Contemporary Biology Exam Review
Course Introduction
Contemporary Biology explores the fundamental principles and current advances in the biological sciences, emphasizing how modern discoveries, technologies, and societal issues shape our understanding of life. The course covers key topics such as genetics, evolution, ecology, cellular processes, and biotechnology, with a focus on real-world applications and ethical considerations. Students will examine contemporary problems like climate change, emerging diseases, and genetic engineering, developing critical thinking skills to analyze the impact of biology on society and individual lives.
Recommended Textbook
Biology Now 2nd Edition by Anne Houtman
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21 Chapters
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Chapter 1: The Nature of Science
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Sample Questions
Q1) Is it important for scientists to communicate their results to fellow scientists?
A) Yes. Scientists want to receive recognition and monetary reward for their work.
B) No. There is no reason for scientists to communicate their results to fellow scientists.
C) Yes. The quality and accuracy of the scientific work can be enhanced by input, further review, and possibly even repetition by other scientists working in the same field.
D) No. Communication between scientists is discouraged because it can confuse the details of the experiments.
Answer: C
Q2) When Dr. Blehert and his team set out to determine the cause of death for thousands of bats, they determined that the sick and dead bats had a strange white fuzz on their noses and wings along with depleted fat reserves and damaged wing tissue. After performing observational studies, the researchers used a branch of mathematics called ________ to quantify the reliability of their data.
Answer: statistics
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Chapter 2: Evaluating Scientific Claims
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Q1) Although it seems contradictory,real science does not intend to "prove" a hypothesis to be true.This is because
A) all true hypotheses will be rejected by the scientific method because they can be proven false.
B) future experiments or discoveries may provide data that refutes the hypothesis.
C) science is a human endeavor, and like all human endeavors, it is limited by human understanding.
D) the scientific method is limited to examination of the natural world.
Answer: B
Q2) review articles found in peer-reviewed scientific journals
A)primary
B)secondary
Answer: B
Q3) <i>Science</i>,a peer-reviewed scientific journal
A)primary
B)secondary
Answer: A
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Chemistry of Life
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Sample Questions
Q1) Some structure in a protein molecule is due to weak electrical attractions.
A)covalent
B)hydrogen
C)ionic
Answer: B
Q2) How many valence electrons are in each hydrogen atom?
A)0
B)1
C)2
D)4
E)8
Answer: B
Q3) After adding a small amount of Solution A to Solution B,the pH of Solution B declines from 8 to 3.Solution A must contain
A) a salt.
B) a base.
C) water only.
D) an acid.
Answer: D
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Life Is Cellular
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Q1) rough endoplasmic reticulum
A)photosynthesis
B)regulate what moves in and out of cell
C)structure and support for cell
D)lipid synthesis
E)tags proteins for movement
F)enzymatic breakdown of large molecules
G)protein synthesis
H)cellular respiration
I)water and solute storage
J)location of DNA
K)internal organization and structural support
Q2) Scientists repeat their experiments over and over again because they
A) never get it right the first time.
B) can never be sure what procedural steps they followed the first few times.
C) must make sure the results were not accidents and that they are repeatable.
D) simply have extra time and resources that must be used.
Q3) A cell surrounded by only a plasma membrane but containing a nucleus,mitochondria,Golgi apparatus,both smooth and rough ER,ribosomes,cytoskeleton,and lysosomes would be an example of a typical ________ cell.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: How Cells Work
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Q1) produces carbon dioxide
A)photosynthesis only
B)cellular respiration only
C)both photosynthesis and cellular respiration
D)neither photosynthesis nor cellular respiration
Q2) Humans store sugars in the form of glycogen.Glycogen is made by linking many glucose molecules together.This process is ________.
Q3) What type of reactions release energy by breaking down complex molecules?
A) catabolic
B) anabolic
C) photosynthetic
D) dehydration synthesis
Q4) The energy required for life processes must be extracted from an organism's A) nucleus.
B) environment.
C) predators.
D) biosynthesis.
Q5) uses water
A) light reactions
B) light-independent reactions
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Chapter 6: Cell Division
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Q1) Gametes are produced by meiosis rather than mitosis because
A) mitosis would produce too many sister cells.
B) meiosis reduces the chromosome number so that zygotes produced will have one full genome.
C) meiosis doubles the chromosome number so that each gamete has twice the usual number of genes.
D) meiosis ensures that the gametes are identical to the cell that produced them.
Q2) Homologous chromosomes
A) are only found in bacterial cells.
B) are only in the cell during S phase.
C) consist of a maternal and paternal copy of each chromosome.
D) consist of six sister chromatids that are held together at the centrosome.
Q3) The result of ________ is to increase genetic diversity by creating a new diploid individual from haploid cells.
Q4) Which of the following would promote a cell to move through the G checkpoint?
A) The cell lacks necessary nutrients.
B) The genetic information has been duplicated.
C) The cell is too small in size.
D) A chromosome has been damaged.
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Chapter 7: Patterns of Inheritance
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Q1) In a genetic cross in which the heterozygous phenotype is intermediate between the two homozygous phenotypes,________ dominance is expressed.
Q2) The observation that individuals afflicted with albinism also always have vision problems is an example of A) codominance.
B) incomplete dominance.
C) pleiotropy.
D) epistasis.
Q3) A Punnett square is used to
A) determine the source of new alleles.
B) determine how many genes control a given trait.
C) predict the gametes that will be produced by an organism.
D) predict the genotypes and phenotypes of a genetic cross.
Q4) If two different alleles for the same trait have an equal effect on the phenotype,the alleles are A) codominant.
B) recessive.
C) epistatic.
D) incompletely dominant.
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Chapter 8: Chromosomes and Human Genetics
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Q1) Except for the sex chromosomes,all the chromosomes shown in a karyotype are numbered and are called ________.
Q2) A disease caused by an inherited mutation is a ________ disorder.
Q3) heterozygous for an autosomal gene
A)Bb
B)XaY
C)XAXa
D)bb
E)XAXA
F)BB
G)XAY
Q4) Which of the following must be true for a woman who is heterozygous for a given gene?
A) She must be heterozygous for all genes.
B) All of her eggs will contain both of the alleles for that gene.
C) All of her eggs will contain one allele or the other but not both alleles.
D) She carries a rare mutation.
Q5) Would a karyotype for a human male be considered normal if it shows 45 autosomes and a single pair of sex chromosomes? Explain your reasoning.
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Chapter 9: What Genes Are
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Q1) DNA replication
A) involves the copying of only the parts of a chromosome that encode protein.
B) occurs before mitosis in the cell cycle.
C) occurs immediately after mitosis.
D) converts the double helix to two single helices.
Q2) In a single strand of DNA,the total number of phosphate groups present is equal to the total number of ________ bases.
A) adenine
B) adenine and thymine
C) guanine and cytosine
D) adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine
Q3) If one strand of DNA has the sequence CGATT,the sequence of the other strand of the same molecule will be
A) CGATT.
B) GCTUU.
C) TACGG.
D) GCTAA.
Q4) The CRISPR-Cas9 system is a combination of guide ________ and ________ proteins.
Q5) A strand of DNA has the sequence GCAATTCG.The sequence of the complementary strand is ________.
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Chapter 10: How Genes Work
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Q1) A protein that binds to the ________ of DNA down-regulates protein production by inhibiting the binding of RNA polymerase.
Q2) A human gene put into a plant cell will
A) not produce a protein.
B) produce a plant protein.
C) produce the same protein produced in a human cell.
D) produce a hybrid protein consisting of both human and plant components.
Q3) In humans,the herbicide atrazine helps RNA polymerase bind to the promoter of the gene for the enzyme aromatase.As a result,
A) more mRNA for aromatase is produced.
B) less mRNA for aromatase is produced.
C) the production of aromatase is inhibited.
D) aromatase is degraded by other enzymes in the cell.
Q4) Following transcription,the
A) strands of DNA bond back to each other.
B) mRNA is digested.
C) DNA molecule is broken down.
D) ribosome is released from the tRNA molecule.
Q5) The process of using an RNA template to make proteins is called ________.
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Chapter 11: Evidence for Evolution
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Q1) Bats have the same forelimb bones as humans,but the size of these bones is different.
A)comparative embryology
B)fossil evidence
C)comparative anatomy
D)comparative DNA
E)biogeographic evidence
Q2) Grasshopper mice prey on venomous scorpions.Though the mice have some level of resistance to the scorpion venom,scorpions with more potent venom are better able to fend off attack by a grasshopper mouse.Over time,the population of scorpions all produce more potent venom.This is an example of ________ selection.
Q3) Some whales have teeth as embryos but do not as adults.What is the most likely explanation of this phenomenon?
A) Whales are in the process of evolving teeth.
B) Whale teeth appear as the result of a frequently occurring mutation.
C) Whales evolved from organisms that have teeth.
D) The allele for teeth is unusually common in some whale populations.
Q4) A fossil is found in Africa and South America but nowhere else in the world.What does this tell us about this organism?
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Chapter 12: Mechanisms of Evolution
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Q1) During gene flow,
A) chance events alter the gene pool of a population.
B) new individuals contribute their alleles to the gene pool of a population.
C) alleles that make an individual more successful move from one population to another.
D) crossing-over creates new combinations of alleles during gamete formation.
Q2) Both insects and humans evolved jointed legs to allow locomotion on land.These structures are considered analogous because insects and humans
A) stopped evolving at different times in Earth's history.
B) evolved from different ancestors.
C) cannot breed.
D) faced different environmental challenges during evolutionary time.
Q3) A friend states,"Exposing bacteria to antibiotics causes the cells to mutate to become antibiotic resistant." Explain to your friend why he is incorrect and provide the correct explanation.
Q4) Bacteria often store genes on small,circular pieces of DNA called plasmids.The process of transmitting these plasmids and the genes they contain to other bacteria is called ________ and is an example of gene flow.
Q5) Compare and contrast bottleneck and founder effect.
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Chapter 13: Adaptation and Species
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Q1) If two populations of beetles living in isolated areas are physically different but genetically similar,would they be considered one species or two? Explain your answer.
Q2) Geographic isolation limits the ________ between separated populations of a species.
A) genetic differences
B) adaptation
C) directional selection
D) gene flow
Q3) Which of the following would NOT be expected after a population undergoes geographic isolation?
A) a decrease in gene flow
B) an increase in gene flow
C) allopatric speciation
D) formation of adaptive traits
Q4) The great diversity of life on Earth is caused by the formation of new species in a process known as ________.
Q5) ecological isolation
A)prezygotic
B)postzygotic
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Chapter 14: The History of Life
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Q1) At the base of the evolutionary tree of all life is the ________ ancestor.
A) universal
B) convergent
C) derived
D) descended
Q2) The most recent mass extinction,which occurred during the Cretaceous period,may have been caused by
A) extra heat from the sun.
B) the pull of the moon on Earth.
C) the dinosaurs.
D) an asteroid hitting Earth.
Q3) Neighboring plant or fungi cells share a common cell wall,making multicellularity relatively simple.How do animal cells remain connected to one another?
A) Animal cells share a common plasma membrane rather than a common cell wall.
B) Long interconnecting fibers extend from the nucleus of one cell to the nucleus of an adjacent cell.
C) Most animals produce a felt-like extracellular matrix to which their cells can attach.
D) Animal cells are connected to each other by the cytoskeleton.
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Chapter 15: Bacteria and Archaea
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Q1) allow bacteria to adhere to each other or to a surface in their environment
A)capsule
B)pili
C)flagella
D)ribosomes
E)DNA
Q2) In which of the following environments would archaea be expected but not bacteria?
A) a hydrothermal vent
B) a belly button
C) water in a cave
D) dead matter in shallow water
Q3) A prokaryote that uses carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and sunlight for energy is called a(n)________.
Q4) Archaeans found in deep-sea hydrothermal vents would be expected to
A) use carbon dioxide in photosynthesis.
B) obtain energy from inorganic chemicals.
C) produce oxygen gas as a by-product.
D) obtain energy from sunlight.
Q5) What role do pili serve in the formation of a biofilm?
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Plants, Fungi, and Protists
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Q1) Gingko biloba is the sole surviving species of what was once many species.Popular as ornamentals in the United States and Europe,Ginkgos are trees that can reach heights of 90 feet or more.They have wedged-shape leaves that show a branching network of vascular tissues.Pollen is produced on male trees,and the seeds are produced on female trees but are not enclosed in a fruit structure.The Gingko biloba are an example of A) gymnosperms.
B) angiosperms.
C) aquatic algae.
D) bryophytes.
Q2) As Charlotte snorkels near the shoreline,she notices large masses of something green swaying with the surf.She suspects this to be a large plant in the ocean.She collects a sample.Upon closer examination,she discovers that there are no vascular structures to absorb and transport water and nutrients throughout the organism,but there are chloroplasts present in the cells.This organism most likely belongs to kingdom A) Fungi.
B) Plantae.
C) Animalia.
D) Protista.
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Chapter 17: Animals and Human Evolution
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Q1) In vertebrates,the dorsal notochord has evolved to become the cushioning discs between ________,the strong,hollow sections of the backbone.
Q2) Fossil evidence indicates that the first members of the genus Homo arose in Africa approximately ________ years ago.
A) 2 to 3 million
B) 200,000
C) 500,000
D) 1 million
Q3) Evidence indicates that archaic <i>Homo sapiens</i> gave rise to which of the following?
A) Homo habilis and Homo neanderthalensis
B) modern humans and Homo habilis
C) modern humans and Homo neanderthalensis
D) Homo rudolfensis and Homo neanderthalensis
Q4) Humans and polar bears are examples of ________,mammals that nourish their developing offspring through a well-developed placenta prior to birth.
Q5) How might being bilaterally symmetrical be an evolutionary advantage for a fish?
Q6) Compare and contrast the three types of mammals.
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Chapter 18: General Principles of Ecology
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Q1) One of the primary forces that causes atmospheric circulation is convection,which occurs when
A) the rotation of Earth exerts friction on the atmosphere.
B) warm air at the surface rises and displaces the cooler air above it.
C) winds blowing north or south are deflected to the left or right by Earth's rotation.
D) the tilt of Earth's axis of rotation causes the atmosphere to slide toward the equator.
Q2) How does deforestation in a tropical rainforest affect the water cycle?
Q3) The graph below indicating average global temperature only shows recorded temperatures back to 1880.If there is a correlation between carbon dioxide levels and average global temperature,what would be expected if the average global temperature graph was extended back to the year 1500?
Q4) a rock formation
A)biotic
B)abiotic
C)biosphere
D)weather
E)climate
Q5) Describe how burning fossil fuels can warm the planet.
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Chapter 19: Growth of Populations
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Q1) Why do logistic growth curves have an "S" shape?
Q2) Is it reasonable to expect that all habitats suitable for a given organism will have the same carrying capacity for that organism?
A) Yes; unless the carrying capacities are the same, the habitat would not be suitable.
B) Yes; the carrying capacity is determined solely by the type of organism being considered.
C) No; an organism may be able to live in many locations, but the resources it requires may be available in varying amounts.
D) No; it is not possible for two habitats to have the same carrying capacity.
Q3) One measure of population growth is the period in which a population increases to twice its size.This is referred to as the ________ of the population.
Q4) When an isolated population reaches its carrying capacity,
A) the birth rate > the death rate.
B) the birth rate = the death rate.
C) the birth rate < the death rate.
D) It is not possible to generalize these values.
Q5) Weather is a density-________ factor that can affect the size of a population.
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Chapter 20: Communities of Organisms
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Q1) Which of the following communities would be considered to have the greatest species richness?
A) an elk gut with 240 species of microorganisms, where 95 percent of the microorganisms are bacteria
B) a small forest in North America made up of 10 species of birds, 125 insect species, and five tree species
C) a community of 150 small invertebrates classified as 15 different species living within a puddle
D) a large grassland community in South America with 175 species of grasses, birds, and insects
Q2) Which species has the highest relative abundance in a forest of trees that is 30 percent loblolly pine,15 percent shortleaf pine,10 percent white oak,10 percent red oak,20 percent sweetgum,5 percent hickory,5 percent dogwood,and 5 percent redbuds?
A) redbud
B) shortleaf pine
C) loblolly pine
D) sweetgum
Q3) How does primary succession differ from secondary succession?
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Chapter 21: Ecosystems
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Q1) Tuna are predatory fish that consume smaller,carnivorous fish that have fed on zooplankton.The zooplankton had fed on phytoplankton.When a human eats tuna,that person is the ________ trophic level of the food chain.
A) second
B) third
C) fourth
D) fifth
Q2) Which of the following groups of organisms would NOT be considered consumers?
A) herbivores
B) predators
C) decomposers
D) photosynthesizers
Q3) In marine ecosystems,net primary productivity tends to be
A) greater along shorelines where terrestrial nutrients enter the marine environment.
B) lower where the oceans border land because terrestrial pollution suppresses marine productivity.
C) lowest in areas where upwelling brings colder water to the surface.
D) greater than the net primary productivity on land.
Q4) Explain how energy enters and progresses through a food chain.
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