Bio 105/6                                Practice Exam 1

September 28, 2011                                      

 

This practice exam is intended for you to check how well you have studied and to give you an idea of the format of the actual exam.  The questions on the actual exam will be different than the questions in this practice exam.  Students learn much more by finding answers to questions that they cannot answer and the answers to this practice exam will not be provided, but the answers to all questions can be found in the lecture notes or your textbook. 

 

Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

 

1.      Biology is relevant in the lives of:

a.       A nurse                                                    c. A journalist

b.      A teacher                                                  d. All of these because they are all alive

 

2.      Which of the following statements about cells is true?  A cell is _____.

a.       Only found in multiples of two, because single cells cannot exist independently

b.      Always between  200 and 500 micrometers in diameter

c.       Characteristic of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms

d.      Characteristic of eukaryotic but not prokaryotic organisms

 

3.      A large amount of energy is required to raise the temperature of water because of the __.

a.       Bonds formed between the hydrogens of two water molecules

b.      Bond formed between the oxygen and a hydrogen of a single water molecule

c.       Hydrogen bonds formed between the hydrogen of one water molecule and the oxygen of another water molecule

d.      Covalent bonds formed between the hydrogen of one water molecule and a solute molecule

 

4.      Which of the following true statements can be attributed to the large amount of energy input required to raise the temperature of water?

a.       Sugar dissolves in hot tea faster than in iced tea.

b.      Ice floats on water.

c.       Our body temperature can take a long time to passively change because it is composed mostly of water.

d.      Oil and water do not mix well.

 

5.      In comparison to eukaryotes, prokaryotes _____.

a.       Lack any cell membranes                         c. Are  more structurally complex

b.      Are larger                                                 d. Are smaller     

 

6.      What will happen to a red blood cell (RBC), which has an internal ion concentration of about 30%, if it is placed into a beaker of pure water?

a.       The cell would swell

b.      The cell would shrink

c.       The cell would shrink at first and then swell after equilibrium is reached

d.      Nothing.

 

7.      You’re arguing with someone about whether a car is alive.  Having taken Bio 105 you can easily make the point that a car is not alive because no cars ever:

a.       Sense their environment                           c. Contain cells

b.      Store information                                     d. Use oxygen

 

8.      Individual water molecules have the property of __________, which has important ramifications in terms of characteristics of water that are important for the existence of life.

a.       Hydrogen bonds                                       c. Polarity

b.      Specific heat                                            d. Surface tension

 

9.      The ability of water to act as a solvent for so many different types of molecules results from the ability of individual water molecules to surround other molecules and form bonds with them because of the _________ of individual water molecules.

a.       Hydrogen bonds                                       c. Polarity

b.      Specific heat                                            d. Surface tension

 

10.  The carbon-based macromolecule that forms the largest proportion of living things is:

a.       Water                   b. Lipids          c. Protein                     d. Nucleic acids

 

11.  Although we are just beginning our study of energetics, we are already familiar with the energy currency of ATP being used to do work in cells in relation to:

a.       Evolution                                     c. Formation of hydrogen bonds in water

b.      Active transport                            d. Both b and c

 

12.  Some substances such as sodium are pumped across the cell membrane against a concentration gradient.  This is accomplished as a result of:

a.       Use of ATP to do work

b.      Diffusion

c.       Protein carriers that move the ions without expending energy

d.      Facilitated diffusion

 

13.  An example of a substance that will diffuse into or out of a cell across the cell membrane is:

a.       Oxygen                b. CO2              c. H2O              d. All of these

 

14.  The concentration of a small, nonpolar, water soluble substance inside of a cell is greater than the concentration of this substance outside of the cell.  This substance will exhibit a net movement:

a.       Of zero since it is nonpolar and will not be able to pass through the cell membrane

b.      Equal in either direction

c.       Down its concentration gradient and out of the cell

d.      Down its concentration gradient and into the cell

 

15.  The passage of substances such as ___ across the cell membrane is prevented just by the fact that the structure of cell membranes is dominated by phospholipids.

a.       Water                   b. Ca++             c. Oxygen                    d. CO2

 

16.  Proteins in biological systems _____.     

a.       May be high-energy intermediates (for example, ATP)

b.      Link together to form the plasma membrane

c.       Store genetic information

d.      May be enzymes that catalyze reactions

 

17.  Nucleic acids are polymers made up of which of the following monomers?     

a.       Amino acids      b. Nitrogenous bases      c. Nucleotides      d.  Sugars

 

18.  Which of the following is a property of liquid water?

a.       It changes temperature with less energy input than that for most other substances.

b.      Its density is less than ice.

c.       It is nonpolar.

d.      It changes from liquid to gas with more energy input than that for most other substances.

 

19.  The scientific method starts with an observation.  For example, you commute to URI and you observe that your car won’t start one morning and you are going to be late for class.  Using the scientific method your next step would be:

a.       Ask for a ride to campus or call a taxi

b.      Hypothesize that your car has no gas

c.       Conclude that the battery is dead

d.      Any of these

 

20.  An initial test of a hypothesis that you formed when your car wouldn’t start might be:

a.       Check the battery cables

b.      Check the fuel gage

c.       Call a mechanic and ask him to check out your car

d.      Both a or b

 

21.  Further testing of your hypothesis about your car not starting might be:

a.       Taking the battery cables off, cleaning the terminals and reattaching the cables and seeing if the car started

b.      Putting 5 gallons of gas in the car from a small gas tank that you keep for your lawn mower and seeing if the car starts

c.       Seeing if you can start the car by having your friend help you jump start the car with jumper cables and your friends car

d.      Any of these

 

22.  If you were successful in starting your car after putting 5 gallons of gas in the tank and checking the battery cables you could correctly conclude:

a.       The car was out of gas

b.      The battery cables were not connected properly

c.       Both a or b

d.      Neither a or b

 

23.  Which is true of the scientific method?

a.       It is easier to disprove something using the scientific method than to prove something

b.      The results of an observation, hypothesis and experiment are adequate to formulate a theory

c.       Can be applied to any observation that you make

d.      It is used to explain natural events way too often

 

24.  Why is carbon so important in biology?     

a.       It has very little electronegativity, making it a good electron donor.

b.      It is a common element on Earth.

c.       It bonds to only a few other elements.

d.      It forms up to four covalent bonds.

 

25.  The cities of Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, are at about the same latitude, but Minneapolis has much hotter summers and much colder winters than Portland does. Why? (Portland is near the Pacific Ocean; Minneapolis is near a number of large lakes.)     

a.       The ocean is so large that it has a highly moderating influence on temperature.

b.      Oregon is much nicer than Minnesota.

c.       Minneapolis is much windier, due to its location in the middle of a continent.

d.      Freshwater is more likely to freeze than salt water.

 

26.   _____ atoms give organic molecules their overall shape; _____ atoms determine the overall chemical behavior of organic molecules.      

a.       H, N, and O/Carbon                                 c. Carbon/H, N, and O

b.      Carbon/H2O                                             d. Hydrogen/C, N, and O

 

27.  Which of the following means of transport would most likely be used for moving a medium-sized molecule (like a monosaccharide or an amino acid) from a low concentration on the outside of a cell to a high concentration on the inside of a cell?

a.       Facilitated diffusion through a transporter protein

b.      Passive transport

c.       Facilitated diffusion through an ion channel protein

d.      Active transport through a "pump" protein

 

28.  Which of the following is a difference between RNA and DNA?     

a.       One contains ribose sugar and the other contains a deoxyribose sugar.

b.      One is made from nucleotide monomers and the other one is not.

c.       One is typically single stranded and the other is typically triple stranded.

d.      One is found in all cells and the other is not.

 

29.  Lipids that form membranes have what kind of structure?

a.       Polar heads and nonpolar tails; the polar heads interact with water

b.      Completely nonpolar, because they are lipids

c.       Polar heads and nonpolar tails; the nonpolar tails interact with water

d.      Completely polar, which allows them to dissolve in water

 

30.  Which of the following would you expect to cross lipid bilayers the fastest?

a.       A large, polar molecule like glucose     

b.      A sodium ion (Na+)

c.       A small, nonpolar molecule like oxygen (O2)     

d.      A small, polar molecule like chloride (Cl-)

 

31.  How do phospholipids interact with water molecules?

a.       The polar heads avoid water; the nonpolar tails attract water (because water is polar and opposites attract).

b.      The polar heads interact with water; the nonpolar tails do not.

c.       Phospholipids don't interact with water because water is polar and lipids are nonpolar.

d.      Phospholipids dissolve in water.

 

32.  Why is the smooth endoplasmic reticulum unable to synthesize proteins?

a.       Because it has no ribosomes

b.      Because it has no DNA to direct synthesis of proteins

c.       Because it stores calcium which is a known inhibitor of protein synthesis

d.      Because there is no supply of free amino acids that it can easily access

33.  Where are the proteins that will be exported (excreted) from the cell made?

a.       In free ribosomes

b.      In ribosomes that attach to the outer mitochondrial membrane

c.       In ribosomes that attach to the Golgi complex

d.      In ribosomes that attach to the endoplasmic reticulum

 

34.  Which one of the following would you find in eukaryotes, but not in a prokaryote?

a.       A mitochondrion                                                  c. RNA

b.      Proteins                                                                d. DNA

 

35.  A single celled organism living in a freshwater lake gets stuck to the foot of a bird that flies to the ocean, lands on the water and sticks its feet in the sea.  The fate of that cell:

a.       Would be greatly influenced by osmosis

b.      Is impossible to determine without more information

c.       Would probably involve swelling as water moved from surrounding sea water into the cell

d.      Both b and c

 

36.  Under what circumstances does membrane transport always require energy?

a.       Whenever molecules are moved that are too large to pass through the phospholipid bilayer membrane.

b.      Whenever a solute needs to be moved from low concentration to high concentration through a phospholipid bilayer membrane.

c.       Whenever a molecule is polar and is moved through a phospholipid bilayer membrane.

d.      Whenever a solute is charged, such as an ion, and is moved through a phospholipid bilayer membrane.

 

37.  Which of the following statements represents a major difference between prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells?

a.       Eukaryotes are not able to carry out aerobic respiration, a process that requires a complex inner-membrane system.

b.      Prokaryotes have cells while eukaryotes do not.

c.       Eukaryotic cells have larger numbers of intracellular organelles than prokaryotes.

d.      Prokaryotes are generally larger in size than eukaryotes.

 

38.  You have a distant cousin, age 4, who is always tired and fatigued and is not able to play games and sports like other healthy children. He most likely has an enzyme deficiency or defect associated with which intracellular organelle?

a.       Golgi apparatus      b. Lysosomes      c. Ribosomes      d. Mitochondria

 

39.  Because of the relatively large amount of energy required to break bonds between water molecules:

a.       Water changes temperature slowly

b.      Temperatures of cells and bodies of organisms are stable

c.       The temperature of the entire earth is moderated

d.      All of these 

 

40.  Cells are the basic unit of life in terms of:

a.       All cells arise from pre-existing cells

b.      All organisms are multicellular

c.       All cells contain DNA enclosed in a nucleus

d.      All of these

41.  Evolution is so pervasive in biology because:

a.       It really isn’t that pervasive in biology other than the study of evolution

b.      Every organism is constantly evolving

c.       Although populations do not evolve, individuals within those populations do.

d.      Organisms and the processes that occur within them result from the evolutionary history of the organism

 

42.  The first half of this course is devoted to the study of processes that occur in all living things and that all occur at and will be studied at the level of the:

a.       Chromosome                    b. Cell              c. Organism                 d. Organ

 

43.  At least a fundamental understanding of biological chemistry is important in this course because:

a.       Thousands of biochemical reactions occur within cells every minute

b.      We will spend considerable time studying proteins

c.       We will spend considerable time studying nucleic acids

d.      All of these

 

44.  The structure of ____ is characterized by a 9+2 arrangement of protein filaments.

a.       Nuclei                 b. Flagella                    c. Mitochondria                       d. Cell membranes

 

45.  Your other distant cousin has a genetic disorder related to the inability of your cousin’s cells to synthesize a protein.  Of the organelles listed here, which is likely the site where the problem arises in your cousin’s cells?

a.       Mitochondria                    b. Ribosomes               c. Plastids         d. Golgi bodies

 

46.  Proteins consist of repeating subunits of:

a.       Amino acids                      b. Nitrogenous bases     c. Sugars        d.  Nucleotides

 

47.  An organelle absent from animal cells is:

a.       Lysosomes                       b. Peroxisomes                        c. Plastids         d. Golgi bodies

 

48.  Which is true of biological macromolecules?

a.       Most organisms only contain 1 or 2 types

b.      They are present in roughly the same proportions in most organisms

c.       They consist of repeating subunits or monomers

d.      Both b & c

 

49.  Arguably the most abundant organic molecule on the face of the earth is:

a.       Glucose                            b. Glycogen                 c. Starch           d. Cellulose

 

50.  Cellulose consists of repeating subunits of:

a.       Glucose                            b. Glycogen                 c. Starch           d. Cells