,Name: ___________________________ Class: _________________ Date: __________
Chapter 01
1. What is NOT true of all cells?
a. They have membrane transport proteins.
b. They synthesize proteins on the ribosome.
c. They replicate their genome by DNA polymerization.
d. They transcribe their genetic information by RNA polymerization.
e. They use RNA as a template for genomic DNA polymerization.
2. Imagine a segment of DNA (within a gene) encoding a certain amount of
information in its nucleotide sequence. When this segment is fully transcribed into
mRNA and then translated into protein, in general, what happens?
a. The protein sequence would carry more information compared to the DNA
and mRNA sequences, because its alphabet has 20 letters.
b. The protein sequence would carry less information compared to the DNA
and mRNA sequences, because several codons can correspond to one
amino acid.
c. The amount of information in the mRNA sequence is lower, because the
mRNA has been transcribed using only one of the DNA strands as the
template.
d. The amount of information in the mRNA sequence is higher, because
several mRNA molecules can be transcribed from one DNA molecule.
3. Scientists discover more than 10,000 new species of living organisms every year.
What is shared between all of these organisms?
a. They are made of cells, whose nuclei enclose their DNA.
b. They obtain their energy from sunlight.
, c. They produce and use adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
d. Their genome contains at least 1000 genes.
4. What is NOT true of the plasma membrane?
a. It is totally impermeable.
b. It contains proteins that move materials across the plasma membrane.
c. It contains enzymes that catalyze reactions within the cell.
d. It is made of molecules that are both hydrophilic and hydrophobic.
e. It allows waste materials to be removed from the cell.
5. What is NOT a source of movement in a cell?
a. Random thermal motions
b. Gliding in a specific direction without energy input
c. Motor proteins moving large assemblies
d. Ions moving across a membrane due to ion pumps
e. Proteins moving the cell forward
6. Which of the following is NOT a source of movement in a cell?
a. Random thermal motions
b. Gliding in a specific direction without energy input
c. Motor proteins moving large assemblies
d. Ions moving across a membrane due to ion pumps
e. Proteins moving the cell forward
7. Which of the following processes that happens inside of a cell does NOT normally
require consumption of free energy by the cell?
a. Replication of the genetic material
, b. Import of nutrients from the environment
c. Diffusion of small molecules within the cell
d. Regulation of gene expression
e. Synthesis of enzymes that catalyze cellular reactions
8. What is NOT true regarding the tree of life?
a. Most bacteria and archaea have 1000 to 6000 genes in their genomes.
b. Eukaryotes are more similar to archaea than to bacteria with respect to the
proteins that act on their DNA
c. Most bacteria and archaea have genome sizes between 1 and 10 million
nucleotide pairs, whereas eukaryotic genomes can be millions of times
larger.
d. Archaeal species were thought to belong to the eukaryotic world before
sequence analysis placed them in a separate domain of life.
e. Photosynthetic bacteria are thought to be the ancestors of the eukaryotic
chloroplasts.
9. Three bacteria samples are harvested, each from different boiling volcanic mud
pots on three different continents. In order to assess their evolutionary
relationships, the researcher should do what?
a. Identify the structures they use for motility.
b. Compare their nutrient sources.
c. Analyze the differences in their rRNA genes.
d. Compare the molecular makeup of their outer cell wall.
e. Identify the other species living nearby in the same ecosystem.
10.Several newly discovered organisms have recently had their genomes sequenced
for the first time. Which sample is most likely a eukaryote?
Sample Name Number of genes in the genome
, S. ciencus 2554
S. tudentus 4352
P. fessora 26056
R. searcherus 6042
G. aduationa 2043
a. S. ceincus
b. S. tudentus
c. P. fessora
d. R. searcherus
e. G. aduationa
11.What would you NOT expect to find in a bacterial cell?
a. Swimming using flagella
b. Having a cell wall around the plasma membrane
c. ATP production in mitochondria
d. Protein production on the ribosome
e. Sexual exchange of DNA with other bacteria
12.Imagine two spherical cells, one of which is 5000 times larger in volume than the
other. The smaller is a prokaryote, and the larger cell is a eukaryote with 20% of
its volume confined in a spherical nucleus. If the diameter of the prokaryotic cell is
0.7 micrometers, what is the diameter of the nucleus in the eukaryotic cell in
micrometers?
a. 5000
b. 1000
, c. 7
d. 0.14
13.What is true about carbon and nitrogen from the environment?
a. They are easily used by all organisms living in that environment.
b. They can be ingested and absorbed by cells for direct use in biomolecules.
c. They are not necessary for life because they are inorganic.
d. They must be fixed into organic molecules to be utilized by cells.
e. They can only be found near volcanic vents in the earth’s crust.
14.To trace family relationships between distantly related organisms such as
humans, algae, bacteria, and archaea, in what regions should their genomes be
compared?
a. Those that evolve rapidly
b. Those that have a higher mutation rate
c. Those that code for proteins
d. Those where mutations are rarely tolerated
e. Those where most mutations are selectively neutral
15.What is the order of the following evolutionary landmarks, from the oldest to the
most recent?
I. Divergence of human and bird lineages
II. Divergence of human and chimpanzee lineages
III. Divergence of A. thaliana lineage from the conifer’s lineage
IV. Divergence of fish and insect lineages
I. IV, III, II, I
II. IV, I, III, II
, III. I, IV, III, II
IV. I, IV, II, III
16.Laboratory strains of the model organism Escherichia coli that are resistant to
antibiotics are very often used in research laboratories as well as in the
biotechnology industry. If cultures of such bacteria were allowed to contaminate
the environment uncontrollably, it is possible that at some point, pathogenic
bacteria such as Neisseria meningitidis (which causes meningitis and can lead to
death, especially in children) could acquire the same antibiotic-resistant gene,
causing a meningitis outbreak that is difficult to treat. In this scenario, which of the
following mechanisms is a more likely source of the antibiotic-resistant gene in N.
meningitidis?
a. Random new gene generation
b. Intragenic mutation
c. Gene duplication
d. DNA segment shuffling
e. Horizontal gene transfer
17.Which statement about a virus is true?
a. It is a type of cell.
b. It has genetic material made of proteins.
c. It can only infect a single host species.
d. It can act as a vector for gene transfer.
e. It cannot persist in its host for more than one cell generation.
18.What does NOT typically involve horizontal gene transfer?
a. Sexual reproduction in humans
b. Bacteriophage infection of bacteria
, c. The evolutionary history of the eukaryotic cell
d. The accidental duplication of a small region of a bacterial chromosome
followed by cell division
e. Introduction of plasmids into bacteria in a laboratory
19. Gene duplication can give rise to homologous genes that are part of gene
families. For example, there are six actin genes in the genome of most
mammalian species. In humans, the ACTB gene, which encodes a cytoskeletal
actin, is expressed ubiquitously, while ACTC1 is expressed mainly in cardiac
cells. Although bacteria lack the eukaryotic cytoskeletal organization, the bacterial
MreB gene bears recognizable sequence similarity to mammalian actin genes
and codes for a protein that is similar to actin in structure and function. Which
statement about these genes is true?
a. ACTB is homologous to ACTC1 but not to MreB.
b. ACTB is orthologous to ACTC1 but not to MreB.
c. ACTB is paralogous to ACTC1 but not to MreB.
d. MreB is orthologous to ACTB but not to ACTC1.
e. ACTB is paralogous to both ACTC1 and MreB.
20.Out of nearly 5000 protein-coding gene families, there is a set of nearly 300
conserved gene families that are found in species from all domains of life. What is
one of the general functions assigned to these gene families?
a. The majority of them function in cell-to-cell signaling.
b. The majority of them are poorly characterized.
c. More than one-third of them are involved in translation or amino acid
transport and metabolism.
d. More than one-half of the shared families are involved in DNA replication
and transcription.
e. Nearly all of them are involved in energy production and carbohydrate
metabolism.
Chapter 01
1. What is NOT true of all cells?
a. They have membrane transport proteins.
b. They synthesize proteins on the ribosome.
c. They replicate their genome by DNA polymerization.
d. They transcribe their genetic information by RNA polymerization.
e. They use RNA as a template for genomic DNA polymerization.
2. Imagine a segment of DNA (within a gene) encoding a certain amount of
information in its nucleotide sequence. When this segment is fully transcribed into
mRNA and then translated into protein, in general, what happens?
a. The protein sequence would carry more information compared to the DNA
and mRNA sequences, because its alphabet has 20 letters.
b. The protein sequence would carry less information compared to the DNA
and mRNA sequences, because several codons can correspond to one
amino acid.
c. The amount of information in the mRNA sequence is lower, because the
mRNA has been transcribed using only one of the DNA strands as the
template.
d. The amount of information in the mRNA sequence is higher, because
several mRNA molecules can be transcribed from one DNA molecule.
3. Scientists discover more than 10,000 new species of living organisms every year.
What is shared between all of these organisms?
a. They are made of cells, whose nuclei enclose their DNA.
b. They obtain their energy from sunlight.
, c. They produce and use adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
d. Their genome contains at least 1000 genes.
4. What is NOT true of the plasma membrane?
a. It is totally impermeable.
b. It contains proteins that move materials across the plasma membrane.
c. It contains enzymes that catalyze reactions within the cell.
d. It is made of molecules that are both hydrophilic and hydrophobic.
e. It allows waste materials to be removed from the cell.
5. What is NOT a source of movement in a cell?
a. Random thermal motions
b. Gliding in a specific direction without energy input
c. Motor proteins moving large assemblies
d. Ions moving across a membrane due to ion pumps
e. Proteins moving the cell forward
6. Which of the following is NOT a source of movement in a cell?
a. Random thermal motions
b. Gliding in a specific direction without energy input
c. Motor proteins moving large assemblies
d. Ions moving across a membrane due to ion pumps
e. Proteins moving the cell forward
7. Which of the following processes that happens inside of a cell does NOT normally
require consumption of free energy by the cell?
a. Replication of the genetic material
, b. Import of nutrients from the environment
c. Diffusion of small molecules within the cell
d. Regulation of gene expression
e. Synthesis of enzymes that catalyze cellular reactions
8. What is NOT true regarding the tree of life?
a. Most bacteria and archaea have 1000 to 6000 genes in their genomes.
b. Eukaryotes are more similar to archaea than to bacteria with respect to the
proteins that act on their DNA
c. Most bacteria and archaea have genome sizes between 1 and 10 million
nucleotide pairs, whereas eukaryotic genomes can be millions of times
larger.
d. Archaeal species were thought to belong to the eukaryotic world before
sequence analysis placed them in a separate domain of life.
e. Photosynthetic bacteria are thought to be the ancestors of the eukaryotic
chloroplasts.
9. Three bacteria samples are harvested, each from different boiling volcanic mud
pots on three different continents. In order to assess their evolutionary
relationships, the researcher should do what?
a. Identify the structures they use for motility.
b. Compare their nutrient sources.
c. Analyze the differences in their rRNA genes.
d. Compare the molecular makeup of their outer cell wall.
e. Identify the other species living nearby in the same ecosystem.
10.Several newly discovered organisms have recently had their genomes sequenced
for the first time. Which sample is most likely a eukaryote?
Sample Name Number of genes in the genome
, S. ciencus 2554
S. tudentus 4352
P. fessora 26056
R. searcherus 6042
G. aduationa 2043
a. S. ceincus
b. S. tudentus
c. P. fessora
d. R. searcherus
e. G. aduationa
11.What would you NOT expect to find in a bacterial cell?
a. Swimming using flagella
b. Having a cell wall around the plasma membrane
c. ATP production in mitochondria
d. Protein production on the ribosome
e. Sexual exchange of DNA with other bacteria
12.Imagine two spherical cells, one of which is 5000 times larger in volume than the
other. The smaller is a prokaryote, and the larger cell is a eukaryote with 20% of
its volume confined in a spherical nucleus. If the diameter of the prokaryotic cell is
0.7 micrometers, what is the diameter of the nucleus in the eukaryotic cell in
micrometers?
a. 5000
b. 1000
, c. 7
d. 0.14
13.What is true about carbon and nitrogen from the environment?
a. They are easily used by all organisms living in that environment.
b. They can be ingested and absorbed by cells for direct use in biomolecules.
c. They are not necessary for life because they are inorganic.
d. They must be fixed into organic molecules to be utilized by cells.
e. They can only be found near volcanic vents in the earth’s crust.
14.To trace family relationships between distantly related organisms such as
humans, algae, bacteria, and archaea, in what regions should their genomes be
compared?
a. Those that evolve rapidly
b. Those that have a higher mutation rate
c. Those that code for proteins
d. Those where mutations are rarely tolerated
e. Those where most mutations are selectively neutral
15.What is the order of the following evolutionary landmarks, from the oldest to the
most recent?
I. Divergence of human and bird lineages
II. Divergence of human and chimpanzee lineages
III. Divergence of A. thaliana lineage from the conifer’s lineage
IV. Divergence of fish and insect lineages
I. IV, III, II, I
II. IV, I, III, II
, III. I, IV, III, II
IV. I, IV, II, III
16.Laboratory strains of the model organism Escherichia coli that are resistant to
antibiotics are very often used in research laboratories as well as in the
biotechnology industry. If cultures of such bacteria were allowed to contaminate
the environment uncontrollably, it is possible that at some point, pathogenic
bacteria such as Neisseria meningitidis (which causes meningitis and can lead to
death, especially in children) could acquire the same antibiotic-resistant gene,
causing a meningitis outbreak that is difficult to treat. In this scenario, which of the
following mechanisms is a more likely source of the antibiotic-resistant gene in N.
meningitidis?
a. Random new gene generation
b. Intragenic mutation
c. Gene duplication
d. DNA segment shuffling
e. Horizontal gene transfer
17.Which statement about a virus is true?
a. It is a type of cell.
b. It has genetic material made of proteins.
c. It can only infect a single host species.
d. It can act as a vector for gene transfer.
e. It cannot persist in its host for more than one cell generation.
18.What does NOT typically involve horizontal gene transfer?
a. Sexual reproduction in humans
b. Bacteriophage infection of bacteria
, c. The evolutionary history of the eukaryotic cell
d. The accidental duplication of a small region of a bacterial chromosome
followed by cell division
e. Introduction of plasmids into bacteria in a laboratory
19. Gene duplication can give rise to homologous genes that are part of gene
families. For example, there are six actin genes in the genome of most
mammalian species. In humans, the ACTB gene, which encodes a cytoskeletal
actin, is expressed ubiquitously, while ACTC1 is expressed mainly in cardiac
cells. Although bacteria lack the eukaryotic cytoskeletal organization, the bacterial
MreB gene bears recognizable sequence similarity to mammalian actin genes
and codes for a protein that is similar to actin in structure and function. Which
statement about these genes is true?
a. ACTB is homologous to ACTC1 but not to MreB.
b. ACTB is orthologous to ACTC1 but not to MreB.
c. ACTB is paralogous to ACTC1 but not to MreB.
d. MreB is orthologous to ACTB but not to ACTC1.
e. ACTB is paralogous to both ACTC1 and MreB.
20.Out of nearly 5000 protein-coding gene families, there is a set of nearly 300
conserved gene families that are found in species from all domains of life. What is
one of the general functions assigned to these gene families?
a. The majority of them function in cell-to-cell signaling.
b. The majority of them are poorly characterized.
c. More than one-third of them are involved in translation or amino acid
transport and metabolism.
d. More than one-half of the shared families are involved in DNA replication
and transcription.
e. Nearly all of them are involved in energy production and carbohydrate
metabolism.
