TCU DR JONES MICROBIOLOGY FINAL
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 100%
PASS 2026/2027
Prokaryotic cell with a rod shape - ANS bacillus
spherical bacterial cell - ANS coccus
spiral shaped bacteria - ANS vibrios, spirilla, spirochete
Other shapes of bacterial cells - ANS square, appendage, star-shaped, filamentous
Structure and organization are based on specific processes cells need to carry out: -
ANS Sensing/responding to stimuli, Compartmentation of metabolism, Growth and
reproduction
Bacterial Flagella - ANS are long appendages Extending from the cell surface used for cell
motility
Anatomy of a bacterial flagella - ANS helical filament, a hook, and a basal body
chemotaxis - ANS moving up the concentration gradient of a chemical attractant
@2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 1
,Pili - ANS are protein fibers extending from the surface of many bacteria
Pili help the cell... - ANS Attach cells to surfaces and form biofilms and microcolonies
conjugation pili are used to - ANS transfer genetic material between cells
Glycocalyx - ANS is an outer layer external to the cell wall that is an adhering layer of
polysaccharides (sometimes small proteins)
capsule - ANS A thick glycolayx bound to the cell
A slime layer - ANS A thinner, diffuse layer of polysaccharides that protects cells from the
environment, and allows them to attach to surfaces
bacterial cell wall - ANS a tough and protective external shell made of peptidoglycan
The cell wall's functions - ANS protects the cell from injury, and to maintain cell shape and
water balance
Gram-Positive bacteria - ANS have thick peptidoglycan cell walls containing teichoic acid
Gram-Negative bacteria - ANS have a 2-dimensional peptidoglycan layer and no teichoic acid
Has an outer membrane, separated from the cell membrane by the... - ANS periplasmic space
porins - ANS in outer membrane, selectively allow small molecules into the periplasmic space
represents the interface between the cell environment and the cell cytoplasm - ANS The cell
membrane
@2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 2
,The fluid mosaic model - ANS It is a fluid layer of phospholipid and protein
...form a permeability barrier - ANS Hydrophobic fatty acid chains in the phospholipids
Membrane proteins perform or aid in many functions - ANS Cell wall synthesis, Energy
metabolism, DNA replication, Sensation of stimuli, Molecule transport
Antimicrobial substances may... - ANS ...disrupt or dissolve the bilayer
Binary Fission - ANS The cell doubles in mass, DNA replicated in the two strands separate
Cytokinesis - ANS is an inward pinching of the cell membrane and cell wall to separate the
cell into two genetically identical cells
The generation (or doubling) time - ANS an interval between successive binary fissions
This constant doubling of the numbers only occurs as long as... - ANS nutrients for growth are
available during the log phase of growth
A bacterial growth curve - ANS illustrates the dynamics of growth
During the lag phase - ANS no cell division occurs while bacteria adapt to their new
environment
The logarithmic (log) phase - ANS exponential growth of the population occurs during this
phase
Human disease symptoms usually develop during it - ANS Log Phase
@2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 3
, Stationary phase - ANS when reproductive and death rates equalize
Decline (exponential death) phase - ANS the accumulation of waste products and scarcity of
resources causes it to enter
Endospores are a response to - ANS nutrient limitation
Endospores are a highly resistant survival structure formed by species of _____ and _____ when
nutrient supplies are low - ANS Clostridium and Bacillus
Spores can lay dormant for years then germinate into a vegetative cell, withstand -
ANS boiling water, alcohol and radiation
A stressed cell undergoes asymmetrical cell division creating... - ANS creating a small
prespore and a larger mother cell
The prespore contains - ANS Cytoplasm, DNA, Dipicolinic
Dipicolinic acid - ANS stabilizes proteins and DNA
The mother cell matures the prespore into an - ANS endospore
The endospore then - ANS disintegrates, freeing the spore
Endospores abilities - ANS Are resistant to desiccation, heat, and undergo very few chemical
reactions
When environmental conditions are again favorable, the spore - ANS protective layers break
down and the spore germinates into a vegetative cell
@2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 4
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 100%
PASS 2026/2027
Prokaryotic cell with a rod shape - ANS bacillus
spherical bacterial cell - ANS coccus
spiral shaped bacteria - ANS vibrios, spirilla, spirochete
Other shapes of bacterial cells - ANS square, appendage, star-shaped, filamentous
Structure and organization are based on specific processes cells need to carry out: -
ANS Sensing/responding to stimuli, Compartmentation of metabolism, Growth and
reproduction
Bacterial Flagella - ANS are long appendages Extending from the cell surface used for cell
motility
Anatomy of a bacterial flagella - ANS helical filament, a hook, and a basal body
chemotaxis - ANS moving up the concentration gradient of a chemical attractant
@2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 1
,Pili - ANS are protein fibers extending from the surface of many bacteria
Pili help the cell... - ANS Attach cells to surfaces and form biofilms and microcolonies
conjugation pili are used to - ANS transfer genetic material between cells
Glycocalyx - ANS is an outer layer external to the cell wall that is an adhering layer of
polysaccharides (sometimes small proteins)
capsule - ANS A thick glycolayx bound to the cell
A slime layer - ANS A thinner, diffuse layer of polysaccharides that protects cells from the
environment, and allows them to attach to surfaces
bacterial cell wall - ANS a tough and protective external shell made of peptidoglycan
The cell wall's functions - ANS protects the cell from injury, and to maintain cell shape and
water balance
Gram-Positive bacteria - ANS have thick peptidoglycan cell walls containing teichoic acid
Gram-Negative bacteria - ANS have a 2-dimensional peptidoglycan layer and no teichoic acid
Has an outer membrane, separated from the cell membrane by the... - ANS periplasmic space
porins - ANS in outer membrane, selectively allow small molecules into the periplasmic space
represents the interface between the cell environment and the cell cytoplasm - ANS The cell
membrane
@2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 2
,The fluid mosaic model - ANS It is a fluid layer of phospholipid and protein
...form a permeability barrier - ANS Hydrophobic fatty acid chains in the phospholipids
Membrane proteins perform or aid in many functions - ANS Cell wall synthesis, Energy
metabolism, DNA replication, Sensation of stimuli, Molecule transport
Antimicrobial substances may... - ANS ...disrupt or dissolve the bilayer
Binary Fission - ANS The cell doubles in mass, DNA replicated in the two strands separate
Cytokinesis - ANS is an inward pinching of the cell membrane and cell wall to separate the
cell into two genetically identical cells
The generation (or doubling) time - ANS an interval between successive binary fissions
This constant doubling of the numbers only occurs as long as... - ANS nutrients for growth are
available during the log phase of growth
A bacterial growth curve - ANS illustrates the dynamics of growth
During the lag phase - ANS no cell division occurs while bacteria adapt to their new
environment
The logarithmic (log) phase - ANS exponential growth of the population occurs during this
phase
Human disease symptoms usually develop during it - ANS Log Phase
@2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 3
, Stationary phase - ANS when reproductive and death rates equalize
Decline (exponential death) phase - ANS the accumulation of waste products and scarcity of
resources causes it to enter
Endospores are a response to - ANS nutrient limitation
Endospores are a highly resistant survival structure formed by species of _____ and _____ when
nutrient supplies are low - ANS Clostridium and Bacillus
Spores can lay dormant for years then germinate into a vegetative cell, withstand -
ANS boiling water, alcohol and radiation
A stressed cell undergoes asymmetrical cell division creating... - ANS creating a small
prespore and a larger mother cell
The prespore contains - ANS Cytoplasm, DNA, Dipicolinic
Dipicolinic acid - ANS stabilizes proteins and DNA
The mother cell matures the prespore into an - ANS endospore
The endospore then - ANS disintegrates, freeing the spore
Endospores abilities - ANS Are resistant to desiccation, heat, and undergo very few chemical
reactions
When environmental conditions are again favorable, the spore - ANS protective layers break
down and the spore germinates into a vegetative cell
@2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 4
