Deck 1: The Microbial World

Question 1

A Pasteur flask has a(n)

A) swan neck to prevent particulate matter from getting into the main body of the flask.
B) double neck so two substances may be added at the same time.
C) secondary opening at the base to allow for drainage.
D) inverted upper edge to prevent spillage while swirling.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The person who described the "wee animalcules" was

A) Robert Hooke.
B) Antoni van Leeuwenhoek.
C) Louis Pasteur.
D) Ferdinand Cohn.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT an accomplishment of Louis Pasteur?

A) determined that the alcohol-making process was mediated by microbial fermentation and thus refuted the theory of spontaneous generation
B) developed enrichment culture techniques
C) developed heat sterilization techniques that involved the creation of a specialized swan-necked flask
D) developed the first rabies vaccine and treated thousands of individuals

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The theory of spontaneous generation was refuted by the work of

A) Louis Pasteur.
B) Robert Koch.
C) Robert Hooke.
D) Antoni van Leeuwenhoek.

Question 5

Transparent double-sided dishes used for growing microbes are most commonly called

A) Petri dishes.
B) baker dishes.
C) sterilization plates.
D) culture medium plates.

Question 6

Microbes playing a role in nitrogen fixation in plants live in ________, while those playing a role in the digestive tract of certain herbivores live in ________.

A) rumens / nodules
B) nodules / rumens
C) nodules / fortrans
D) fortrans / rumens

Question 7

Biological catalysts involved in the acceleration of the rate of chemical reactions are called

A) catalytic converters.
B) growth agents.
C) evolutionary molecules.
D) enzymes.

Question 8

Louis Pasteur developed the vaccine(s) for

A) anthrax only.
B) fowl cholera only.
C) rabies only.
D) anthrax, fowl cholera, and rabies.

Question 9

In what/which domain(s) of life is/are microorganisms represented?

A) Archaea
B) Bacteria
C) Eukarya
D) Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya

Question 10

Deduce why viruses are excluded from the ribosomal RNA-based tree of life.

A) Some viruses contain multiple strands of RNA.
B) Their genetic elements cannot be sequenced.
C) They can infect other organisms, which complicates the genetic comparisons.
D) They lack ribosomal RNA (rRNA).

Question 11

Differential selection and reproduction of phenotypes occurs during a process called

A) cellular differentiation.
B) evolution.
C) growth.
D) transformation.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is correct?

A) Microorganisms are significant contributors to the total biomass on Earth.
B) Microorganisms represent a much smaller amount of Earth's biomass than plants.
C) Microorganisms represent a much smaller amount of Earth's biomass than animals.
D) Microorganisms are significant in number, but not in overall biomass.

Question 13

Microbial sterilization is used to

A) decrease the possibility of contaminants growing in a culture.
B) kill bacteria but not necessarily viruses or other microbes.
C) kill all microbes in or on objects.
D) clean a work area.

Question 14

Regarding early life on Earth

A) microbial life existed for billions of years before plant and animal life.
B) microbial life existed long before animals but has been around for about the same amount of time as plants.
C) microbial life, plant life, and animal life all appeared at about the same time.
D) it is impossible to determine which type of life first appeared.

Question 15

A pure culture

A) is sterile.
B) is a population of identical cells.
C) is made of a clearly defined chemical medium.
D) contains one microbial cell.

Question 16

Which of the following is/are characteristic of all cellular organisms?

A) communication
B) evolution
C) motility
D) communication, evolution, and motility

Question 17

Predict how Pasteur's conclusions on spontaneous generation with swan flasks would have changed if he worked with and maintained the flasks in a sterile laminar flow hood.

A) Sterilization of the swan flask solutions would not have been necessary to reject spontaneous generation. If he did sterilize the flasks, the spontaneous generation hypothesis would have been supported.
B) His incubation times would not have been sufficient to refute spontaneous generation.
C) Pasteur's flasks never would have putrefied, and the experiment would not have refuted spontaneous generation.
D) Viruses would have still been present, and his conclusion would have been unchanged.

Question 18

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Microbial cells can exist as single cells.
B) Microbial cells carry out their life processes of growth independently.
C) Microbial cells include both bacteria and viruses.
D) Microbial cells are surrounded by a plasma membrane.

Question 19

The discovery of antibiotics and other important chemicals led to the field of

A) industrial microbiology.
B) agricultural microbiology.
C) marine microbiology.
D) aquatic microbiology.

Question 20

Walther Hesse and ________ pioneered the use of agar as a solidifying agent.

A) Louis Pasteur
B) Ferdinand Cohn
C) Robert Koch
D) Sergei Winogradsky

Question 21

Chemolithotrophy involves

A) oxidation of organic compounds.
B) oxidation of inorganic compounds.
C) reduction of organic compounds.
D) metabolic autotrophy.

Question 22

The disease anthrax is caused by the pathogenic bacterium ________, which produces heat-resistant structures known as ________.

A) Azotobacter chroococcum / endospores
B) Azotobacter chroococcum / plasmids
C) Bacillus anthracis / endospores
D) Bacillus anthracis / plasmids

Question 23

Microbial control in wastewaters would most logically be a part of

A) microbial genetics.
B) aquatic microbiology.
C) medical microbiology.
D) bacterial energetics.

Question 24

Microorganisms play key roles in the cycling of important nutrients in plant nutrition, particularly those of

A) carbon only.
B) nitrogen only.
C) sulfur only.
D) carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur.

Question 25

Robert Koch contributed to the field of microbiology by being the first person to

A) develop the tuberculin test only.
B) formulate four postulates for definitively linking a specific microorganism to a specific disease only.
C) use agar as a solidifying agent in growth media only.
D) develop the tuberculin test, formulate four postulates for definitively linking a specific microorganism to a specific disease, and use agar as a solidifying agent in growth media.

Question 26

A microbial cell's membrane is considered ________, because its internal constituents are maintained within the cell. However, it also imports and exports other molecules in response to its environment.

A) differential
B) microselective
C) rigid
D) semipermeable

Question 27

Microbial cells first evolved on Earth approximately ________ billion years ago.

A) 1.6 to 1.8
B) 3.8 to 4.3
C) 5.4 to 5.6
D) 7.0 to 7.2

Question 28

Martinus Beijerinck was the first to isolate

A) green algae.
B) certain nitrogen-fixing root nodule bacteria.
C) certain sulfate-reducing bacteria.
D) green algae, certain nitrogen-fixing root nodule bacteria, and certain sulfate-reducing bacteria.

Question 29

The structure that confers structural strength on the cell is known as the

A) cytoplasmic membrane.
B) cell wall.
C) ribosome.
D) cytoplasm.

Question 30

Cyanobacteria and purple sulfur bacteria both obtain energy from light. However, only the ________ are capable of releasing ________.

A) cyanobacteria / organic compounds
B) cyanobacteria / oxygen
C) purple bacteria / organic compounds
D) purple bacteria / oxygen

Question 31

Bacillus anthracis deficient in its ability to differentiate would not be able to

A) chemotax towards growth substrates.
B) create vesicles.
C) form endospores.
D) grow without additional supplemented nutrients.

Question 32

Some microorganisms can undergo ________ in which various cell types can become specialized and arise from one parent cell type.

A) differentiation
B) genetic exchange
C) maturation
D) mutagensis

Question 33

The process whereby microorganisms are used to help clean up pollution created by human activities is known as

A) bioaugmentation.
B) biodegradation.
C) bioengineering.
D) bioremediation.

Question 34

Microbial ecology is the study of

A) microbial processes in the rhizosphere that benefit plant growth.
B) the diversity and activities of microorganisms.
C) the grouping and classifying of microorganisms.
D) microorganisms in their natural environments.

Question 35

Developments in the fields of immunology and medical microbiology were practical extensions of the work of

A) Sergei Winogradsky.
B) Antoni van Leeuwenhoek.
C) Joseph Lister.
D) Robert Koch.

Question 36

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is very difficult to stain because of the

A) presence of ribosomes in the cytoplasm.
B) location of the DNA within the cell.
C) large amounts of a waxlike lipids present in its cell wall.
D) lack of a cell wall.

Question 37

Microbial biochemistry most specifically involves the discovery of microbial ________ and the ________ they perform.

A) organelles / diffusion
B) enzymes / organelles
C) reactions / enzymes
D) biomolecules / functions

Question 38

Louis Pasteur's most famous success was his work on

A) Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
B) the rabies vaccine.
C) optical isomers.
D) cultivation of E. coli.

Question 39

Robert Koch received the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for

A) developing a smallpox vaccination.
B) identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the causative agent of tuberculosis.
C) making an effective rabies vaccine.
D) developing a smallpox vaccination, identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the causative agent of tuberculosis, and making an effective rabies vaccine.

Question 40

The first documented description of a microorganism was of a ________ by ________.

A) bacterium / Ferdinand Cohn
B) fungus / Robert Koch
C) mold / Robert Hooke
D) yeast / Martinus Beijerinck

Question 41

Bioremediation ________ by introducing pollutant-consuming microorganisms or specific nutrients that help microorganisms degrade pollutants.

A) accelerates the natural cleanup process
B) exploits genetic exchange mechanisms
C) invokes microbial evolution
D) uses chemotaxis of biodegrading microorganisms

Question 42

Why is it important to use cultivation-independent methods to help understand microbial diversity?

A) It allows researchers to identify species that cannot be grown in culture.
B) It is the only way that phylogenetic trees can be constructed.
C) It must be used after bacteria are cultured to more fully sequence their DNA.
D) It is necessary to be able to examine ribosomal RNA.

Question 43

All microorganisms require molecular oxygen to carry on life functions.

Question 44

When medical devices are left in the body, bacteria may grow on them as ________, which makes them especially resistant to treatment.

A) biofilms
B) liquids
C) populations
D) communities

Question 45

Which of the following types of microscopy could be used to visualize the layers of the cell membrane and the cell wall?

A) phase-contrast microscopy
B) transmission electron microscopy
C) bright-field microscopy
D) confocal microscopy

Question 46

________ produced by microbial fermentation of glucose from cellulose or cornstarch is becoming a more important component of biofuels in the United States, and specialized ________ are needed to make this a commercially available product.

A) Biodiesel / biotechnologists
B) Biodiesel / industrial microbiologists
C) Ethanol / biotechnologists
D) Ethanol / industrial microbiologists

Question 47

Why is ribosomal RNA especially useful for the study of phylogenetic relationships?

A) It is only found in some species, helping to distinguish them from others.
B) It is highly conserved.
C) It is highly variable.
D) It is extremely short.

Question 48

Microbes that live at high temperatures in hot springs are ________.

A) always Archaea.
B) also able to thrive at low temperatures.
C) called extremophiles.
D) rarely found.

Question 49

What field focuses specifically on the use of microbes to make products, such as antibiotics, on a large scale?

A) microbial ecology
B) biotechnology
C) industrial ecology
D) medical microbiology

Question 50

Which statement about the relationship between microbes and humans is FALSE?

A) Most microbes are pathogenic.
B) Infectious disease is an important public health concern.
C) Bacteria in the digestive tract are important for digestion.
D) Microbes in root nodules fix nitrogen and allow plants to make nitrogen-rich products.

Question 51

________ was the first to identify a new form of autotrophy in which energy is obtained from oxidizing inorganic compounds called ________.

A) Martinus Beijerinck / heteroautotrophy
B) Martinus Beijerinck / chemolithotrophy
C) Sergei Winogradsky / heteroautotrophy
D) Sergei Winogradsky / chemolithotrophy

Question 52

Archaea and Bacteria are unified as prokaryotes in lacking ________ which Eukarya contain, such as mitochondria.

A) membranes
B) nuclei
C) membrane-enclosed organelles
D) nuclei and membrane-enclosed organelles

Question 53

Most microorganisms are pathogenic.

Question 54

Approximately two billion years ago, ________ were primarily responsible for initially oxygenating Earth.

A) algae
B) Archaea
C) cyanobacteria
D) purple sulfur bacteria

Question 55

The production of human proteins (e.g., insulin) by genetically engineered microorganisms is an example of ________, a subdiscipline of microbiology.

A) applied microbiology
B) biotechnology
C) industrial microbiology
D) molecular microbiology

Question 56

Metabolism is a unifying characteristic of all cellular organisms.

Question 57

________ was the first to describe microorganisms, while ________ was the first person to see bacteria.

A) Antoni van Leeuwenhoek / Robert Hook
B) Antoni van Leeuwenhoek / Robert Koch
C) Robert Hooke / Antoni van Leeuwenhoek
D) Robert Koch / Antoni van Leeuwenhoek

Question 58

Which of the following types of microscopy is especially effective for viewing details of internal structures within live cells?

A) phase-contrast microscopy
B) transmission electron microscopy
C) bright-field microscopy
D) scanning electron microscopy

Question 59

Who was the first researcher to provide direct experimental data that supported the germ theory to explain infectious disease?

A) Pasteur
B) Winogradsky
C) Lister
D) Koch

Question 60

Electron microscopy has greater ________ than light microscopy, because the wavelength of visible light is much larger than the wavelength of electrons.

A) contrast
B) magnification
C) resolution
D) penetration

Question 61

Why is it incorrect to say that an object is partially sterile?

Question 62

The discipline of microbiology is intimately associated with biochemistry and genetics, because cells are both biochemical catalysts and genetic coding devices.

Question 63

Explain how you would use Robert Koch's postulates to determine that Streptococcus pyogenes is the causative agent of streptococcal pharyngitis ("strep throat").

Question 64

List three contributions of Ferdinand Cohn to the development of microbiology.

Question 65

Explain why microbial cells are excellent models for understanding cell function in higher organisms.

Question 66

The environment in which a microbial population lives is called its habitat.

Question 67

Sergei Winogradsky worked with bacteria involved in cycling nitrogen and sulfur.

Question 68

Electron microscopes have less resolving power (resolution) than light microscopes.

Question 69

The text states that antibiotics are derived from microorganisms. What is the benefit to an antibiotic-producing microorganism of producing an antibiotic in its natural habitat?

Question 70

According to our present understanding, each of the three major domains has what is known as its own universal ancestor.

Question 71

Treponema pallidum, a bacterium associated with syphilis, is not considered a pathogen because to date it remains unculturable in the lab, and, therefore, Koch's postulates are unable to be fulfilled.

Question 72

Compare and contrast the works of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch in terms of both applied techniques and basic science.

Question 73

Both environmental conditions and nutrient resources strongly influence the composition of a microbial community.

Question 74

Differentiation occurs only in multicellular organisms.

Question 75

Not only do some microorganisms tolerate extremely hot temperatures, some actually require high temperatures for optimal growth.

Question 76

Microbes were first formally observed during the mid-1600s, but the cell theory was not enunciated until 1839. Write a brief essay explaining why microbiology did not become a formally recognized science until Louis Pasteur's and Robert Koch's time.

Question 77

Explain the nature and function of an enrichment culture.

Question 78

Compare and contrast the leading causes of death in 1900 with the leading causes of death today. What roles have microbiologists played in the dramatic changes that are evident?

Question 79

Describe beneficial and harmful ways in which microorganisms interact with agricultural crops.

Question 80

Today, the enrichment culture technique developed over a century ago by Martinus Beijerinck remains a feasible approach to discovering bacteria capable of degrading pollutants.