Biology Trivia Questions for College Students

Which of the following is the body cavity that contains the pituitary gland?

• ACranial
• BAbdominal
• CSpinal
• DPleural

Which of the following substances is found in greater quantity in exhaled air?

• AOxygen
• BCarbon monoxide
• CNitrogen
• DCarbon dioxide

Which of one of the following statements about the postnatal growth of the maxilla is correct?

• AThe zygomaticomaxillary sutures contribute to increase in height and length of the maxilla
• BSpace is created for the eruption of the permanent molars by resorption of the maxillary tuberosity
• CPneumatisation by enlargement of the developing maxillary sinus ceases at puberty
• DThe intermaxillary suture closes about eight years postnatally

To prevent desiccation and injury, the embryos of terrestrial vertebrates are encased within a fluid secreted by the

• Ayolk sac
• Ballantois
• Camnion
• Dchorion

Cell motility, as viewed in a cultured fibroblast, encompasses all of the following EXCEPT

• Alamellipodia
• Bclathrin
• Cadhesion plaques
• Dvinculin

Which of the following is a feature of X-linked dominant inheritance?

• AParental consanguinity
• BMale to male transmission
• CTransmission only by females
• DTransmitted by males only to females

In relation to the rib, the corresponding intercostal nerve lies

• Adeep to its superior border.
• Bsuperficial to its inferior border.
• Csuperficial to its superior border.
• Ddeep to its inferior border.

All of the following may serve as intracellular messengers EXCEPT

• Aacetylcholine
• Binositol 1,4,5-triphosphate
• CcAMP
• Dcalcium ions

Which of the following must be true in order for evolution to have occurred?

• AThe frequencies of some alleles in a population's gene pool has changed during the organisms' lifetimes.
• BThe frequencies of each allele in an organism's genotype has remained constant within the organism's lifetime.
• CThe frequencies of each allele in a population's gene pool has remained constant over successive generations.
• DThe frequencies of some alleles in a population's gene pool has changed over successive generations.

A malignant tumour is damaging the patient's glossopharyngeal nerve. They will experience

• Aloss of taste over the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.
• Bloss of somaesthetic sensation over the anterior two thirds of the tongue.
• Cparalysis of the muscles of the tongue.
• Dloss of taste and somaesthetic sensation over the posterior third of the tongue.

A patient is stabbed in the neck. You suspect damage to the accessory nerve in the posterior triangle. You would test nerve function by asking the patient to

• Aextend their neck without impairment.
• Blift their shoulders without impairment.
• Clift their shoulders against resistance.
• Dextend their neck against resistance.

Which of the following facts was established prior to 1859, the year in which Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species?

• AMendelian principles explain why some traits are dominant and others are recessive.
• BProkaryotes include two major domains, the Bacteria and the Archaea.
• CDNA provides the macromolecular basis of heredity.
• DThere exist fossilized remains of species that have become extinct.

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

Root pressure created by a plant's roots causes water to enter the roots by

• Aadhesion
• Bosmosis
• Ccapillary action
• Dtranslocation

Saliva contains an enzyme that acts upon which of the following nutrients?

• AProteins
• BMinerals
• CStarches
• DFats

Which of the following tissues in an actively photosynthesizing plant would have the highest rate of oxygen production?

• AVascular cambium
• BPalisade mesophyll
• CEpidermis
• DCortex

Which of the following is a correct statement about the cohesion-tension theory for the ascent of water in the xylem?

• ALiving cells of the xylem provide the main conduit for an ascent of water.
• BThe evaporation of water from leaf mesophyll cells generates tension in the water column.
• CThe cohesion of water molecules is responsible for the formation of embolisms (air bubbles) in the water column.
• DWater moves from a source region with high hydrostatic pressure to a sink region with low hydrostatic pressure.

A behavioral response called a fixed action pattern shown by animals

• Ais triggered by a number of sensory signals in the animal's environment
• Boccurs the second time an animal is exposed to the correct stimulus at the appropriate time in its life
• Cis a motor response which once released may be terminated spontaneously
• Doccurs in the absence of sensory feedback

The mucosa of the upper larynx is innervated by the

• Aexternal laryngeal nerve which is the afferent limb of the cough reflex.
• Bexternal laryngeal nerve which is the afferent limb of the gag reflex.
• Cinternal laryngeal nerve which is the afferent limb of the gag reflex.
• Dinternal laryngeal nerve which is the afferent limb of the cough reflex.

Which of the following describes the cluster of blood capillaries found in each nephron in the kidney?

• ARenal pelvis
• BGlomerulus
• CLoop of Henle
• DAfferent arteriole

Differential distribution of substances in the egg most typically results in:

• Adifferences in gene expression which may establish a pattern in the embryo as the cells divide
• Bamplification of specific genes during development
• Closs of specific genes during development
• Ddevelopment of polyploid tissues

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

Marked microsatellite instability is a feature of:

• Ahereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC).
• Bneurofibromatosis 1.
• Cfamilial adenomatous polyposis.
• Dmultiple endocrine adenomatosis type 2.

Which of the following statements is true of air as compared to water?

• AAir offers more resistance to motion.
• BAir provides more physical support.
• CAir has a higher O2 concentration.
• DAir has more thermal inertia.

Which of the following is not a tumour suppressor gene?

• ARB1
• BRET
• CNF1
• DAPC

Which of the following allows air to pass into the lungs?

• APancreas
• BAorta
• CEsophagus
• DTrachea

Which of the following is true of organisms belonging to the kingdom Protista?

• AThey possess cell walls composed of peptidoglycan.
• BThey are heterotrophic.
• CThey include the cyanobacteria.
• DThey are eukaryotic.

Which of the following conditions shows anticipation in paternal transmission?

• ACystic fibrosis
• BHuntington disease
• CFragile X syndrome
• DMarfan syndrome

Noradrenaline is the neurotransmitter between which of the two structures below?

• Asympathetic pre- and post-ganglionic neurons
• Bsympathetic post-ganglionic neurons and target organs
• Cparasympathetic pre- and post-ganglionic neurons
• Dparasympathetic post-ganglionic neurons and target organs

In a condition such as schizophrenia the recurrence risk will be greatest for which of the following relatives of an affected individual?

• ABrother
• BAunt
• CGrandchild
• DNephew

During an inferior alveolar nerve block the needle ideally passes

• Aposterior and medial to medial pterygoid.
• Banterior and lateral to medial pterygoid.
• Cinferior to medial pterygoid.
• Dthrough medial pterygoid.

Leber's hereditary optic atrophy is caused by a mutation in:

• Achromosome 21.
• Bmitochondrial DNA.
• Cchromosome 18.
• Dchromosome 12.

Which of the following structures travel through the substance of the parotid gland?

• AThe maxillary artery
• BThe maxillary artery and retromandibular vein
• CThe maxillary artery, retromandibular vein and facial artery
• DThe maxillary artery, retromandibular vein, facial artery and buccal branch of the mandibular nerve

The Barr body found within female mammalian cells' nuclei is an example of

• Aa cistron
• Bheterochromatin
• Cpseudogenes
• Deuchromatin

Emissary veins connect the intracranial venous sinuses to

• AAll of the above areas.
• Bthe pterygoid venous plexus.
• Cveins draining the scalp.
• Dveins draining the eye.

If the activity of an enzyme is constant over a broad range of pH values, it is likely that

• Aionizing groups on both the enzyme and substrate participate in the reaction
• Bno ionizing groups on the enzyme or substrate participate in the reaction
• Conly ionizing groups on the substrate participate in the reaction
• Donly ionizing groups on the enzyme participate in the reaction

Which of the following best explains why enzymes are effective in facilitating chemical reactions?

• AThey increase the maximal rate of the chemical reaction (V_max).
• BThey lower the activation energy, thereby speeding up the conversion of reactants to products.
• CThey alter the equilibrium constant of a reaction (K_eq) so that more reactant can be converted to product.
• DThey raise the temperature of the reaction mixture, thereby speeding up the conversion of reactants to products.

The crouching of very young birds in response to a predator's shape overhead is an example of

• Aa conditioned response
• Ban imprinted behavior
• Clearned behavior
• Da fixed action pattern

With which of the following relatives is an individual most likely to share a common HLA haplotype?

• ASister
• BSon
• CMother
• DFather

The normal human chromosome diploid number is:

• A46
• B24
• C23
• D48

Which one of the following statements about the growth of the mandible is correct?

• AThe condylar growth cartilage ceases activity at puberty
• BThe ossification centre appears about 8 weeks I.U.L medial to Meckel's cartilage
• CThe functional matrix acting on the angle of the mandible is the lateral pterygoid muscle
• DThe mental symphysis closes at about 1 year postnatally

Severe anaemia at birth is a feature of what?

• AAlpha-thalassaemia
• BBeta-thalassaemia
• CSickle cell disease
• DHereditary persistence of fetal haemoglobin

Which of the following causes female pseudohermaphroditism?

• ACampomelic dysplasia
• BCongenital adrenal hyperplasia
• CKlinefelter syndrome
• DAndrogen insensitivity

Repeat core sequences consisting of 2, 3, or 4 base pairs are known as what?

• ASingle nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
• BMinisatellites
• CMicrosatellites
• DSatellites

Which of the following represents an accurate statement concerning arthropods?

• AThey are members of a biologically unsuccessful phylum incapable of exploiting diverse habitats and nutrition sources.
• BThey lack paired, jointed appendages.
• CThey possess an open circulatory system with a dorsal heart.
• DThey possess an exoskeleton composed primarily of peptidoglycan.

In men, which of the following structures is located at the neck of the bladder and surrounds the urethra?

• ASeminal vesicle
• BEpididymis
• CScrotum
• DProstate

QTL analysis is used to

• Adetermine which genes are expressed at a developmental stage
• Bidentify chromosome regions associated with a complex trait in a genetic cross
• Cidentify RNA polymerase binding sites
• Dmap genes in bacterial viruses

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of introns?

• AThey are excised from the primary transcript before it gains a 5' cap and a 3' poly(A)tail.
• BThey are found interspersed with exons on a region of DNA that codes for a polypeptide chain.
• CThey represent noncoding regions.
• DThey occur only in eukaryotes.

Which of the following best describes the location where the carotid pulse can be found?

• AIn the antecubital space
• BIn front of the ears and just above eye level
• CIn the middle of the groin
• DOn the anterior side of the neck

Which of the following best describes the process whereby the stomach muscles contract to propel food through the digestive tract?

• APeristalsis
• BAbsorption
• CEmulsion
• DRegurgitation