2025 BIOD-152 Final Exam Study Guide –
Comprehensive Review with Expert Answers and
Proven Strategies for Academic Success With 150
Questions
1. Giemsa staining is used to detect each of the following EXCEPT:
a. Neisseria gonorrhoeae ✅
b. Chlamydia trachomatis
c. Histoplasma
d. Malaria
Rationale: Giemsa stain is used to detect organisms such as Chlamydia trachomatis,
Histoplasma, and Plasmodium (malaria). However, Neisseria gonorrhoeae is typically
detected using Gram stain or nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT), not Giemsa.
2. What STD is caused by a Gram-negative spirochete that can lead to paralysis,
blindness, and dementia?
a. Gonorrhea
b. Syphilis ✅
c. Chlamydia
d. Genital herpes
Rationale: Syphilis, caused by Treponema pallidum (a Gram-negative spirochete), can
cause severe systemic symptoms including neurological damage if left untreated.
3. Which of the following temperatures is commonly used to restrict pathogenic
bacterial growth in culture?
a. 37°C
b. 30°C
c. 25°C ✅
d. 45°C
,Rationale: Pathogens typically grow best at body temperature (37°C). Culturing at 25°C
is a method used to limit the growth of pathogens while allowing non-pathogenic
organisms to grow.
4. True or False: The metabolism of a lipid-derived carbon atom will yield more ATP
than a molecule of glucose.
✅ True
Rationale: Lipids, especially fatty acids, are more energy-dense and produce more ATP
per carbon atom during metabolism compared to glucose.
5. Which of the following is/are true of Fungi? (Select all that apply)
a. Yeast is an example ✅
b. They are autotrophic
c. They are only unicellular
d. Cell walls are composed of chitin ✅
Rationale: Fungi include both unicellular (yeast) and multicellular forms. They are
heterotrophic, not autotrophic. Their cell walls are made of chitin, unlike plants.
6. Which disease targets the CNS and can cause temporary or permanent
paralysis?
a. Polio (poliomyelitis) ✅
b. Chickenpox
c. Shingles
d. Measles
Rationale: Poliovirus infects motor neurons in the spinal cord, leading to CNS damage
and potentially paralysis.
7. Which disease results from reactivation of the dormant VZV virus?
a. Chickenpox
b. Smallpox
c. Shingles (Herpes zoster) ✅
d. Measles
,Rationale: Shingles occurs when the Varicella Zoster Virus reactivates in nerves after
initial chickenpox infection.
8. Which was the first infectious disease eradicated globally through vaccination in
1977?
a. Polio
b. Measles
c. Smallpox (Variola virus) ✅
d. Rubella
Rationale: Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980 by the WHO, with the last natural
case in 1977.
9. Which disease is characterized by blisters across the body?
a. Shingles
b. Smallpox
c. Chickenpox (varicella-zoster) ✅
d. Measles
Rationale: Chickenpox causes widespread vesicular (blister-like) rashes across the
body, particularly in children.
10. Which region of a four-phase dilutional streak has the highest microbial
concentration?
a. Region 1 ✅
b. Region 2
c. Region 3
d. Region 4
Rationale: Region 1 is the area where the initial sample is applied, so it has the highest
concentration of organisms.
11. Which of the following reactions is an example of a transferase enzyme?
a. A + B → A–B
b. A–B + H₂O → A–OH + B–H
, c. A⁻ + B → A + B⁻
d. Ab + C → A + Cb ✅
Rationale: Transferases move a functional group (e.g., a phosphate or methyl group)
from one molecule to another, as seen in choice d.
12. Which microscope uses visible light and basic lenses to magnify samples?
a. Bright field microscope ✅
b. Electron microscope
c. Phase contrast microscope
d. Confocal microscope
Rationale: The bright field microscope is the most basic form, using visible light to
illuminate the specimen.
13. Which microscope uses ultraviolet light to illuminate fluorescently labeled
samples?
a. Confocal microscope
b. Electron microscope
c. Fluorescence microscope ✅
d. Dark field microscope
Rationale: Fluorescence microscopes use UV light to excite fluorophores in the
sample, producing a fluorescent image.
14. Which microscope allows for visualization of live cells without staining?
a. Bright field
b. Electron microscope
c. Phase contrast microscope ✅
d. Confocal microscope
Rationale: Phase contrast microscopes enhance contrast in unstained, live cells,
allowing detailed imaging.
15. Which microscope uses electron beams instead of light for ultra-high
resolution imaging?
Comprehensive Review with Expert Answers and
Proven Strategies for Academic Success With 150
Questions
1. Giemsa staining is used to detect each of the following EXCEPT:
a. Neisseria gonorrhoeae ✅
b. Chlamydia trachomatis
c. Histoplasma
d. Malaria
Rationale: Giemsa stain is used to detect organisms such as Chlamydia trachomatis,
Histoplasma, and Plasmodium (malaria). However, Neisseria gonorrhoeae is typically
detected using Gram stain or nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT), not Giemsa.
2. What STD is caused by a Gram-negative spirochete that can lead to paralysis,
blindness, and dementia?
a. Gonorrhea
b. Syphilis ✅
c. Chlamydia
d. Genital herpes
Rationale: Syphilis, caused by Treponema pallidum (a Gram-negative spirochete), can
cause severe systemic symptoms including neurological damage if left untreated.
3. Which of the following temperatures is commonly used to restrict pathogenic
bacterial growth in culture?
a. 37°C
b. 30°C
c. 25°C ✅
d. 45°C
,Rationale: Pathogens typically grow best at body temperature (37°C). Culturing at 25°C
is a method used to limit the growth of pathogens while allowing non-pathogenic
organisms to grow.
4. True or False: The metabolism of a lipid-derived carbon atom will yield more ATP
than a molecule of glucose.
✅ True
Rationale: Lipids, especially fatty acids, are more energy-dense and produce more ATP
per carbon atom during metabolism compared to glucose.
5. Which of the following is/are true of Fungi? (Select all that apply)
a. Yeast is an example ✅
b. They are autotrophic
c. They are only unicellular
d. Cell walls are composed of chitin ✅
Rationale: Fungi include both unicellular (yeast) and multicellular forms. They are
heterotrophic, not autotrophic. Their cell walls are made of chitin, unlike plants.
6. Which disease targets the CNS and can cause temporary or permanent
paralysis?
a. Polio (poliomyelitis) ✅
b. Chickenpox
c. Shingles
d. Measles
Rationale: Poliovirus infects motor neurons in the spinal cord, leading to CNS damage
and potentially paralysis.
7. Which disease results from reactivation of the dormant VZV virus?
a. Chickenpox
b. Smallpox
c. Shingles (Herpes zoster) ✅
d. Measles
,Rationale: Shingles occurs when the Varicella Zoster Virus reactivates in nerves after
initial chickenpox infection.
8. Which was the first infectious disease eradicated globally through vaccination in
1977?
a. Polio
b. Measles
c. Smallpox (Variola virus) ✅
d. Rubella
Rationale: Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980 by the WHO, with the last natural
case in 1977.
9. Which disease is characterized by blisters across the body?
a. Shingles
b. Smallpox
c. Chickenpox (varicella-zoster) ✅
d. Measles
Rationale: Chickenpox causes widespread vesicular (blister-like) rashes across the
body, particularly in children.
10. Which region of a four-phase dilutional streak has the highest microbial
concentration?
a. Region 1 ✅
b. Region 2
c. Region 3
d. Region 4
Rationale: Region 1 is the area where the initial sample is applied, so it has the highest
concentration of organisms.
11. Which of the following reactions is an example of a transferase enzyme?
a. A + B → A–B
b. A–B + H₂O → A–OH + B–H
, c. A⁻ + B → A + B⁻
d. Ab + C → A + Cb ✅
Rationale: Transferases move a functional group (e.g., a phosphate or methyl group)
from one molecule to another, as seen in choice d.
12. Which microscope uses visible light and basic lenses to magnify samples?
a. Bright field microscope ✅
b. Electron microscope
c. Phase contrast microscope
d. Confocal microscope
Rationale: The bright field microscope is the most basic form, using visible light to
illuminate the specimen.
13. Which microscope uses ultraviolet light to illuminate fluorescently labeled
samples?
a. Confocal microscope
b. Electron microscope
c. Fluorescence microscope ✅
d. Dark field microscope
Rationale: Fluorescence microscopes use UV light to excite fluorophores in the
sample, producing a fluorescent image.
14. Which microscope allows for visualization of live cells without staining?
a. Bright field
b. Electron microscope
c. Phase contrast microscope ✅
d. Confocal microscope
Rationale: Phase contrast microscopes enhance contrast in unstained, live cells,
allowing detailed imaging.
15. Which microscope uses electron beams instead of light for ultra-high
resolution imaging?
