Straighterline / BIO 250 / Microbiology Midterm Exam
Microbiology Midterm Exam
This document is meant to be a pre-emptive study tool only. It is comprised of 5 past
midterm exams. Questions on current exams are likely different. Use this BEFORE (of
course not during!) the exam to study practice questions that may be similar or cover
topics on the new exams, and to understand the depth of material covered so you can
study better and be more prepared!
1. An irregular cluster of spherical cells would be called a/an
a. Palisades
b. Sarcina
c. Staphylococcus
d. Streptococcus
e. Spirilla
2. The study of the immune response to infection caused by microorganisms is
a. Hypersensitivity
b. Epidemiology
c. Immunology
d. Morbidity
e. Geomicrobiology
3. What is the maximum number of electrons in the first energy shell of an atom?
a. 2
b. 4
c. 8
d. 18
e. 32
4. The movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of lower
concentration is called
a. Facilitated diffusion
b. Diffusion
c. Active transport
d. Osmosis
e. Endocytosis
5. Viral tissue specificities are called
a. Ranges
b. Virions
c. Receptacles
d. Tropisms
e. Uncoating
6. The periplasmic space is
,Straighterline / BIO 250 / Microbiology Midterm Exam
a. Larger in gram positive bacteria
b. Made up of lipopolysaccharides and phospholipids
c. An important reaction site for substances entering and leaving the cell
d. Where peptidoglycan is located
e. Absent in gram negative bacteria
7. The scientist/s that proposed that organisms be assigned to one of 3 domains is/are
a. Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur
b. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
c. Carl Woese and George Fox
d. Robert Whittaker
e. Francesco Redi
8. For which bacterial genus is mannitol salt agar selective?
a. Salmonella
b. Streptococcus
c. Neisseria
d. Staphylococcus
e. Escherichia
9.Which of the following does not pertain to helminths?
a. In kingdom Protista
b. Parasitic worms
c. Eggs and sperm used for reproduction
d. Often alternate hosts in complex life cycles
e. Have various organ systems
10. All of the following pertain to virus envelopes except
a. Gained as a virus leaves the host cell membrane
b. Gained as a virus leaves the nuclear membrane
c. Contain special virus proteins
d. Help the virus particle attach to host cells
e. Located between the capsid and nucleic acid
11. Classification of viruses into families involves determining all the following characteristics
except
a. Type of nucleic acid
b. Type of capsid
c. Presence of an envelope
d. Biochemical reactions
e. Number of strands in the nucleic acid
12. Helminths are
a. Bacteria
,Straighterline / BIO 250 / Microbiology Midterm Exam
b. Protozoa
c. Molds
d. Parasitic worms
e. Infectious particles
13. When humans manipulate the genes of microorganisms the process is called
a. Bioremediation
b. Genetic engineering
c. Epidemiology
d. Immunology
e. Taxonomy
14. What chemical causes death in many eukaryotes because it blocks cytochrome c oxidase?
a. Copper
b. Iron
c. Cyanide
d. Oxygen
e. Carbon monoxide
15. The outcome of the Gram stain is based on differences in the cell's
a. Ribosomes
b. Inclusions
c. Cell wall
d. Cell membrane
e. Flagella
16. A fat is called if all carbons of the fatty acid chain are single bonded to 2 other
carbons and 2 hydrogens.
a. Unsaturated
b. Polyunsaturated
c. Monounsaturated
d. Saturated
e. None of the choices are correct
17.The lipid group that serves as energy storage molecules are
a. Prostaglandins
b. Waxes
c. Phospholipids
d. Steroids
e. Triglycerides
18. Which type of microscope does not use light in forming the specimen image?
a. Bright-field
b. Dark-field
, Straighterline / BIO 250 / Microbiology Midterm Exam
c. Phase-contrast
d. Fluorescence
e. Electron
19. A confocal scanning optical microscope
a. Uses ultraviolet light to form a specimen image
b. Shows three-dimensional cell images from the cell surface to the middle of the cell
c. Produces specimen images on electron micrographs
d. Uses dyes that emit visible light when bombarded by ultraviolet rays
e. Requires specimens to be stained
20. Which of the following is found in eukaryotic cells but not in prokaryotic cells?
a. Nucleus
b. Mitochondria
c. Endoplasmic reticulum
d. Lysosomes
e. All of the choices are correct
21. A type of cofactor would be
a. Vitamins
b. Metallic ions
c. Active sites
d. Substrates
e. Ribozymes
22. The term chemotroph refers to an organism that
a. Uses CO2 for its carbon source
b. Must obtain organic compounds for its carbon needs
c. Gets energy from sunlight
d. Gets energy by oxidizing chemical compounds
e. Does not need a carbon source
23. Polar molecules
a. Have an equal charge distribution
b. Have an unequal charge distribution
c. Are insoluble in water
d. Always contain carbon
e. Always involve oxygen
24. The basal body of a flagellum in gram-positive bacteria is anchored into the
a. Hook
b. Outer membrane
c. Cell wall
Microbiology Midterm Exam
This document is meant to be a pre-emptive study tool only. It is comprised of 5 past
midterm exams. Questions on current exams are likely different. Use this BEFORE (of
course not during!) the exam to study practice questions that may be similar or cover
topics on the new exams, and to understand the depth of material covered so you can
study better and be more prepared!
1. An irregular cluster of spherical cells would be called a/an
a. Palisades
b. Sarcina
c. Staphylococcus
d. Streptococcus
e. Spirilla
2. The study of the immune response to infection caused by microorganisms is
a. Hypersensitivity
b. Epidemiology
c. Immunology
d. Morbidity
e. Geomicrobiology
3. What is the maximum number of electrons in the first energy shell of an atom?
a. 2
b. 4
c. 8
d. 18
e. 32
4. The movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of lower
concentration is called
a. Facilitated diffusion
b. Diffusion
c. Active transport
d. Osmosis
e. Endocytosis
5. Viral tissue specificities are called
a. Ranges
b. Virions
c. Receptacles
d. Tropisms
e. Uncoating
6. The periplasmic space is
,Straighterline / BIO 250 / Microbiology Midterm Exam
a. Larger in gram positive bacteria
b. Made up of lipopolysaccharides and phospholipids
c. An important reaction site for substances entering and leaving the cell
d. Where peptidoglycan is located
e. Absent in gram negative bacteria
7. The scientist/s that proposed that organisms be assigned to one of 3 domains is/are
a. Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur
b. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
c. Carl Woese and George Fox
d. Robert Whittaker
e. Francesco Redi
8. For which bacterial genus is mannitol salt agar selective?
a. Salmonella
b. Streptococcus
c. Neisseria
d. Staphylococcus
e. Escherichia
9.Which of the following does not pertain to helminths?
a. In kingdom Protista
b. Parasitic worms
c. Eggs and sperm used for reproduction
d. Often alternate hosts in complex life cycles
e. Have various organ systems
10. All of the following pertain to virus envelopes except
a. Gained as a virus leaves the host cell membrane
b. Gained as a virus leaves the nuclear membrane
c. Contain special virus proteins
d. Help the virus particle attach to host cells
e. Located between the capsid and nucleic acid
11. Classification of viruses into families involves determining all the following characteristics
except
a. Type of nucleic acid
b. Type of capsid
c. Presence of an envelope
d. Biochemical reactions
e. Number of strands in the nucleic acid
12. Helminths are
a. Bacteria
,Straighterline / BIO 250 / Microbiology Midterm Exam
b. Protozoa
c. Molds
d. Parasitic worms
e. Infectious particles
13. When humans manipulate the genes of microorganisms the process is called
a. Bioremediation
b. Genetic engineering
c. Epidemiology
d. Immunology
e. Taxonomy
14. What chemical causes death in many eukaryotes because it blocks cytochrome c oxidase?
a. Copper
b. Iron
c. Cyanide
d. Oxygen
e. Carbon monoxide
15. The outcome of the Gram stain is based on differences in the cell's
a. Ribosomes
b. Inclusions
c. Cell wall
d. Cell membrane
e. Flagella
16. A fat is called if all carbons of the fatty acid chain are single bonded to 2 other
carbons and 2 hydrogens.
a. Unsaturated
b. Polyunsaturated
c. Monounsaturated
d. Saturated
e. None of the choices are correct
17.The lipid group that serves as energy storage molecules are
a. Prostaglandins
b. Waxes
c. Phospholipids
d. Steroids
e. Triglycerides
18. Which type of microscope does not use light in forming the specimen image?
a. Bright-field
b. Dark-field
, Straighterline / BIO 250 / Microbiology Midterm Exam
c. Phase-contrast
d. Fluorescence
e. Electron
19. A confocal scanning optical microscope
a. Uses ultraviolet light to form a specimen image
b. Shows three-dimensional cell images from the cell surface to the middle of the cell
c. Produces specimen images on electron micrographs
d. Uses dyes that emit visible light when bombarded by ultraviolet rays
e. Requires specimens to be stained
20. Which of the following is found in eukaryotic cells but not in prokaryotic cells?
a. Nucleus
b. Mitochondria
c. Endoplasmic reticulum
d. Lysosomes
e. All of the choices are correct
21. A type of cofactor would be
a. Vitamins
b. Metallic ions
c. Active sites
d. Substrates
e. Ribozymes
22. The term chemotroph refers to an organism that
a. Uses CO2 for its carbon source
b. Must obtain organic compounds for its carbon needs
c. Gets energy from sunlight
d. Gets energy by oxidizing chemical compounds
e. Does not need a carbon source
23. Polar molecules
a. Have an equal charge distribution
b. Have an unequal charge distribution
c. Are insoluble in water
d. Always contain carbon
e. Always involve oxygen
24. The basal body of a flagellum in gram-positive bacteria is anchored into the
a. Hook
b. Outer membrane
c. Cell wall
