WGU D520 CAPSTONE TASK 2:
PROSPECTUS PRACTICE EXAMINATION
2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
GRADED A+
◍ Sequences of DNA that are capable of moving and inserting themselves into
a different parts of a genome are
___Answers:CistronsPrionsTransposonsIntronsTransducers.
Answer: Transposons
◍ Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) is used to label cells in the S phase of the cell
cycle. Lobsters were exposed to BrdU during six 4-hour periods during the
24-hour day. The number of labeled neurons in the brain was counted for
each 4-hour labeling period, and the means of these counts were plotted as
histograms relative to time of day for animals maintained on the normal
light/dark cycle (Figure 1: Normal LD) and on the reversed light/dark cycle
(Figure 2: Reversed LD). The shaded bars indicate the sampling period at
dawn and dusk, which also are shown in the table below. The horizontal bar
at the top of the graph indicates illumination conditions (white = light; black
= dark; arrows = subjective dusk). The dawn/dusk data for LD and DD
(dark/dark conditions) are summarized in Table 1 below.These experiments
demonstrate that neurogenesis in the lobster brain is controlled byan
endogenous clock that is entrained by the light/dark cyclediurnal hormonal
variationsthe time of dayBrdU, light, and the clock hourseasonal factors,
such as photoperiod and temperature.
Answer: an endogenous clock that is entrained by the light/dark cycle
◍ The tracheae of insects is used
forLocomotionSupportExcretionFeedingRespiration.
, Answer: Respiration
◍ The red and purple colors in leaves that are seen in fall season are due to the
production ofChlorophyllAnthocyaninsIsoflavonesCarotenoids.
Answer: Anthocyanins
◍ The pedigree shows the inheritance of a rare human disease over three
generations. If individual III-3 and III-6 were to have a son, what is the
probability that the son would be affected with the disease? *see picture
Answers:1.000.50.250.000.75.
Answer: 0.75
◍ distance-matrix methods.
Answer: methods that construct phylogenetic trees by clustering taxa based
on the proximity (or distance) between their DNA or protein sequences;
these methods place closely related sequences under the same interior node,
and they estimate branch lengths from the observed distances between
sequences
◍ replacement (non-synonymous) substitutions.
Answer: mutations that alter the amino acid sequence of a protein; these can
affect the phenotype and are therefore more subject to selection
◍ pleiotropy.
Answer: the condition when a mutation in a single gene affects the
expression of many different phenotypic traits
◍ Which of the following sets of reactions occurs in the stroma of the
chloroplast in plant cells?Krebs cycleFermentationCalvin
cycleDecarboxylation.
Answer: Calvin cycle
◍ genetic locus (plural, loci).
Answer: the specific location of a gene or piece of DNA sequence on a
chromosome
◍ Which of the following tissues in an actively photosynthesizing plant would
, have the highest rate of oxygen production?EndodermisCortexVascular
cambiumPalisade mesophyllEpidermis.
Answer: Palisade mesophyll
◍ artificial selection.
Answer: similar to natural selection, except that it results from human
activity; when breeders nonrandomly choose individuals with economically
favorable traits to use as breeding stock, they impose strong artificial
selection on those traits
◍ additive allele.
Answer: an allele that yields twice the phenotypic effect when two copies
are present at a given locus than when only a single copy is present
◍ deep homology.
Answer: a condition that occurs when the growth and development of traits
in different lineages results from underlying genetic mechanisms (e.g.,
regulatory networks) that are inherited from a common ancestor
◍ general lineage species concept.
Answer: species are metapopulations of organisms that exchange alleles
frequently enough that they comprise the same gene pool, and therefore, the
same evolutionary lineage
◍ cryptic species.
Answer: groups of organisms that are genetically distinct and do not
interbreed, but are morphologically almost indistinguishable
◍ Which of the following repair mechanisms uses methyl groups to
distinguish between parental and daughter strands?Answers:Mismatch
repairPhotoreactivation repair (Nucleotide excision repair)SOS
repairDouble strand break repairBase excision repair.
Answer: Mismatch repair
◍ Selective retrieval of cell surface proteins for recycling or degradation
occurs through the process of
___PhagocytosisTranscytosisEndocytosisApoptosisExocytosis.
, Answer: Endocytosis
◍ Two action potentials are protrayed in the figure below. The solid line is an
intracellular recording from a motor neuron (neuron A) in the spinal cord of
a frog. The broken line is a recording from a sensory neuron (neuron B) in
the same animal.At time=0, relative to neuron A, neuron B isHypopolarized
Depolarized Hyperpolarized NonpolarizedPolarizing.
Answer: Hyperpolarized
◍ Which one of the following statements is true?The sporophyte and
gametophye is the diploid stage of a plantThe sporophyte and gametophye is
the haploid stage of a plant.The gametophyte is the diploid stage of a plant
while the sporophyte is the haploid stage of the plantThe sporophyte is the
diploid stage of a plant while the gametophyte is the haploid stage of the
plant.
Answer: The sporophyte is the diploid stage of a plant while the
gametophyte is the haploid stage of the plant
◍ 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
◍ The membrane proteins that aid in connecting the cell cytoskeleton to the
extracellular matrix are
_________________ClaudinsIntegrinsCadherinsFibronectin.
Answer: Integrins
◍ Barley seeds are divided in half, as shown in the diagram, and the halves
containing only endosperm and aleurone are then treated with different
concentrations of gibberellin. After 8 hours of incubation, reducing sugars
appear and a calibration curve is developed for the relation between
gibberellin concentration and the production of reducing sugars. The most
important reason for removing the embryo of the seeds used in the
experiment is to ____prevent the seeds from germinating during the
PROSPECTUS PRACTICE EXAMINATION
2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
GRADED A+
◍ Sequences of DNA that are capable of moving and inserting themselves into
a different parts of a genome are
___Answers:CistronsPrionsTransposonsIntronsTransducers.
Answer: Transposons
◍ Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) is used to label cells in the S phase of the cell
cycle. Lobsters were exposed to BrdU during six 4-hour periods during the
24-hour day. The number of labeled neurons in the brain was counted for
each 4-hour labeling period, and the means of these counts were plotted as
histograms relative to time of day for animals maintained on the normal
light/dark cycle (Figure 1: Normal LD) and on the reversed light/dark cycle
(Figure 2: Reversed LD). The shaded bars indicate the sampling period at
dawn and dusk, which also are shown in the table below. The horizontal bar
at the top of the graph indicates illumination conditions (white = light; black
= dark; arrows = subjective dusk). The dawn/dusk data for LD and DD
(dark/dark conditions) are summarized in Table 1 below.These experiments
demonstrate that neurogenesis in the lobster brain is controlled byan
endogenous clock that is entrained by the light/dark cyclediurnal hormonal
variationsthe time of dayBrdU, light, and the clock hourseasonal factors,
such as photoperiod and temperature.
Answer: an endogenous clock that is entrained by the light/dark cycle
◍ The tracheae of insects is used
forLocomotionSupportExcretionFeedingRespiration.
, Answer: Respiration
◍ The red and purple colors in leaves that are seen in fall season are due to the
production ofChlorophyllAnthocyaninsIsoflavonesCarotenoids.
Answer: Anthocyanins
◍ The pedigree shows the inheritance of a rare human disease over three
generations. If individual III-3 and III-6 were to have a son, what is the
probability that the son would be affected with the disease? *see picture
Answers:1.000.50.250.000.75.
Answer: 0.75
◍ distance-matrix methods.
Answer: methods that construct phylogenetic trees by clustering taxa based
on the proximity (or distance) between their DNA or protein sequences;
these methods place closely related sequences under the same interior node,
and they estimate branch lengths from the observed distances between
sequences
◍ replacement (non-synonymous) substitutions.
Answer: mutations that alter the amino acid sequence of a protein; these can
affect the phenotype and are therefore more subject to selection
◍ pleiotropy.
Answer: the condition when a mutation in a single gene affects the
expression of many different phenotypic traits
◍ Which of the following sets of reactions occurs in the stroma of the
chloroplast in plant cells?Krebs cycleFermentationCalvin
cycleDecarboxylation.
Answer: Calvin cycle
◍ genetic locus (plural, loci).
Answer: the specific location of a gene or piece of DNA sequence on a
chromosome
◍ Which of the following tissues in an actively photosynthesizing plant would
, have the highest rate of oxygen production?EndodermisCortexVascular
cambiumPalisade mesophyllEpidermis.
Answer: Palisade mesophyll
◍ artificial selection.
Answer: similar to natural selection, except that it results from human
activity; when breeders nonrandomly choose individuals with economically
favorable traits to use as breeding stock, they impose strong artificial
selection on those traits
◍ additive allele.
Answer: an allele that yields twice the phenotypic effect when two copies
are present at a given locus than when only a single copy is present
◍ deep homology.
Answer: a condition that occurs when the growth and development of traits
in different lineages results from underlying genetic mechanisms (e.g.,
regulatory networks) that are inherited from a common ancestor
◍ general lineage species concept.
Answer: species are metapopulations of organisms that exchange alleles
frequently enough that they comprise the same gene pool, and therefore, the
same evolutionary lineage
◍ cryptic species.
Answer: groups of organisms that are genetically distinct and do not
interbreed, but are morphologically almost indistinguishable
◍ Which of the following repair mechanisms uses methyl groups to
distinguish between parental and daughter strands?Answers:Mismatch
repairPhotoreactivation repair (Nucleotide excision repair)SOS
repairDouble strand break repairBase excision repair.
Answer: Mismatch repair
◍ Selective retrieval of cell surface proteins for recycling or degradation
occurs through the process of
___PhagocytosisTranscytosisEndocytosisApoptosisExocytosis.
, Answer: Endocytosis
◍ Two action potentials are protrayed in the figure below. The solid line is an
intracellular recording from a motor neuron (neuron A) in the spinal cord of
a frog. The broken line is a recording from a sensory neuron (neuron B) in
the same animal.At time=0, relative to neuron A, neuron B isHypopolarized
Depolarized Hyperpolarized NonpolarizedPolarizing.
Answer: Hyperpolarized
◍ Which one of the following statements is true?The sporophyte and
gametophye is the diploid stage of a plantThe sporophyte and gametophye is
the haploid stage of a plant.The gametophyte is the diploid stage of a plant
while the sporophyte is the haploid stage of the plantThe sporophyte is the
diploid stage of a plant while the gametophyte is the haploid stage of the
plant.
Answer: The sporophyte is the diploid stage of a plant while the
gametophyte is the haploid stage of the plant
◍ 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
◍ The membrane proteins that aid in connecting the cell cytoskeleton to the
extracellular matrix are
_________________ClaudinsIntegrinsCadherinsFibronectin.
Answer: Integrins
◍ Barley seeds are divided in half, as shown in the diagram, and the halves
containing only endosperm and aleurone are then treated with different
concentrations of gibberellin. After 8 hours of incubation, reducing sugars
appear and a calibration curve is developed for the relation between
gibberellin concentration and the production of reducing sugars. The most
important reason for removing the embryo of the seeds used in the
experiment is to ____prevent the seeds from germinating during the
