General Microbiology Questions and
answers
Classification of organisms - correct answer-Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus,
Species
Phylogenetic trees - correct answer-a branching diagram that represents a hypothesis about
the evolutionary history of a group of organisms
Types of microbes - correct answer-bacteria, archeae, fungi, molds, yeasts, protozoa, algae,
viruses, multicellular animal parasites
rRNA - correct answer-The RNA component of the ribosome, and is essential for protein
synthesis in all living organisms.
Theory of RNA as the original hereditary material. - correct answer-original molecule must
have fulfilled protein and hereditary function. Earliest cells may have been RNA surrounded
by liposomes.
Endosymbiosis - correct answer-A process in which a unicellular organism (the "host")
engulfs another cell, which lives within the host cell and ultimately becomes an organelle in
the host cell; also refers to the hypothesis that mitochondria and plastids were formerly small
prokaryotes that began living within larger cells.
Horizontal gene transfer - correct answer-A process in which an organism incorporates
genetic material from another organism without being the offspring of that organism.
Spontaneous generation - correct answer-A hypothetical organic phenomenon by which
living organisms are created from nonliving matter.
Van Leeuwenhoek - correct answer-First person to observe and describe microorganisms
accurately.
John Needham - correct answer-Heated broth in sealed flasks.When the broth became
cloudy with microrganisms, he mistakenly concluded that they developed spontaneously
from the broth.
Lazzaro Spallanzani - correct answer-Boiled open and closed flasks of broth to disprove
spontaneous generation.
Louis Pasteur - correct answer-A French chemist, this man discovered that heat could kill
bacteria that otherwise spoiled liquids including milk, wine, and beer.
Joseph Lister - correct answer-A surgeon who used carbolic acid to control wound infection.
answers
Classification of organisms - correct answer-Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus,
Species
Phylogenetic trees - correct answer-a branching diagram that represents a hypothesis about
the evolutionary history of a group of organisms
Types of microbes - correct answer-bacteria, archeae, fungi, molds, yeasts, protozoa, algae,
viruses, multicellular animal parasites
rRNA - correct answer-The RNA component of the ribosome, and is essential for protein
synthesis in all living organisms.
Theory of RNA as the original hereditary material. - correct answer-original molecule must
have fulfilled protein and hereditary function. Earliest cells may have been RNA surrounded
by liposomes.
Endosymbiosis - correct answer-A process in which a unicellular organism (the "host")
engulfs another cell, which lives within the host cell and ultimately becomes an organelle in
the host cell; also refers to the hypothesis that mitochondria and plastids were formerly small
prokaryotes that began living within larger cells.
Horizontal gene transfer - correct answer-A process in which an organism incorporates
genetic material from another organism without being the offspring of that organism.
Spontaneous generation - correct answer-A hypothetical organic phenomenon by which
living organisms are created from nonliving matter.
Van Leeuwenhoek - correct answer-First person to observe and describe microorganisms
accurately.
John Needham - correct answer-Heated broth in sealed flasks.When the broth became
cloudy with microrganisms, he mistakenly concluded that they developed spontaneously
from the broth.
Lazzaro Spallanzani - correct answer-Boiled open and closed flasks of broth to disprove
spontaneous generation.
Louis Pasteur - correct answer-A French chemist, this man discovered that heat could kill
bacteria that otherwise spoiled liquids including milk, wine, and beer.
Joseph Lister - correct answer-A surgeon who used carbolic acid to control wound infection.
