Microbiology BIO 150 – Test 1 Study Guide with Verified
Questions & Answers | Northern Virginia Community College
(NVCC) | A+ Scored (2025)
What is the biological function of an endospore?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Endospores are heat-resistant
forms of bacteria, so it allows the bacteria to survive extreme conditions
What are the three domains of life that all living organisms are separated into?- CORRECT ANSWER
✔✔Bacteria, Archaea, and Eucarya
How do you write a scientific name?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔All in italics or underlined with the Genus
FIRST LETTER capitalized and the species in lowercase. Many describe the microbe or honor the scientist
Are archaea more closely related to bacteria or eukarya?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Eukarya
Who developed the 3 domain system?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Carl Woese
Who is Robert Hooke?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔First person to describe microbes
Who is Anton Van Leewenhook?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔He was the first to describe bacteria from his own
teeth
What does the Theory of Spontaneous Generation say?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔organisms can arise
spontaneously from non-living material
Who disproved spontaneous generation and how?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Louis Pasteur used swan-necked
flasks that had a heated solution/broth. No microbes could get past the swan neck flask opening and into the
solution.
pasteaurization- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔a process of high heat for a short time to kill harmful bacteria in
beverages
,How did Louis Pasteur disprove spontaneous generation?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔
In louis pasteur's experiment, Why was the neck S shaped?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔to trap the microbes in
the air in the curved neck
in louis pasteur's experiment, Why was the flask heated?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔to kill the microbes in the
broth
in louis pasteur's experiment, Why was the flask tilted after a short time?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔To
introduce the trapped bacteria
Who is Robert Koch?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔1. noted for developing "Koch's Postulates"
2. outlines the use of pure cultures to identify/determine the agent for infections/diseases
3. father of medical microbiology
Nobel Prize Winners- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Koch and Pasteur
Koch's Postulates- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔a sequence of experimental steps for directly relating a specific
microbe to a specific disease.
1. Draw blood- Dead rat & healthy rat
Look under microscope
Suspected pathogen spotted
Must be present in all cases of disease
2. Must be grown in pure culture (slice of potato)
Lab cultures- colonies of suspected pathogen
*Streaking isolates pathogen- pure culture
3. Inoculate healthy animal with pathogen
Does it kill rat?
4. Suspected pathogen must be isolated and shown to be same as original
5. Blood drawn from healthy dead rat and re isolated
Pure culture must be the same
, Summarize Koch's postulates for linking specific microorganisms to certain diseases- CORRECT ANSWER
✔✔-If you isolate the bacterial agent of a sick animal, you can infect a healthy individual with the same illness.
-The organism must always be present, in every case of the disease.
-The organism must be isolated from a host containing the disease and grown in pure culture.
-Samples of the organism taken from pure culture must cause the same disease when inoculated into a healthy,
susceptible animal in the laboratory.
-The organism must be isolated from the inoculated animal and must be identified as the same original organism
first isolated from the originally diseased host.
Microbiome- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔permanently colonize the host and do not cause disease under normal
conditions
- prevent growth of pathogens
- produce Vitamin B and K
Normal microbiota- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔microbes normally present in and on the human body. example
skin, oral cavity, intestines
Types of Microorganisms- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Bacteria
Archaea
Fungi
Protozoa
Algae
Viruses
Multicellular animal parasites
How are Microbes in our lives?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔-A few are pathogenic
-Decompose organic waste
-Are producers in the ecosystem by photosynthesis
-Produce industrial chemicals such as ethanol and acetone
-Produce fermented foods such as vinegar, cheese, bread
Questions & Answers | Northern Virginia Community College
(NVCC) | A+ Scored (2025)
What is the biological function of an endospore?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Endospores are heat-resistant
forms of bacteria, so it allows the bacteria to survive extreme conditions
What are the three domains of life that all living organisms are separated into?- CORRECT ANSWER
✔✔Bacteria, Archaea, and Eucarya
How do you write a scientific name?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔All in italics or underlined with the Genus
FIRST LETTER capitalized and the species in lowercase. Many describe the microbe or honor the scientist
Are archaea more closely related to bacteria or eukarya?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Eukarya
Who developed the 3 domain system?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Carl Woese
Who is Robert Hooke?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔First person to describe microbes
Who is Anton Van Leewenhook?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔He was the first to describe bacteria from his own
teeth
What does the Theory of Spontaneous Generation say?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔organisms can arise
spontaneously from non-living material
Who disproved spontaneous generation and how?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Louis Pasteur used swan-necked
flasks that had a heated solution/broth. No microbes could get past the swan neck flask opening and into the
solution.
pasteaurization- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔a process of high heat for a short time to kill harmful bacteria in
beverages
,How did Louis Pasteur disprove spontaneous generation?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔
In louis pasteur's experiment, Why was the neck S shaped?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔to trap the microbes in
the air in the curved neck
in louis pasteur's experiment, Why was the flask heated?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔to kill the microbes in the
broth
in louis pasteur's experiment, Why was the flask tilted after a short time?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔To
introduce the trapped bacteria
Who is Robert Koch?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔1. noted for developing "Koch's Postulates"
2. outlines the use of pure cultures to identify/determine the agent for infections/diseases
3. father of medical microbiology
Nobel Prize Winners- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Koch and Pasteur
Koch's Postulates- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔a sequence of experimental steps for directly relating a specific
microbe to a specific disease.
1. Draw blood- Dead rat & healthy rat
Look under microscope
Suspected pathogen spotted
Must be present in all cases of disease
2. Must be grown in pure culture (slice of potato)
Lab cultures- colonies of suspected pathogen
*Streaking isolates pathogen- pure culture
3. Inoculate healthy animal with pathogen
Does it kill rat?
4. Suspected pathogen must be isolated and shown to be same as original
5. Blood drawn from healthy dead rat and re isolated
Pure culture must be the same
, Summarize Koch's postulates for linking specific microorganisms to certain diseases- CORRECT ANSWER
✔✔-If you isolate the bacterial agent of a sick animal, you can infect a healthy individual with the same illness.
-The organism must always be present, in every case of the disease.
-The organism must be isolated from a host containing the disease and grown in pure culture.
-Samples of the organism taken from pure culture must cause the same disease when inoculated into a healthy,
susceptible animal in the laboratory.
-The organism must be isolated from the inoculated animal and must be identified as the same original organism
first isolated from the originally diseased host.
Microbiome- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔permanently colonize the host and do not cause disease under normal
conditions
- prevent growth of pathogens
- produce Vitamin B and K
Normal microbiota- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔microbes normally present in and on the human body. example
skin, oral cavity, intestines
Types of Microorganisms- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔Bacteria
Archaea
Fungi
Protozoa
Algae
Viruses
Multicellular animal parasites
How are Microbes in our lives?- CORRECT ANSWER ✔✔-A few are pathogenic
-Decompose organic waste
-Are producers in the ecosystem by photosynthesis
-Produce industrial chemicals such as ethanol and acetone
-Produce fermented foods such as vinegar, cheese, bread
