BIO 152 Module 2 Exam/Updated Questions with
Correct Verified Answers/ Latest 2024/2025.
Portage Learning For Advanced Health Assessment &
Diagnostic Reasoning
1) Which of the following manipulations would reduce the release of neurotransmitter from a
presynaptic neuron terminal?
a) A reduction in extracellular calcium ion concentration at the axon terminal
b) An increase in extracellular chloride ion concentration at the axon terminal
c) Both of the above manipulations would reduce the release of neurotransmitter.
d) Neither of the above manipulations would reduce the release of neurotransmitter.
- ANSWER - C
2) How are hair cells and neurons dissimilar? Only one of the cell types:
i) produces an action potential.
ii) has voltage-gated calcium channels.
iii) has synaptic vesicles that contain neurotransmitters. iv) releases
neurotransmitters by exocytosis.
v) has ligand-gated ion channels. - ANSWER - a) i and v
3) If you damage all the neuromast cells in a fish, the fish:
a) will not be able to sense chemicals in the water
b) will have no information on the level of oxygen in its bloodstream.
c) will lose its ability to sense changes in water pressure around its body.
d) will lose its ability to hear. - ANSWER - C
pg. 1
,4) If the oval window of the inner ear were punctured that person would lose the
ability to:
a) hear high frequency sounds
b) hear low frequency sounds
c) hear middle frequency sounds
d) hear all sounds
e) it would cause no change to hearing ability - ANSWER - D
5) In a population of field mice in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, some individuals have
lighter coat colors than others. Which of the following would be the most efficient
way of determining whether the lighter coat color is a heritable trait?
a) Obtaining DNA sequence from the individuals
b) Breeding the mice of both colors in the lab and observing the coat colors of their
offspring
c) Performing a chemical analysis of the coat hairs
d) Conducting a field experiment to observe whether the lighter mice have a lower
risk of predation than the darker mice
e) Comparing the number of offspring produced by light- and dark-colored mice -
ANSWER - B
7) The following steps refer to various stages in transmission at a chemical synapse. 1.
Neurotransmitter binds with receptors associated with the postsynaptic membrane.
2. Calcium ions rush into neuron's cytoplasm.
3. An action potential depolarizes the membrane of the presynaptic axon terminal.
4. The ligand-gated ion channels open.
5. The synaptic vesicles release neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft. - ANSWER -
c) 3 → 2 → 5 → 1 → 4
pg. 2
, 8) Malthus's theory of population growth versus resource growth was important to
which part of Darwin's ideas?
a) Artificial selection
b) Species are related by common descent.
c) Differential reproduction
d) Uniformitarianism - ANSWER - C
9) Which of the following modes of selection leads to a reduction in variation but no
change in the mean of a trait in a population?
a) Stabilizing selection
b) Directional selection
c) Disruptive selection
d) Both a and c
e) Both b and c - ANSWER - A
10) Which of the following modes of selection leads a change in the mean of a trait
in a population?
a) Stabilizing selection
b) Directional selection
c) Disruptive selection
d) Both a and c
e) Both b and c - ANSWER - B
11) Pharyngeal nerves in vertebrates are much longer than the direct distance from
the central nervous system to the target, because they evolved from preexisting
structures. As a result, these nerves are not as efficient as they otherwise could be.
Which term best explains this phenomenon?
a) Trade-offs
b) Heterozygote deficiency
pg. 3
Correct Verified Answers/ Latest 2024/2025.
Portage Learning For Advanced Health Assessment &
Diagnostic Reasoning
1) Which of the following manipulations would reduce the release of neurotransmitter from a
presynaptic neuron terminal?
a) A reduction in extracellular calcium ion concentration at the axon terminal
b) An increase in extracellular chloride ion concentration at the axon terminal
c) Both of the above manipulations would reduce the release of neurotransmitter.
d) Neither of the above manipulations would reduce the release of neurotransmitter.
- ANSWER - C
2) How are hair cells and neurons dissimilar? Only one of the cell types:
i) produces an action potential.
ii) has voltage-gated calcium channels.
iii) has synaptic vesicles that contain neurotransmitters. iv) releases
neurotransmitters by exocytosis.
v) has ligand-gated ion channels. - ANSWER - a) i and v
3) If you damage all the neuromast cells in a fish, the fish:
a) will not be able to sense chemicals in the water
b) will have no information on the level of oxygen in its bloodstream.
c) will lose its ability to sense changes in water pressure around its body.
d) will lose its ability to hear. - ANSWER - C
pg. 1
,4) If the oval window of the inner ear were punctured that person would lose the
ability to:
a) hear high frequency sounds
b) hear low frequency sounds
c) hear middle frequency sounds
d) hear all sounds
e) it would cause no change to hearing ability - ANSWER - D
5) In a population of field mice in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, some individuals have
lighter coat colors than others. Which of the following would be the most efficient
way of determining whether the lighter coat color is a heritable trait?
a) Obtaining DNA sequence from the individuals
b) Breeding the mice of both colors in the lab and observing the coat colors of their
offspring
c) Performing a chemical analysis of the coat hairs
d) Conducting a field experiment to observe whether the lighter mice have a lower
risk of predation than the darker mice
e) Comparing the number of offspring produced by light- and dark-colored mice -
ANSWER - B
7) The following steps refer to various stages in transmission at a chemical synapse. 1.
Neurotransmitter binds with receptors associated with the postsynaptic membrane.
2. Calcium ions rush into neuron's cytoplasm.
3. An action potential depolarizes the membrane of the presynaptic axon terminal.
4. The ligand-gated ion channels open.
5. The synaptic vesicles release neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft. - ANSWER -
c) 3 → 2 → 5 → 1 → 4
pg. 2
, 8) Malthus's theory of population growth versus resource growth was important to
which part of Darwin's ideas?
a) Artificial selection
b) Species are related by common descent.
c) Differential reproduction
d) Uniformitarianism - ANSWER - C
9) Which of the following modes of selection leads to a reduction in variation but no
change in the mean of a trait in a population?
a) Stabilizing selection
b) Directional selection
c) Disruptive selection
d) Both a and c
e) Both b and c - ANSWER - A
10) Which of the following modes of selection leads a change in the mean of a trait
in a population?
a) Stabilizing selection
b) Directional selection
c) Disruptive selection
d) Both a and c
e) Both b and c - ANSWER - B
11) Pharyngeal nerves in vertebrates are much longer than the direct distance from
the central nervous system to the target, because they evolved from preexisting
structures. As a result, these nerves are not as efficient as they otherwise could be.
Which term best explains this phenomenon?
a) Trade-offs
b) Heterozygote deficiency
pg. 3
