Deck 1: Introduction to the Study of Cell and Molecular Biology

Question 1

Which of the following are considered to be eukaryotes?

A)amoebae
B)yeast
C)holly
D)starfish
E)all choices are eukaryotic

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which of the following characteristics is NOT a basic property of cells?

A)Cells carry out a variety of emotional reactions.
B)Cells engage in numerous mechanical activities.
C)Cells generally respond to stimuli.
D)Cells are capable of self-regulation.
E)Cells evolve.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Who was the first person to name what he thought were single cells?

A)Leeuwenhoek
B)Hooke
C)Schleiden
D)Schwann
E)Virchow

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What characteristics distinguish prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?

A)Eukaryotes have membrane-bound organelles; prokaryotes do not.
B)Prokaryotes have relatively little DNA; eukaryotes generally have much more.
C)Eukaryotic chromosomes are linear; prokaryotic chromosomes are circular.
D)Eukaryotic DNA is usually heavily associated with protein to form a nucleoprotein complex called chromatin, which is not seen in prokaryotic genetic material.
E)All of these are correct.

Question 5

Some bacteria can pass a piece of DNA from a donor bacterial cell to a recipient bacterial cell through a structure called a pilus. What is this process called?

A)confirmation
B)transduction
C)transformation
D)conjugation
E)fission

Question 6

Which of the following statements accurately characterize cells?

A)Cells are highly complex and organized.
B)Cells possess a genetic program and the means to use it.
C)Cells are capable of producing more of themselves.
D)Cells acquire and utilize energy.
E)All choices are correct.

Question 7

The first compound light microscopes were constructed by the end of the sixteenth century. What characteristic defines a compound microscope?

A)It has a moveable stage.
B)It has multiple lenses.
C)Its lens is double the size of simple microscopes.
D)The lens has two different colors.
E)It has two different light sources.

Question 8

You are conducting an experiment by trying to reproduce the work performed in 1891 by Hans Driesch, a German embryologist. Working with a fertilized sea urchin egg, you allow it to complete the first cell division after fertilization. You then carefully separate the two cells of the embryo and allow their development to continue. Based on Driesch's experiment, which result below would you expect to happen?

A)Both of the cells will die.
B)Both of the cells will develop into complete and normal embryos.
C)One cell will develop into a normal, though smaller, embryo; the other dies.
D)One cell will develop into half an embryo; the other will develop into the other half of the embryo.
E)One cell will develop into a defective embryo and the other will die.

Question 9

Who was the first scientist to examine and describe living cells?

A)Leeuwenhoek
B)Hooke
C)Schleiden
D)Schwann
E)Virchow

Question 10

Who is generally credited with the discovery of cells?

A)Leeuwenhoek
B)Hooke
C)Schleiden
D)Schwann
E)Virchow

Question 11

A high powered microscope that allows cellular organelles to be examined in great detail is called ___________.

A)a refractive microscope
B)an electron microscope
C)a fluorescence microscope
D)a scanning tunneling microscope
E)a confocal laser scanning microscope

Question 12

Which list shows the correct order for cellular complexity from largest to smallest units?

A)organelles, polymers, atoms, complexes, molecules
B)organelles, complexes, polymers, molecules, atoms
C)organelles, molecules, complexes, atoms, polymers
D)organelles, atoms, molecules, complexes, polymers

Question 13

Virtually all chemical changes that take place in cells require ________, molecules that greatly increase the rate at which a chemical reaction occurs.

A)DNAs
B)carbohydrates
C)ligands
D)enzymes

Question 14

The genetic material of a prokaryotic cell is present in the _________, a poorly defined region of the cell that lacks a boundary membrane to separate it from the surrounding cytoplasm.

A)nucleus
B)chromatic region
C)nucleoid
D)pharmacopeia
E)genetome

Question 15

The original cell which arose billions of years ago is referred to by some evolutionary biologists as the __________.

A)first universal common ancestor
B)last universal common ancestor
C)evolutionary tree root
D)evolutionary shrub
E)first eukaryote

Question 16

Which of the following are NOT considered to belong to the Archaea?

A)Methanogens
B)Halophiles
C)Acidophiles
D)Thermophiles
E)Eubacteria

Question 17

The first culture of human cells was begun by George and Martha Gey of Johns Hopkins University in 1951. The cells were obtained from a malignant tumor and named ______ cells after the donor, _________.

A)MaLe, Mary Leeds
B)HeLa, Henrietta Lacks
C)Roberts, John Roberts
D)MaLe, Martin Lewis
E)HeLa, Helen Lassiter

Question 18

The apical ends of intestinal cells face the intestinal channel and have long processes that facilitate the absorption of nutrients. What is the name of these processes and what cytoskeletal element forms their internal skeleton?

A)microvilli, microtubules
B)villi, microtubules
C)microvilli, actin filaments
D)villi, actin filaments
E)microvilli, intermediate filaments

Question 19

Despite being correct about the first two tenets of the Cell Theory, Schleiden and Schwann made an error about another central feature of cells. What was their mistaken claim?

A)They believed that all cells were smaller than 2 µ in diameter.
B)They claimed that all cells were exactly the same in every detail.
C)They described cells as immortal.
D)They agreed that cells could arise from noncellular materials.
E)They stated that all cells had nuclei through their entire existence.

Question 20

Cells grown in culture, outside the body are described as cells grown ________.

A)in vivo
B)live
C)in vitro
D)in culturo
E)vivacious

Question 21

The collection of bacteria that live on and within the human body are being isolated, identified and characterized; they are referred to as the human ______. It has been demonstrated that these organisms differ based upon the age, diet, geography and state of health of the human from which they were obtained.

A)macrobiome
B)metagenome
C)minibiome
D)microbiome
E)homobiome

Question 22

Which of the following statements about viruses is NOT true?

A)All viruses are obligatory intracellular parasites.
B)All viruses are obligatory intercellular parasites.
C)Viruses occur in a wide variety of very different shapes, sizes and constructions.
D)A viral host may be a plant, animal or bacterial cell.
E)Viral genetic material can be either RNA or DNA.

Question 23

Bacteria often live in complex, multi-species communities, like the layer of plaque that grows on your teeth; such a community is called _________.

A)a biotome
B)a microtome
C)a biofilm
D)an anatome

Question 24

Studies on mice suggest that bacterial species predominating in obese individuals differ from those in the digestive tracts of lean individuals and that they play a role in weight gain in obese individuals. What are these bacteria in obese individuals proposed to do that increases weight gain in obese individuals?

A)They make obese mice eat more food.
B)They release chemicals that increase the caloric intake by the mice.
C)The bacteria in obese individuals may release more calories from digested food than their counterparts in leaner individuals.
D)The bacteria in obese individuals turn the food in the intestines to fat.
E)The bacteria in obese individuals produce gas that makes their hosts obese.

Question 25

What is the most appropriate unit of measurement for most types of cells?

A)picometers
B)angstroms
C)nanometers
D)micrometers
E)centimeters

Question 26

The flagellum of E. coli is chemically most similar to the flagellum of _______________.

A)a human sperm cell
B)a protist
C)green algae like Euglena
D)the bacterium Salmonella
E)all are made of the same molecules

Question 27

Cyanobacteria are capable of photosynthesis, but many of them also convert nitrogen gas into reduced forms of nitrogen (such as ammonia)that can be used by cells in the synthesis of nitrogen-containing organic compounds, including amino acids and nucleotides. This process is called ______.

A)nitrogen fixation
B)denitrification
C)nitrification
D)respiration
E)ammoniation

Question 28

The rapidity and cost-efficiency of DNA sequencing has made it possible to sequence virtually all of the genes present in the microbes of a given habitat. This generates a collective genome for that habitat, which has come to be called _________.

A)a metachron
B)a metagenome
C)a netagenome
D)a megagene
E)an exogenome

Question 29

Which of these cell types does NOT possess membrane-bound organelles?

A)human cells
B)Volvox cells
C)E. coli
D)yeast cells
E)plant cells

Question 30

The term used to describe the life forms capable of withstanding a variety of harsh environments is:

A)methanogen
B)halophile
C)extremophile
D)thermophile
E)normophile

Question 31

The field of biological research in which biologists are attempting to create a living cell in the laboratory, essentially from scratch is known as __________. More modestly, this branch of biology also has a goal of developing novel life forms, beginning with existing organisms, that have a unique value in medicine, industry or in cleaning up the environment.

A)megalomaniacal biology
B)synthetic biology
C)production-grade biology
D)industrial biology
E)pharmaceutical biology

Question 32

The process by which a relatively unspecialized cell becomes highly specialized is called _______.

A)differentiation
B)determination
C)degeneracy
D)denaturation
E)renaturation

Question 33

Which statement is NOT correct regarding Archaea?

A)They are considered more closely related to bacteria than to eukarya.
B)Some are able to generate methane from carbon dioxide and hydrogen gases.
C)Some are halophiles capable of surviving in a 5M osmolality.
D)Some can survive temperatures above 120^oC.

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a feature shared by all cells?

A)plasma membrane with similar chemical construction
B)genetic information encoded in DNA nucleotides
C)shared metabolic pathways
D)division of cells into nucleus and cytoplasm
E)similar energy storing chemicals such as ATP

Question 35

Which statement is NOT correct when describing eukaryotic and bacterial flagella?

A)they generate movement by different mechanisms
B)the bacterial flagellum is more complex
C)the eukaryotic flagellum is not found on all cells
D)the bacterial flagellum can rotate at speeds greater than 1,000 rotations per second
E)all flagella allow cells possessing them to exhibit motility

Question 36

What is the most appropriate unit of measurement for macromolecular complexes including ribosomes and microfilaments?

A)picometers
B)angstroms
C)nanometers
D)micrometers
E)centimeters

Question 37

Which organelle is found in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes?

A)nucleus
B)mitochondria
C)endoplasmic reticulum
D)proteasome
E)Golgi apparatus

Question 38

Which feature is shared by both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?

A)complex chromosomes capable of forming condensed chromatin
B)complex cilia and flagella
C)photosystems housed in chloroplast membranes
D)cell division employing a mitotic spindle
E)diploid chromosomes inherited from several parents

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a model organism used for understanding basic processes of life?

A)Mus musculus
B)Drosophila melanogaster
C)Homo sapiens
D)Arabidopsis thaliana
E)Caenorhabditis elegans

Question 40

Which feature is unique to some eukaryotic cells and never seen in prokaryotic cells?

A)plasma membrane with similar chemical construction
B)phagocytic ability
C)shared metabolic pathways
D)genetic information encoded in DNA nucleotides
E)cytoskeletal filaments built of proteins such as actin and tubulin

Question 41

Usually, a virus infects a cell and arrests the normal synthetic activities of the host, redirecting the cell to use its available materials to manufacture viral nucleic acids and proteins, which assemble into new viruses. Ultimately, the infected cell ruptures and releases a new generation of viral particles that can infect neighboring cells. This type of infection is called _________ infection.

A)a lytic
B)a proviral
C)an eluctable
D)a virulent
E)an avirulent

Question 42

What is thought to explain why Preaxostyla is a eukaryote without mitochondria?

A)this lineage of eukaryotic cells never inherited mitochondria
B)the mitochondria mutated into another organelle
C)the mitochondria are digested by lysosomes
D)the mitochondria were lost

Question 43

From what is the lipid-containing outer envelope surrounding the viral capsid of many animal viruses usually derived?

A)the nuclear envelope
B)the outer mitochondrial membrane
C)the plasma membrane
D)the lysosomal membrane
E)the outer membrane of the chloroplast

Question 44

Lynn Margulis's resurrected hypothesis that eukaryotic evolution was partly a result of the internal residence of prokaryotic organisms is termed the _________________ theory.

A)phagocytosis
B)ingestion
C)endosymbiont
D)invasive
E)digestion

Question 45

Supergroups of eukaryotic organisms are mostly separate groups of:

A)animals
B)plants
C)protists
D)viruses
E)algae

Question 46

Which organelle is believed to have been acquired by eukaryotic cells most recently?

A)mitochondria
B)Golgi apparatus
C)chloroplasts
D)lysosomes
E)endoplasmic reticulum

Question 47

Evidence of prokaryotes in the fossil record precedes eukaryotic cells by:

A)around 1 billion years
B)4 billion years
C)10 billion years
D)both appear at the same time in the fossil record

Question 48

The term _____________ describes the ability of a life form to synthesize its organic molecules from other organic nutrients.

A)autotroph
B)heterotroph
C)phototroph
D)chemotroph
E)lithotroph

Question 49

Which of the following is NOT typically a behavior exhibited by a cell with a proviral infection?

A)Immediate production of new viruses and subsequent lysis of the host cell.
B)Normal behavior until exposure to a stimulus, like UV radiation, that activates dormant viral DNA, leading to lysis of the host cell and release of viral progeny.
C)Production of new viral progeny that bud at the cell surface without lysing the infected cell.
D)Loss of control in animal cells over their growth and division followed by malignancy.

Question 50

Prokaryotic cells have been identified in rock dated at ____________

A)2.7 million years old
B)2.7 billion years old
C)2.4 million years old
D)2.4 billion years old
E)4 billion years old

Question 51

Which of these terms describes an organism which metabolizes by using oxygen and builds cellular materials from other organic compounds?

A)anaerobic heterotroph
B)aerobic heterotroph
C)anaerobic autotroph
D)aerobic autotroph

Question 52

Outside of a living cell, the virus exists as a particle called ________, which is little more than a macromolecular package.

A)a virulent
B)a virusette
C)a virulant
D)a virion
E)an infectoid

Question 53

Which term is now used to describe the three distinct evolutionary lines proposed by Carl Woese and his colleagues?

A)Kingdoms
B)Domains
C)Phyla
D)Clades
E)Species

Question 54

The ancestral cell which had characteristics including mitochondria, evolutionarily derived functions such as intron splicing, ability to undergo meiosis, and cytoskeletal elements has been termed the _________________.

A)LUCA (last universal common ancestor)
B)FECA (first eukaryotic common ancestor)
C)LECA (last eukaryotic common ancestor)
D)FUCA (first universal common ancestor)

Question 55

Potato spindle-tuber disease, which causes potatoes to become gnarled and cracked, is caused by an infectious agent consisting of a small circular RNA molecule that totally lacks a protein coat. These infectious agents are thought to exert their effects by interfering with the cell's normal path of gene expression. Such an infectious agent is known as __________.

A)a provirous
B)a bacteriophage
C)a viroid
D)a virunette
E)an eviscerion

Question 56

What major feature distinguishes the theoretical first eukaryotic common ancestor (FECA)from prokaryotes?

A)DNA
B)closed internal compartments
C)plasma membrane
D)ribosomes
E)heterotrophy

Question 57

In some cases, an infecting virus does not lead to the death of the host cell, but instead integrates its DNA into the DNA of the host cell's chromosomes. Integration of the viral DNA can have different effects; for example, the infected cell might exhibit normal behavior until exposure to a stimulus that activates the dormant viral DNA, triggering production of viral progeny that bud off of the infected cell or a loss of control over growth and division leading to malignancy. Such an infection is referred to as ______ infection.

A)a lytic
B)a proviral
C)an eluctable
D)a virulent
E)an avirulent

Question 58

Who proposed that life forms should be categorized into three distinct evolutionary lines rather than the traditionally accepted two lines of prokaryotes and eukaryotes?

A)Lynn Margulis
B)Carl Woese
C)Charles Darwin
D)Gregor Mendel
E)Watson and Crick

Question 59

What advantageous uses have viruses been shown to have?

A)The activities of viral genes mimic those of host genes so they are useful for studying mechanisms of DNA replication and gene expression in their much more complex hosts.
B)They can be used as a means to introduce foreign genes into human cells, which may serve as a basis for treatment of human diseases by gene therapy.
C)Insect-killing viruses may play an increasing role in the war against insect pests.
D)Bacteria-killing viruses may play an increasing role in the war against bacterial pathogens.
E)All of these are correct.

Question 60

Viruses like adenovirus, which causes respiratory infections in mammals, have a 20-sided polyhedral capsid. What is this polyhedral shape called?

A)a tetrahedron
B)a dodechedron
C)a polygon
D)an icosahedron
E)an octahedron

Question 61

Volvox is a member of the supergroup __________________.

A)Opisthokonta
B)Amoebozoa
C)CCTH
D)Archaeplastida
E)SAR

Question 62

Given that cells possess genes from a variety of different ancestral sources, deciding which to use for evolutionary relatedness comparisons can be complicated. The best candidates for determining phylogenetic relationships tend to be ________________.

A)informational genes because they operate singly and uniquely
B)metabolic activity-related genes because they operate singly and uniquely
C)informational genes because they encode components which are parts of large complexes and conservation of structure is required
D)metabolic activity-related genes because they encode enzymes which are parts of large complexes and conservation of structure is required
E)all gene types provide the same phylogenetic accuracy

Question 63

The supergroup containing protozoan parasites such as Giardia is __________________.

A)Opisthokonta
B)Amoebozoa
C)Excavata
D)Archaeplastida
E)SAR

Question 64

The supergroup containing fungi is __________________.

A)Opisthokonta
B)Amoebozoa
C)Excavata
D)Archaeplastida
E)SAR

Question 65

Which of these pairs of life forms are considered to be most closely related?

A)green algae and brown algae
B)plants and fungi
C)plants and green algae
D)Giardia and ciliated protozoa
E)amoebae and ciliated protozoa

Question 66

Which of these is a man-made biodegradable polymer?

A)collagen
B)poly-lactic acid
C)lactate
D)silk fiber
E)all choices are correct

Question 67

The major lineages derived from LECA (last eukaryotic common ancestor)are termed _______________________.

A)kingdoms
B)domains
C)phyla
D)supergroups
E)species

Question 68

What characteristic of collagen makes it a suitable material for inclusion in tissue engineering experiments?

A)elasticity
B)degradability
C)adhesiveness
D)immunogenicity
E)good electrical conductivity

Question 69

Which of these pairs of life forms are considered to be most closely related?

A)animals and plants
B)plants and fungi
C)animals and fungi
D)Giardia and ciliated protozoa
E)amoebae and ciliated protozoa

Question 70

The best explanation of what defines a multicellular organism, as opposed to a colonial one, is that:

A)a multicellular organism can exist and propagate as both a single-celled or a multicelled form.
B)a multicellular organism can only exist and propagate as a multicelled form.
C)a multicellular organism can only exist and propagate as a single-celled form.
D)a multicellular organism shows signs of cellular differentiation throughout its life cycle.

Question 71

The supergroup containing the most obscure and poorly understood protozoa is __________________.

A)Opisthokonta
B)Amoebozoa
C)Excavata
D)CCTH
E)SAR

Question 72

Volvox is characterized by possessing ____________ cells.

A)4
B)around 100
C)1,000 or more
D)millions of

Question 73

The supergroup containing plants is __________________.

A)Opisthokonta
B)Amoebozoa
C)Excavata
D)Archaeplastida
E)SAR

Question 74

Yeast genome analysis has revealed a mixed ancestry of eubacterial and archaebacterial gene inheritance. Studies presently show:

A)archaeal character in metabolic genes and eubacterial character in the informational genes
B)eubacterial character in metabolic genes and archaeal character in the informational genes
C)eubacterial character in informational and metabolic genes and archaeal character in cell wall genes
D)archaeal character in informational and metabolic genes and eubacterial character in cell wall genes
E)eubacterial character in informational and metabolic genes and archaeal character in motility genes

Question 75

What factor or factors discovered with electron microscopy distinguished prokaryotic from eukaryotic cells? (Select all correct choices)

A)their size
B)their color
C)the types of their internal structures or organelles
D)their fragility

Question 76

Volvox possesses enlarged cells called _____________ which have a reproductive function.

A)gametes
B)ova
C)gonidia
D)spermatogonia
E)oogonia

Question 77

The supergroup containing animals is __________________.

A)Opisthokonta
B)Amoebozoa
C)Excavata
D)Archaeplastida
E)SAR

Question 78

Which of the following is a tenet of the Cell Theory? (Select all correct choices)

A)All organisms are composed of one or more cells.
B)The cell is the structural unit of life.
C)Cells can arise only by division from a preexisting cell.
D)Cells divide only by fission.

Question 79

The supergroup containing ciliated protozoa is __________________.

A)Opisthokonta
B)Amoebozoa
C)CCTH
D)Archaeplastida
E)SAR

Question 80

It is believed that _____________ and ________________ evolved from _________________.

A)plants, Volvox, a common ancestor
B)land plants, aquatic plants, Volvox
C)land plants, Volvox, aquatic plants
D)Volvox, aquatic plants, land plants