Microbiology Final Exam Review Questions
With Correct Answers 2026 Update
In the name Staphylococcus aureus, aureus is the - CORRECT ANSWER -species
A prokaryotic cell may possess each of the following cellular components EXCEPT - CORRECT
ANSWER -a nucleus
Which of the following is not a domain in the three-domain system? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Animalia
Who is credited with disproving spontaneous generation? - CORRECT ANSWER -Louis Pasteur
Who is considered to be the father of epidemiology? - CORRECT ANSWER -John Snow
Who is credited with developing vaccines? - CORRECT ANSWER -Edward Jenner
Which of the following is not a product of alcohol fermentation? - CORRECT ANSWER -Lactate
This parasitic member of the domain Eukarya is know for its complex life cycle, microscopic
eggs, and macroscopic adult stages - CORRECT ANSWER -Helminths
Which of these is not a postulate of Koch? - CORRECT ANSWER -The pathogen must be
inoculated into an already diseased host
Anaerobic respiration - CORRECT ANSWER -uses an inorganic compound, besides oxygen, as the
final electron acceptor
,Which of the following statements about Gram-positive bacteria is true? - CORRECT ANSWER -
They have a thick layer of peptidoglycan
Which microscope is used to observe a specimen that emits light when illuminated with an
ultraviolet light? - CORRECT ANSWER -fluorescence microscope
A microorganism grows in the lab on medium containing mineral salts but no organic
compounds. The organism is likely to be a(n) - CORRECT ANSWER -autotroph
The growth of bacterial cultures is best describes as - CORRECT ANSWER -logarithmic growth
Which of the following statements is not correct regarding prokaryotic cells? - CORRECT
ANSWER -Their DNA is enclosed within a membrane
Which of the following statements best describes what happens when a bacterial cell is placed
in a hypertonic solution? - CORRECT ANSWER -Water will move out of the cell
Which of the following statements is TRUE? - CORRECT ANSWER -Endospores allow a
population to survive environmental changes
If a bacterial cell lost its ability to form fimbriae, which of the following would most likely be
immediately affected? - CORRECT ANSWER -Attachment
Which of the following pairs is mismatched? - CORRECT ANSWER -Smooth endoplasmic
reticulum - protein synthesis
Many vitamins are important ____ of enzymes. - CORRECT ANSWER -Coenzymes
,Most prokaryotes divide by a process called - CORRECT ANSWER -binary fission
If bacterial cells are growing well on media containing glucose, but are not producing the
desired product, which is ethanol, what is the most likely explanation? - CORRECT ANSWER -O2
is in the medium
If a cell is using an organic final electron acceptor, when is ATP produced? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Only in glycolysis
The biggest difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is that - CORRECT ANSWER -
eukaryotes have a membrane-bound nucleus and prokaryotes do not
Viruses are not considered living organisms because they - CORRECT ANSWER -cannot
reproduce by themselves and are not made of cells
As they are written in this question, NADH and FADH2 are - CORRECT ANSWER -reduced
A culture medium consisting of agar, peptone, and beef heart is a - CORRECT ANSWER -complex
medium
Traits of a pathogen that increase its ability to infect hosts - CORRECT ANSWER -Virulence
Factors
Which of these is NOT a component of the cell wall? - CORRECT ANSWER -Flagellin
Electron microscopes have higher resolution because - CORRECT ANSWER -they use electrons
with a shorter wavelength
, Immersion oil is used to - CORRECT ANSWER -increase resolution by decreasing refraction
Which of the following methods is used to preserve food by both freezing and drying food? -
CORRECT ANSWER -lyophilization
During the light-independent reactions in photosynthesis, ___ is used to bind to Carbon Dioxide
to make 2 three carbon sugars - CORRECT ANSWER -Ribulose Biphosphate
Pleomorphic, lacks a cell wall, doest not gram stain - CORRECT ANSWER -Mycoplasma
Zinc, an essential trace element for most organisms, is present in the active site of the enzyme
carboxypeptidase. The zinc most likely functions as - CORRECT ANSWER -a cofactor necessary
for enzyme activity
Most of the CO2 from the catabolism of glucose is released during - CORRECT ANSWER -the
Krebs cycle
The theoretical yield of ATP produced during aerobic respiration is - CORRECT ANSWER -30
The majority of ATP produced in the reactions of cellular respiration is through - CORRECT
ANSWER -oxidative phosphorylation
Energy released by the electron transport chain is used to pump H+ into which location in
eukaryotic cells? - CORRECT ANSWER -mitochondrial intermembrane space
Which of the following normally occurs regardless of whether or not oxygen (O2) is present? -
CORRECT ANSWER -glycolysis
With Correct Answers 2026 Update
In the name Staphylococcus aureus, aureus is the - CORRECT ANSWER -species
A prokaryotic cell may possess each of the following cellular components EXCEPT - CORRECT
ANSWER -a nucleus
Which of the following is not a domain in the three-domain system? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Animalia
Who is credited with disproving spontaneous generation? - CORRECT ANSWER -Louis Pasteur
Who is considered to be the father of epidemiology? - CORRECT ANSWER -John Snow
Who is credited with developing vaccines? - CORRECT ANSWER -Edward Jenner
Which of the following is not a product of alcohol fermentation? - CORRECT ANSWER -Lactate
This parasitic member of the domain Eukarya is know for its complex life cycle, microscopic
eggs, and macroscopic adult stages - CORRECT ANSWER -Helminths
Which of these is not a postulate of Koch? - CORRECT ANSWER -The pathogen must be
inoculated into an already diseased host
Anaerobic respiration - CORRECT ANSWER -uses an inorganic compound, besides oxygen, as the
final electron acceptor
,Which of the following statements about Gram-positive bacteria is true? - CORRECT ANSWER -
They have a thick layer of peptidoglycan
Which microscope is used to observe a specimen that emits light when illuminated with an
ultraviolet light? - CORRECT ANSWER -fluorescence microscope
A microorganism grows in the lab on medium containing mineral salts but no organic
compounds. The organism is likely to be a(n) - CORRECT ANSWER -autotroph
The growth of bacterial cultures is best describes as - CORRECT ANSWER -logarithmic growth
Which of the following statements is not correct regarding prokaryotic cells? - CORRECT
ANSWER -Their DNA is enclosed within a membrane
Which of the following statements best describes what happens when a bacterial cell is placed
in a hypertonic solution? - CORRECT ANSWER -Water will move out of the cell
Which of the following statements is TRUE? - CORRECT ANSWER -Endospores allow a
population to survive environmental changes
If a bacterial cell lost its ability to form fimbriae, which of the following would most likely be
immediately affected? - CORRECT ANSWER -Attachment
Which of the following pairs is mismatched? - CORRECT ANSWER -Smooth endoplasmic
reticulum - protein synthesis
Many vitamins are important ____ of enzymes. - CORRECT ANSWER -Coenzymes
,Most prokaryotes divide by a process called - CORRECT ANSWER -binary fission
If bacterial cells are growing well on media containing glucose, but are not producing the
desired product, which is ethanol, what is the most likely explanation? - CORRECT ANSWER -O2
is in the medium
If a cell is using an organic final electron acceptor, when is ATP produced? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Only in glycolysis
The biggest difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is that - CORRECT ANSWER -
eukaryotes have a membrane-bound nucleus and prokaryotes do not
Viruses are not considered living organisms because they - CORRECT ANSWER -cannot
reproduce by themselves and are not made of cells
As they are written in this question, NADH and FADH2 are - CORRECT ANSWER -reduced
A culture medium consisting of agar, peptone, and beef heart is a - CORRECT ANSWER -complex
medium
Traits of a pathogen that increase its ability to infect hosts - CORRECT ANSWER -Virulence
Factors
Which of these is NOT a component of the cell wall? - CORRECT ANSWER -Flagellin
Electron microscopes have higher resolution because - CORRECT ANSWER -they use electrons
with a shorter wavelength
, Immersion oil is used to - CORRECT ANSWER -increase resolution by decreasing refraction
Which of the following methods is used to preserve food by both freezing and drying food? -
CORRECT ANSWER -lyophilization
During the light-independent reactions in photosynthesis, ___ is used to bind to Carbon Dioxide
to make 2 three carbon sugars - CORRECT ANSWER -Ribulose Biphosphate
Pleomorphic, lacks a cell wall, doest not gram stain - CORRECT ANSWER -Mycoplasma
Zinc, an essential trace element for most organisms, is present in the active site of the enzyme
carboxypeptidase. The zinc most likely functions as - CORRECT ANSWER -a cofactor necessary
for enzyme activity
Most of the CO2 from the catabolism of glucose is released during - CORRECT ANSWER -the
Krebs cycle
The theoretical yield of ATP produced during aerobic respiration is - CORRECT ANSWER -30
The majority of ATP produced in the reactions of cellular respiration is through - CORRECT
ANSWER -oxidative phosphorylation
Energy released by the electron transport chain is used to pump H+ into which location in
eukaryotic cells? - CORRECT ANSWER -mitochondrial intermembrane space
Which of the following normally occurs regardless of whether or not oxygen (O2) is present? -
CORRECT ANSWER -glycolysis
