BIOLOGY 5236 EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
The transfer of pollen from one flower to another while a bee is collecting nectar is an
example of which of the following relationships?
(A) Commensalism
(B) Mutualism
(C) Competition
(D) Parasitism - Correct Answers -(B) Mutualism
Taxonomic classification of two different organisms as members of the same order
indicates that they are also members of the same:
(A) family
(B) genus
(C) phylum
(D) species - Correct Answers -(C) phylum
Which of the following changes typically occurs in a eukaryotic cell as it progresses
through the S phase of the cell cycle?
(A) The nuclear membrane breaks down.
(B) The quantity of DNA in the cell doubles.
(C) The cell membrane pinches inward to form a cleavage furrow.
(D) The duplicated chromosomes line up along the equatorial plate. - Correct Answers -
(B) The quantity of DNA in the cell doubles.
Which TWO of the following characteristics are shared by members of the kingdom
Fungi?
(A) Can perform photosynthesis
(B) Have cell walls that contain chitin
(C) Secrete digestive enzymes into the surrounding environment
(D) Have circular chromosomes that are unprotected by a nuclear membrane - Correct
Answers -(B) Have cell walls that contain chitin
(C) Secrete digestive enzymes into the surrounding environment
A student is preparing a poster to show the proposed evolutionary relationships among
several different species. Which of the following types of representations should the
student use for the poster?
(A) A histogram
(B) A flow chart
(C) A scatterplot
, (D) A phylogenetic tree - Correct Answers -(D) A phylogenetic tree
Recently, seasonal dead zones in low-oxygen waters have been occurring annually in
the Gulf of Mexico near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The dead zones result from
the rapid growth of photosynthetic phytoplankton and their subsequent decay by
oxygendepleting microbes in the water column. Which of the following changes most
likely triggers the rapid growth of the photosynthetic phytoplankton?
(A) A decrease in competition from other marine phytoplankton during the summer
months
(B) A decrease in the light level in surface waters as day length starts to shorten after
the summer solstice
(C) An increase in predation by marine larvae and other zooplankton during the summer
months
(D) An increase in the influx of nutrients derived from chemical fertilizers that are high in
nitrogen and phosphorus - Correct Answers -(D) An increase in the influx of nutrients
derived from chemical fertilizers that are high in nitrogen and phosphorus
Damage to the sinoatrial node in the human heart is most likely to result in which of the
following?
(A) Disruption of the rate and timing of cardiac muscle contractions
(B) Blockage of valve closure between the atria and the ventricles
(C) Mixing of blood in the right and left atria
(D) Decrease in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery - Correct Answers -(A)
Disruption of the rate and timing of cardiac muscle contractions
A teacher tells students that the hydrolysis of one molecule of lactose produces one
molecule of glucose and one molecule of galactose. The teacher then asks the students
to use the information to identify a term that describes a molecule of lactose. Which of
the following responses is the most accurate?
(A) Amino acid
(B) Disaccharide
(C) Fatty acid
(D) Nucleotide - Correct Answers -(B) Disaccharide
The population of a particular mammalian species has dwindled to less than 1,000
individuals. Which of the following is most likely to cause the population to become
extinct?
(A) Absence of interspecific competition
(B) Increased gene flow
(C) Presence of disruptive selection
(D) Decreased genetic diversity - Correct Answers -(D) Decreased genetic diversity
Which of the following visual aids will best support an investigation of energy flow
through the organisms in a particular ecosystem?
(A) A cladogram
(B) A Punnett square
AND ANSWERS
The transfer of pollen from one flower to another while a bee is collecting nectar is an
example of which of the following relationships?
(A) Commensalism
(B) Mutualism
(C) Competition
(D) Parasitism - Correct Answers -(B) Mutualism
Taxonomic classification of two different organisms as members of the same order
indicates that they are also members of the same:
(A) family
(B) genus
(C) phylum
(D) species - Correct Answers -(C) phylum
Which of the following changes typically occurs in a eukaryotic cell as it progresses
through the S phase of the cell cycle?
(A) The nuclear membrane breaks down.
(B) The quantity of DNA in the cell doubles.
(C) The cell membrane pinches inward to form a cleavage furrow.
(D) The duplicated chromosomes line up along the equatorial plate. - Correct Answers -
(B) The quantity of DNA in the cell doubles.
Which TWO of the following characteristics are shared by members of the kingdom
Fungi?
(A) Can perform photosynthesis
(B) Have cell walls that contain chitin
(C) Secrete digestive enzymes into the surrounding environment
(D) Have circular chromosomes that are unprotected by a nuclear membrane - Correct
Answers -(B) Have cell walls that contain chitin
(C) Secrete digestive enzymes into the surrounding environment
A student is preparing a poster to show the proposed evolutionary relationships among
several different species. Which of the following types of representations should the
student use for the poster?
(A) A histogram
(B) A flow chart
(C) A scatterplot
, (D) A phylogenetic tree - Correct Answers -(D) A phylogenetic tree
Recently, seasonal dead zones in low-oxygen waters have been occurring annually in
the Gulf of Mexico near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The dead zones result from
the rapid growth of photosynthetic phytoplankton and their subsequent decay by
oxygendepleting microbes in the water column. Which of the following changes most
likely triggers the rapid growth of the photosynthetic phytoplankton?
(A) A decrease in competition from other marine phytoplankton during the summer
months
(B) A decrease in the light level in surface waters as day length starts to shorten after
the summer solstice
(C) An increase in predation by marine larvae and other zooplankton during the summer
months
(D) An increase in the influx of nutrients derived from chemical fertilizers that are high in
nitrogen and phosphorus - Correct Answers -(D) An increase in the influx of nutrients
derived from chemical fertilizers that are high in nitrogen and phosphorus
Damage to the sinoatrial node in the human heart is most likely to result in which of the
following?
(A) Disruption of the rate and timing of cardiac muscle contractions
(B) Blockage of valve closure between the atria and the ventricles
(C) Mixing of blood in the right and left atria
(D) Decrease in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery - Correct Answers -(A)
Disruption of the rate and timing of cardiac muscle contractions
A teacher tells students that the hydrolysis of one molecule of lactose produces one
molecule of glucose and one molecule of galactose. The teacher then asks the students
to use the information to identify a term that describes a molecule of lactose. Which of
the following responses is the most accurate?
(A) Amino acid
(B) Disaccharide
(C) Fatty acid
(D) Nucleotide - Correct Answers -(B) Disaccharide
The population of a particular mammalian species has dwindled to less than 1,000
individuals. Which of the following is most likely to cause the population to become
extinct?
(A) Absence of interspecific competition
(B) Increased gene flow
(C) Presence of disruptive selection
(D) Decreased genetic diversity - Correct Answers -(D) Decreased genetic diversity
Which of the following visual aids will best support an investigation of energy flow
through the organisms in a particular ecosystem?
(A) A cladogram
(B) A Punnett square
