Chapter 01: Microbes Shape Our History
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1.1a Describe how we define a microbe, and explain why the definition is a challenge.
1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what the three
domains have in common and how they differ.
1.1c Define viruses, and explain how they relate to living cells.
1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
1.2b Describe how microbes participate in human cultural practices such as production of food and drink.
1.3a Define the germ theory of disease.
1.3b Explain how Florence Nightingale first drew a statistical correlation between infectious disease and
human mortality.
1.3c Explain how Koch’s postulates can show that a specific kind of microbe causes a disease.
1.3d Explain the problems in interpreting Koch’s postulates in practice.
1.4a Describe examples of how microbes contribute to natural ecosystems.
1.4b Explain how mitochondria and chloroplasts evolved by endosymbiosis.
1.5a Describe how the structure of DNA was discovered, and explain the significance of DNA for
determining the traits of life.
1.5b Describe how the manipulation of DNA information has transformed the practice of medicine.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is NOT considered a beneficial product of microorganisms?
a. nitrogen fixation c. synthesis of vitamins
b. production of fermented foods d. causative agents of disease
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1a Describe how we define a microbe, and explain why the definition is a challenge.
MSC: Remembering
2. A microbe that is multicellular and photosynthetic, and has cells 50 m in size, would most likely be
a(n)
a. fungus. c. virus.
b. E. coli. d. alga.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
3. In the figure shown, the organism indicated with the arrow could be a
, a. virus. c. macroscopic fungus.
b. bacterium. d. large ameba.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
4. The organism shown in the figure below is a(n)
a. virus. c. archaeon.
b. bacterium. d. eukaryote.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
5. Which of the following demonstrates correct scientific notation of a bacterial organism?
a. Staphylococcus Epidermidis c. Staphylococcus epidermidis
b. Staphylococcus epidermidis d. Staphylococcus Epidermidis
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
6. The key characteristic that differentiates a prokaryote from a eukaryote is the
a. absence of proteins.
b. presence of DNA.
c. absence of membrane-bound organelles.
d. presence of a cell wall.
, ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Remembering
7. Which of the following methods for classifying life forms is MOST accurate in distinguishing between
two closely related rod-shaped bacterial organisms, Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli?
a. physical characteristics c. DNA sequence comparison
b. method of reproduction d. environmental habitat
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
8. Which of the following is always classified as a eukaryote?
a. papillomavirus c. Escherichia coli
b. Methanocaldococcus jannaschii d. yeast
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Understanding
9. Which of the following has been used as a tool for gene therapy?
a. viruses c. protozoa
b. archaea d. fungi
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Understanding
10. Which of the following would you NOT expect to find inhabiting the human digestive tract?
a. archaea c. bacteria
b. algae d. intestinal viruses
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Understanding
11. Antibiotics are chemotherapeutic drugs that function by inhibiting an important cellular structure or
process of an organism that is causing an infection. Which of the following would not be affected by
an antibiotic that targets cellular metabolic enzymes?
a. Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria
b. Herpes virus
c. ameba
d. bread mold
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1c Define viruses, and explain how they relate to living cells.
MSC: Analyzing
12. Which scientist is credited with constructing the first microscope?
a. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek c. Robert Hooke
b. Catherine of Siena d. Louis Pasteur
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
, MSC: Remembering
13. Which of the following was an unexpected benefit of the bubonic plague?
a. There was no benefit to the bubonic plague.
b. The population of Europe experienced a baby boom.
c. It resulted in a better understanding of aseptic practices and how to prevent the spread of
infection.
d. The population decline enabled the cultural advancement of the Renaissance.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
MSC: Understanding
14. Which of the following organisms would you NOT be able to see using Robert Hooke’s microscope?
a. vinegar eels c. mold filaments
b. dust mites d. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
MSC: Understanding
15. Which of the following pathogens is thought to have profoundly affected societies and cultural
practices throughout history?
a. E. coli c. H. pylori
b. Yersinia pestis d. S. pyogenes
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
MSC: Applying
16. If Spallanzani had unknowingly poked a hole in the top of his flask of meat broth, what would this
have implied about the theory of spontaneous generation?
a. No growth would have occurred in the flask, refuting the theory of spontaneous
generation.
b. No growth would have occurred in the flask, supporting the theory of spontaneous
generation.
c. Growth would have occurred in the flask, refuting the theory of spontaneous generation.
d. Growth would have occurred in the flask, supporting the theory of spontaneous
generation.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2b Describe how microbes participate in human cultural practices such as production of food
and drink. MSC: Applying
17. What would John Tyndall have needed to use to disprove the theory of spontaneous generation with
his experiments?
a. a swan-neck flask c. an autoclave
b. a microscope d. organic media
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2b Describe how microbes participate in human cultural practices such as production of food
and drink. MSC: Applying
18. Which of the following theories was the Miller experiment designed to test?
a. the endosymbiotic origin of life
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1.1a Describe how we define a microbe, and explain why the definition is a challenge.
1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what the three
domains have in common and how they differ.
1.1c Define viruses, and explain how they relate to living cells.
1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
1.2b Describe how microbes participate in human cultural practices such as production of food and drink.
1.3a Define the germ theory of disease.
1.3b Explain how Florence Nightingale first drew a statistical correlation between infectious disease and
human mortality.
1.3c Explain how Koch’s postulates can show that a specific kind of microbe causes a disease.
1.3d Explain the problems in interpreting Koch’s postulates in practice.
1.4a Describe examples of how microbes contribute to natural ecosystems.
1.4b Explain how mitochondria and chloroplasts evolved by endosymbiosis.
1.5a Describe how the structure of DNA was discovered, and explain the significance of DNA for
determining the traits of life.
1.5b Describe how the manipulation of DNA information has transformed the practice of medicine.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is NOT considered a beneficial product of microorganisms?
a. nitrogen fixation c. synthesis of vitamins
b. production of fermented foods d. causative agents of disease
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1a Describe how we define a microbe, and explain why the definition is a challenge.
MSC: Remembering
2. A microbe that is multicellular and photosynthetic, and has cells 50 m in size, would most likely be
a(n)
a. fungus. c. virus.
b. E. coli. d. alga.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
3. In the figure shown, the organism indicated with the arrow could be a
, a. virus. c. macroscopic fungus.
b. bacterium. d. large ameba.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
4. The organism shown in the figure below is a(n)
a. virus. c. archaeon.
b. bacterium. d. eukaryote.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
5. Which of the following demonstrates correct scientific notation of a bacterial organism?
a. Staphylococcus Epidermidis c. Staphylococcus epidermidis
b. Staphylococcus epidermidis d. Staphylococcus Epidermidis
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
6. The key characteristic that differentiates a prokaryote from a eukaryote is the
a. absence of proteins.
b. presence of DNA.
c. absence of membrane-bound organelles.
d. presence of a cell wall.
, ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Remembering
7. Which of the following methods for classifying life forms is MOST accurate in distinguishing between
two closely related rod-shaped bacterial organisms, Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli?
a. physical characteristics c. DNA sequence comparison
b. method of reproduction d. environmental habitat
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
8. Which of the following is always classified as a eukaryote?
a. papillomavirus c. Escherichia coli
b. Methanocaldococcus jannaschii d. yeast
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Understanding
9. Which of the following has been used as a tool for gene therapy?
a. viruses c. protozoa
b. archaea d. fungi
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Understanding
10. Which of the following would you NOT expect to find inhabiting the human digestive tract?
a. archaea c. bacteria
b. algae d. intestinal viruses
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Understanding
11. Antibiotics are chemotherapeutic drugs that function by inhibiting an important cellular structure or
process of an organism that is causing an infection. Which of the following would not be affected by
an antibiotic that targets cellular metabolic enzymes?
a. Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria
b. Herpes virus
c. ameba
d. bread mold
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1c Define viruses, and explain how they relate to living cells.
MSC: Analyzing
12. Which scientist is credited with constructing the first microscope?
a. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek c. Robert Hooke
b. Catherine of Siena d. Louis Pasteur
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
, MSC: Remembering
13. Which of the following was an unexpected benefit of the bubonic plague?
a. There was no benefit to the bubonic plague.
b. The population of Europe experienced a baby boom.
c. It resulted in a better understanding of aseptic practices and how to prevent the spread of
infection.
d. The population decline enabled the cultural advancement of the Renaissance.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
MSC: Understanding
14. Which of the following organisms would you NOT be able to see using Robert Hooke’s microscope?
a. vinegar eels c. mold filaments
b. dust mites d. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
MSC: Understanding
15. Which of the following pathogens is thought to have profoundly affected societies and cultural
practices throughout history?
a. E. coli c. H. pylori
b. Yersinia pestis d. S. pyogenes
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
MSC: Applying
16. If Spallanzani had unknowingly poked a hole in the top of his flask of meat broth, what would this
have implied about the theory of spontaneous generation?
a. No growth would have occurred in the flask, refuting the theory of spontaneous
generation.
b. No growth would have occurred in the flask, supporting the theory of spontaneous
generation.
c. Growth would have occurred in the flask, refuting the theory of spontaneous generation.
d. Growth would have occurred in the flask, supporting the theory of spontaneous
generation.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2b Describe how microbes participate in human cultural practices such as production of food
and drink. MSC: Applying
17. What would John Tyndall have needed to use to disprove the theory of spontaneous generation with
his experiments?
a. a swan-neck flask c. an autoclave
b. a microscope d. organic media
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2b Describe how microbes participate in human cultural practices such as production of food
and drink. MSC: Applying
18. Which of the following theories was the Miller experiment designed to test?
a. the endosymbiotic origin of life
