Biology Trivia Questions — page 8

The "sticky ends" generated by restriction enzymes allow

• Aeasy identification of plasmids which carry an insert
• Bselection for plasmids lacking antibiotic resistance
• Creplication of transfer RNA within the bacterial cell
• Dpieces of DNA from different sources to hybridize to each other and to be joined together

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium generally assumes all of the following EXCEPT

• Aabsence of selection
• Ba large population
• Cgenetic drift
• Drandom mating

Which of the following is most correct concerning cell differentiation in vertebrates?

• ADifferences in the timing and expression levels of different genes leads to structural and functional differences.
• BCells in different tissues contain different sets of genes, leading to structural and functional differences.
• CDifferences between tissues result from spontaneous morphogenesis.
• DDifferences in the reading frame of mRNA leads to structural and functional differences.

The dorsal roots of all spinal nerves contain

• Amotor and autonomic neuronal processes.
• Bmotor neuronal processes.
• Csensory neuronal processes.
• Dsensory and autonomic neuronal processes.

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

In reptile eggs, the extraembryonic membrane that functions in excretion and respiration is the

• Aamnion
• Ballantois
• Cyolk sac
• Dchorion

Chemical substances released by organisms that elicit a physiological or behavioral response in other members of the same species are known as

• Aenzymes
• Bpheromones
• Chormones
• Dauxins

Which of the following active pools of carbon is the largest on Earth and contributes the most to carbon cycling?

• AThe atmosphere
• BThe oceans
• CRecoverable fossil fuels
• DRain-forest vegetation

Mobile regions of DNA capable of inserting themselves into an existing genome are

• Acistrons
• Bprions
• Ctransposons
• Dintrons

Which of the following pieces of evidence most strongly supports the common origin of all life on Earth?

• AAll organisms show heritable variation.
• BAll organisms use essentially the same genetic code.
• CAll organisms reproduce.
• DAll organisms require energy.

Which of the following is the best explanation for why net primary productivity in terrestrial ecosystems tends to increase toward the tropics?

• AThe tropics have more predators that minimize herbivory.
• BThe availability of water and warm temperatures in the tropics fosters photosynthesis.
• CThe higher species diversity in the tropics tends to increase plant growth.
• DThere are lower metabolic costs to plant growth in the tropics.

Imagine an organism whose 2n = 96. Meiosis would leave this organism's cells with how many chromosomes?

• A24
• B192
• C48
• D96

This process leads to the net production of two pyruvate, two ATP, and two NADH.

• AChemiosmosis
• BGlycolysis
• CCalvin cycle
• DFermentation

Which of the following is not a familial cancer syndrome

• AVon Hippel-Lindau syndrome
• BLi-Fraumeni syndrome
• CFamilial adenomatous polyposis
• DWaardenburg syndrome

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.

A mutation in a bacterial enzyme changed a previously polar amino acid into a nonpolar amino acid. This amino acid was located at a site distant from the enzyme's active site. How might this mutation alter the enzyme's substrate specificity?

• ABy changing the shape of the protein
• BBy changing the enzyme's location in the cell
• CAn amino acid change away from the active site cannot alter the enzyme's substrate specificity.
• DBy changing the enzyme's pH optimum

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

• ADyslexia
• BHydrocephalus
• CEpilepsy
• DNarcolepsy

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

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 patient sustains severe blunt trauma to the left upper abdomen and requires surgery. Which one of the following organs is most likely to be involved?

• AGallbladder
• BUrinary bladder
• CAppendix
• DSpleen

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

Short sequence by promoter that assists transcription by interacting with regulatory proteins.

• AEnhancer
• BPromoter
• CRepressor
• DOperator

If, on average, 46% of the loci in a species' gene pool are heterozygous, then the average homozygosity of the species should be

• A46%
• B92%
• C54%
• D23%

Warning coloration adopted by animals that possess a chemical defense mechanism.

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

Which of the following conditions does not show multifactorial inheritance?

• ASchizophrenia
• BSpina bifida (neural tube defects)
• CMarfan syndrome
• DPyloric stenosis

The concept of punctuated equilibrium refers to

• Apersistent predator-prey relationships in relatively stable environments
• Becological succession arrested by sudden environmental changes, e.g., fire
• Cbursts of speciation followed by relatively unchanging lineages
• Doscillating ecological successional stages

A high blood ammonia level occurs in:

• Aphenylketonuria.
• Bgalactosaemia.
• Cornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency.
• DHurler's syndrome.

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

Villi and microvilli are present in the small intestine and aid in reabsorption by

• Aincreasing the surface area of the small intestine
• Bmaking the small intestine more hydrophilic
• Cmaking the small intestine more hydrophobic
• Ddecreasing the surface area of the small intestine

All of the following are required procedures in order to clone specific mRNA molecules EXCEPT

• Acleaving the full genome of a cell into fragments
• Bconverting single-stranded cDNA into double-stranded cDNA
• Cextracting mRNA from cells
• Dcreating a cDNA molecule

Invertebrate immune systems possess which of the following?

• APhagocytes
• BCytotoxic T-lymphocytes
• CHelper T-cells
• DB-cells

In chloroplasts, a certain protein is found in the lumen of the thylakoid (thylakoid space). It is transcribed in the nucleus and synthesized on cytoplasmic ribosomes. How many membrane bilayers must this protein cross to reach its final location?

• ATwo
• BFour
• CThree
• DOne

Which of the following is correct about organisms that are the first to colonize a habitat undergoing ecological succession?

• AThey are small invertebrates.
• BThey change the habitat in a way that makes it more habitable for other organisms.
• CThey are the fiercest competitors in the area.
• DThey maintain the habitat as it is for their own kind.

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 statements about the DNA in one of your liver cells is correct?

• AMost of the DNA in your liver cells will be transcribed but not translated.
• BMost of the DNA in your liver cells will be transcribed in the nucleus and translated in the cytoplasm.
• CDNA in your liver cells contains genes unique to storing glycogen, while other cells do not contain those genes.
• DYour liver cells contain the same DNA as your white blood cells.

Which of the following statements about trypsin is NOT true?

• AIt is operative over a wide pH range.
• BThe rate of catalysis is affected by the concentration of substrate.
• CIt is an organic compound made of proteins.
• DIt is a catalyst that alters the rate of a reaction.

Ferns undergo alternation of generations in which a

• Adominant gametophyte alternates with a dependent sporophyte
• Bsporophyte and a gametophyte have equal life spans
• Cgametophyte produces gametes by meiosis
• Ddominant sporophyte alternates with an independent gametophyte

Normal adult haemoglobin (Hb A) consists of:

• Atwo α and two δ (delta) chains.
• Bfour γ chains.
• Ctwo α (alpha) and two β (beta) chains.
• Dtwo α and two γ (gamma) chains.

In a patient with a normal healthy mouth, you would expect the mucosa covering the alveolar process supporting the mandibular teeth to be

• Alight pink below the mucogingival junction and red above it.
• Blight pink in colour on both sides of the mucogingigival junction.
• Cred below the mucogingival junction and light pink above it.
• Dred on both sides of the mucogingival junction.

Which of the following factors does NOT promote linkage disequilibrium?

• ACoadapted gene complexes
• BAsexual reproduction
• CEpistasis
• DRandom mating

Assuming that the level of glucose is low, a mutation in the repressor of the lac operon in E. coli, preventing binding of the repressor to the operator, should result in:

• Aexpression of the genes only when lactose is absent
• Bconstitutive expression of the lac operon genes
• Cexpression of the genes only when lactose is present
• Dlack of expression or reduced expression of the lac operon genes under all circumstances

A piece of potato is dropped into a beaker of pure water. Which of the following describes the activity after the potato is immersed into the water?

• AWater moves from the surrounding water into the potato.
• BWater moves from the potato into the surrounding water.
• CPotato cells plasmolyze.
• DSolutes in the water move into the potato.

The ability of the brain to detect differences in stimulus intensity is best explained by the fact that which of the following varies with the stimulus intensity?

• AThe number of synapses crossed
• BThe amplitude of the action potential
• CThe threshold potential
• DThe number of action potentials per second

Which of the following muscles initiates elevation of the mandible?

• ATemporalis
• BMedial pterygoid.
• CLateral pterygoid
• DMasseter

The relatives of a group of pelicans from the same species that separated from each other because of an unsuccessful migration are reunited 150 years later and find that they are unable to produce offspring. This is an example of

• Agene flow.
• Bsympatric speciation.
• Callopatric speciation.
• Dgenetic drift.

Primary motor cortex activity results in

• Acontraction of ipsilateral limb musculature.
• Bbilateral contraction of limb musculature.
• Cbilateral contraction of antigravity limb muscles.
• Dcontraction of contralateral limb musculature.

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.

Where is the sinoatrial node located?

• ABetween the right atrium and the right ventricle
• BIn the upper wall of the left ventricle
• CBetween the left atrium and the left ventricle
• DIn the upper wall of the right atrium

The development of an egg without fertilization is known as

• Aembryogenesis
• Bmeiosis
• Cparthenogenesis
• Dvegetative propagation

This biome has cold winters and is known for its pine forests.

• ADeciduous forests
• BTaiga
• CDesert
• DTundra