PORTAGE LEARNING MICROBIOLOGY FINAL
EXAM 2026 FINAL PAPER COMPLETE
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
GRADED A+
◉ Match the process that contributes to prokaryotic genetic
diversity with the best description: Answer: conjugation
B.
DNA is transferred through a pilus.
transduction
D.
DNA is transferred by a bacteriophage
transformation
A.
DNA is picked up from the environment
transposition
C.
DNA excises from one location and inserts in another.
,◉ Alexander Fleming first observed a mold (now known as
Penicillium notatum) that was able to inhibit which organism?
Answer: Staphylococcus
◉ Sulfa drugs (sulfonamides) inhibit which metabolic pathway?
Answer: dihydrofolic acid synthesis pathway
◉ Which method of microbial control does not rely on denaturing
proteins and/or disrupting the integrity of the cell membrane?
Answer: lypholization
◉ Which of the following is not an example of evidence used by John
Snow to determine that cholera was being transmitted by water in
London in the 1800s? Answer: microscopic examination of water
◉ Why are Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections difficult to treat?
Answer: Because they form biofilms, which are difficult for
antibiotics to penetrate
◉ From a clinical perspective, aseptic technique is carried out to do
which of the following? Answer: prevent contamination in living
tissue
,◉ A simple example of controlling microbial growth is based on how
we handle our food products. Name three food preparation methods
that counter microbial growth. Be sure to discuss the mode of action
for each method. Answer: Disinfection- kills microorganisms by
using heat or chemicals. Sanitation- this also kills microorganisms
according to safe public health levels with the use of heat and/or
chemicals. Degerming- reduces microorganisms on the skin by
scrubbing hands or using mild chemicals.
Heat. We cook our foods to certain temperatures to ensure that
microbial growth is killed. Heat denatures proteins and disrupts
membrane integrity.Smoking. Meats are smoked with moist heat.
Moist heat can easily penetrate cells. Like heating, smoking would
denature proteins and disrupt membrane integrity of
microbes.Pickling. Pickling lowers the pH of food. Lowered pH
inhibits enzyme activity in microbes.Drying. Meats are cooked and
dried (i.e., beef jerky). The removal of water inhibits metabolic
pathways in microbes.Salting. Similar to drying, salt removes water,
inhibiting metabolic pathways in microbes.
◉ Restriction enzymes (endonucleases) are produced by bacteria as
a means of protection against which infectious agent? Answer:
bateriophages
◉ Phenolic compounds can be found naturally in which group of
organisms? Answer: plants
, ◉ Genomics would not be an effective method to detect which type
of pathogen? Answer: prions
◉ Reverse transcriptase inhibitors, such as AZT, can be used to
target which virus? Answer: HIV
◉ Lori has a very bad sore throat. She goes to the doctor and is told
that it is not a bacterial infection.
The doctor then prescribes an antibiotic for her to take. Should the
doctor have given Lori this prescription? Why would the doctor give
such a treatment?
Lori gets well! A week goes by and then the sore throat comes back.
This time the doctor suspects strep throat. A culture is taken and
sent to the lab to confirm, using blood agar, that she has strep throat.
The lab then performs a Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assay using
antibiotics A through D. The results are shown below:
Based on the results shown above, which antibiotic worked best?
Which if any antibiotic shows any antibiotic-resistant colonies. If
there are any antibiotic-resistant bacteria, how could they have
arisen?
c. Lori takes the antibiotic as prescribed and a week later returns to
the doctor. Apparently the concentration being used is not working.
Answer: No the doctor should not have given her an antibiotic. The
doctor might have given her these just because she came in and
needed something to "fix" her. This is what people expect from
EXAM 2026 FINAL PAPER COMPLETE
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
GRADED A+
◉ Match the process that contributes to prokaryotic genetic
diversity with the best description: Answer: conjugation
B.
DNA is transferred through a pilus.
transduction
D.
DNA is transferred by a bacteriophage
transformation
A.
DNA is picked up from the environment
transposition
C.
DNA excises from one location and inserts in another.
,◉ Alexander Fleming first observed a mold (now known as
Penicillium notatum) that was able to inhibit which organism?
Answer: Staphylococcus
◉ Sulfa drugs (sulfonamides) inhibit which metabolic pathway?
Answer: dihydrofolic acid synthesis pathway
◉ Which method of microbial control does not rely on denaturing
proteins and/or disrupting the integrity of the cell membrane?
Answer: lypholization
◉ Which of the following is not an example of evidence used by John
Snow to determine that cholera was being transmitted by water in
London in the 1800s? Answer: microscopic examination of water
◉ Why are Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections difficult to treat?
Answer: Because they form biofilms, which are difficult for
antibiotics to penetrate
◉ From a clinical perspective, aseptic technique is carried out to do
which of the following? Answer: prevent contamination in living
tissue
,◉ A simple example of controlling microbial growth is based on how
we handle our food products. Name three food preparation methods
that counter microbial growth. Be sure to discuss the mode of action
for each method. Answer: Disinfection- kills microorganisms by
using heat or chemicals. Sanitation- this also kills microorganisms
according to safe public health levels with the use of heat and/or
chemicals. Degerming- reduces microorganisms on the skin by
scrubbing hands or using mild chemicals.
Heat. We cook our foods to certain temperatures to ensure that
microbial growth is killed. Heat denatures proteins and disrupts
membrane integrity.Smoking. Meats are smoked with moist heat.
Moist heat can easily penetrate cells. Like heating, smoking would
denature proteins and disrupt membrane integrity of
microbes.Pickling. Pickling lowers the pH of food. Lowered pH
inhibits enzyme activity in microbes.Drying. Meats are cooked and
dried (i.e., beef jerky). The removal of water inhibits metabolic
pathways in microbes.Salting. Similar to drying, salt removes water,
inhibiting metabolic pathways in microbes.
◉ Restriction enzymes (endonucleases) are produced by bacteria as
a means of protection against which infectious agent? Answer:
bateriophages
◉ Phenolic compounds can be found naturally in which group of
organisms? Answer: plants
, ◉ Genomics would not be an effective method to detect which type
of pathogen? Answer: prions
◉ Reverse transcriptase inhibitors, such as AZT, can be used to
target which virus? Answer: HIV
◉ Lori has a very bad sore throat. She goes to the doctor and is told
that it is not a bacterial infection.
The doctor then prescribes an antibiotic for her to take. Should the
doctor have given Lori this prescription? Why would the doctor give
such a treatment?
Lori gets well! A week goes by and then the sore throat comes back.
This time the doctor suspects strep throat. A culture is taken and
sent to the lab to confirm, using blood agar, that she has strep throat.
The lab then performs a Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assay using
antibiotics A through D. The results are shown below:
Based on the results shown above, which antibiotic worked best?
Which if any antibiotic shows any antibiotic-resistant colonies. If
there are any antibiotic-resistant bacteria, how could they have
arisen?
c. Lori takes the antibiotic as prescribed and a week later returns to
the doctor. Apparently the concentration being used is not working.
Answer: No the doctor should not have given her an antibiotic. The
doctor might have given her these just because she came in and
needed something to "fix" her. This is what people expect from
