BIOLOGY 1500 FINAL PRACTICE TEST
REVIEW Q&A
The great oxygenation event was caused by (choose the best answer):
a. Increasing brightness of the sun led to more efficient photosynthesis of land plants
b. The hole in the ozone layer opened up and allowed for the spontaneous formation
of O2 from CO2 and
water.
c. A global ice age ("snowball earth") ended and allowed plants to spread all over the
world, while
producing lots of O2.
d. A meteor impact led to the extinction of the predominant organisms on earth; this
event opened up the ecological niche for plants to evolve photosynthesis.
e. Cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis, which released free O2 in the oceans and
atmosphere for the first time - ANSWER-e. Cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis,
which released free O2 in the oceans and atmosphere for the first time
When you shine white light on chlorophyll extract, the outside of the liquid turns red.
Which statement
describes best what happens:
a. The chlorophyll absorbs all of the green, yellow, and blue components of the light,
and reflects the red
components back to our eyes.
b. Absorption of wavelength shorter than red light (e.g. blue or green light) moves
electrons of the chlorophyll into a high energy state; when the electrons 'fall' back to
a low energy state, they emit red light.
c. The white light is split into colored components (similar to a rainbow) and the red
light is directed into
our eyes.
d. The white light starts a chemical reaction in chlorophyll, which produces a lot of
heat, leading to the glowing of the liquid.
e. The acetone in which the chlorophyll is dissolved absorbs all wavelengths of light
except for red light,
which is transmitted through both acetone and glass. - ANSWER-b. Absorption of
wavelength shorter than red light (e.g. blue or green light) moves electrons of the
chlorophyll into a high energy state; when the electrons 'fall' back to a low energy
state, they emit red light.
Which is the correct scientific definition of evolution?
a. The gradual development of organisms from simple to more complex forms
b. The process of one species splitting off from another species
c. The acquisition of new appendages, such as limbs or claws
d. The change of allele frequencies in a population over time
e. The mechanism by which the first cells on the planet came into existence -
ANSWER-d. The change of allele frequencies in a population over time
Which of the following is NOT a postulate of natural selection
a. Some of the variation is heritable
,b. Adaptation improves the fitness of a population
c. Survival and reproduction are non-random
d. More offspring are produced than survive to reproduce
e. Individuals vary in their traits - ANSWER-b. Adaptation improves the fitness of a
population
How does ATP transport energy from one reaction to another?
a. through the kinetic energy of its movement as the molecule travels through the cell
b. in the form of small packets of photons that store potential energy
c. in the form of small packets of photons that have kinetic energy
d. in the form of high-energy lipid molecules that can be moved around the cell
e. in the chemical bonds between the phosphate groups - ANSWER-e. in the
chemical bonds between the phosphate groups
Galapagos finches are birds that live on the Galapagos Islands off the coast of
Ecuador. There are 14
species of Galapagos finch, with several species found on each of the islands.
Evidence suggests that the
finches are all descended from a single species of finch that migrated to the islands
between 1 and 5
million years ago. One of the major changes in the finches is in the sizes and shapes
of their beaks. Beak
size and shape are determined by a finch's genes. How did the different beak types
arise on the
Galapagos Islands?
a. The changes in the finches' beaks occurred because the environment induced the
desired genetic
changes.
b. The changes in the finches' beak size and shape occurred because of their need
to be able to eat different
kinds of food to survive.
c. Changes in the finches' beaks occurred by chance, and when there was a good
match between beak
structure and available food, those birds had more offsp - ANSWER-c. Changes in
the finches' beaks occurred by chance, and when there was a good match between
beak
structure and available food, those birds had more offspring.
Chantelle is interested in whether there is an association between students' college
majors and how
much coffee they drink. She surveys the students, dividing them into humanities
majors, social science
majors, and STEM majors, and then plots the average number of cups of coffee
consumed per week.
Which of the following types of graph is Chantelle most likely to use to represent the
data?
a. Bar graph
b. Scatterplot
c. Pie graph
d. Line graph
, e. Bubble chart - ANSWER-a. Bar graph
What is the function of photosynthesis?
a. To produce oxygen
b. To make carbohydrates
c. To absorb light energy
d. To split water molecules
e. To use up carbon dioxide - ANSWER-b. To make carbohydrates
Brian is studying a gene that influences the scales on snake skin. He determines that
at some point in history, a mutation occurred in the DNA sequence of this gene. Now
there are two different DNA sequences that are possible for this gene. Depending on
which sequence is present, the gene codes for either flat scales or ridged scales.
These two different forms of the gene are:
a. genetic peculiarities
b. adaptations
c. nucleotide base pairs
d. alleles
e. chromosomes - ANSWER-d. alleles
Both Oreo cookies and Fig Newton cookies contain 1 g of dietary fiber per serving.
This fiber, or roughage, typically consists of cellulose. Given this information, 'dietary
fiber' is likely to be listed under which of the following headings?
a. vitamins and minerals
b. energy carriers
c. carbohydrates
d. lipids
e. proteins - ANSWER-c. carbohydrates
The instructor of your Biology 4600 "Evolution" course comes to class one morning
very excited and announces: "MY fitness has increased!" What has happened to
her?
a. She got an outstanding deal on a gym-membership.
b. She lost weight and her body mass index is now in the recommended range.
c. Her daughter gave birth to a healthy baby.
d. She quit smoking 6 months ago and has not smoked since.
e. The nasty cold that has bothered her for over a week is finally gone. - ANSWER-c.
Her daughter gave birth to a healthy baby.
Over spring break, one of your friends back home says: "It is ridiculous to believe
that complex organisms could have evolved through natural selection: how could this
all happen by random events?"
What would be the best reply to this misconception?
a. Natural Selection is a goal-directed process that leads to ever increasing
complexity
b. While several evolutionary mechanisms are indeed random, natural selection is
not; it increases the
frequency of alleles associated with favorable traits.
REVIEW Q&A
The great oxygenation event was caused by (choose the best answer):
a. Increasing brightness of the sun led to more efficient photosynthesis of land plants
b. The hole in the ozone layer opened up and allowed for the spontaneous formation
of O2 from CO2 and
water.
c. A global ice age ("snowball earth") ended and allowed plants to spread all over the
world, while
producing lots of O2.
d. A meteor impact led to the extinction of the predominant organisms on earth; this
event opened up the ecological niche for plants to evolve photosynthesis.
e. Cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis, which released free O2 in the oceans and
atmosphere for the first time - ANSWER-e. Cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis,
which released free O2 in the oceans and atmosphere for the first time
When you shine white light on chlorophyll extract, the outside of the liquid turns red.
Which statement
describes best what happens:
a. The chlorophyll absorbs all of the green, yellow, and blue components of the light,
and reflects the red
components back to our eyes.
b. Absorption of wavelength shorter than red light (e.g. blue or green light) moves
electrons of the chlorophyll into a high energy state; when the electrons 'fall' back to
a low energy state, they emit red light.
c. The white light is split into colored components (similar to a rainbow) and the red
light is directed into
our eyes.
d. The white light starts a chemical reaction in chlorophyll, which produces a lot of
heat, leading to the glowing of the liquid.
e. The acetone in which the chlorophyll is dissolved absorbs all wavelengths of light
except for red light,
which is transmitted through both acetone and glass. - ANSWER-b. Absorption of
wavelength shorter than red light (e.g. blue or green light) moves electrons of the
chlorophyll into a high energy state; when the electrons 'fall' back to a low energy
state, they emit red light.
Which is the correct scientific definition of evolution?
a. The gradual development of organisms from simple to more complex forms
b. The process of one species splitting off from another species
c. The acquisition of new appendages, such as limbs or claws
d. The change of allele frequencies in a population over time
e. The mechanism by which the first cells on the planet came into existence -
ANSWER-d. The change of allele frequencies in a population over time
Which of the following is NOT a postulate of natural selection
a. Some of the variation is heritable
,b. Adaptation improves the fitness of a population
c. Survival and reproduction are non-random
d. More offspring are produced than survive to reproduce
e. Individuals vary in their traits - ANSWER-b. Adaptation improves the fitness of a
population
How does ATP transport energy from one reaction to another?
a. through the kinetic energy of its movement as the molecule travels through the cell
b. in the form of small packets of photons that store potential energy
c. in the form of small packets of photons that have kinetic energy
d. in the form of high-energy lipid molecules that can be moved around the cell
e. in the chemical bonds between the phosphate groups - ANSWER-e. in the
chemical bonds between the phosphate groups
Galapagos finches are birds that live on the Galapagos Islands off the coast of
Ecuador. There are 14
species of Galapagos finch, with several species found on each of the islands.
Evidence suggests that the
finches are all descended from a single species of finch that migrated to the islands
between 1 and 5
million years ago. One of the major changes in the finches is in the sizes and shapes
of their beaks. Beak
size and shape are determined by a finch's genes. How did the different beak types
arise on the
Galapagos Islands?
a. The changes in the finches' beaks occurred because the environment induced the
desired genetic
changes.
b. The changes in the finches' beak size and shape occurred because of their need
to be able to eat different
kinds of food to survive.
c. Changes in the finches' beaks occurred by chance, and when there was a good
match between beak
structure and available food, those birds had more offsp - ANSWER-c. Changes in
the finches' beaks occurred by chance, and when there was a good match between
beak
structure and available food, those birds had more offspring.
Chantelle is interested in whether there is an association between students' college
majors and how
much coffee they drink. She surveys the students, dividing them into humanities
majors, social science
majors, and STEM majors, and then plots the average number of cups of coffee
consumed per week.
Which of the following types of graph is Chantelle most likely to use to represent the
data?
a. Bar graph
b. Scatterplot
c. Pie graph
d. Line graph
, e. Bubble chart - ANSWER-a. Bar graph
What is the function of photosynthesis?
a. To produce oxygen
b. To make carbohydrates
c. To absorb light energy
d. To split water molecules
e. To use up carbon dioxide - ANSWER-b. To make carbohydrates
Brian is studying a gene that influences the scales on snake skin. He determines that
at some point in history, a mutation occurred in the DNA sequence of this gene. Now
there are two different DNA sequences that are possible for this gene. Depending on
which sequence is present, the gene codes for either flat scales or ridged scales.
These two different forms of the gene are:
a. genetic peculiarities
b. adaptations
c. nucleotide base pairs
d. alleles
e. chromosomes - ANSWER-d. alleles
Both Oreo cookies and Fig Newton cookies contain 1 g of dietary fiber per serving.
This fiber, or roughage, typically consists of cellulose. Given this information, 'dietary
fiber' is likely to be listed under which of the following headings?
a. vitamins and minerals
b. energy carriers
c. carbohydrates
d. lipids
e. proteins - ANSWER-c. carbohydrates
The instructor of your Biology 4600 "Evolution" course comes to class one morning
very excited and announces: "MY fitness has increased!" What has happened to
her?
a. She got an outstanding deal on a gym-membership.
b. She lost weight and her body mass index is now in the recommended range.
c. Her daughter gave birth to a healthy baby.
d. She quit smoking 6 months ago and has not smoked since.
e. The nasty cold that has bothered her for over a week is finally gone. - ANSWER-c.
Her daughter gave birth to a healthy baby.
Over spring break, one of your friends back home says: "It is ridiculous to believe
that complex organisms could have evolved through natural selection: how could this
all happen by random events?"
What would be the best reply to this misconception?
a. Natural Selection is a goal-directed process that leads to ever increasing
complexity
b. While several evolutionary mechanisms are indeed random, natural selection is
not; it increases the
frequency of alleles associated with favorable traits.
