Practice Exam 1
Below are sample questions from your book (all the answers are in the back). These are not necessarily indicative of the specific material or types of questions that Dr. Raich will ask on the exam. Remember, he wants you to be able to apply our knowledge of the material learned in class and from the book and part of that comes from understanding the significance, application, and importance of that information. Good luck!!
Text Chapters Covered: 1, section 4.2, 4.4, and 4.5 of chapter 4, 26, 27, 28
1. The endosymbiosis hypothesis explaining the evolution of eukaryotic cells is supported by
a. DNA-sequencing analysis comparing bacterial genomes, mitochondria genomes, and eukaryotic nuclear genomes
b. Naturally occurring examples of endosymbiotic relationships between bacterial cells and eukaryotic cells
c. The presence of DNA in mitochondria and chloroplasts
d. All of the above
e. A and B only
2. Which of the following is the correct order of the taxa used to classify organisms?
a. Kingdom, domain, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
b. Domain, kingdom, class, phylum, order, family, genus, species
c. Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, order, genus, species
d. Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
e. Kingdom, domain, phylum, order, class, family, species, genus
3. A taxon composed of all species derived from a common ancestor is referred to as
a. A phylum
b. A monophyletic group or clade
c. A genus
d. An out-group
e. All of the above
4. The goal of modern taxonomy is to a. Classify all organisms based on morphological similarities
b. Classify all organisms in monophyletic groups
c. Classify all organisms based solely on genetic similarities
d. Determine the evolutionary relationships between similar species
e. None of the above
5. Cyanobacteria play what ecological role?
a. Producers
b. Consumers
c. Decomposers
d. Parasites
e. None of the above
6. By means of what process do populations of bacteria or archaea increase their size?
a. Mitosis
b. Meiosis
c. Conjugation
d. Transduction
e. None of the above
7. By what means to bacterial cells acquire new DNA?
a. By conjugation, the mating of 2 cells of the same bacterial species
b. By transduction, the injection of viral DNA into bacterial cells
c. By transformation, the uptake of DNA from the environment
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
8. Genetic diversity is maintained in bacterial populations by all of the following except
a. Binary fission b. Mutation
c. Transformation
d. Transduction
e. Conjugation
9. A bacterial species that becomes resistant to certain antibiotics may have acquired the resistance genes from another bacterial species. The phenomenon of acquiring genes from another organism without being the off spring of that organism is known as
a. Hybridization
b. Integration
c. Horizontal gene transfer
d. Vertical gene transfer
e. Competence
10. The process where living organisms maintain a relatively stable internal condition is
a. Adaptation
b. Evolution
c. Metabolism
d. Homeostasis
e. Development
11. Populations of organisms change over the course of many generations. Many of these changes result in increased survival and reproduction. This phenomenon is
a. Evolution
b. Homeostasis
c. Development
d. Genetics
e. Metabolism
12. Which of the following would be an example of horizontal gene transfer?
a. The transmission of an eye color gene from father to daughter b. The transmission of a mutant gene causing cystic fibrosis from father to daughter
c. The transmission of a gene conferring pathogenicity from one bacterial species to another
d. The transmission of a gene conferring antibiotic resistance from a mother cell to its 2 daughter cells
e. All of the above
13. The complete genetic makeup of an organism is called
a. The genus
b. The genome
c. The proteome
d. The genotype
e. The phenotype
14. A proposed explanation for a natural phenomenon is
a. A theory
b. A law
c. A prediction
d. A hypothesis
e. An assay
15. The cell doctrine states
a. All living things are composed of cells
b. Cells are the smallest units of living organisms
c. New cells come from pre-existing cells by cell division
d. All of the above
e. A and b only
16. The branch points or nodes in a phylogenetic tree depict which of the following?
a. Anagenesis
b. Cladogenesis c. Horizontal gene transfer
d. A and b only
e. B and c only
17. Which of the following characteristics is not shared by prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
a. DNA is the genetic material
b. Messenger RNA encodes the information to produce proteins
c. All cells are surrounded by a plasma membrane
d. The cytoplasm is compartmentalized into organelles
18. Which of the following features is common to prokaryotic cells?
a. A nucleus, featuring a nuclear envelope with pores
b. Mitochondria
c. Plasma membrane
d. Mitotic spindle
19. In science, a theory should a. be equated with knowledge. b. be supported by a substantial body of evidence. c. provide the ability to make many correct predictions. d. all of the above. e. b and c only. 20. What is the purpose of using a control in scientific experiments? a. A control allows the researcher to practice the experiment first before actually conducting it. b. A researcher can compare the results in the experimental group and control group to determine if a single variable is causing a particular outcome in the experimental group. c. A control provides the framework for the entire experiment so the researcher can recall the procedures that should be conducted. d. A control allows the researcher to conduct other experimental changes without disturbing the original experiment. e. All of the above are correct. 21. The study of biological diversity based on evolutionary relationships is a. paleontology. b. evolution. c. systematics. d. ontogeny. e. both a and b. 22. The evolutionary history of a species is its a. ontogeny. b. taxonomy. c. evolution. d. phylogeny. e. embryology 23. What is unusual about mixotrophs? a. They have no plastids, but they occur mixed in communities with autotrophs. b. They have mixed heterotrophic and autotrophic nutrition. c. Their cells contain a mixture of red and green plastids. d. Their cells contain a mixture of haploid and diploid nuclei. e. They consume a mixed diet of algae. 24. What are the two alternate hosts of the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum? a. humans and ticks b. ticks and mosquitoes c. humans and Anopheles mosquitoes d. humans and all types of mosquitoes e. sporophytes and gametophytes