Question 1

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek worked as a cloth draper, inspecting the quality of cloth. How did this lead to his interest in microscopy?

Accepted Answer

His work introduced him to magnifying lenses. He began the hobby of grinding lenses, ultimately making a microscope that enabled him to observe single-celled microbes.

Question 2

Explain why the organisms that were studied by Sergei Winogradsky could not be grown on Robert Koch's plate media containing agar or gelatin.

Accepted Answer

The organisms studied by Winogradsky were lithotrophs, which feed solely on inorganic substances. Koch's plate media contained organic nutrient sources, which may even be toxic to the organisms he was attempting to grow.

Question 3

The study of and cause of disease in humans, animals, and plants is called

Accepted Answer

A)  microbiology. 
B)  phylogeny. 
C)  genomics. 
D)  epidemiology. 
E)  forensics. 
A)  microbiology. 
B)  phylogeny. 
C)  genomics. 
D)  epidemiology. 
E)  forensics. D

Question 4

The gene expression machinery of archaea is MOST similar to

Accepted Answer

A)  monera. 
B)  prokaryotes. 
C)  bacteria. 
D)  eukaryotes. 
E)  mitochondria. 
A)  monera. 
B)  prokaryotes. 
C)  bacteria. 
D)  eukaryotes. 
E)  mitochondria.

Question 5

In the three-domain model, the bacterial ancestor of chloroplasts derives from ancient

Accepted Answer

A)  fungi. 
B)  cyanobacteria. 
C)  proteobacteria. 
D)  archaea. 
E)  protists. 
A)  fungi. 
B)  cyanobacteria. 
C)  proteobacteria. 
D)  archaea. 
E)  protists.

Question 6

In 1975, scientists held a conference at Asilomar to regulate and restrict the field of

Accepted Answer

A)  recombinant DNA. 
B)  comparative genomics. 
C)  DNA sequencing. 
D)  DNA amplification. 
E)  forensic microbiology. 
A)  recombinant DNA. 
B)  comparative genomics. 
C)  DNA sequencing. 
D)  DNA amplification. 
E)  forensic microbiology.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  A genome is the total genetic information contained in an organism's chromosomal DNA. 
B)  If a microbe's genome includes genes for nitrogenase, that microbe probably can fix nitrogen. 
C)  By comparing DNA sequences of different organisms, we can figure out how closely related they are. 
D)  Fred Sanger developed the first applicable DNA sequencing method. 
E)  Fred Sanger completed the sequences of Haemophilus influenzae. 
A)  A genome is the total genetic information contained in an organism's chromosomal DNA. 
B)  If a microbe's genome includes genes for nitrogenase, that microbe probably can fix nitrogen. 
C)  By comparing DNA sequences of different organisms, we can figure out how closely related they are. 
D)  Fred Sanger developed the first applicable DNA sequencing method. 
E)  Fred Sanger completed the sequences of Haemophilus influenzae.

Question 8

If you want to produce DNA polymerases like those used in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for amplification of DNA, from which natural environment would you try to isolate the producers?

Accepted Answer

Since DNA polymerase in PCR must survive

Question 9

Peter Mitchell and Jennifer Moyle discovered the ________ theory in the 1960s.

Accepted Answer

A)  germplasm 
B)  evolution 
C)  chemiosmotic 
D)  DNA synthesis 
E)  polymerase chain reaction 
A)  germplasm 
B)  evolution 
C)  chemiosmotic 
D)  DNA synthesis 
E)  polymerase chain reaction

Question 10

What is the evidence that living cells existed on Earth up to 3.8 billion years ago?

Accepted Answer

A)  microfossils 
B)  16S ribosomal RNA 
C)  Miller and Urey's experiments 
D)  Martian folded rock formations 
E)  diatom shells 
A)  microfossils 
B)  16S ribosomal RNA 
C)  Miller and Urey's experiments 
D)  Martian folded rock formations 
E)  diatom shells

Question 11

Suppose Pasteur's swan-necked flasks containing boiled broth became cloudy twenty-four hours after boiling. Which choice could best explain the turbidity or cloudiness in the broth without supporting spontaneous generation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Endospores in the broth survived boiling and grew after the broth cooled. 
B)  Contaminating organisms in the broth killed by boiling became alive again after the broth cooled. 
C)  Chemicals in the broth came together to form living organisms. 
D)  The broth allowed light to pass through it with less interference after boiling. 
E)  Solid material in the broth dissolved during boiling. 
A)  Endospores in the broth survived boiling and grew after the broth cooled. 
B)  Contaminating organisms in the broth killed by boiling became alive again after the broth cooled. 
C)  Chemicals in the broth came together to form living organisms. 
D)  The broth allowed light to pass through it with less interference after boiling. 
E)  Solid material in the broth dissolved during boiling.

Question 12

Briefly describe how the ultracentrifuge is used to determine the sizes of cellular macromolecules.

Accepted Answer

The ultracentrifuge uses centrifugal for

Question 13

The environment of early Earth may have contained all of the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

A)  ferrous iron. 
B)  methane. 
C)  ammonia. 
D)  oxygen. 
E)  hydrogen gas. 
A)  ferrous iron. 
B)  methane. 
C)  ammonia. 
D)  oxygen. 
E)  hydrogen gas.

Question 14

What feature of bacteria facilitated the DNA revolution in the 1970s?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are very small. 
B)  They readily recombine DNA. 
C)  They have very large genomes. 
D)  All of their genes were known. 
E)  They do not cause disease. 
A)  They are very small. 
B)  They readily recombine DNA. 
C)  They have very large genomes. 
D)  All of their genes were known. 
E)  They do not cause disease.

Question 15

How do many animal endosymbionts grow?

Accepted Answer

A)  on the surface of the host 
B)  on low nutrients 
C)  by reducing iron oxide 
D)  on inorganic minerals 
E)  in biofilms 
A)  on the surface of the host 
B)  on low nutrients 
C)  by reducing iron oxide 
D)  on inorganic minerals 
E)  in biofilms

Question 16

The ultracentrifuge is a high-speed centrifuge ideally suited for separating individual

Accepted Answer

A)  cellular proteins and nucleotides. 
B)  microbial cells. 
C)  mold spores. 
D)  secondary metabolites. 
E)  base pairs. 
A)  cellular proteins and nucleotides. 
B)  microbial cells. 
C)  mold spores. 
D)  secondary metabolites. 
E)  base pairs.

Question 17

The word "vaccination" is derived from the Latin word vacca, which means

Accepted Answer

A)  inject. 
B)  smallpox. 
C)  immunize. 
D)  cow. 
E)  pustule. 
A)  inject. 
B)  smallpox. 
C)  immunize. 
D)  cow. 
E)  pustule.

Question 18

Describe the discoveries of Louis Pasteur while working with the French beer and wine manufacturers in assessing alcohol versus vinegar production during fermentation.

Accepted Answer

Previously, it was believed that the con

Question 19

Penicillin was first used to save the lives of many people during which war?

Accepted Answer

A)  the U.S. Civil War 
B)  the Korean War 
C)  the Vietnam War 
D)  World War I 
E)  World War II 
A)  the U.S. Civil War 
B)  the Korean War 
C)  the Vietnam War 
D)  World War I 
E)  World War II

Question 20

Florence Nightingale

Accepted Answer

A)  is best known as the founder of professional nursing. 
B)  was the first to use disinfectant to demonstrate the significance of aseptic technique. 
C)  developed the pie chart of mortality data during the Crimean War. 
D)  performed the first controlled experiment on the chemical conversion of matter, known today as chemotherapy. 
E)  argued that the environment of early Earth contained mainly reduced compounds. 
A)  is best known as the founder of professional nursing. 
B)  was the first to use disinfectant to demonstrate the significance of aseptic technique. 
C)  developed the pie chart of mortality data during the Crimean War. 
D)  performed the first controlled experiment on the chemical conversion of matter, known today as chemotherapy. 
E)  argued that the environment of early Earth contained mainly reduced compounds.

Exam 1: Microbial Life: Origin and Discovery

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek worked as a cloth draper, inspecting the quality of cloth. How did this lead to his interest in microscopy?

Explain why the organisms that were studied by Sergei Winogradsky could not be grown on Robert Koch's plate media containing agar or gelatin.

The study of and cause of disease in humans, animals, and plants is called

The gene expression machinery of archaea is MOST similar to

In the three-domain model, the bacterial ancestor of chloroplasts derives from ancient

In 1975, scientists held a conference at Asilomar to regulate and restrict the field of

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

If you want to produce DNA polymerases like those used in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for amplification of DNA, from which natural environment would you try to isolate the producers?

Peter Mitchell and Jennifer Moyle discovered the ________ theory in the 1960s.

What is the evidence that living cells existed on Earth up to 3.8 billion years ago?

Suppose Pasteur's swan-necked flasks containing boiled broth became cloudy twenty-four hours after boiling. Which choice could best explain the turbidity or cloudiness in the broth without supporting spontaneous generation?

Briefly describe how the ultracentrifuge is used to determine the sizes of cellular macromolecules.

The environment of early Earth may have contained all of the following EXCEPT

What feature of bacteria facilitated the DNA revolution in the 1970s?

How do many animal endosymbionts grow?

The ultracentrifuge is a high-speed centrifuge ideally suited for separating individual

The word "vaccination" is derived from the Latin word vacca, which means

Describe the discoveries of Louis Pasteur while working with the French beer and wine manufacturers in assessing alcohol versus vinegar production during fermentation.

Penicillin was first used to save the lives of many people during which war?

Florence Nightingale

Observing the Microbial Cell

Cell Structure and Function

Bacterial Culture, Growth, and Development

Environmental Influences and Control of Microbial Growth

Viruses

Genomes and Chromosomes

Transcription, Translation, and Bioinformatics

Gene Transfer, Mutations, and Genome Evolution

Molecular Regulation

Viral Molecular Biology

Biotechniques and Synthetic Biology

Energetics and Catabolism

Electron Flow in Organotrophy, Lithotrophy, and Phototrophy

Biosynthesis

Food and Industrial Microbiology

Origins and Evolution

Bacterial Diversity

Archaeal Diversity

Eukaryotic Diversity

Microbial Ecology

Microbes in Global Elemental Cycles

Human Microbiota and Innate Immunity

The Adaptive Immune Response

Microbial Pathogenesis

Microbial Diseases

Antimicrobial Therapy

Clinical Microbiology and Epidemiology

Filters