Question 1

What is the most recent evidence suggesting that all life on Earth shares a common ancestry?

Accepted Answer

Many genomes have now been sequenced and those sequences are available in databases for comparison. This field is referred to as comparative genomics. Comparisons have revealed that there is a set of core genes shared by all organisms.

Question 2

Robert Koch's postulates have not been used to prove HIV as the causative agent of AIDS. Why not?

Accepted Answer

Answers may vary, but a major reason is that humans cannot be injected with HIV to see if they develop AIDS!

Question 3

The genetic 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 D

Question 4

How are microbes classified today?

Accepted Answer

A)  comparative genomics 
B)  microscopy 
C)  X-ray diffraction 
D)  DNA sequencing 
E)  rRNA sequencing 
A)  comparative genomics 
B)  microscopy 
C)  X-ray diffraction 
D)  DNA sequencing 
E)  rRNA sequencing

Question 5

Define attenuation and describe some mechanisms used to attenuate pathogens.

Accepted Answer

Attenuation results in a weakened organi

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

A)  Civil War 
B)  Korean War 
C)  Vietnam War 
D)  World War I 
E)  World War II 
A)  Civil War 
B)  Korean War 
C)  Vietnam War 
D)  World War I 
E)  World War II

Question 7

What is used to focus the beam of electrons in an electron microscope?

Accepted Answer

A)  electromagnets 
B)  condenser lens 
C)  light rays 
D)  X-ray diffraction 
E)  glass 
A)  electromagnets 
B)  condenser lens 
C)  light rays 
D)  X-ray diffraction 
E)  glass

Question 8

Give two reasons why microbes have been difficult to classify.

Accepted Answer

First, even with the use of light micros

Question 9

What was the major complaint about Lazzaro Spallanzani's experiment to disprove spontaneous generation, and how did Louis Pasteur's swan-neck flasks overcome this?

Accepted Answer

Spallanzini's flasks were plugged so as

Question 10

What were the contributions of Rosalind Franklin toward discovering the structure of DNA and why wasn't she one of the recipients of the Nobel Prize for this discovery?

Accepted Answer

She was an X-ray crystallographer who st

Question 11

Carl Woese's discovery replaced the classification scheme of five kingdoms with a scheme of three:

Accepted Answer

A)  phyla 
B)  domains 
C)  classes 
D)  orders 
E)  genera 
A)  phyla 
B)  domains 
C)  classes 
D)  orders 
E)  genera

Question 12

Which of the following can safely be ingested to fight bacterial infections?

Accepted Answer

A)  antiseptics 
B)  disinfectants 
C)  phenol 
D)  chlorine 
E)  antibiotics 
A)  antiseptics 
B)  disinfectants 
C)  phenol 
D)  chlorine 
E)  antibiotics

Question 13

Organisms which live symbiotically inside a larger organism are known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  organelles 
B)  cyanobacteria 
C)  mitochondria 
D)  endosymbionts 
E)  chloroplasts 
A)  organelles 
B)  cyanobacteria 
C)  mitochondria 
D)  endosymbionts 
E)  chloroplasts

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

The ultracentrifuge uses centrifugal for

Question 15

Early metabolism may have been catalyzed by:

Accepted Answer

A)  DNA 
B)  RNA 
C)  protein 
D)  amino acids 
E)  carbohydrates 
A)  DNA 
B)  RNA 
C)  protein 
D)  amino acids 
E)  carbohydrates

Question 16

The eukaryotic predators of the microscopic world are:

Accepted Answer

A)  viruses 
B)  bacteria 
C)  algae 
D)  cyanobacteria 
E)  protists 
A)  viruses 
B)  bacteria 
C)  algae 
D)  cyanobacteria 
E)  protists

Question 17

What type of analysis was used to discover the overall structure of the DNA double helix?

Accepted Answer

A)  microscopy 
B)  X-ray diffraction 
C)  Polymerase chain reaction 
D)  DNA sequencing 
E)  recombinant DNA 
A)  microscopy 
B)  X-ray diffraction 
C)  Polymerase chain reaction 
D)  DNA sequencing 
E)  recombinant DNA

Question 18

Robert Koch's greatest accomplishment in the field of medical bacteriology was with:

Accepted Answer

A)  Escherichia coli 
B)  Bacillus subtilis 
C)  Mycobacterium tuberculosis 
D)  rabies 
E)  smallpox 
A)  Escherichia coli 
B)  Bacillus subtilis 
C)  Mycobacterium tuberculosis 
D)  rabies 
E)  smallpox

Question 19

What is the significance of the work of Ignaz Semmelweis and Joseph Lister?

Accepted Answer

They showed that use of antiseptics on d

Question 20

All of the following have been found in mummies and tomb art EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  tuberculosis 
B)  polio 
C)  leprosy 
D)  smallpox 
E)  prions 
A)  tuberculosis 
B)  polio 
C)  leprosy 
D)  smallpox 
E)  prions

Exam 1: Microbial Life: Origin and Discovery

What is the most recent evidence suggesting that all life on Earth shares a common ancestry?

Robert Koch's postulates have not been used to prove HIV as the causative agent of AIDS. Why not?

The genetic expression machinery of archaea is most similar to:

How are microbes classified today?

Define attenuation and describe some mechanisms used to attenuate pathogens.

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

What is used to focus the beam of electrons in an electron microscope?

Give two reasons why microbes have been difficult to classify.

What was the major complaint about Lazzaro Spallanzani's experiment to disprove spontaneous generation, and how did Louis Pasteur's swan-neck flasks overcome this?

What were the contributions of Rosalind Franklin toward discovering the structure of DNA and why wasn't she one of the recipients of the Nobel Prize for this discovery?

Carl Woese's discovery replaced the classification scheme of five kingdoms with a scheme of three:

Which of the following can safely be ingested to fight bacterial infections?

Organisms which live symbiotically inside a larger organism are known as:

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

Early metabolism may have been catalyzed by:

The eukaryotic predators of the microscopic world are:

What type of analysis was used to discover the overall structure of the DNA double helix?

Robert Koch's greatest accomplishment in the field of medical bacteriology was with:

What is the significance of the work of Ignaz Semmelweis and Joseph Lister?

All of the following have been found in mummies and tomb art EXCEPT:

Observing the Microbial Cell

Cell Structure and Function

Bacterial Culture, Growth, and Development

Environmental Influences and Control of Microbial Growth

Virus Structure and Function

Genomes and Chromosomes

Transcription, Translation, and Bioinformatics

Gene Transfer, Mutations, and Genome Evolution

Molecular Regulation

Viral Molecular Biology

Molecular Techniques and Biotechnology

Energetics and Catabolism

Respiration, Lithotrophy, and Photolysis

Biosynthesis

Food and Industrial Microbiology

Origins and Evolution

Bacterial Diversity

Archaeal Diversity

Eukaryotic Diversity

Microbial Ecology

Microbes and the Global Environment

Human Microbiota and Nonspecific Host Defenses

The Adaptive Immune Response

Microbial Pathogenesis

Microbial Diseases

Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Clinical Microbiology and Epidemiology

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