Biology Trivia Questions for Students — page 2

The moist skin of earthworms, spiracles of grasshoppers, and the mucus membranes lining alveoli are all associated with the process of

• Arespiration
• Bdigestion
• Ccirculation
• Dexcretion

All of the following are examples of connective tissue EXCEPT

• Ablood
• Bmuscle
• Cligaments
• Dcartilage

A trend toward the decrease in the size of plants on the slopes of mountains as altitudes increase is an example of

• Aa bottleneck.
• Brelative fitness.
• Cgenetic drift.
• Da cline.

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

A baby duck runs for cover when a large object is tossed over its head. After this object is repeatedly passed overhead, the duck learns there is no danger and stops running for cover when the same object appears again. This is an example of

• Aimprinting.
• Bfixed-action pattern.
• Cagonistic behavior.
• Dhabituation.

If neutral variation is truly "neutral," then it should have no effect on

• Arelative fitness.
• Baverage heterozygosity.
• Cour ability to measure the rate of evolution.
• Dnucleotide diversity.

A certain autosomal recessive trait is expressed in 1% of a population. Assuming that the population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, what percent of the population are carriers but do not express the trait?

• A10%
• B18%
• C27%
• D50%

Which definition of evolution would have been most foreign to Charles Darwin during his lifetime?

• Adescent with modification
• Bchange in gene frequency in gene pools
• Cpopulations becoming better adapted to their environments over the course of generations
• Dthe gradual change of a population's heritable traits over generations

Which of the following is not a way to form recombinant DNA?

• AConjugation
• BSpecialized transduction
• CTranslation
• DTransformation

Most animal cells, regardless of species, are relatively small and about the same size. Relative to larger cells, why is this?

• ASmaller cells have a larger surface-to-volume ratio.
• BSmaller cells avoid excessive osmosis and subsequent lysis.
• CSmaller cells have a smaller surface-to-volume ratio.
• DSmaller cells fit together more tightly.

This biome contains trees that drop their leaves during the winter months.

• ATundra
• BDeciduous forests
• CTaiga
• DDesert

Mules are relatively long-lived and hardy organisms that cannot, generally speaking, perform successful meiosis. Consequently, which statement about mules is true?

• AThey have a relative evolutionary fitness of zero.
• BMutations cannot occur in their genomes.
• CIf crossing-over happens in mules, then it must be limited to prophase of mitosis.
• DTheir offspring have less genetic variation than the parents.

In reference to a segment of DNA, which of the following molecules contains the fewest number of nucleotides?

• Aa single strand of the original DNA segment after a point mutation
• Ba single strand of complementary DNA (cDNA) made from the original DNA
• Cthe primary RNA transcript (before splicing) from the original DNA
• Da single strand of the original DNA segment

Which is a true statement concerning genetic variation?

• AIt must be present in a population before natural selection can act upon the population.
• BIt arises in response to changes in the environment.
• CIt is created by the direct action of natural selection.
• DIt tends to be reduced by the processes involved when diploid organisms produce gametes.

A piece of potato is dropped into a beaker of pure water. Which of the following describes the initial condition when the potato enters the water?

• AThe water potential of the potato is positive.
• BThe water potential of the pure water is positive.
• CThe water potential of the pure water is negative.
• DThe water potential of the potato is negative.

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

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

All of the following are differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes EXCEPT

• Aeukaryotes process their mRNA, while in prokaryotes, transcription and translation occur simultaneously
• Beukaryotes contain membrane-bound organelles, while prokaryotes do not
• Ceukaryotes possess double stranded DNA, while prokaryotes possess single stranded DNA
• Deukaryotes have linear chromosomes, while prokaryotes have circular chromosomes

A small population of birds is blown to an isolated island by a hurricane and establishes a colony. The gene pool of the newly established population of birds is likely to reflect the effects of which of the following?

• AAdaptive radiation
• BDirected mutation
• CDisruptive selection
• DGenetic drift

When a retrovirus inserted its DNA into the middle of a bacterial gene, it altered the normal reading frame by one base pair. This type of mutation is called

• Ainversion
• Btranslocation
• Cduplication
• Dframeshift mutation

The frequency of a particular allele in a population of 1,000 birds in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium is 0.3. If the population remains in equilibrium, what would be the expected frequency of that allele after 500 years?

• AIt will increase if the allele is favorable or will decrease if it is unfavorable for individuals in that population.
• BNot enough information is provided to determine if the frequency of the allele will remain the same or change.
• CThe frequency of the allele will remain the same; this is an example of the bottleneck effect.
• DThe frequency of the allele will remain at 0.3 because the population is at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

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.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of asexual reproduction in animals?

• ADaughter cells are identical to the parent cell.
• BThe daughter cells fuse to form a zygote.
• CThe parent cell produces diploid cells.
• DDaughter cells have the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell.

It has been observed that organisms on islands are different from, but closely related to, similar forms found on the nearest continent. This is taken as evidence that

• Athe islands were originally part of the continent.
• B0
• Cthe island forms and mainland forms are converging.
• Dcommon environments are inhabited by the same organisms.

An animal that is harmless copies the appearance of an animal that is dangerous as a defense mechanism to make predators think twice about attacking.

• AAposomatic coloration
• BBatesian mimicry
• CDeceptive markings
• DCryptic coloration

A researcher conducts a survey of a biome and finds 35 percent more species than she has found in any other biome. Which biome is she most likely to be in?

• ATiaga
• BTemperate deciduous forest
• CTropical rainforest
• DTundra

A man contracts the same flu strain for the second time in a single winter season. The second time he experiences fewer symptoms and recovers more quickly. Which cells are responsible for this rapid recovery?

• APlasma cells
• BCytotoxic T cells
• CMemory cells
• DHelper T cells

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.

Structures as different as human arms, bat wings, and dolphin flippers contain many of the same bones, these bones having developed from very similar embryonic tissues. How do biologists interpret these similarities?

• ABy identifying the bones as being homologous
• BBy the principle of convergent evolution
• CA and C only
• DBy proposing that humans, bats, and dolphins share a common ancestor

Which of the following is an example of a detritivore?

• AAlgae
• BFungus
• CCactus
• DBat

DNA sequences in many human genes are very similar to the sequences of corresponding genes in chimpanzees. The most likely explanation for this result is that

• Ahumans evolved from chimpanzees.
• Bconvergent evolution led to the DNA similarities.
• Chumans and chimpanzees share a relatively recent common ancestor.
• Dchimpanzees evolved from humans.

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.

Members of which of the following groups are most likely to be surrounded by a protein coat?

• ABacteria
• BEukaryotes
• CArchaea
• DViruses

Those being hunted adopt a coloring scheme that allows them to blend in to the colors of the environment.

• AAposomatic coloration
• BDeceptive markings
• CCryptic coloration
• DBatesian mimicry

Which statement about variation is true?

• AAll nucleotide variability results in neutral variation.
• BAll genetic variation produces phenotypic variation.
• CAll new alleles are the result of nucleotide variability.
• DAll phenotypic variation is the result of genotypic variation.

A heterotroph

• Aobtains its energy from sunlight, harnessed by pigments
• Bmakes organic molecules from CO2
• Cobtains its energy by oxidizing organic molecules
• Dobtains its energy by consuming exclusively autotrophs

A feature of amino acids NOT found in carbohydrates is the presence of

• Acarbon atoms
• Bnitrogen atoms
• Coxygen atoms
• Dhydrogen atoms

During oxidative phosphorylation, the energy needed to drive ATP synthesis comes from one source. Which of the following statements states the immediate source of that energy?

• AThe bonding of electrons to oxygen at the end of the chain releases energy.
• BThe transfer of a phosphate group to ADP is exergonic.
• CThe proton gradient across the membrane where the ATP synthase is embedded represents potential energy.
• DElectrons flow down an electron transport chain as they are attracted to oxygen.

A plant grows in the opposite direction of the gravitational force. This is an example of

• Apositive phototropism
• Bpositive thignotropism
• Cnegative gravitropism
• Dnegative phototropism

A healthy man and woman are worried about having children because they are both carriers of sickle-cell disease. If the couple have a biological child, what is the chance that the child will inherit sickle-cell disease?

• A25%
• B75%
• C100%
• D50%

Charles Darwin was the first person to propose

• Aa mechanism for how evolution occurs.
• Ba mechanism for evolution that was supported by evidence.
• Cthat evolution occurs.
• Dthat the Earth is older than a few thousand years.

Apoptosis, which is programmed cell death, is a necessary process in living organisms. Which of the following is NOT correct about apoptosis?

• AA cell carries out apoptosis when too many mutations have accumulated.
• BIt occurs randomly.
• CPlant cells carry out apoptosis as a defense measure in cells that have been infected by parasites.
• DA particular cell dies when it is no longer needed by the organism.

Which of the following best accounts for the ability of legumes to grow well in nitrogen-poor soils?

• AThese plants do not require nitrogen to make plant proteins.
• BThese plants are capable of directly converting nitrogen gas into nitrates.
• CThese plants make their own proteins.
• DThese plants have a mutualistic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

A fruit fly population has a gene with two alleles, A1 and A2. Tests show that 70% of the gametes produced in the population contain the A1 allele. If the population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, what proportion of the flies carry both A1 and A2?

• A0.49
• B0.42
• C0.21
• D0.7

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

• ADesert
• BTaiga
• CDeciduous forests
• DTundra

ADH is a hormone secreted by the kidneys that reduces the amount of water excreted in the urine. ADH is released in times of dehydration. This is an example of

• Apositive feedback.
• Binnate behavior.
• Cfailure to respond to the environment.
• Dmaintaining homeostasis.

Some animals have patterns that can cause a predator to think twice before attacking.

• AAposomatic coloration
• BBatesian mimicry
• CDeceptive markings
• DCryptic coloration

Which of the following pairs of scientists pioneered the ecological discipline known as island biogeography?

• AMatthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann
• BAlfred Hershey and Martha Chase
• CJames Watson and Francis Crick
• DRobert MacArthur and E. O. Wilson

All of the following statements are correct regarding alleles EXCEPT

• Aa gene can have more than two alleles
• Balleles are found on corresponding loci of homologous chromosomes
• Can individual with two identical alleles is said to be heterozygous with respect to that gene
• Dalleles are alternative forms of the same gene

Which of the following is not known to be involved in the control of cell division?

• ACheckpoints
• BCyclins
• CProtein kinases
• DFibroblast cells

Which of the following statements about the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis is correct?

• AThey provide the carbon that becomes incorporated into sugar.
• BWater is split apart, providing hydrogen ions and electrons to NADP for temporary storage.
• CThey occur in the stroma of chloroplasts.
• DThey produce PGA, which is converted to glucose by carbon fixation in the light-independent reactions.