BIO 150 UPDATED 2026 EXAMS TEST QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Define node - ✔✔represents the most recent common ancestor or a speciation
event in which the lineage became two distinct lineages
✔✔Define derived character - ✔✔Characteristic that appears in recent parts of a
lineage, but not in its older members
✔✔Define clade - ✔✔A group of species that includes an ancestral species and all its
descendants.
✔✔Define homoplasy - ✔✔similar but not due to common ancestry
✔✔Define parsimony - ✔✔principle that the simplest scientific explanations is the most
likely one
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: DNA in nucleus - ✔✔only eukarya
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: organelles - ✔✔only eukarya
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: circular chromosomes - ✔✔bacteria and archea
,✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: typical cell size - ✔✔bacteria & archea: small
eukarya: large
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: type of reproduction - ✔✔bacteria & archea: asexual
eukarya: sexual (some asexual)
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: cell wall structure - ✔✔bacteria: peptidoglycan
archea: varied
eukarya: some-chitin or cellulose
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: RNA polymerase has >10 subunits - ✔✔bacteria: no
archea & eukarya: yes
✔✔What are types of morphological diversity? - ✔✔-size varies
-shape varies
-motility varies
✔✔How does bacteria/archea vary in size? - ✔✔about 1 um to some much larger
✔✔Hows does bacteria/archea vary in shape? - ✔✔-rods
-chains of spheres
-spirals
✔✔How does bacteria/archea vary in motility? - ✔✔some are nonmobile, but swimming
and gliding are common
✔✔Why are prokaryotes so small? - ✔✔-diffusion limits cell size
-gases and food molecules in the air or water must pass in and out of the cell
-nutrient usage and heat loss depends on volume
✔✔Define metabolic diversity - ✔✔the diversity in the types of compounds that can be
used as food
✔✔What is the cellular respiration equation? - ✔✔
✔✔What is the photosynthesis equation? - ✔✔
✔✔What is oxidized in cellular respiration? - ✔✔glucose -> CO2
✔✔What is reduced in cellular respiration? - ✔✔O2 to H2O
✔✔What is oxidized in photosythesis? - ✔✔H2O to O2
✔✔What is reduced in photosythesis - ✔✔CO2 -> glucose
, ✔✔What are the two means of producing ATP? - ✔✔-phototrophs
-chemotrophs
✔✔What are the two means to obtain building-block compounds with C-C bonds? - ✔✔-
autotrophs
-heterotrophs
✔✔Define phototrophs - ✔✔use light energy to excite electrions
✔✔Define chemotrophs - ✔✔obtain energy from chemicals in the envrionment
✔✔Define autotrophs - ✔✔manufacture their own building-block compounds
✔✔Define heterotrophs - ✔✔absorb building-block compounds from environment
✔✔Define aerobic - ✔✔requires or can use oxygen
✔✔Define anaerobic - ✔✔does not require or cannot tolerate oxygen
✔✔Define faculative - ✔✔able to, not required
✔✔Define faculative anaerobes - ✔✔can survive with or without oxygen
✔✔Define obligate - ✔✔absolutely requires
✔✔Define obligate anaerobes - ✔✔cannot tolerate O2
✔✔Where do archea live? - ✔✔-anywhere bacteria can't
-thermophiles
-halophiles
-methanogens
✔✔How have prokaryotes evolved such a diverse array of adaptations? - ✔✔-they have
been here the longest
-more generations per unit of time
-horizontal gene transfer
-more opportunists for variation to appear and natural selection to occur
✔✔What three things does energy go towards in archea? - ✔✔-maintenance
-growth
-reproduction
✔✔How does archea evolve so quickly? - ✔✔-needs fewer resources to reproduce
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Define node - ✔✔represents the most recent common ancestor or a speciation
event in which the lineage became two distinct lineages
✔✔Define derived character - ✔✔Characteristic that appears in recent parts of a
lineage, but not in its older members
✔✔Define clade - ✔✔A group of species that includes an ancestral species and all its
descendants.
✔✔Define homoplasy - ✔✔similar but not due to common ancestry
✔✔Define parsimony - ✔✔principle that the simplest scientific explanations is the most
likely one
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: DNA in nucleus - ✔✔only eukarya
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: organelles - ✔✔only eukarya
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: circular chromosomes - ✔✔bacteria and archea
,✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: typical cell size - ✔✔bacteria & archea: small
eukarya: large
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: type of reproduction - ✔✔bacteria & archea: asexual
eukarya: sexual (some asexual)
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: cell wall structure - ✔✔bacteria: peptidoglycan
archea: varied
eukarya: some-chitin or cellulose
✔✔Bacteria, Archea, & Eukarya: RNA polymerase has >10 subunits - ✔✔bacteria: no
archea & eukarya: yes
✔✔What are types of morphological diversity? - ✔✔-size varies
-shape varies
-motility varies
✔✔How does bacteria/archea vary in size? - ✔✔about 1 um to some much larger
✔✔Hows does bacteria/archea vary in shape? - ✔✔-rods
-chains of spheres
-spirals
✔✔How does bacteria/archea vary in motility? - ✔✔some are nonmobile, but swimming
and gliding are common
✔✔Why are prokaryotes so small? - ✔✔-diffusion limits cell size
-gases and food molecules in the air or water must pass in and out of the cell
-nutrient usage and heat loss depends on volume
✔✔Define metabolic diversity - ✔✔the diversity in the types of compounds that can be
used as food
✔✔What is the cellular respiration equation? - ✔✔
✔✔What is the photosynthesis equation? - ✔✔
✔✔What is oxidized in cellular respiration? - ✔✔glucose -> CO2
✔✔What is reduced in cellular respiration? - ✔✔O2 to H2O
✔✔What is oxidized in photosythesis? - ✔✔H2O to O2
✔✔What is reduced in photosythesis - ✔✔CO2 -> glucose
, ✔✔What are the two means of producing ATP? - ✔✔-phototrophs
-chemotrophs
✔✔What are the two means to obtain building-block compounds with C-C bonds? - ✔✔-
autotrophs
-heterotrophs
✔✔Define phototrophs - ✔✔use light energy to excite electrions
✔✔Define chemotrophs - ✔✔obtain energy from chemicals in the envrionment
✔✔Define autotrophs - ✔✔manufacture their own building-block compounds
✔✔Define heterotrophs - ✔✔absorb building-block compounds from environment
✔✔Define aerobic - ✔✔requires or can use oxygen
✔✔Define anaerobic - ✔✔does not require or cannot tolerate oxygen
✔✔Define faculative - ✔✔able to, not required
✔✔Define faculative anaerobes - ✔✔can survive with or without oxygen
✔✔Define obligate - ✔✔absolutely requires
✔✔Define obligate anaerobes - ✔✔cannot tolerate O2
✔✔Where do archea live? - ✔✔-anywhere bacteria can't
-thermophiles
-halophiles
-methanogens
✔✔How have prokaryotes evolved such a diverse array of adaptations? - ✔✔-they have
been here the longest
-more generations per unit of time
-horizontal gene transfer
-more opportunists for variation to appear and natural selection to occur
✔✔What three things does energy go towards in archea? - ✔✔-maintenance
-growth
-reproduction
✔✔How does archea evolve so quickly? - ✔✔-needs fewer resources to reproduce
