TEST BANK
Microbiology
Dave Wessner, Christine Dupont, Trevor Charles & Josh Neufeld
3rd Edition
,Table of Contents
Chapter 01 The Microbial World 2
Chapter 02 Bacteria 28
Chapter 03 Eukaryal Microorganisms 56
Chapter 04 Archaea 85
Chapter 05 Viruses 112
Chapter 06 Metabolism 139
Chapter 07 Cultivating Microorganisms 169
Chapter 08 DNA Replication and Gene Expression 193
Chapter 09 Viral Replicating Strategies 214
Chapter 10 Bacterial Genetic Analysis and Manipulation 241
Chapter 11 Microbial Genomics 264
Chapter 12 Regulation of Gene Expression 290
Chapter 13 Biogeochemical Cycles 315
Chapter 14 Microbial Ecosystems 338
Chapter 15 Microbial Symbionts 360
Chapter 16 Microbial Biotechnology 383
Chapter 17 The Microbiology of Food and Water 408
Chapter 18 Introduction to Infectious Diseases 432
Chapter 19 Innate Host Defenses Against Microbial Invasion 458
Chapter 20 Adaptive Immunity 484
Chapter 21 Bacterial Pathogenesis 507
Chapter 22 Viral Pathogenesis 529
Chapter 23 Eukaryal Pathogenesis 551
Chapter 24 Control of Infectious Diseases 575
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Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
Package Title: Test Bank
Course Title: Wessner 3e
Chapter Number: 1 The Microbial World
Chapter 01
Question Type: Multiple Choice
1) Which of these is considered to be the smallest unit of life?
a) A nucleus
b) A mitochondrion
c) A plasmid
d) A cell
e) A prion
Answer: d
Difficulty: Easy
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
2) The study of microbiology includes all of the following EXCEPT ________.
a) plants
b) viruses
c) bacteria
d) fungi
e) algae
Answer: a
Difficulty: Easy
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
3) What percent of the dry weight of the cell is composed of DNA?
a) 2–5
b) 12–15
c) 25–30
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Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
d) 35–40
e) 50–55
Answer: a
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
4) What are the three domains of life?
a) Monera, Animals, and Plants
b) Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya
c) Prokaryote, Eukaryote, and Fungi
d) Animals, Plants, and Bacteria
e) Prokaryote, Eukaryote, and Archaea
Answer: b
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
5) Which of the characteristics of life is NOT displayed by any individual organism?
a) Metabolism
b) Growth
c) Reproduction
d) Evolution
e) Response
f) Homeostasis
Answer: d
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
6) Viruses are considered "nonliving" for all of the following reasons EXCEPT that they
a) need a host cell for replication.
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Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
b) are metabolically inert.
c) possess a genome that can change over time.
d) do not maintain internal homeostasis.
e) are not responsive to environmental changes.
Answer: c
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
7) Which is a macromolecular difference between the domains Bacteria and Archaea?
a) Archaea contain a nucleus, but Bacteria do not.
b) Bacteria contain DNA, but Archaea do not.
c) Bacteria contain a plasma membrane, but Archaea do not.
d) Bacteria cell wall contains peptidoglycan, but the Archaea cell wall does not.
e) Archaea contain multiple types of RNA polymerase, but Bacteria has only one type.
Answer: d
Difficulty: Hard
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
8) The size and shapes of archaeal cells suggest relatedness to
a) bacteria.
b) prokaryotes.
c) eukarya.
d) all other life forms.
e) no other life forms; their sizes and shapes are unique.
Answer: a
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
9) Why is the term microbes more general than the term microorganisms?
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,______________________________________________________________________________________________
Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
a) There is no difference between these two terms.
b) The term microbes is just a more casual way of saying microorganisms.
c) It includes viruses.
d) It includes fungus.
e) It includes archaea.
Answer: c
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
10) Which molecular tool MOST assisted in providing a more reliable way to verify the
assertions made by Woese et al. in their 1990 paper on phylogeny?
a) Polymerase chain reaction
b) RNA to DNA conversion using reverse transcriptase
c) RNA sequencing
d) DNA sequencing
e) Protein sequencing
Answer: a
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
11) If E. coli DNA polymerase, not Taq polymerase, were used in polymerase chain reaction
assays to amplify SSU rRNA gene sequences, we would expect to see
a) increased short fragment DNA sequences.
b) decreased short fragment DNA sequences.
c) the same number of short fragment DNA sequences.
d) increased long fragment DNA sequences.
e) decreased long fragment DNA sequences.
Answer: b
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
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,______________________________________________________________________________________________
Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
12) This figure represents an artist's attempt to illustrate the process of PCR. What is the MOST
significant error you notice in this figure?
a) DNA strands are not fully denatured.
b) Primers are not annealed.
c) PCR products cannot separate from template DNA.
d) Taq polymerase is not shown in the illustration.
e) dNTPs are not shown in the illustration.
Answer: a
Difficulty: Hard
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
13) Select the answer with the correct order in which these structures evolved in plant cells.
a) Mitochondria, cell walls, chloroplasts
b) Mitochondria, chloroplasts, cell walls
c) Chloroplasts, mitochondria, cell walls
d) Chloroplasts, cell walls, mitochondria
e) Cell walls, mitochondria, chloroplasts
Answer: b
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.2 Microbial Physiology, Genetics, and Cultivation
Learning Objective: LO 1.2 Define the conserved model of genetic transfer of information found
in all organisms on Earth, discussing the possible origins of life on Earth.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
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, ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
14) Approximately when did primitive cells first appear on Earth?
a) 1 billion years ago
b) 2 billion years ago
c) 2.5 billion years ago
d) 3 billion years ago
e) 3.8 billion years ago
Answer: e
Difficulty: Easy
Section Reference: Section 1.2 Microbial Physiology, Genetics, and Cultivation
Learning Objective: LO 1.2 Define the conserved model of genetic transfer of information found
in all organisms on Earth, discussing the possible origins of life on Earth.
15) Which of these are fossilized microbial mats containing photosynthetic bacteria?
a) Stromatolites
b) Biofilms
c) Resin
d) Cyanobacteria
e) Stalagmites
Answer: a
Difficulty: Easy
Section Reference: Section 1.2 Microbial Physiology, Genetics, and Cultivation
Learning Objective: LO 1.2 Define the conserved model of genetic transfer of information found
in all organisms on Earth, discussing the possible origins of life on Earth.
16) Which statement below is FALSE concerning the atmosphere of early Earth?
a) The atmosphere was a reducing atmosphere.
b) Oxygen was present in very minute amounts.
c) Carbon dioxide was present in very minute amounts.
d) Hydrogen gas was present.
e) Nitrogen gas was present in very large amounts.
Answer: c
Difficulty: Easy
Section Reference: Section 1.2 Microbial Physiology, Genetics, and Cultivation
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Microbiology
Dave Wessner, Christine Dupont, Trevor Charles & Josh Neufeld
3rd Edition
,Table of Contents
Chapter 01 The Microbial World 2
Chapter 02 Bacteria 28
Chapter 03 Eukaryal Microorganisms 56
Chapter 04 Archaea 85
Chapter 05 Viruses 112
Chapter 06 Metabolism 139
Chapter 07 Cultivating Microorganisms 169
Chapter 08 DNA Replication and Gene Expression 193
Chapter 09 Viral Replicating Strategies 214
Chapter 10 Bacterial Genetic Analysis and Manipulation 241
Chapter 11 Microbial Genomics 264
Chapter 12 Regulation of Gene Expression 290
Chapter 13 Biogeochemical Cycles 315
Chapter 14 Microbial Ecosystems 338
Chapter 15 Microbial Symbionts 360
Chapter 16 Microbial Biotechnology 383
Chapter 17 The Microbiology of Food and Water 408
Chapter 18 Introduction to Infectious Diseases 432
Chapter 19 Innate Host Defenses Against Microbial Invasion 458
Chapter 20 Adaptive Immunity 484
Chapter 21 Bacterial Pathogenesis 507
Chapter 22 Viral Pathogenesis 529
Chapter 23 Eukaryal Pathogenesis 551
Chapter 24 Control of Infectious Diseases 575
,______________________________________________________________________________________________
Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
Package Title: Test Bank
Course Title: Wessner 3e
Chapter Number: 1 The Microbial World
Chapter 01
Question Type: Multiple Choice
1) Which of these is considered to be the smallest unit of life?
a) A nucleus
b) A mitochondrion
c) A plasmid
d) A cell
e) A prion
Answer: d
Difficulty: Easy
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
2) The study of microbiology includes all of the following EXCEPT ________.
a) plants
b) viruses
c) bacteria
d) fungi
e) algae
Answer: a
Difficulty: Easy
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
3) What percent of the dry weight of the cell is composed of DNA?
a) 2–5
b) 12–15
c) 25–30
______________________________________________________________________________________________
1|Page
,______________________________________________________________________________________________
Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
d) 35–40
e) 50–55
Answer: a
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
4) What are the three domains of life?
a) Monera, Animals, and Plants
b) Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya
c) Prokaryote, Eukaryote, and Fungi
d) Animals, Plants, and Bacteria
e) Prokaryote, Eukaryote, and Archaea
Answer: b
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
5) Which of the characteristics of life is NOT displayed by any individual organism?
a) Metabolism
b) Growth
c) Reproduction
d) Evolution
e) Response
f) Homeostasis
Answer: d
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
6) Viruses are considered "nonliving" for all of the following reasons EXCEPT that they
a) need a host cell for replication.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
2|Page
,______________________________________________________________________________________________
Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
b) are metabolically inert.
c) possess a genome that can change over time.
d) do not maintain internal homeostasis.
e) are not responsive to environmental changes.
Answer: c
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
7) Which is a macromolecular difference between the domains Bacteria and Archaea?
a) Archaea contain a nucleus, but Bacteria do not.
b) Bacteria contain DNA, but Archaea do not.
c) Bacteria contain a plasma membrane, but Archaea do not.
d) Bacteria cell wall contains peptidoglycan, but the Archaea cell wall does not.
e) Archaea contain multiple types of RNA polymerase, but Bacteria has only one type.
Answer: d
Difficulty: Hard
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
8) The size and shapes of archaeal cells suggest relatedness to
a) bacteria.
b) prokaryotes.
c) eukarya.
d) all other life forms.
e) no other life forms; their sizes and shapes are unique.
Answer: a
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
9) Why is the term microbes more general than the term microorganisms?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
3|Page
,______________________________________________________________________________________________
Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
a) There is no difference between these two terms.
b) The term microbes is just a more casual way of saying microorganisms.
c) It includes viruses.
d) It includes fungus.
e) It includes archaea.
Answer: c
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
10) Which molecular tool MOST assisted in providing a more reliable way to verify the
assertions made by Woese et al. in their 1990 paper on phylogeny?
a) Polymerase chain reaction
b) RNA to DNA conversion using reverse transcriptase
c) RNA sequencing
d) DNA sequencing
e) Protein sequencing
Answer: a
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
11) If E. coli DNA polymerase, not Taq polymerase, were used in polymerase chain reaction
assays to amplify SSU rRNA gene sequences, we would expect to see
a) increased short fragment DNA sequences.
b) decreased short fragment DNA sequences.
c) the same number of short fragment DNA sequences.
d) increased long fragment DNA sequences.
e) decreased long fragment DNA sequences.
Answer: b
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
4|Page
,______________________________________________________________________________________________
Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
12) This figure represents an artist's attempt to illustrate the process of PCR. What is the MOST
significant error you notice in this figure?
a) DNA strands are not fully denatured.
b) Primers are not annealed.
c) PCR products cannot separate from template DNA.
d) Taq polymerase is not shown in the illustration.
e) dNTPs are not shown in the illustration.
Answer: a
Difficulty: Hard
Section Reference: Section 1.1 The Microbes
Learning Objective: LO 1.1 Discuss what microbiology is and what separates it from other
biological sciences.
13) Select the answer with the correct order in which these structures evolved in plant cells.
a) Mitochondria, cell walls, chloroplasts
b) Mitochondria, chloroplasts, cell walls
c) Chloroplasts, mitochondria, cell walls
d) Chloroplasts, cell walls, mitochondria
e) Cell walls, mitochondria, chloroplasts
Answer: b
Difficulty: Medium
Section Reference: Section 1.2 Microbial Physiology, Genetics, and Cultivation
Learning Objective: LO 1.2 Define the conserved model of genetic transfer of information found
in all organisms on Earth, discussing the possible origins of life on Earth.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
5|Page
, ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Test Bank - Microbiology, 3e (Wessner, 2020)
14) Approximately when did primitive cells first appear on Earth?
a) 1 billion years ago
b) 2 billion years ago
c) 2.5 billion years ago
d) 3 billion years ago
e) 3.8 billion years ago
Answer: e
Difficulty: Easy
Section Reference: Section 1.2 Microbial Physiology, Genetics, and Cultivation
Learning Objective: LO 1.2 Define the conserved model of genetic transfer of information found
in all organisms on Earth, discussing the possible origins of life on Earth.
15) Which of these are fossilized microbial mats containing photosynthetic bacteria?
a) Stromatolites
b) Biofilms
c) Resin
d) Cyanobacteria
e) Stalagmites
Answer: a
Difficulty: Easy
Section Reference: Section 1.2 Microbial Physiology, Genetics, and Cultivation
Learning Objective: LO 1.2 Define the conserved model of genetic transfer of information found
in all organisms on Earth, discussing the possible origins of life on Earth.
16) Which statement below is FALSE concerning the atmosphere of early Earth?
a) The atmosphere was a reducing atmosphere.
b) Oxygen was present in very minute amounts.
c) Carbon dioxide was present in very minute amounts.
d) Hydrogen gas was present.
e) Nitrogen gas was present in very large amounts.
Answer: c
Difficulty: Easy
Section Reference: Section 1.2 Microbial Physiology, Genetics, and Cultivation
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