Contemporary Biology Practice Exam - 1260 Verified Questions

Contemporary Biology Practice Exam

Course Introduction

Contemporary Biology explores the fundamental concepts and recent advancements in biological sciences, emphasizing their relevance to current societal issues and technological developments. The course covers key topics such as genetics, evolution, ecology, cellular biology, and physiology, integrating discussions on how modern biology impacts health, environment, and biotechnology. Students will engage with current research findings, case studies, and ethical considerations to develop a comprehensive understanding of how biology shapes and is shaped by the world today.

Recommended Textbook

Biology Now Core 1st Edition by Anne

Houtman

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Chapter 1: The Nature of Science

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Q1) Which of the following statements is true?

A)Once a hypothesis has been proposed,it can never be challenged.

B)A valid scientific hypothesis is self-evident and does not need to be tested by experimentation.

C)The scientific method or process can help people make informed medical and environmental decisions.

D)If properly designed,experiments always prove hypotheses to be wrong.

Answer: C

Q2) Which of these characteristics of living organisms are present in viruses?

A)composed of one or more cells;obtain energy from their environment;reproduce using DNA (or RNA)

B)reproduce using DNA (or RNA);sense their environment and respond to it;can evolve as groups

C)maintain a constant internal environment;obtain energy from their environment;composed of one or more cells

D)obtain energy from their environment;composed of one or more cells;maintain a constant internal environment

Answer: B

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Chapter 2: Chemistry of Life

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Sample Questions

Q1) The element ________ makes up the chemical backbone of most molecules on planet Earth.

Answer: carbon

Q2) Which of the following pieces of evidence would best demonstrate that a bacterium found on an asteroid originated in outer space?

A)the presence of volcanic ash on the outside of the bacterial cell

B)the absence of common gases found in Earth's atmosphere

C)the presence of right-handed amino acids in the bacterium's proteins

D)the absence of hydrogen bonds between water molecules in the bacterial cell

Answer: C

Q3) In the chemical reaction that forms hydrogen peroxide (H O ),hydrogen and oxygen share electrons creating ________ bonds between the two atoms.

A)covalent

B)peptide

C)hydrogen

D)ionic

Answer: A

Q4) The positively charged subatomic particle is located in the ________. Answer: nucleus

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Chapter 3: Life Is Cellular

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Sample Questions

Q1) Living cells have an intact phospholipid bilayer that separates the cell from its external environment;this structure is commonly referred to as the A)nucleus.

B)mitochondria.

C)endoplasmic reticulum.

D)plasma membrane.

Answer: D

Q2) Which of the following statements most accurately describes a selectively permeable membrane?

A)Solutes are never able to cross the membrane.

B)Large molecules are always excluded from crossing the membrane.

C)Substances can only pass through the membrane with the help of either active or passive transport proteins.

D)Certain solutes move freely across the membrane by simple diffusion while others must be helped across by active or passive transport proteins;some substances are completely excluded from crossing the membrane.

Answer: D

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Chapter 4: How Cells Work

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Sample Questions

Q1) ________ reactions release energy by breaking down complex molecules.

A)Catabolic

B)Anabolic

C)Photosynthetic

D)Respiration

Q2) A hypothetical chemical forms a permanent bond between the phosphates in ATP.How would this affect the cell?

Q3) The Krebs cycle produces

A)NADH,ATP,and FADH₂.

B)water and carbon dioxide.

C)ADP and NADP⁺.

D)acetyl CoA and sugars.

Q4) Humans store sugars in the form of glycogen.Glycogen is made by linking many glucose molecules together.This process is ________.

Q5) produces carbon dioxide

A)photosynthesis only

B)cellular respiration only

C)both photosynthesis and cellular respiration

D)neither photosynthesis nor cellular respiration

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Chapter 5: Cell Division

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Sample Questions

Q1) An actively dividing cell has six chromosomes.How many sister chromatids are present within this cell at the end of G phase?

A)0

B)3

C)6

D)12

Q2) Model organisms (like mice)used in the study of genetic disease

A)are selected strictly for ethical reasons.

B)cannot be trusted since they are very different from human cells.

C)should either be mice or bacteria.

D)may accurately reflect how diseases like cancer occur in humans.

Q3) Consider mitosis,meiosis,and binary fission.Which one of these three processes is the simplest for a cell to complete? Explain.

Q4) Which of the following foods is most likely to contain haploid cells?

A)a sirloin steak

B)an apple

C)a stalk of celery

D)an egg

Q5) Sister chromatids are held together at a constriction point called a ________.

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Chapter 6: Patterns of Inheritance

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Q1) Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A)Traits that are determined by the effect of more than one gene are known as polygenic.

B)Environmental factors can alter the effects of genes.

C)Most traits are under the control of more than one gene.

D)A genotype is always expressed in the phenotype.

Q2) Is it possible for two organisms with the same genotype to have different phenotypes? Explain your answer.

Q3) A thoroughbred racehorse could have at most ________ alleles of the same gene.

A)16

B)8

C)4

D)2

Q4) Which of the following choices represents the genotype of an individual diploid organism?

A)BbCCdd

B)BCd

C)bcd

D)BbCd

Q5) Differentiate between pleiotropy and polygenic traits.

Page 8

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Chapter 7: Chromosomes and Human Genetics

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Sample Questions

Q1) Why are X-linked recessive genetic disorders more commonly seen in males?

A)For an X-linked disorder to occur,an individual must receive one allele only found on the X chromosome and a second allele found only on the Y chromosome,which females do not have.

B)Females must receive two copies of the recessive allele to exhibit the disorder,but males need only one copy.

C)The alleles of sex-linked genes are carried only on the Y chromosome,which females do not have.

D)Females only have X chromosomes and genes on the X chromosome are not expressed.

Q2) Most inherited human genetic disorders are inherited as ________ alleles.

A)dominant

B)recessive

C)homologous

D)sex-linked

Q3) If an individual has two alleles at a given locus that are different,the individual is said to be ________ for the gene.

Q4) An individual who carries one copy of a recessive mutated allele and one normal copy is referred to as a genetic ________.

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Chapter 8: What Genes Are

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Sample Questions

Q1) In a strand of double-stranded DNA,C will always be bound with A)A.

B)T.

C)C.

D)G.

Q2) What would be the result if DNA polymerase did not have the ability to proofread?

A)DNA replication would not proceed at all.

B)DNA replication would proceed more slowly.

C)DNA replication would result in more mutations.

D)DNA replication would result in additional copies of DNA.

Q3) A permanent change in the DNA base sequence due to an uncorrected mismatch error is called a(n)

A)mutation.

B)replication.

C)repair protein.

D)insertion.

Q4) A strand of DNA has the sequence GCAATTCG.The sequence of the complementary strand is ________.

Q5) The enzyme that copies DNA is called ________.

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Chapter 9: How Genes Work

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Q1) In the genetic code,a codon is

A)two bases long for all cell types.

B)three bases long for all cell types.

C)three bases long for bacterial cells and two bases long for plant cells.

D)three bases long for plant cells and three bases long for bacterial cells.

Q2) Transforming plants with a human gene produces a protein that is identical to the original human protein.Explain how this evidence demonstrates that the genetic code is universal,and list another experiment that could be used to further support this theory.

Q3) Some viruses produce an enzyme called reverse transcriptase.Based on your understanding of gene expression,what should this enzyme do?

A)It produces RNA from a DNA template.

B)It produces DNA from an RNA template.

C)It produces proteins from an RNA template.

D)It produces RNA from a protein template.

Q4) Which of the following best describes the function of genes?

A)They control the production of enzymes.

B)They control the production of structural proteins.

C)They control the production of all proteins.

D)They control the production of amino acids.

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Chapter 10: Evidence for Evolution

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Q1) Placing a human gene into a plant produces the same protein as would be produced in a human.Some of the genes in plants are similar to human genes;others are very different.What does this information indicate about the relationship between humans and plants?

Q2) Why do human embryos develop gill slits?

A)The gill slits become the lungs.

B)The ancestor of humans had gills.

C)This helps the embryo breathe in the womb.

D)This is an unexplained mutation in humans that does not exist in other animals.

Q3) Two fossils are found in a hillside.Fossil A was found in an upper layer and fossil B was found in a lower layer.Which of the following statements is true?

A)A likely evolved from B.

B)B likely evolved from A.

C)A is likely the oldest of these fossils.

D)B is likely the oldest of these fossils.

Q4) Dolphin embryos have both forelimbs,which will become the flippers,and hind limbs,which will not develop.Explain how this supports the conclusion that dolphins are related to humans.

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Page 12

Chapter 11: Mechanisms of Evolution

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Q1) Gene flow occurs

A)as a result of genetic drift.

B)when an individual migrates between two otherwise isolated populations of a species.

C)as a result of mutations in one population but not in another.

D)when individuals within a population interbreed.

Q2) A used car is shipped from Australia to the United States.Stowed away in the trunk of the car is a piece of wood infected with Australian termites.Once in the United States,the buyer of the car finds the rotting wood and dumps it on the side of the road.The termites survive and establish a colony on the side of the road but do not mate with local termite populations.This is an example of

A)genetic drift.

B)mutation.

C)natural selection.

D)gene flow.

Q3) Evaluate the accuracy of the following statement: The natural selection of a prey species can be altered if a new predator is introduced.Explain how you reached your conclusion.

Q4) Compare and contrast bottleneck and founder effect.

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Page 13

Chapter 12: Adaptation and Species

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Q1) Geographic isolation limits the ________ between populations of a species.

A)genetic differences

B)adaptation

C)directional selection

D)gene flow

Q2) A large population of animals is split in two by a physical barrier.Over time,the genetic makeup of the two resulting populations becomes more and more different until each population becomes a separate species.This is an example of

A)sympatric speciation.

B)allopatric speciation.

C)genetic drift.

D)natural selection.

Q3) Using reproductive isolation as a method of defining a species is NOT useful for A)species whose ranges overlap.

B)species that cannot produce hybrids.

C)organisms known only from fossils.

D)organisms that reproduce sexually.

Q4) Choose two different reproductive barriers that lead to sympatric speciation and explain how they work.

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Chapter 13: The History of Life

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Sample Questions

Q1) Any two groups of organisms will have

A)two most recent common ancestors.

B)no more than four most recent common ancestors.

C)only one most recent common ancestor.

D)as many as 16 most recent common ancestors.

Q2) Evolutionary trees are continually revised by scientists as new information becomes available from various sources such as

A)better understanding of the details of physiological processes.

B)additional,similar fossils found in relation to the geological time period.

C)the continued evolution of current Earth species.

D)the identification of alien species that have reached Earth via meteorites and comets.

Q3) The current classification system used by biologists is

A)complex and unchanging.

B)universally accepted by all biologists.

C)based on four generalized types of living organisms: the Bacteria,the Archaea,the Eukary,and the Protista.

D)updated and revised whenever new information becomes available.

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Page 15

Chapter 14: Human Evolution

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Sample Questions

Q1) Species

A)Homo

B)Primates

C)Chordata

D)Homo sapiens

E)Mammalia

F)Animalia

G)Hominidae

Q2) Evidence indicates that archaic Homo sapiens gave rise to which of the following?

A)modern humans and Homo neanderthalensis

B)modern humans and Homo habilis

C)Homo habilis and Homo neanderthalensis

D)Homo rudolfensis and Homo neanderthalensis

Q3) Which of the following anatomical changes was NOT likely a contributor to the development of full bipedalism in hominins?

A)restructuring of the pelvis

B)loss of opposable big toes

C)a change in the angle of knee joints that support body weight

D)having no arch in the foot

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Page 16

Chapter 15: General Principles of Ecology

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Q1) One of the major effects of an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is

A)an increase in average global temperature.

B)cooler average temperatures as carbon dioxide reflects sunlight back into space.

C)an acceleration of the depletion of ozone.

D)an increase in the pH of oceans and lakes.

Q2) Carbon dioxide levels are increasing because

A)human agriculture has greatly increased the amount of carbon dioxide given off by plants during respiration.

B)humans have begun releasing carbon that was formerly sequestered in fossil fuels into the atmosphere.

C)holes in the ozone layer have reduced the total amount of photosynthesis occurring in the biosphere.

D)the huge growth in the human population and domestic livestock has increased the amount of carbon dioxide being released through respiration.

Q3) Describe how both biotic and abiotic factors can affect the population size of deer in a forest.

Q4) Nonliving factors in the biosphere are called ________ factors.

Q5) Describe how burning fossil fuels can warm the planet.

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Chapter 16: Growth of Populations

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Q1) A population will remain at a constant size when emigration equals immigration and A)food is not a limiting factor.

B)births equal deaths.

C)predators leave the area.

D)available space remains the same.

Q2) Which of the following populations would be most vulnerable to an outbreak of disease?

A)10 grasshoppers living in an area of 100 square meters

B)100 rabbits living in an area of 10,000 square meters

C)200 sparrows living in an area of 20,000 square meters

D)250,000 people living in an area of 100,000 square meters

Q3) Population size ________ when the combination of death and emigration rates is lower than the combination of birth and immigration rates.

Q4) China's one-child policy was designed to reduce the population ________ in China.

Q5) China's population ________ is 137 people per square kilometer.

Q6) Explain why logistic growth curves have an "S" shape.

Q7) Predation increases are responsible for density-________ changes in population size.

Page 18

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Chapter 17: Communities of Organisms

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Q1) Which of the following is a true statement?

A)Primary succession occurs after disturbances,such as forest fires.

B)Secondary succession only occurs after human intervention.

C)Primary succession tends to take a longer period of time than secondary succession.

D)It typically takes 25 years or less for a climax community to develop after a disturbance.

Q2) The sea star Pisaster ochraceus is a keystone species.Ten years after P.ochraceus is removed from selected intertidal communities along the Washington coast,how might those communities compare to control communities?

A)The communities would be statistically indistinguishable from one another.

B)Sea star prey,such as mussels might increase in abundance and crowd out other community members.

C)Other predators will simply replace P.ochraceus and take advantage of prey that P.ochraceus consumed.

D)Prey species,such as mussels would decline,but most species within the community would be unaffected.

Q3) Compare and contrast exploitative and interference competition.

Q4) How does primary succession differ from secondary succession?

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Page 19

Chapter 18: Ecosystems

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Q1) Which of the following would be abiotic components of an arctic,marine ecosystem?

A)saltwater,ice,snow,sun,wind,rocks,sand

B)polar bears,seals,salmon,seaweed,puffins

C)buffalo,meadowlarks,eagles,grasses,cottonwood trees

D)deer,skinks,squirrels,oak trees,pine trees,mosses

Q2) Energy does not cycle through an ecosystem.This is because energy enters an ecosystem through photosynthesis as it changes to chemical energy.This is then used to fuel metablic activities

A)in plants only,and all of the excess energy is lost as metabolic heat.

B)in consumers only,and all of the excess energy is lost as metabolic heat.

C)in decomposers only,and all of the excess energy is lost as metabolic heat.

D)in producers,consumers,and decomposers,and all of the excess energy is lost as metabolic heat.

Q3) A group of living communities interacting with one another and their shared physical environment is a(n)________.

Q4) The amount of energy captured by photosynthetic organisms,minus the amount lost as heat from respiration and other life processes,is called ________.

Q5) Explain why ecosystems do not always have sharply defined physical boundaries.

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Chapter 19: Applying the Science

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Q1) When individuals use the scientific process to question information and make informed decisions about the world around them,they are acting in a(n)________ literate manner.

Q2) Rick has high blood pressure and decides to try an herbal supplement recommended by his friend.Which of the following questions would NOT have helped Rick scientifically evaluate his friend's recommendation before he began taking the herbal supplement?

A)Has this herbal supplement been studied in a clinical trial by trained medical professionals?

B)If this supplement was studied,who paid for the study?

C)If this supplement was studied,how many people were included as patients in the study?

D)Is this supplement all natural?

Q3) Discover,a popular magazine about science

A)primary

B)secondary

Q4) What is a first step an individual should take when beginning to assess a "scientific" claim made by another person?

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