Biology Trivia Questions

The principle inorganic compound found in living things is

• Awater
• Bcarbon
• Cglucose
• Doxygen

Catastrophism, meaning the regular occurrence of geological or meteorological disturbances (catastrophes), was Cuvier's attempt to explain the existence of

• Auniformitarianism.
• Bevolution.
• Cthe fossil record.
• Dthe origin of new species.

Exon skipping is associated with:

• Asilent mutations.
• Bnonsense mutations.
• CRNA processing mutations.
• Dregulatory mutations.

Which of the following is the point at which an impulse is transmitted from one neuron to another neuron?

• ADendrite
• BGlial cell
• CSynapse
• DNerve center

Which of the following statements best explains why Mendel's principle of segregation was deemed a law?

• AMendel's work with pea plants and his conclusions have been described in many sources.
• BThe patterns of trait inheritance observed in pea plants were repeatedly demonstrated in other eukaryotes.
• CChromosomes were found to contain the genetic information for traits.
• DThe discovery of the structure of D N A supported Mendel's observations and laws.

All of the following statements about plant embryogenesis are correct EXCEPT:

• AThe suspensor is derived from the basal cell.
• BCotyledons are derived from the apical cell.
• CShoot apical meristem formation occurs after seed formation.
• DPrecursors of all three plant tissue systems are formed during embryogenesis.

Which of the following principles is NOT part of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection?

• AOrganisms will overpopulate area, giving rise to competition.
• BMutations are the main source of all variation in a population.
• CEvery population has tremendous variation.
• DEvolution is a gradual process that occurs over a long period of time.

You are told that in a population of guinea pigs, 4 percent are black (recessive) and 96 percent are brown. Which of the following is the frequency of the heterozygous condition?

• A40 percent
• B16 percent
• C48 percent
• D32 percent

Which of the following allows gas exchange in the lungs?

• ACapillaries
• BAlveoli
• CBronchi
• DBronchioles

Which of the following sets of reactions occurs in the stroma of the chloroplast in plant cells?

• AKrebs cycle
• BFermentation
• CCalvin cycle
• DDecarboxylation

Crossover would most likely occur in which situation?

• ATwo genes (1 and 2) are located right next to each other on chromosome A.
• BGene 1 is located on chromosome A; gene 2 is located far away but on the same chromosome.
• CGenes 1 and 2 are located near each other on the X chromosome.
• DGene 1 is located on chromosome A, and gene 2 is on chromosome B.

Which of the following best describes the structure that collects urine in the body?

• AUrethra
• BKidney
• CBladder
• DUreter

Which of the following agents will induce polyploidy in a dividing eukaryote?

• ATetracycline
• BColchicine
• CPuromycin
• DPenicillin

Which of the following statements about mitochondria and chloroplasts is generally true?

• APlants have chloroplasts but no mitochondria; fungi have mitochondria but no chloroplasts.
• BPlants and fungi have chloroplasts but no mitochondria; animals have only mitochondria.
• CPlants have chloroplasts but no mitochondria; animals have mitochondria but no chloroplasts.
• DPlants have both chloroplasts and mitochondria; animals and fungi have only mitochondria.

Mammals are homeostatic for all of the following EXCEPT

• Ablood pH
• Bbody temperature
• Cblood glucose concentration
• Dmetabolic rate

A certain species of land snail exists as either a cream color or a solid brown color. Intermediate individuals are relatively rare. Which of the following terms best describes this?

• Adisruptive selection
• Bartificial selection
• Cdirectional selection
• Dstabilizing selection

Gastrulation is the process of

• Amesoderm formation and occurs before neurulation.
• Bmesoderm formation and occurs after neurulation.
• Cectomesenchyme formation and occurs before neurulation.
• Dectomesenchyme formation and occurs after neurulation.

Which of the following is NOT a source of atmospheric carbon?

• ABacterial decomposition
• BRespiration
• CPhotosynthesis
• DCombustion of fossil fuels

Which of these is the smallest unit that natural selection can change?

• Aan individual's genotype
• Ba population's gene frequency
• Ca species' gene frequency
• Dan individual's genome

Water and minerals that reach the xylem in the center of a plant root must first

• Across open stomata in the root epidermis
• Bcross the endodermis of the root cortex
• Cpass through the pith of the root cap
• Dmove through neighboring phloem vessels

Stabilization of the unique coiled structure of an alpha helix in a protein is primarily attributed to (A) hydrogen bonding between the peptide backbone atoms

• Apeptide linkages that covalently bond amino acids
• Bcarbohydrate moieties attached to polar amino acids
• Cdisulfide bridges between cysteine side chains
• Dhydrogen bonding between the peptide backbone atoms

Which of the following best explains why lignin is important to the evolutionary success of land plants?

• ALignin provides structural support, allowing plants to grow tall.
• BLignin stimulates spore formation, leading to gametogenesis.
• CLignin supplements the absorption of light by chlorophyll, increasing photosynthetic output.
• DLignin supplies the developing embryo with essential nutrients, enabling its growth.

Chemosynthetic bacteria can produce their own food despite their lack of photonabsorbing pigments because the chemosynthetic bacteria derive energy by

• Areducing inorganic substances such as ammonia, sulfur, or hydrogen
• Boxidizing organic compounds
• Ctransducing light energy into chemical energy
• Doxidizing inorganic substances such as ammonia, sulfur, or hydrogen

A population undergoes a shift in which those who are really tall and those who are really short decrease in relative frequency compared to those of medium size, due to a change in the availability of resources. This is an example of

• Astabilizing selection.
• Bdisruptive selection.
• Csympatric speciation.
• Ddirectional selection.

Which of the following cranial nerves is related to the sense of smell?

• AAbducens
• BOlfactory
• CTrochlear
• DHypoglossal

Which of the following statements is correct about the DNA content of a particular diploid cell just prior to mitosis if the DNA content of the same diploid cell in G1 is X?

• AThe DNA content of the cell in metaphase I is 0.5X
• BThe DNA content of the cell in metaphase I is 4X.
• CThe DNA content of the cell in metaphase I is 2X.
• DThe DNA content of the cell in metaphase I is X.

Which of the following statements concerning the Golgi apparatus of a eukaryote is correct?

• AIt is typically associated with small secretory vesicles located near its cis face.
• BIt is oriented in the cytoplasm so that its cis face is closest to the endoplasmic reticulum.
• CGlycosylation of certain secretory proteins occurs prior to the protein's entry into its lumen.
• DIts composite flattened cisternae are continuous with one another.

Which of the following best explains how mutations in DNA can result in the expression of a new phenotype?

• AThe gene is now read in the 3′ to 5′ direction.
• BThe polarity of tRNA becomes the opposite of that of DNA.
• CA different polypeptide is produced.
• DNucleic acids are methylated.

Compared to DNA viral replication, RNA viral replication is more susceptible to mutation because

• ARNA replication lacks the proofreading functions characteristic of DNA replication.
• BRNA viruses replicate much faster than DNA viruses.
• CRNA replication takes place in the cytoplasm, whereas DNA replication takes place in the nucleus.
• DRNA viruses use uracil instead of thymine.

The end product of the alcohol fermentation pathway is the alcohol ethanol. A considerable amount of energy still remains in ethanol, yet ethanol is a waste product for the yeast cells that produce it. What, then, is the purpose of fermentation?

• AFermentation replenishes the NAD+ necessary for glycolysis to continue.
• BFermentation provides CO2 for photosynthesis.
• CFermentation provides CO2 for cellular respiration.
• DYeast cells excrete ethanol in order to provide a defense against invading bacteria.

The pH of two lakes is measured. Lake A has a pH of 8.0; Lake B has a pH of 6.0. Which of the following statements is correct about these lakes?

• AThe hydrogen ion concentration of Lake B is 104 M.
• BThe pH of both lakes will decrease in response to acid rain.
• CLake B is 100 times more alkaline than Lake A.
• DLake B is alkaline.

In fungi, cell walls are reinforced by which of the following?

• ACollagen fibers
• BSilica
• CChitin
• DLignin

Transcription-affecting DNA region that may be located thousands of basepairs away from the promoter.

• ARepressor
• BPromoter
• CEnhancer
• DOperator

Simple tandem repeat polymorphisms in humans are most useful for

• Asolving criminal and paternity cases
• Bestimating relationships of humans and Neanderthals
• Ctransferring disease resistance factors into bone marrow cells
• Dreconstructing the relationships of humans and chimps.

A form of species interaction in which one of the species benefits while the other is unaffected is called

• Aparasitism.
• Bcommensalism.
• Csymbiosis.
• Dmutualism.

The mutation in sickle-cell disease consists of:

• Aa deletion.
• Ba point mutation.
• Can insertion.
• Da duplication.

All of the following statements describe the unique characteristics of water EXCEPT

• Ait is a hydrophobic solvent
• Bit can dissociate into hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions
• Cit forms hydrogen bonds with disaccharides
• Dit is a polar solvent

Although mutations occur at a regular and predictable rate, which of the following statements is the LEAST likely reason the frequency of mutation appears to be low?

• ASome mutations produce alleles that are recessive and may not be expressed.
• BSome undesirable phenotypic traits may be prevented from reproducing.
• CThe predictable rate of mutation results in ongoing variability in a gene pool.
• DSome mutations cause such drastic phenotypic changes that they are removed from the gene pool.

Which of the following is a second messenger that stimulates release of calcium ions into the cytoplasm?

• ACalmodulin
• BInositol triphosphate
• CCyclic AMP
• DProstaglandins

This biome is the driest of the land biomes and experiences the greatest daily temperature fluctuations.

• ADesert
• BTaiga
• CDeciduous forests
• DTundra

Which of the following statements most accurately explains what EcoR1 is?

• AIt is a restriction enzyme extracted from E. coli.
• BIt is the best-studied bacteriophage, a virus that attacks E. coli.
• CIt is a bacterium that lives in the human large intestine.
• DIt is a type of DNA used extensively in research.

The structures that act as sites of gas exchange in a woody stem are the

• Aterminal buds
• Binternodes
• Clenticels
• Dnodes

Which of the following is an example of a detritivore?

• AAlgae
• BFungus
• CCactus
• DBat

Mutation of homeotic cluster genes often results in which of the following developmental defects in Drosophila?

• APolarity defects in every segment along the anterior-posterior axis
• BTransformation of one segment into another
• CTumor formation in imaginal discs
• DAbsence of a group of contiguous segments

In Darwin's thinking, the more closely related two different organisms are, the

• Amore recently they shared a common ancestor.
• Bless likely they are to have the same genes in common.
• Cless similar their DNA sequences are.
• Dmore similar their habitats are.

Homologous structures are often cited as evidence for the process of natural selection. All of the following are examples of homologous structures EXCEPT

• Athe flippers of a whale and the arms of a man
• Bthe wings of a bird and the wings of a bat
• Cthe forelegs of an insect and the forelimbs of a dog
• Dthe pectoral fins of a porpoise and the flippers of a seal

Recombinant alpha-iduronidase is used for the treatment of which disease/syndrome?

• APompe disease
• BGaucher disease
• CHurler syndrome
• DFabry disease

The pattern of inheritance shown by malignant hyperthermia (hyperpyrexia) is:

• Aautosomal dominant.
• BX-linked recessive.
• Cautosomal recessive.
• DX-linked dominant.

Oxygenated blood is carried to the heart by which of the following structures?

• APulmonary veins
• BCarotid arteries
• CInferior vena cava
• DAorta

A baby born with pulmonary hypoplasia secondary to oligohydramnios caused by renal agenesis would be classified as having:

• Aan association.
• Ba dysplasia.
• Ca sequence.
• Da syndrome.