Biology 1500 Final Practice Test UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Roughly how old are the oldest fossils on Earth?
a. 3.8 million years
b. 38 million years
c. 541 million years
d. 3.8 billion years
e. 13.8 billion years - CORRECT ANSWER - d. 3.8 billion years
According to scientific evidence, approximately when did Earth form?
a. 2.8 million years ago
b. 4.6 million years ago
c. 558 million years ago
d. 2.8 billion years ago
e. 4,6 billion years ago - CORRECT ANSWER - e. 4.6 billion years ago
How long did Dinosaurs roam on Earth (i.e. the time from first dinosaur to dinosaur extinction)?
a. less than 40 million years
b. about 100 million years
c. about 180 million years
d. about 250 million years
e. more than 300 million years - CORRECT ANSWER - c. about 180 million years
According to the fossil record, which was first on Earth, dragonflies or dinosaurs?
a. dragonflies
b. dinosaurs
,c. they appeared almost at the same time
d. dragonflies are very rare in the fossil record, so it's impossible to say
e. Dinosaurs? There was no such thing as dinosaurs, they were made up by the makers of "The
Flintstones" - CORRECT ANSWER - a. dragonflies
Which of the statements about dragonflies is true?
a. During their life-cycle, dragonflies spend several years in water.
b. Adult dragonflies can only feed while they are flying, because they need all their legs to hold
their prey. They starve if they cannot fly.
c. Dragonflies have not changed much in appearance for hundreds of millions of years.
d. During their larval stages, dragonflies often eat fish and tadpoles.
e. Statements A-D are all true. - CORRECT ANSWER - e. Statements A-D are all true.
About 100 million years ago, the maximum wingspan of Dragonflies decreased while the oxygen
levels in the atmosphere stayed constant. Clapham and Karr attribute this drop in dragonfly size
to:
a. a drop in global temperature that decreased the rate of development in larval insects
b. a decrease in prey-size available for dragonflies, favoring the smaller bodied forms
c. the evolution of bats that could hunt dragonflies at night
d. the evolution of modern bird traits, which improved their flight performance
e. as flowering plants evolved, the dragonfly habitat was too complex for large species to fly
through it efficiently - CORRECT ANSWER - d. the evolution of modern bird traits,
which improved their flight performance
According to the paper by Clapham and Karr, which evidence supports the conclusion that
Oxygen levels in the atmosphere limit the maximum size of dragonflies:
a. During the Carboniferous, dragonfly size increased with rising oxygen levels and decreased
when oxygen levels went down.
b. Birds did not evolve until about 150 million years after the Carboniferous.
c. From 160 to 100 million years ago, dragonfly size decreased, while oxygen levels were rising.
,d. Oxygen started to accumulate in the atmosphere about 800 million years ago. - CORRECT
ANSWER - a. During the Carboniferous, dragonfly size increased with rising oxygen
levels and decreased when oxygen levels went down.
According to members of medical school selection committees, what is the most important
characteristic of incoming med-school students?
a. They have memorized a large amount of biological content knowledge.
b. They are able to study and work long hours by themselves.
c. They are in excellent physical shape to remain on their feet through long shifts.
d. They take an active role in shaping their own learning experience.
e. They are fluent in at least two foreign languages. - CORRECT ANSWER - d. They take
an active role in shaping their own learning experience.
According to scientific evidence, which of the following statements best describes the history of
life on Earth?
a. Once life began, there was a steady rate of evolutionary change, with major evolutionary
events spread relatively evenly throughout Earth's history.
b. Although life began relatively soon after the Earth cooled, most major evolutionary changes
occurred in the most recent quintile (=5th) of Earth's history.
c. The lack of O2 in the atmosphere prevented any organisms larger than bacteria from evolving
until a few million years ago.
d. There was a dramatic burst of evolutionary change shortly after life arose on Earth; since that
time, most changes in organisms have been limited to small 'tweaks' in appearance. - CORRECT
ANSWER - b. Although life began relatively soon after the Earth cooled, most major
evolutionary changes occurred in the most recent quintile (=5th) of Earth's history.
According to your reading assignment, how does facilitated transport differ from simple
diffusion?
a. in facilitated transport, the cell uses energy to move the substance across a membrane
b. in facilitated transport, the substance passes through a pore, or tunnel, inside other molecules
in the membrane
, c. in facilitated transport, molecules are sucked into the cell by rotational currents in the
cytoplasm that help to pull materials across the membrane
d. in facilitated transport, substances always move against their concentration gradient, i.e.
toward areas of higher concentration - CORRECT ANSWER - b. in facilitated transport,
the substance passes through a pore, or tunnel, inside other molecules in the membrane
A drop of blue dye is released into the left side of a tank of water. The molecules of blue dye
gradually
disperse among the molecules of water in the tank. If you could identify one molecule of dye and
observe
how it moves, which of the following statements would best describe its behavior after it is
introduced
into the water?
a. It will most likely move to the right.
b. It will most likely move to the left.
c. It is equally likely to move right vs left.
d. It is most likely to move in the opposite direction of whichever molecule of dye is closest to it.
e. Its behavior depends on the temperature of the dye relative to the temperature of the water. -
CORRECT ANSWER - c. It is equally likely to move right vs left.
When considering all of the molecules of blue dye in the tank, why do they end up relatively
evenly distributed throughout the water?
a. The molecules want to move away from each other, so they do, until they're equally spaced.
b. As a matter of probability, more dye molecules will move to an area with fewer of them, than
vice versa.
c. Once half the molecules have moved to the other side of the tank, all of the molecules become
stationary.
d. The water molecules try to get between the molecules of dye, causing them to separate from
each other. - CORRECT ANSWER - b. As a matter of probability, more dye molecules
will move to an area with fewer of them, than vice versa.
Suppose you are developing a new dye that will enter cells through diffusion across the plasma
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Roughly how old are the oldest fossils on Earth?
a. 3.8 million years
b. 38 million years
c. 541 million years
d. 3.8 billion years
e. 13.8 billion years - CORRECT ANSWER - d. 3.8 billion years
According to scientific evidence, approximately when did Earth form?
a. 2.8 million years ago
b. 4.6 million years ago
c. 558 million years ago
d. 2.8 billion years ago
e. 4,6 billion years ago - CORRECT ANSWER - e. 4.6 billion years ago
How long did Dinosaurs roam on Earth (i.e. the time from first dinosaur to dinosaur extinction)?
a. less than 40 million years
b. about 100 million years
c. about 180 million years
d. about 250 million years
e. more than 300 million years - CORRECT ANSWER - c. about 180 million years
According to the fossil record, which was first on Earth, dragonflies or dinosaurs?
a. dragonflies
b. dinosaurs
,c. they appeared almost at the same time
d. dragonflies are very rare in the fossil record, so it's impossible to say
e. Dinosaurs? There was no such thing as dinosaurs, they were made up by the makers of "The
Flintstones" - CORRECT ANSWER - a. dragonflies
Which of the statements about dragonflies is true?
a. During their life-cycle, dragonflies spend several years in water.
b. Adult dragonflies can only feed while they are flying, because they need all their legs to hold
their prey. They starve if they cannot fly.
c. Dragonflies have not changed much in appearance for hundreds of millions of years.
d. During their larval stages, dragonflies often eat fish and tadpoles.
e. Statements A-D are all true. - CORRECT ANSWER - e. Statements A-D are all true.
About 100 million years ago, the maximum wingspan of Dragonflies decreased while the oxygen
levels in the atmosphere stayed constant. Clapham and Karr attribute this drop in dragonfly size
to:
a. a drop in global temperature that decreased the rate of development in larval insects
b. a decrease in prey-size available for dragonflies, favoring the smaller bodied forms
c. the evolution of bats that could hunt dragonflies at night
d. the evolution of modern bird traits, which improved their flight performance
e. as flowering plants evolved, the dragonfly habitat was too complex for large species to fly
through it efficiently - CORRECT ANSWER - d. the evolution of modern bird traits,
which improved their flight performance
According to the paper by Clapham and Karr, which evidence supports the conclusion that
Oxygen levels in the atmosphere limit the maximum size of dragonflies:
a. During the Carboniferous, dragonfly size increased with rising oxygen levels and decreased
when oxygen levels went down.
b. Birds did not evolve until about 150 million years after the Carboniferous.
c. From 160 to 100 million years ago, dragonfly size decreased, while oxygen levels were rising.
,d. Oxygen started to accumulate in the atmosphere about 800 million years ago. - CORRECT
ANSWER - a. During the Carboniferous, dragonfly size increased with rising oxygen
levels and decreased when oxygen levels went down.
According to members of medical school selection committees, what is the most important
characteristic of incoming med-school students?
a. They have memorized a large amount of biological content knowledge.
b. They are able to study and work long hours by themselves.
c. They are in excellent physical shape to remain on their feet through long shifts.
d. They take an active role in shaping their own learning experience.
e. They are fluent in at least two foreign languages. - CORRECT ANSWER - d. They take
an active role in shaping their own learning experience.
According to scientific evidence, which of the following statements best describes the history of
life on Earth?
a. Once life began, there was a steady rate of evolutionary change, with major evolutionary
events spread relatively evenly throughout Earth's history.
b. Although life began relatively soon after the Earth cooled, most major evolutionary changes
occurred in the most recent quintile (=5th) of Earth's history.
c. The lack of O2 in the atmosphere prevented any organisms larger than bacteria from evolving
until a few million years ago.
d. There was a dramatic burst of evolutionary change shortly after life arose on Earth; since that
time, most changes in organisms have been limited to small 'tweaks' in appearance. - CORRECT
ANSWER - b. Although life began relatively soon after the Earth cooled, most major
evolutionary changes occurred in the most recent quintile (=5th) of Earth's history.
According to your reading assignment, how does facilitated transport differ from simple
diffusion?
a. in facilitated transport, the cell uses energy to move the substance across a membrane
b. in facilitated transport, the substance passes through a pore, or tunnel, inside other molecules
in the membrane
, c. in facilitated transport, molecules are sucked into the cell by rotational currents in the
cytoplasm that help to pull materials across the membrane
d. in facilitated transport, substances always move against their concentration gradient, i.e.
toward areas of higher concentration - CORRECT ANSWER - b. in facilitated transport,
the substance passes through a pore, or tunnel, inside other molecules in the membrane
A drop of blue dye is released into the left side of a tank of water. The molecules of blue dye
gradually
disperse among the molecules of water in the tank. If you could identify one molecule of dye and
observe
how it moves, which of the following statements would best describe its behavior after it is
introduced
into the water?
a. It will most likely move to the right.
b. It will most likely move to the left.
c. It is equally likely to move right vs left.
d. It is most likely to move in the opposite direction of whichever molecule of dye is closest to it.
e. Its behavior depends on the temperature of the dye relative to the temperature of the water. -
CORRECT ANSWER - c. It is equally likely to move right vs left.
When considering all of the molecules of blue dye in the tank, why do they end up relatively
evenly distributed throughout the water?
a. The molecules want to move away from each other, so they do, until they're equally spaced.
b. As a matter of probability, more dye molecules will move to an area with fewer of them, than
vice versa.
c. Once half the molecules have moved to the other side of the tank, all of the molecules become
stationary.
d. The water molecules try to get between the molecules of dye, causing them to separate from
each other. - CORRECT ANSWER - b. As a matter of probability, more dye molecules
will move to an area with fewer of them, than vice versa.
Suppose you are developing a new dye that will enter cells through diffusion across the plasma
