another substance. Student A reports sensing both a bitter taste and a salty taste, but student B reports only a salty taste. What […]

In the process of science, which of these is tested? A) a result B) an observation C) a hypothesis D) a control group Use the following information to answer the question(s) below. For several decades now, amphibian species worldwide have […]

Which of the following can be said about light in aquatic environments? A) Water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths of light. B) Longer wavelengths penetrate to greater depths. C) Light penetration seldom limits the distribution of photosynthetic species. D) […]

Nitrogen fixation is a process that_____. A) recycles nitrogen compounds from dead and decaying materials B) converts ammonia to ammonium C) releases nitrate from the rock substrate D) converts nitrogen gas into ammonia Looking at the data in the figure […]

After blood flow is artificially reduced at one kidney, you would expect that kidney to secrete more of the hormone known as _____. A) angiotensinogen B) renin C) antidiuretic hormone D) atrial natriuretic peptide Use the following information to answer […]

When chemical, transport, or mechanical work is done by an organism, what happens to the heat generated? A) It is used to power yet more cellular work. B) It is used to store energy as more ATP. C) It is […]

The same bees that pollinate the flowers of the Brazil nut trees also pollinate orchids, which are epiphytes (in other words, plants that grow on other plants); however, orchids cannot grow on Brazil nut trees. These observations explain _____. A) […]

The veins of leaves are _____. I) composed of xylem and phloem II) continuous with vascular bundles in the stem and roots III) finely branched to be in close contact with photosynthesizing cells A) only I B) only II C) […]

Which of the following does NOT occur during mitosis? A) condensation of the chromosomes B) replication of the DNA C) spindle formation D) separation of the spindle poles The internal fertilization that occurs prior to shell deposition has what type […]

Foods can be preserved in many ways by slowing or preventing bacterial growth. Which of these methods should be LEAST effective at inhibiting bacterial growth? A) Refrigeration: slows bacterial metabolism and growth. B) Closing previously opened containers: prevents more bacteria […]

What is the biological significance of genetic diversity between populations? A) Genes for traits conferring an advantage to local conditions make microevolution possible. B) The population that is most fit would survive by competitive exclusion. C) Genetic diversity allows for […]

What evidence do paleobotanists look for that indicates the movement of plants from water to land? A) waxy cuticle to decrease evaporation from leaves B) loss of structures that produce spores C) sporopollenin to inhibit evaporation from leaves D) remnants […]

Use the following description to answer the question(s) below. On the Bahamian island of Andros, mosquitofish populations live in various, now-isolated, freshwater ponds that were once united. Currently, some predator-rich ponds have mosquitofish that can swim in short, fast bursts; […]

A plant developed a mineral deficiency after being treated with a fungicide. What is the most probable cause of the deficiency? A) Mineral receptor proteins in the plant membrane were not functioning. B) Mycorrhizal fungi were killed. C) Active transport […]

What determines whether a carbon atom’s covalent bonds to other atoms are in a tetrahedral configuration or a planar configuration? A) the presence or absence of bonds with oxygen atoms B) the presence or absence of double bonds between the […]

Which of the following statements is a correct distinction between autotrophs and heterotrophs? A) Cellular respiration is unique to heterotrophs. B) Only heterotrophs have mitochondria. C) Autotrophs, but not heterotrophs, can nourish themselves beginning with CO2 and other nutrients that […]

Suppose two AaBbCc individuals are mated. Assuming that the genes are not linked, what fraction of the offspring are expected to be homozygous recessive for the three traits? A) 1/4 B) 1/8 C) 1/16 D) 1/64 The following figure depicts […]

A patient with a blood pressure of 120/75, a pulse rate of 70 beats/minute, a stroke volume of 70 mL/beat (milliliters per beat), and a respiratory rate of 25 breaths/minute will have a cardiac output of _____. A) 1,000 mL/minute […]

The fact that all seven of the pea plant traits studied by Mendel obeyed the principle of independent assortment most probably indicates which of the following? A) None of the traits obeyed the law of segregation. B) The diploid number […]

How would you expect the root system of a plant grown by hydroponics to compare to the root system of a plant grown in soil? The root system of a plant grown by hydroponics would be _____. A) more developed […]

Why has C. elegans proven to be a useful model for understanding apoptosis? A) The animal does not naturally use apoptosis, but can be induced to do so in the laboratory. B) The nematode undergoes a fixed and easy-to-visualize number […]

Rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction as a function of varying reactant concentration, with the concentration of enzyme constant. In the figure, why does the reaction rate plateau at higher reactant concentrations? A) Feedback inhibition by product occurs at high reactant […]

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 Refer […]

When the mammalian brain compares the actual temperature of the body to the preferred temperature of the body, which general component is being used? A) sensor B) effector C) integrator C.elegans is a model organism and was the first eukaryotic […]

Stem cell transplants may someday be used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Researchers are hopeful that these cells would alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease by _____. A) preventing temporal lobe seizures B) repairing sites of traumatic brain injury C) replenishing […]

Cottonwood, aspen, and willow trees have beige flowers, with no petals, that appear before the tree’s leaves are out in the spring; and they are dioecious. What does this indicate about these trees? A) Their insect pollinators are specialists. B) […]

The molar mass of glucose is 180 grams per mole (g/mol). Which of the following procedures should you carry out to make a 1 M solution of glucose? Into 0.8 liter (L) of water, dissolve _____. A) 1 g of […]

What is a telomere? A) the mechanism that holds two sister chromatids together B) DNA replication during telophase C) the site of origin of DNA replication D) the ends of linear chromosomes What do all deuterostomes have in common? A) […]

Currently, two extant elephant species (X and Y) are classified in the genus Loxodonta, and a third species (Z) is placed in the genus Elephas. Thus, which statement should be true? A) Species X and Y are not related to […]

The final step in a Sanger DNA sequencing reaction is to run the DNA fragments on a gel. What purpose does this serve? A) It adds ddNTP to the end of each DNA fragment. B) It changes the length of […]

Which of the following was derived from an ancestral cyanobacterium? A) chloroplast B) mitochondrion C) flagella D) mitosome Which one of the atoms shown would be most likely to form an anion with a charge of -1? A) B) C) […]

The osmoregulatory/excretory system of an earthworm is based on the operation of _____. A) protonephridia B) metanephridia C) Malpighian tubules D) nephrons Which of the following is an example of alternation of generations? A) A grandparent and grandchild each have […]

Contact of a sea urchin egg with signal molecules on sperm causes the egg to undergo a brief _____. A) mitosis B) membrane depolarization C) vitellogenesis D) acrosomal reaction The thin horizontal arrows in the figure above show that the […]

After looking at the figure above, what can be said about productivity in this ecosystem? A) Nothing can be said based on this information. B) Between 80% and 90% of the energy is lost between most trophic levels. C) Between […]

A cell with membrane-bound proteins that selectively bind a specific hormone is called that hormone’s _____. A) secretory cell B) endocrine cell C) target cell D) regulatory cell What component of amino acid structure varies among different amino acids? A) […]

In a simple synapse, neurotransmitter chemicals are released by _____. A) the dendritic membrane B) the presynaptic membrane C) axon hillocks D) cell bodies The amino acid that operates at most inhibitory synapses in the brain is _____. A) acetylcholine […]