WGU D520 CAPSTONE TASK 2:
PROSPECTUS COMPREHENSIVE STUDY
GUIDE 2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ coalescence.
Answer: the process by which, looking back through time, the genealogy of
any pair of homologous alleles merges in a common ancestor
◍ lineage.
Answer: a chain of ancestors and their descendants
◍ epistasis.
Answer: occurs when the effects of an allele at one genetic locus are
modified by alleles at one or more other loci
◍ haplodiploidy.
Answer: a mechanism of sex determination where the sex is determined by
the number of copies of each chromosome that an individual receives;
offspring formed from the fertilization of an egg by a sperm (i.e., diploids)
are female, while those formed from unfertilized eggs (i.e., haploids) are
male
◍ Which of the following best supports the endosymbiotic theory of the
evolutionary origin of mitochondria?Many mitochondrial proteins are
imported across both inner and outer membranes after translation on
cytoplasmic ribosomes is completed. Genes for mitochondrial pyruvate
dehydrogenase subunits are found in the nuclear DNAMitochondrial and
bacterial ribosomal functions are inhibited by the same
antibioticsMitochondria, chloroplasts and prokaryotes contain electron
, carriersThe outer mitochondrial membrane contains the protein porin.
Answer: Mitochondrial and bacterial ribosomal functions are inhibited by
the same antibiotics
◍ taxonomy.
Answer: the science of describing, naming, and classifying species ofliving
or fossil organisms
◍ Which one of the following statements is true about the Golgi
apparatus?Transit of a secretory protein occurs in a direction from its trans
face to its cis face.*It is oriented in the cytoplasm so that its cis face is
closest to the endoplasmic reticulum***Glycosylation of certain secretory
proteins occur prior to the protein's entry into its lumen.Its composite
flattened cisternae are continuous with one anotherIt is typically associated
with small secretory vesicles located near its cis face **.
Answer: It is oriented in the cytoplasm so that its cis face is closest to the
endoplasmic reticulum
◍ twofold cost of sex.
Answer: asexual lineages multiply faster than sexual lineages because all
progeny are capable of producing off spring. In sexual lineages, half of the
off spring are males who cannot themselves produce offspring; this
effectively halves the rate of replication of sexual species
◍ negative selection.
Answer: selection that decreases the frequency of alleles within a population
◍ eusociality.
Answer: a type of social organization in which species have complete
reproductive division of labor
◍ A plant that possesses swimming sperm, xylem with tracheids, independent
gametophyte and sporophyte phases, and no seeds is probably most closely
related toMossesPinesLiverwortsFlowering plantsFerns.
Answer: Ferns
◍ Cytokinesis in animal cells is caused byFusion of cytoplasmic membrane
, vesicles at the equator of the cell.the contraction of a band of actin filaments
around the circumference of the cellThe movement of the mitotic spindle
fibers*the sliding movement of a band of microtubules around the
circumference of the cell **Endocytosis of the plasma membrane around the
equator of the cell ***.
Answer: the contraction of a band of actin filaments around the
circumference of the cell
◍ leks.
Answer: assemblages of rival males who cluster together to perform
courtship displays in close proximity
◍ Consider the membrane transporter that is shown below. The direction of
transport of Na+ and K+ ions is demonstrated by the ion in the box near the
corresponding arrow. Which of the following is true about the transport of
Na+ ions?The transport of Na+ ions is by active transportThe transport of
Na+ ions is in the opposite direction to the transport of the K+ ions.The
transport of Na+ ions is mediated by diffusionThe transport of Na+ ions is
by passive transport.
Answer: The transport of Na+ ions is by active transport
◍ Which of the following statements are true about fossils.
Answer: Fossils are the preserved remains of once-living organisms that can
be found in amber, Siberian permafrost, dry caves, rocks etc
◍ certainty of paternity.
Answer: the probability that a male is the genetic sire of the offspring his
mate produces
◍ If a male has the blood group AB, and a female has the blood group O, the
blood group of any of the progeny can be __Answers:A onlyB onlyA or
BAB onlyO onlyA, B, AB or O.
Answer: A or B
◍ extinction.
Answer: the permanent loss of a population or species, arising with the death
, or failure to breed of the last individual
◍ Hybrids between some related species are sterile because the parent plants
had different chromosome numbers. Occasionally the chromosome number
of such a hybrid plant doubles spontaneously. Which of the following best
describes the descendants of those plants with the double chromosome
number?Answers:The plant with the double chromosome would be
genetically defective and have no descendants.The descendants would be at
a selective advantage because of the increased ability to introgressThe
descendants would be reproductively successful because they could
backcross with the parental speciesThe descendants would be at a selective
disadvantage because they could not reproduce asexuallyThe descendants
would regain the ability to reproduce sexually because chromosomes could
pair normally.
Answer: The descendants would regain the ability to reproduce sexually
because chromosomes could pair normally
◍ In the formation of the earliest cells, which of the following components
most likely arose first?.
Answer: Plasma membrane
◍ genome.
Answer: all of the hereditary information of an organism
◍ Science is considered to be hypothesis driven. A researcher wants to
determine the effect of prune juice on the growth of human liver cells.
Which of the statements below would be a valid alternative hypothesis.None
of the options are correctAll the options are correctDoes prune juice
promote the growth of human liver cells?Prune juice has no effect on the
growth of human liver cellsPrune juice promotes the growth of human liver
cells.
Answer: Prune juice promotes the growth of human liver cells
◍ RNA splicing.
Answer: the process of modifying RNA after transcription but before
translation, during which introns are removed and exons are joined together
PROSPECTUS COMPREHENSIVE STUDY
GUIDE 2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ coalescence.
Answer: the process by which, looking back through time, the genealogy of
any pair of homologous alleles merges in a common ancestor
◍ lineage.
Answer: a chain of ancestors and their descendants
◍ epistasis.
Answer: occurs when the effects of an allele at one genetic locus are
modified by alleles at one or more other loci
◍ haplodiploidy.
Answer: a mechanism of sex determination where the sex is determined by
the number of copies of each chromosome that an individual receives;
offspring formed from the fertilization of an egg by a sperm (i.e., diploids)
are female, while those formed from unfertilized eggs (i.e., haploids) are
male
◍ Which of the following best supports the endosymbiotic theory of the
evolutionary origin of mitochondria?Many mitochondrial proteins are
imported across both inner and outer membranes after translation on
cytoplasmic ribosomes is completed. Genes for mitochondrial pyruvate
dehydrogenase subunits are found in the nuclear DNAMitochondrial and
bacterial ribosomal functions are inhibited by the same
antibioticsMitochondria, chloroplasts and prokaryotes contain electron
, carriersThe outer mitochondrial membrane contains the protein porin.
Answer: Mitochondrial and bacterial ribosomal functions are inhibited by
the same antibiotics
◍ taxonomy.
Answer: the science of describing, naming, and classifying species ofliving
or fossil organisms
◍ Which one of the following statements is true about the Golgi
apparatus?Transit of a secretory protein occurs in a direction from its trans
face to its cis face.*It is oriented in the cytoplasm so that its cis face is
closest to the endoplasmic reticulum***Glycosylation of certain secretory
proteins occur prior to the protein's entry into its lumen.Its composite
flattened cisternae are continuous with one anotherIt is typically associated
with small secretory vesicles located near its cis face **.
Answer: It is oriented in the cytoplasm so that its cis face is closest to the
endoplasmic reticulum
◍ twofold cost of sex.
Answer: asexual lineages multiply faster than sexual lineages because all
progeny are capable of producing off spring. In sexual lineages, half of the
off spring are males who cannot themselves produce offspring; this
effectively halves the rate of replication of sexual species
◍ negative selection.
Answer: selection that decreases the frequency of alleles within a population
◍ eusociality.
Answer: a type of social organization in which species have complete
reproductive division of labor
◍ A plant that possesses swimming sperm, xylem with tracheids, independent
gametophyte and sporophyte phases, and no seeds is probably most closely
related toMossesPinesLiverwortsFlowering plantsFerns.
Answer: Ferns
◍ Cytokinesis in animal cells is caused byFusion of cytoplasmic membrane
, vesicles at the equator of the cell.the contraction of a band of actin filaments
around the circumference of the cellThe movement of the mitotic spindle
fibers*the sliding movement of a band of microtubules around the
circumference of the cell **Endocytosis of the plasma membrane around the
equator of the cell ***.
Answer: the contraction of a band of actin filaments around the
circumference of the cell
◍ leks.
Answer: assemblages of rival males who cluster together to perform
courtship displays in close proximity
◍ Consider the membrane transporter that is shown below. The direction of
transport of Na+ and K+ ions is demonstrated by the ion in the box near the
corresponding arrow. Which of the following is true about the transport of
Na+ ions?The transport of Na+ ions is by active transportThe transport of
Na+ ions is in the opposite direction to the transport of the K+ ions.The
transport of Na+ ions is mediated by diffusionThe transport of Na+ ions is
by passive transport.
Answer: The transport of Na+ ions is by active transport
◍ Which of the following statements are true about fossils.
Answer: Fossils are the preserved remains of once-living organisms that can
be found in amber, Siberian permafrost, dry caves, rocks etc
◍ certainty of paternity.
Answer: the probability that a male is the genetic sire of the offspring his
mate produces
◍ If a male has the blood group AB, and a female has the blood group O, the
blood group of any of the progeny can be __Answers:A onlyB onlyA or
BAB onlyO onlyA, B, AB or O.
Answer: A or B
◍ extinction.
Answer: the permanent loss of a population or species, arising with the death
, or failure to breed of the last individual
◍ Hybrids between some related species are sterile because the parent plants
had different chromosome numbers. Occasionally the chromosome number
of such a hybrid plant doubles spontaneously. Which of the following best
describes the descendants of those plants with the double chromosome
number?Answers:The plant with the double chromosome would be
genetically defective and have no descendants.The descendants would be at
a selective advantage because of the increased ability to introgressThe
descendants would be reproductively successful because they could
backcross with the parental speciesThe descendants would be at a selective
disadvantage because they could not reproduce asexuallyThe descendants
would regain the ability to reproduce sexually because chromosomes could
pair normally.
Answer: The descendants would regain the ability to reproduce sexually
because chromosomes could pair normally
◍ In the formation of the earliest cells, which of the following components
most likely arose first?.
Answer: Plasma membrane
◍ genome.
Answer: all of the hereditary information of an organism
◍ Science is considered to be hypothesis driven. A researcher wants to
determine the effect of prune juice on the growth of human liver cells.
Which of the statements below would be a valid alternative hypothesis.None
of the options are correctAll the options are correctDoes prune juice
promote the growth of human liver cells?Prune juice has no effect on the
growth of human liver cellsPrune juice promotes the growth of human liver
cells.
Answer: Prune juice promotes the growth of human liver cells
◍ RNA splicing.
Answer: the process of modifying RNA after transcription but before
translation, during which introns are removed and exons are joined together
