UMKC BIO 109 QUIZ 1 EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
2026
What is NOT true about the bacterial cell wall?
A. It gives shape and rigidity to the cell.
B. It cannot prevent a cell from undergoing plasmolysis when placed in a hypertonic
environment.
C. It is the source of endotoxins in gram-positive bacteria.
D. It prevents the cell from bursting in a hypotonic environment.
E. It is the site of action for some antibiotics. - ANS C. It is the source of endotoxins in gram-
positive bacteria.
Which of the following statements about the bacterial cell wall is false?
A. The cell wall gives shape and rigidity to the cell.
B. The cell wall prevents the cell from undergoing plasmolysis in a hypertonic environment.
C. The cell wall is related to some symptoms of disease.
D. The cell wall prevents the cell from bursting in a hypotonic environment.
E. The cell wall is the site of action for some antibiotics. - ANS B. The cell wall prevents the
cell from undergoing plasmolysis in a hypertonic environment.
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
1
, Termites eat wood, but many do not produce enzymes themselves that will digest the cellulose
and lignin in the wood. Instead, some termites contain a complex community of protozoa,
bacteria, and archaea that could help digest the cellulose and lignin. Imagine an experiment in
which termites in Group 1 were fed wood and termites in Group 2 were fed wood and
antibiotics. The amount of energy that termites extracted from the wood was then measured
for each group. If termites in the two groups gained equal amounts of energy, which of the
conclusions is the most logical?
A. We would conclude that the bacteria did not contribute to digestion of cellulose and lignin.
B. We would conclude that the protozoa did not contribute to digestion of cellulose and lignin.
C. We would conclude that the archaea did not contribute to digestion of cellulose and lignin.
D. We would conclude that none of the three groups were needed to dige - ANS A. We would
conclude that the bacteria did not contribute to digestion of cellulose and lignin.
When a non-pathogenic strain of pneumoniae is mixed with a heat-killed pathogenic strain, the
non-pathogenic strain is converted to the pathogenic form. The process responsible for this
conversion is called:
A. conjugation
B. sexual reproduction
C. transformation
D. translocation
E. none of the above - ANS C. transformation
In the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA is synthesized from a template at temperatures
high enough to dissociate double-stranded DNA into single strands, higher than 70° C. To find a
DNA polymerase (the enzyme that carries out DNA synthesis) that would be optimally suited for
PCR you should search within the:
A. extreme halophiles
B. Gram negative bacteria
C. methanogens
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
2
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
2026
What is NOT true about the bacterial cell wall?
A. It gives shape and rigidity to the cell.
B. It cannot prevent a cell from undergoing plasmolysis when placed in a hypertonic
environment.
C. It is the source of endotoxins in gram-positive bacteria.
D. It prevents the cell from bursting in a hypotonic environment.
E. It is the site of action for some antibiotics. - ANS C. It is the source of endotoxins in gram-
positive bacteria.
Which of the following statements about the bacterial cell wall is false?
A. The cell wall gives shape and rigidity to the cell.
B. The cell wall prevents the cell from undergoing plasmolysis in a hypertonic environment.
C. The cell wall is related to some symptoms of disease.
D. The cell wall prevents the cell from bursting in a hypotonic environment.
E. The cell wall is the site of action for some antibiotics. - ANS B. The cell wall prevents the
cell from undergoing plasmolysis in a hypertonic environment.
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
1
, Termites eat wood, but many do not produce enzymes themselves that will digest the cellulose
and lignin in the wood. Instead, some termites contain a complex community of protozoa,
bacteria, and archaea that could help digest the cellulose and lignin. Imagine an experiment in
which termites in Group 1 were fed wood and termites in Group 2 were fed wood and
antibiotics. The amount of energy that termites extracted from the wood was then measured
for each group. If termites in the two groups gained equal amounts of energy, which of the
conclusions is the most logical?
A. We would conclude that the bacteria did not contribute to digestion of cellulose and lignin.
B. We would conclude that the protozoa did not contribute to digestion of cellulose and lignin.
C. We would conclude that the archaea did not contribute to digestion of cellulose and lignin.
D. We would conclude that none of the three groups were needed to dige - ANS A. We would
conclude that the bacteria did not contribute to digestion of cellulose and lignin.
When a non-pathogenic strain of pneumoniae is mixed with a heat-killed pathogenic strain, the
non-pathogenic strain is converted to the pathogenic form. The process responsible for this
conversion is called:
A. conjugation
B. sexual reproduction
C. transformation
D. translocation
E. none of the above - ANS C. transformation
In the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA is synthesized from a template at temperatures
high enough to dissociate double-stranded DNA into single strands, higher than 70° C. To find a
DNA polymerase (the enzyme that carries out DNA synthesis) that would be optimally suited for
PCR you should search within the:
A. extreme halophiles
B. Gram negative bacteria
C. methanogens
@COPYRIGHT 2026/2027 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
2
