ESTUDYR
MIZZOU BIO 1500 FINAL EXAM EXTRACTED COPY
1. Question 1: During the Carboniferous period, dragonflies grew large primarily because:
a. Fewer predators existed at that time
b. The climate was significantly warmer
c. Atmospheric O₂ levels were much higher, allowing larger body size
d. They had more efficient wing muscles
e. Plant life was denser, providing more food
Rationale: Elevated O₂ (~35% vs. 21% today) increased diffusion efficiency in tracheal systems,
supporting larger insects.
2. Question 2: After the Carboniferous, the maximum size of dragonflies was constrained by:
a. Increased volcanic activity
b. Reduced plant diversity
c. Evolution of aerial predators (e.g., birds)
d. Lower global temperatures
e. Decrease in CO₂ levels
Rationale: Predators like early birds and bats imposed selective pressure favoring smaller, more
maneuverable insects.
3. Question 3: The rise in Earth’s atmospheric O₂ levels during the Great Oxygenation Event was
driven by:
a. Volcanic outgassing
b. Increased weathering of rocks
c. Photosynthesis by cyanobacteria and later algae
d. Lightning-induced oxygen formation
e. Meteor impacts
Rationale: Oxygenic photosynthesis released O₂ as a byproduct, accumulating over time.
4. Question 4: The oldest known fossils on Earth date to approximately:
a. 2.3 – 1.8 billion years ago
b. 3.5 – 4.0 billion years ago
c. 1.2 – 1.0 billion years ago
d. 500 – 400 million years ago
e. 100 – 50 million years ago
Rationale: Stromatolite and microbial mat fossils date back to ~3.5–4.0 billion years ago.
5. Question 5: The first insects appeared around:
a. 650 mya
b. 540 mya
c. 480 mya
d. 350 mya
,ESTUDYR
e. 240 mya
Rationale: Fossil evidence places earliest insects in the Ordovician, ~480 million years ago.
6. Question 6: Dinosaurs first emerged approximately:
a. 400 mya
b. 300 mya
c. 240 mya
d. 180 mya
e. 100 mya
Rationale: Early dinosaurs date to the Triassic, around 230–240 million years ago.
7. Question 7: Nonavian dinosaurs went extinct about:
a. 100 mya
b. 85 mya
c. 66 mya
d. 50 mya
e. 25 mya
Rationale: The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event occurred ~66 million years ago.
8. Question 8: The first anatomically modern Homo sapiens appeared around:
a. 2 million years ago
b. 500 thousand years ago
c. 200 thousand years ago
d. 50 thousand years ago
e. 10 thousand years ago
Rationale: Fossil and genetic data date modern humans to ~200 kya in Africa.
9. Question 9: Diffusion is defined as:
a. Active transport of molecules using ATP
b. Bulk movement of fluid due to pressure
c. Net movement of molecules from high to low concentration driven by random motion
d. Movement of water through a semipermeable membrane
e. Transport via carrier proteins
Rationale: Diffusion relies on Brownian motion and concentration gradients without energy
input.
10. Question 10: On a molecular level, diffusion involves:
a. Directed movement toward high concentration
b. Random, unpredictable motion of individual molecules
c. Steady drift in one direction
d. Coordination via cellular signals
e. Active pumping by ion channels
Rationale: Individual molecules move randomly; only the population shows net flux.
, ESTUDYR
11. Question 11: The net flux of molecules in diffusion is:
a. From low to high concentration
b. Always zero
c. From high to low concentration until equilibrium
d. Driven by ATP hydrolysis
e. Reversed by temperature decrease
Rationale: Net movement continues down the gradient until concentrations equalize.
12. Question 12: Photosynthesis can be summarized as:
a. Conversion of chemical energy into light
b. Use of light energy to synthesize carbohydrates from CO₂ and H₂O
c. Splitting of sugars into CO₂ and H₂O
d. Fermentation of sugars into alcohol
e. Oxidation of lipids
Rationale: Photosynthesis stores light energy in sugar bonds.
13. Question 13: Photosynthesis occurs in the:
a. Mitochondrial matrix
b. Cytoplasm
c. Nucleus
d. Chloroplasts
e. Endoplasmic reticulum
Rationale: Chloroplasts house the light and dark reaction machinery.
14. Question 14: Chloroplasts contain the pigment chlorophyll, which absorbs:
a. Green and yellow light
b. Red, blue, and violet light
c. Infrared only
d. Microwave radiation
e. All wavelengths equally
Rationale: Chlorophyll reflects green, absorbs in the violet–blue and red ranges.
15. Question 15: The first step (“light reactions”) of photosynthesis:
a. Builds glucose from CO₂
b. Fixes carbon into 3-PGA
c. Uses light to generate ATP, NADPH, and releases O₂
d. Splits glucose into pyruvate
e. Produces ethanol and CO₂
Rationale: Light reactions capture photon energy to form energy carriers and split water.
16. Question 16: ATP is important in cells because it:
a. Stores genetic information
b. Stores chemical energy in phosphate bonds and transports it where needed
MIZZOU BIO 1500 FINAL EXAM EXTRACTED COPY
1. Question 1: During the Carboniferous period, dragonflies grew large primarily because:
a. Fewer predators existed at that time
b. The climate was significantly warmer
c. Atmospheric O₂ levels were much higher, allowing larger body size
d. They had more efficient wing muscles
e. Plant life was denser, providing more food
Rationale: Elevated O₂ (~35% vs. 21% today) increased diffusion efficiency in tracheal systems,
supporting larger insects.
2. Question 2: After the Carboniferous, the maximum size of dragonflies was constrained by:
a. Increased volcanic activity
b. Reduced plant diversity
c. Evolution of aerial predators (e.g., birds)
d. Lower global temperatures
e. Decrease in CO₂ levels
Rationale: Predators like early birds and bats imposed selective pressure favoring smaller, more
maneuverable insects.
3. Question 3: The rise in Earth’s atmospheric O₂ levels during the Great Oxygenation Event was
driven by:
a. Volcanic outgassing
b. Increased weathering of rocks
c. Photosynthesis by cyanobacteria and later algae
d. Lightning-induced oxygen formation
e. Meteor impacts
Rationale: Oxygenic photosynthesis released O₂ as a byproduct, accumulating over time.
4. Question 4: The oldest known fossils on Earth date to approximately:
a. 2.3 – 1.8 billion years ago
b. 3.5 – 4.0 billion years ago
c. 1.2 – 1.0 billion years ago
d. 500 – 400 million years ago
e. 100 – 50 million years ago
Rationale: Stromatolite and microbial mat fossils date back to ~3.5–4.0 billion years ago.
5. Question 5: The first insects appeared around:
a. 650 mya
b. 540 mya
c. 480 mya
d. 350 mya
,ESTUDYR
e. 240 mya
Rationale: Fossil evidence places earliest insects in the Ordovician, ~480 million years ago.
6. Question 6: Dinosaurs first emerged approximately:
a. 400 mya
b. 300 mya
c. 240 mya
d. 180 mya
e. 100 mya
Rationale: Early dinosaurs date to the Triassic, around 230–240 million years ago.
7. Question 7: Nonavian dinosaurs went extinct about:
a. 100 mya
b. 85 mya
c. 66 mya
d. 50 mya
e. 25 mya
Rationale: The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event occurred ~66 million years ago.
8. Question 8: The first anatomically modern Homo sapiens appeared around:
a. 2 million years ago
b. 500 thousand years ago
c. 200 thousand years ago
d. 50 thousand years ago
e. 10 thousand years ago
Rationale: Fossil and genetic data date modern humans to ~200 kya in Africa.
9. Question 9: Diffusion is defined as:
a. Active transport of molecules using ATP
b. Bulk movement of fluid due to pressure
c. Net movement of molecules from high to low concentration driven by random motion
d. Movement of water through a semipermeable membrane
e. Transport via carrier proteins
Rationale: Diffusion relies on Brownian motion and concentration gradients without energy
input.
10. Question 10: On a molecular level, diffusion involves:
a. Directed movement toward high concentration
b. Random, unpredictable motion of individual molecules
c. Steady drift in one direction
d. Coordination via cellular signals
e. Active pumping by ion channels
Rationale: Individual molecules move randomly; only the population shows net flux.
, ESTUDYR
11. Question 11: The net flux of molecules in diffusion is:
a. From low to high concentration
b. Always zero
c. From high to low concentration until equilibrium
d. Driven by ATP hydrolysis
e. Reversed by temperature decrease
Rationale: Net movement continues down the gradient until concentrations equalize.
12. Question 12: Photosynthesis can be summarized as:
a. Conversion of chemical energy into light
b. Use of light energy to synthesize carbohydrates from CO₂ and H₂O
c. Splitting of sugars into CO₂ and H₂O
d. Fermentation of sugars into alcohol
e. Oxidation of lipids
Rationale: Photosynthesis stores light energy in sugar bonds.
13. Question 13: Photosynthesis occurs in the:
a. Mitochondrial matrix
b. Cytoplasm
c. Nucleus
d. Chloroplasts
e. Endoplasmic reticulum
Rationale: Chloroplasts house the light and dark reaction machinery.
14. Question 14: Chloroplasts contain the pigment chlorophyll, which absorbs:
a. Green and yellow light
b. Red, blue, and violet light
c. Infrared only
d. Microwave radiation
e. All wavelengths equally
Rationale: Chlorophyll reflects green, absorbs in the violet–blue and red ranges.
15. Question 15: The first step (“light reactions”) of photosynthesis:
a. Builds glucose from CO₂
b. Fixes carbon into 3-PGA
c. Uses light to generate ATP, NADPH, and releases O₂
d. Splits glucose into pyruvate
e. Produces ethanol and CO₂
Rationale: Light reactions capture photon energy to form energy carriers and split water.
16. Question 16: ATP is important in cells because it:
a. Stores genetic information
b. Stores chemical energy in phosphate bonds and transports it where needed
