Question 1

In a eukaryotic cell, which of the following processes directly involves DNA?

Accepted Answer

A) translation 
B) cellular respiration 
C) active transport of ions 
D) replication of chromosomes

Question 2

When locust populations grow too large for an area, the individual locusts are crowded and food becomes scarce. In response to these conditions, some of the locusts leave the area and find a new habitat.Which of the following terms best applies to the response of the locusts that leave for the new habitat?

Accepted Answer

A) commensalism 
B) emigration 
C) hibernation 
D) mutualism

Question 3

A single prokaryotic cell can divide several times in an hour. Few eukaryotic cells can divide as quickly. Which of the following statements best explains this difference?

Accepted Answer

A) Eukaryotic cells are smaller than prokaryotic cells. 
B) Eukaryotic cells have less DNA than prokaryotic cells. 
C) Eukaryotic cells have more cell walls than prokaryotic cells. 
D) Eukaryotic cells are more structurally complex than prokaryotic cells.

Question 4

A tomato plant in a greenhouse was found to be infected with tobacco mosaic virus. A few weeks later, nearby plants were alsofound to be infected with the virus. Which of the following best describes how the virus reproduced?

Accepted Answer

A) The virus made its own spores. 
B) The virus produced seeds in the tomatoes. 
C) The virus used the host plant's resources and machinery to reproduce. 
D) The virus immediately killed the host plant and was free to reproduce.

Question 5

Which of the following statements describes the role of ATP in animal cells?

Accepted Answer

A) ATP stores and releases energy. 
B) ATP forms the channels in the plasma membrane. 
C) ATP serves as the hereditary material in the nucleus. 
D) ATP attaches to and digests unneeded organic molecules.

Question 6

In one of the steps of the carbon cycle, a person exhales a molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Which of the following is most likely to happen next to the atom of carbon in this molecule?

Accepted Answer

A) It may be used as part of a sugar in a plant. 
B) It may become part of a protein in an animal. 
C) It may be consumed as a fossil fuel is burned. 
D) It may be decomposed into carbon and oxygen by a bacterium.

Question 7

Which of the following statements correctly matches a cell part with its function?

Accepted Answer

A) The cell membrane packages lipids for export. 
B) The mitochondria perform photosynthesis. 
C) The lysosome digests molecules. 
D) The nucleus produces energy.

Question 8

Ovalbumin is a protein found in eggs. Which of the following best describes the molecular structure of ovalbumin?

Accepted Answer

A) a group of six carbon atoms joined in a ring 
B) a chain of amino acids folded and twisted into a molecule 
C) a set of three fatty acids attached to a molecule of glycerol 
D) a sequence of nitrogenous bases attached to a sugar-phosphate backbone

Question 9

A hurricane sweeps across a small Caribbean island, killing 50 percent of the herbivore species on the island. Which of the following is the most immediate result?

Accepted Answer

A) a reduction in biodiversity 
B) an acceleration of the carbon cycle 
C) an increase in predator populations 
D) a decline in decomposer populations

Question 10

Which type of cell must contain a mutation in order for the mutation to be passed from a woman to her offspring?

Accepted Answer

A) blood cell 
B) brain cell 
C) egg cell 
D) skin cell

Question 11

A builder is proposing a new housing development in an area of western Massachusetts. Construction of the housing development will destroy the wetland habitat in the area.Which of the following would be the most likely consequence of the wetland's destruction?

Accepted Answer

A) The wetland plant species would disperse to adjacent meadow habitats. 
B) The populations of wetland animals would be unable to survive in that area. 
C) The wetland animal species would survive by interbreeding with non-wetland species. 
D) The populations of wetland plants would evolve to disperse seeds by wind rather than water.

Question 12

Which process do the animals in the food web use to convert energy from food into ATP?

Accepted Answer

A) cellular respiration 
B) osmosis 
C) photosynthesis 
D) transcription

Question 13

Which of the following best describes the formation of a zygote?

Accepted Answer

A) A sperm cell nucleus and an egg cell nucleus fuse. 
B) A cell's DNA replication and mitosis are accelerated. 
C) A succession of cell divisions produces a solid mass of cells. 
D) A cell with 46 chromosomes divides to form cells with 23 chromosomes each.

Question 14

Nerve cells use which of the following to communicate with each other?

Accepted Answer

A) antibodies 
B) electrochemical signals 
C) enzymes 
D) simple sugars

Question 15

Which of the following statements best explains why offspring produced by sexual reproduction often look similar to, but not exactly the same as, their parents?

Accepted Answer

A) The offspring have genetic material from both the mother and the father. 
B) The cells of the offspring contain all the dominant genes from the parents. 
C) The cells of the offspring undergo mitosis many times as the offspring grow and develop. 
D) The offspring have a period of embryonic development, rather than being born immediately after fertilization.

Question 16

Which of the following is incapable of reproducing outside a host cell?

Accepted Answer

A) alga 
B) mold 
C) moss 
D) virus

Question 17

In the past 100 years, levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have increased as the result of the burning of fossil fuels. Other processes in the carbon cycle have absorbed some of the carbon released by this combustion.Which of the following most likely have absorbed excess carbon released by combustion?

Accepted Answer

A) animals 
B) glaciers 
C) plants 
D) rocks

Question 18

In 2006, scientists discovered fossilized skeletons of an animal with several interesting features. Fossil evidence indicated that the animal not only had scales, fins, and gills, but also had lungs, a full set of ribs, and limb bones arranged to support the animal's weight. The illustration below shows what the animal, called Tiktaalik, probably looked like based on the fossil evidence.Which of the following statements best explains why the Tiktaalik fossils are an important piece of evidence for evolution?

Accepted Answer

A) They include skeletons of both males and females. 
B) They are complete skeletons of a carnivorous animal. 
C) They allow scientists to estimate the animal's lifespan. 
D) They show a transitional form between fish and land-dwelling vertebrates.

Question 19

In humans, the appendix is small and is not needed for digestion. In rabbits, the appendix is well developed and is used in the digestion of plant fibers.Which of the following provides the best scientific explanation for the presence of the appendix in both humans and rabbits?

Accepted Answer

A) Rabbits and humans live in environments with similar conditions. 
B) Rabbits and humans are both eukaryotes with similar cell structures. 
C) The appendix is evolving into a new type of organ in rabbits and humans. 
D) The appendix is inherited from a common ancestor of rabbits and humans.

Question 20

Every year, monarch butterflies from Canada and the United States spend the winter in central Mexico. The dry and mild climate in Mexico allows the monarch butterflies to survive the winter. One winter, a week of storms caused freezing temperatures and 43 cm of snow in Mexico. What was the most likely impact of these storms on the monarch butterflies?

Accepted Answer

A) Monarch butterflies died in large numbers. 
B) Monarch butterflies immediately migrated back to the United States. 
C) Monarch butterflies did not migrate from Canada and the United States the next year. 
D) Monarch butterflies evolved several new adaptations to survive the winter in Mexico.

Exam 1: Biology