Test Bank for Principles of Life 3rd Edition

Test Bank for Principles of Life 3rd Edition Multiple Choice 1. Which of the following is classified as a living organism by biologists? a. DNA molecule b. Bacterium c. Metabolic energy d. Feather e. Meteorite ANSWER: b 2. The basic structural and physiological unit of most living organisms is the a. aggregate. b. organelle. c. genome. d. membrane. e. cell. ANSWER: e 3. One reason we consider the dormant seed of a desert plant to be alive is that it a. is extracting energy from the environment. b. formed within a nonliving structure. c. is evolving. d. contains genetic material. e. is always converting molecules into new biological molecules. ANSWER: d 4. One reason biologists consider viruses to be a part of life is that viruses a. are composed of cells. b. evolve. c. live independently. d. carry out physiological functions, independently of cells. e. extract energy from the environment. ANSWER: b 5. Which statement about viruses is true? a. They do not mutate or evolve. b. They do not contain genetic information. c. They carry out physiological functions on their own. d. They depend on cellular organisms to reproduce. e. They are composed of cells. ANSWER: d 6. Suppose you are leading a team looking for extraterrestrial life on distant planets. You find something that Page 3 you suspect might be a living organism. Which characteristic would be required for it to be classified as a living organism? a. Ability to self-replicate b. Genetic material in the form of DNA c. Cellular structure that includes a nucleus d. Ability to transform energy from the sun through photosynthesis e. Aerobic metabolism ANSWER: a 7. Organisms similar to today's _______ most likely existed prior to the abundance of O2 on Earth. a. cyanobacteria b. photosynthetic plants c. aerobic eukaryotes d. amphibians e. fungi ANSWER: a 8. The Curiosity rover is currently searching for signs of life on Mars. What kind of evidence would most likely indicate the presence of living organisms on Mars? a. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere b. Different nucleic acids and amino acids than those found on Earth c. Fatty acid molecules d. Complex molecules containing genetic information e. Simple organic molecules ANSWER: d 9. Evidence indicates that all life on Earth today a. has a single common ancestor. b. requires oxygen for life. c. is able to extract energy from the sun. d. evolved from ancestors containing genetic material in the form of proteins. e. is multicellular. ANSWER: a 10. If we picture the history of Earth as a 30-day month, modern humans arose a. at the beginning of week 4. b. on day 27. c. in the last 5 minutes of day 30. d. on day 15. e. in the early morning of day 30. ANSWER: c