Brock Biology of Microorganisms 2025
Study Notes and Test Practice Resource
Which of the following was NOT an aspect of Pasteur's experiments to disprove
spontaneous generation?
A. The necks of the flasks he used were bent into an S-shape
B. The flasks were free of microbes until they opened
C. He boiled the infusions to kill any microbes present
D. The flasks were incubated for very long periods of time
E. The flasks he used were sealed with corks
Rationale: Pasteur left the flasks open to air through the curved necks, not sealed with corks.
This allowed air in but prevented microbial contamination.
The study of the occurrence, distribution, and spread of disease is known as:
A. Biotechnology
B. Biochemistry
C. Serology
D. Immunology
E. Epidemiology
Rationale: Epidemiology deals with tracking and controlling disease spread. The others involve
cellular, chemical, or immune processes.
Work by ________ laid the foundations of the field of environmental microbiology.
A. Beijerinck and Winogradsky
B. Pauling and Woese
C. Reid and Spallanzani
D. Lister and Semmelweis
E. Koch and Pasteur
Rationale: Beijerinck and Winogradsky discovered microbial roles in nutrient cycling. The
others worked in disease or evolution fields.
What must one have before designing and conducting experiments?
A. A hypothesis
B. Popular opinion
C. A theory
D. Scientific law
E. A complete set of data
Rationale: A hypothesis provides the basis for testing. The others are results or generalizations,
not starting points.
Whose search for chemicals that would kill microbes without harming humans was the
foundation for chemotherapy?
A. Ehrlich
,B. Koch
C. Pasteur
D. Lister
E. Gram
Rationale: Ehrlich developed the concept of selective toxicity. Others worked in bacteriology,
staining, or antiseptics.
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek was the first person in history to:
A. Disprove spontaneous generation
B. Use a magnifying glass
C. View microorganisms and record these observations
D. Use the germ theory of disease
E. Develop a taxonomic system
Rationale: Leeuwenhoek observed bacteria and protozoa with his handmade microscopes.
Microorganisms characterized by the absence of a nucleus are called:
A. Prokaryotes
B. Viruses
C. Pathogens
D. Fungi
E. Eukaryotes
Rationale: Prokaryotes (bacteria, archaea) lack nuclei. Eukaryotes have nuclei; viruses are
acellular.
Robert Koch was involved in research on all of the following topics EXCEPT:
A. The cause of fermentation
B. The cause of anthrax
C. Techniques for isolating microbes
D. The cause of tuberculosis
E. A method to determine the cause of disease
Rationale: Pasteur studied fermentation, not Koch. Koch focused on disease causation and lab
techniques.
The term for the use of microorganisms to restore damaged environments is:
A. Epidemiology
B. Ecology
C. Serology
D. Chemotherapy
E. Bioremediation
Rationale: Bioremediation uses microbes to clean pollutants. The other terms involve different
biological studies.
Which of the following is an INCORRECT pairing?
A. Fungi; cell walls
B. Protozoa; multicellular
C. Prokaryotes; no nuclei
, D. Viruses; acellular parasites
E. Algae; aquatic habitats
n Rationale: Protozoa are unicellular, not multicellular.
The microbes commonly known as ________ are single-celled eukaryotes that are generally
motile.
A. Viruses
B. Archaea
C. Protozoa
D. Fungi
E. Bacteria
Rationale: Protozoa are motile unicellular eukaryotes.
What is the correct order for application of Koch's postulates?
III, II, I, IV
Rationale: Identify the agent, isolate it, infect a host, then re-isolate it.
Which of the following scientists provided evidence in favor of spontaneous generation?
A. Needham
B. Buchner
C. Pasteur
D. Redi
E. Spallanzani
Rationale: Needham claimed microbes arose spontaneously in boiled broth. Others disproved it.
The term _______ refers to an infection acquired in a healthcare setting.
A. Nosocomial
B. Spontaneous generation
C. Archaea
D. Abiogenesis
E. Bioremediation
Rationale: Nosocomial infections originate in hospitals.
What was the first disease shown to be bacterial in origin?
A. Anthrax
B. Cholera
C. Tuberculosis
D. Yellow Fever
E. Malaria
Rationale: Koch proved Bacillus anthracis caused anthrax.
What scientist first hypothesized that gene sequences could provide new insights into
evolutionary relationships among all organisms?
B. Pauling
A. Ehrlich
C. Avery
Study Notes and Test Practice Resource
Which of the following was NOT an aspect of Pasteur's experiments to disprove
spontaneous generation?
A. The necks of the flasks he used were bent into an S-shape
B. The flasks were free of microbes until they opened
C. He boiled the infusions to kill any microbes present
D. The flasks were incubated for very long periods of time
E. The flasks he used were sealed with corks
Rationale: Pasteur left the flasks open to air through the curved necks, not sealed with corks.
This allowed air in but prevented microbial contamination.
The study of the occurrence, distribution, and spread of disease is known as:
A. Biotechnology
B. Biochemistry
C. Serology
D. Immunology
E. Epidemiology
Rationale: Epidemiology deals with tracking and controlling disease spread. The others involve
cellular, chemical, or immune processes.
Work by ________ laid the foundations of the field of environmental microbiology.
A. Beijerinck and Winogradsky
B. Pauling and Woese
C. Reid and Spallanzani
D. Lister and Semmelweis
E. Koch and Pasteur
Rationale: Beijerinck and Winogradsky discovered microbial roles in nutrient cycling. The
others worked in disease or evolution fields.
What must one have before designing and conducting experiments?
A. A hypothesis
B. Popular opinion
C. A theory
D. Scientific law
E. A complete set of data
Rationale: A hypothesis provides the basis for testing. The others are results or generalizations,
not starting points.
Whose search for chemicals that would kill microbes without harming humans was the
foundation for chemotherapy?
A. Ehrlich
,B. Koch
C. Pasteur
D. Lister
E. Gram
Rationale: Ehrlich developed the concept of selective toxicity. Others worked in bacteriology,
staining, or antiseptics.
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek was the first person in history to:
A. Disprove spontaneous generation
B. Use a magnifying glass
C. View microorganisms and record these observations
D. Use the germ theory of disease
E. Develop a taxonomic system
Rationale: Leeuwenhoek observed bacteria and protozoa with his handmade microscopes.
Microorganisms characterized by the absence of a nucleus are called:
A. Prokaryotes
B. Viruses
C. Pathogens
D. Fungi
E. Eukaryotes
Rationale: Prokaryotes (bacteria, archaea) lack nuclei. Eukaryotes have nuclei; viruses are
acellular.
Robert Koch was involved in research on all of the following topics EXCEPT:
A. The cause of fermentation
B. The cause of anthrax
C. Techniques for isolating microbes
D. The cause of tuberculosis
E. A method to determine the cause of disease
Rationale: Pasteur studied fermentation, not Koch. Koch focused on disease causation and lab
techniques.
The term for the use of microorganisms to restore damaged environments is:
A. Epidemiology
B. Ecology
C. Serology
D. Chemotherapy
E. Bioremediation
Rationale: Bioremediation uses microbes to clean pollutants. The other terms involve different
biological studies.
Which of the following is an INCORRECT pairing?
A. Fungi; cell walls
B. Protozoa; multicellular
C. Prokaryotes; no nuclei
, D. Viruses; acellular parasites
E. Algae; aquatic habitats
n Rationale: Protozoa are unicellular, not multicellular.
The microbes commonly known as ________ are single-celled eukaryotes that are generally
motile.
A. Viruses
B. Archaea
C. Protozoa
D. Fungi
E. Bacteria
Rationale: Protozoa are motile unicellular eukaryotes.
What is the correct order for application of Koch's postulates?
III, II, I, IV
Rationale: Identify the agent, isolate it, infect a host, then re-isolate it.
Which of the following scientists provided evidence in favor of spontaneous generation?
A. Needham
B. Buchner
C. Pasteur
D. Redi
E. Spallanzani
Rationale: Needham claimed microbes arose spontaneously in boiled broth. Others disproved it.
The term _______ refers to an infection acquired in a healthcare setting.
A. Nosocomial
B. Spontaneous generation
C. Archaea
D. Abiogenesis
E. Bioremediation
Rationale: Nosocomial infections originate in hospitals.
What was the first disease shown to be bacterial in origin?
A. Anthrax
B. Cholera
C. Tuberculosis
D. Yellow Fever
E. Malaria
Rationale: Koch proved Bacillus anthracis caused anthrax.
What scientist first hypothesized that gene sequences could provide new insights into
evolutionary relationships among all organisms?
B. Pauling
A. Ehrlich
C. Avery
