Biology Trivia Questions for College Students — page 2

Which of the following is a reason that geneticists use mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to study the relatedness of animal populations?

• AThere are few single nucleotide polymorphisms in the hypervariable, noncoding regions.
• BmtDNA mutates at a slower rate than nuclear DNA.
• CAll mitochondrial proteins are coded for by mitochondrial genes.
• DmtDNA is passed from mother to child and is free from recombination that occurs between pairs of chromosomes.

The physician directs the medical assistant to complete a request form for an X-ray study of the fibula. The procedure will be performed on which of the following structures?

• ALower leg
• BThigh
• CHeel
• DToes

Which of the following characteristics is predicted for an early-successional plant community?

• AHigh detrital biomass
• BHigh ratios of primary production to standing-crop biomass
• CHigh frequency of K-selected species
• DHigh niche divergence among co-occurring species

Which of the following would be the most dependable environmental signal that a plant in a temperate ecosystem could use to initiate flowering at the correct time of the year?

• AFluctuations in abscisic acid levels
• BChanging air temperature
• CPhotoperiod
• DCircadian rhythm

Which of the following is a structural, fibrous protein found in the dermis?

• ACollagen
• BHeparin
• CLipocyte
• DMelanin

Which of the following conditions is characterized by the presence of kidney stones (renal calculi)?

• AInterstitial nephritis
• BGlomerulonephritis
• CPolycystic kidney
• DNephrolithiasis

The cell type comprising the pith tissue centered within a dicot stem is the

• Avascular bundle
• Bvascular cambium
• Cparenchyma
• Dsclerenchyma

In cloning experiments on the frog Xenopus laevis, nuclei were removed from intestinal cells of tadpoles and transplanted into zygotes whose nuclei had been removed. A small percent of these zygotes developed into normal frogs, suggesting that

• Aintestinal cell nuclei are highly specialized
• Bfrogs do not have the same developmental constraints as other species
• Cthe genomes of all somatic cells are equivalent
• Dintestinal cells can be transformed into all cell types

A healthy person sitting at rest consciously begins to breathe too fast. Which of the following describes the change in the person's blood caused by this hyperventilation?

• AAn increase in partial pressure of carbon dioxide and an increase in concentration of hydrogen ions
• BA decrease in partial pressure of carbon dioxide and a decrease in concentration of hydrogen ions
• CAn increase in partial pressure of carbon dioxide and a decrease in concentration of hydrogen ions
• DA decrease in partial pressure of carbon dioxide and an increase in concentration of hydrogen ions

An embryologist studying the development of a vertebrate organism from the zygote stage to fetus would be justified in drawing which of the following conclusions?

• AEarly embryos display identical features of their class, order, and species.
• BA human embryo displays features of adult fish and birds in the course of its development.
• CAn early human embryo has features in common with early fish and avian embryos.
• DOntogeny recapitulates phylogeny.

You notice that your patient's submandibular lymph nodes are enlarged. You would look for potential infection sites in the

• Ahard palate.
• Bhard palate, upper lip, upper central incisor and lower first molar.
• Chard palate and upper lip.
• Dhard palate, upper lip and upper central incisor.

Which of the following is flexible connective tissue that is attached to bones at the joints?

• AAdipose
• BMuscle
• CCartilage
• DEpithelial

A lesion causing compression of the facial nerve at the stylomastoid foramen will cause ipsilateral

• Aparalysis of the facial muscles.
• Bparalysis of the facial muscles and loss of taste.
• Cparalysis of the facial muscles, loss of taste, lacrimation and decreased salivation.
• Dparalysis of the facial muscles, loss of taste and lacrimation.

Which one of the following brain areas is supplied by branches of the subclavian arteries?

• AThe cerebellum
• BThe hypothalamus
• CThe parietal lobe
• DThe frontal lobe

The walls of the maxillary sinus are sinus is related to

• Athe floor of the orbit, the upper posterior teeth and the infratemporal fossa.
• Bthe floor of the orbit.
• Cthe floor of the orbit and the upper posterior teeth.
• Dthe floor of the orbit, the upper posterior teeth, the infratemporal fossa and the hard palate.

The soils of which of the following biomes has the highest rate of leaching and cycling of nutrients?

• ATundra
• BDesert
• CTropical rain forest
• DTaiga

Familial hypercholesterolaemia is caused by mutations in the gene which encodes what?

• AHigh density lipoprotein
• BLow density lipoprotein
• CLow density lipoprotein receptor
• DHMG-CoA reductase

A prokaryote that is thermophilic and methanogenic and has isoprenylglycerol ethers in its membrane instead of phospholipids is most likely

• Aa proteobacterium
• Ba member of the genus Chlamydia
• Ca spirochete
• Dan archaeon

A patient cuts a peripheral motor nerve in their wrist when they fall through a plate glass window. If the nerve does not regenerate, after about 6 months the muscles it normally innervates will show signs of which of the four options below?

• Aflaccid paralysis
• Bspastic paralysis
• Ccontracture
• Datrophy

Which of the following paranasal sinuses open into the middle meatus?

• AThe anterior ethmoidal sinuses
• BThe anterior ethmoidal, frontal, maxillary and sphenoidal sinuses
• CThe anterior ethmoidal, frontal and maxillary sinuses
• DThe anterior ethmoidal and frontal sinuses

Which of the following is the master gland of the endocrine system?

• APituitary
• BAdrenal
• CPineal
• DPancreas

Short-term changes in plant growth rate mediated by the plant hormone auxin are hypothesized to result from

• Acytoskeletal rearrangements in the affected cells
• Bloss of turgor pressure in the affected cells
• Csuppression of metabolic activity in affected cells
• Dincreased extensibility of the walls of affected cells

Pseudocholinesterase deficiency is associated with increased sensitivity to what?

• APrimaquine
• BHalothane
• CSuccinylcholine
• DFava beans

Which of the following anatomical regions of abdomen lies just distal to the sternum?

• AHypogastric
• BHypochondriac
• CLumbar
• DEpigastric

Which of the following statements is true of the pupillary light reflex?

• AIts afferent limb is carried in the oculomotor nerve
• BIt is a consensual reflex
• CIt is mediated by the inferior colliculi in the midbrain
• DIts efferent limb is carried in the optic nerve

A rise in intracellular free calcium in the sea urchin oocyte causes the release of proteolytic enzymes which act to prevent polyspermy. The events just described entail the

• Aacrosomal reaction
• Bzona reaction
• Cfertilization reaction
• Dcortical reaction

Which of the following bones develop by endochondral ossification?

• AThe ribs and sternum
• BThe ribs, sternum and clavicle
• CThe ribs
• DThe ribs, sternum, clavicle and vertebrae

Large triplet repeat expansions can be detected by:

• ASouthern blotting.
• Bpolymerase chain reaction.
• Csingle strand conformational polymorphism analysis.
• DWestern blotting.

The polymerase chain reaction or PCR is a technique that

• Ais used to determine the content of minerals in a soil sample
• Buses short DNA primers and a thermostable DNA polymerase to replicate specific DNA sequences in vitro.
• Cmeasures the ribosome transfer rate during translation
• Dwas used to demonstrate DNA as the genetic material

Which of the following is a disorder characterized by uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep during the day?

• ADyslexia
• BHydrocephalus
• CEpilepsy
• DNarcolepsy

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 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 conditions is caused by a trinucleotide (triplet) repeat expansion?

• ADuchenne muscular dystrophy
• BCystic fibrosis
• CHuntington disease
• DOsteogenesis imperfecta

The following pairs were placed in solution together. Which two could be separated by performing low-speed centrifugation?

• ANuclei and secretory vesicles
• BGolgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum
• CDNA and mRNA
• DLysosomes and endosomes

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.

An increase in the inbreeding coefficient, F, is likely to result in:

• Ahigher proportion of genes that show linkage
• Bhigher level of difference between RNA molecules in two daughter cells
• Creduced likelihood of heterozygotes being present in a population
• Dhigher proportion of genes with introns

Exon skipping is associated with:

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

Which of the following conditions is a peroxisomal disorder?

• AMedium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency
• BZellweger syndrome
• CAcute intermittent porphyria
• DMaple syrup urine disease

Parasympathetic preganglionic axons leave the CNS with the

• Alumbar spinal nerves.
• Bthoracic spinal nerves.
• Csacral spinal nerves.
• Dcervical spinal nerves.

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

• Aterminal buds
• Binternodes
• Clenticels
• Dnodes

Which of the following provides visual evidence of genetic recombination during meiosis?

• ACentromeres
• BHaploid nuclei
• CChiasmata
• DSynaptonemal complexes

Enzyme assay can be used to identify carriers of:

• ACystic fibrosis.
• BTay-Sachs disease.
• CFragile X syndrome.
• DOculocutaneous albinism.

A pulse may be felt on a patient's face where the

• Asuperficial temporal artery crosses the orbital rim.
• Bfacial artery crosses the maxilla.
• Csuperficial temporal artery crosses the maxilla.
• Dfacial artery crosses the mandible.

Which component of transcribed RNA in eukaryotes is present in the initial transcript but is removed before translation occurs?

• A3' Poly A tail
• B5' cap
• CRibosome binding site
• DIntron

Smooth muscle cells contain

• Aactin but not myosin.
• Bactin and myosin arranged in parallel arrays.
• Cmyosin but not actin.
• Dactin and myosin arranged irregularly.

The respiratory tract is crossed by the isthmus of the thyroid gland at the level of the

• Athyroid cartilage.
• Bcricoid cartilage.
• Ctracheal rings.
• Dcricothyroid membrane.

A plant that possesses swimming sperm, xylem with tracheids, independent gametophyte and sporophyte phases, and no seeds is probably most closely related to

• Apines
• Bmosses
• Cliverworts
• Dferns

According to the pressure-flow model of movement of phloem contents, photosynthate movement from source to sink is driven by

• Aapoplastic diffusion
• Btranspiration
• Ca water-pressure potential gradient
• Dan ATP-dependent pressure-flow pump

On which surfaces of the teeth is dental plaque most likely to accumulate in the mouth of a patient with poor oral hygiene?

• AThe palatal surfaces of the upper molars and labial surfaces of the lower incisors.
• BThe palatal surfaces of the upper molars and lingual surfaces of the lower incisors.
• CThe buccal surfaces of the upper molars and labial surfaces of the lower incisors.
• DThe buccal surfaces of the upper molars and lingual surfaces of the lower incisors.

An organism belonging to the nekton is which one of the following?

• AWhale
• BCyanobacterium
• CProtist
• DBarnacle