BIO MCQ COLLEGE BOARD QUESTIONS

Researchers propose a model to explain variation in phytoplankton cell sizes in a marine environment. They base their model on the idea that smaller cells absorb nutrients more efficiently. The researchers predict that the mean diameter of phytoplankton cells will change by 50 micrometers for every 5-kilometer increase in distance from the shore because of a gradual decrease in nutrient availability. To test their model, the researchers determine that the phytoplankton cells found closest to shore have a mean diameter of 900 micrometers. Based on the model, what will be the mean diameter of the phytoplankton cells that are found 25 kilometers from shore?

650 micrometers

A researcher claims that the synthesis of ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate (Pi) is essential to cellular function. Which of the following statements best helps justify the researcher's claim?

ATP hydrolysis is an energy-releasing reaction that is often coupled with reactions that require an input of energy.

Muscle contraction depends on ATP hydrolysis. During periods of intense exercise, muscle cells rely on the ATP supplied by three metabolic pathways: glycolysis, mitochondrial respiration, and the phosphagen system. Figure 1 shows the rates at which the three metabolic pathways produce ATP following the start of an intense period of exercise. Which of the following correctly uses the data to justify the claim that the phosphagen system is an immediate, short-term source of ATP for muscle cells?

ATP production by the phosphagen system increases and decreases rapidly following the start of the exercise period.

Which of the following statements best predicts the effect of increasing the permeability of the mitochondrial membranes to large molecules?

ATPATP production will decrease because of an increase in the occurrence of uncontrolled chemical reactions.

A researcher claims that only a portion of the light energy captured by green plants is available for growth and repair. Which of the following observations best helps justify the researcher's claim?

As light energy is converted to chemical energy by metabolic processes, some of the energy is lost as heat.

Of the two cells represented in the figure, which would likely be more efficient at exchanging substances with the surrounding environment?

Cell A, because it has the larger surface-area-to-volume ratio.

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is an enzyme that aids in the decomposition of ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) into nontoxic substances. Methyl alcohol acts as a competitive inhibitor of ethyl alcohol by competing for the same active site on ADHADH. When attached to ADH, methyl alcohol is converted to formaldehyde, which is toxic in the body. Which of the following statements best predicts the effect of increasing the concentration of substrate (ethyl alcohol), while keeping the concentration of the inhibitor (methyl alcohol) constant?

Competitive inhibition will decrease because the proportion of the active sites occupied by substrate will increase.

All eukaryotic cells contain at least one Golgi complex, typically located in the cytoplasm and near the endoplasmic reticulum. Which of the following best describes a process that occurs within the Golgi complex?

Enzymatic modification of newly synthesized integral membrane proteins

Which of the following claims is scientifically accurate and consistent with an observation that a decrease in lysosome production within a cell leads to a decline in mitochondrial activity?

Fewer lysosomes will be available to break down macromolecules to provide the necessary nutrients for cellular respiration.

Amylase is a protein that catalyzes the conversion of starch to simple sugars. Amylase activity in an aqueous solution can be measured by using iodine as a starch indicator. A solution containing iodine and starch will have a dark-blue color, whereas a solution containing iodine but no starch will have a light-brown color. The color change of an iodine solution from dark blue to light brown can be used to measure the rate at which starch is converted to simple sugars. A student designs an experiment to investigate the effect of environmental pH on amylase function. The design of the experiment is presented in Table 1.

It will show the color change that occurs in the absence of enzyme activity.

Changing the shape or morphology of the mitochondrial inner membrane can change the efficiency of mitochondrial function. Which of the following outcomes will most likely result from a change in the shape of the mitochondrial inner membrane from a highly folded surface to a smooth, flat surface?

Mitochondria will become less efficient because the surface area of the inner mitochondrial membranes will decrease.

Protein digestion in humans is primarily carried out by three enzymes. Pepsin is found in the stomach (pH2), where it aids in the breakdown of large proteins into smaller peptides, while trypsin and chymotrypsin are found in the small intestine (pH8), where they aid in the further breakdown of the proteins into amino acids and dipeptides that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Graph 1 shows the effect of pHpH on the activity levels of the three enzymes. Which of the following best predicts how the structure and function of pepsin will change as it enters the small intestine?

Pepsin will change in shape because of the basic environment of the small intestine; therefore, its enzymatic activity will decrease.

Cells contain smaller components called organelles that are necessary for a cell's survival. Organelle functions have often been compared to components of larger systems. Which of the following functional differences between the rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is explained by the structural differences between them?

Rough ERER can synthesize and package proteins for export, and smooth ERER cannot.

Researchers have proposed a model of the process by which a newly synthesized protein is transported to the plasma membrane and secreted into the extracellular space. The model is represented in Figure 1. Figure 1. A model of the intracellular transport of a newly synthesized secreted protein Based on the model, the newly synthesized protein is transported directly from the endoplasmic reticulum to which of the following?

The Golgi complex

A spherical bacterial cell has a radius of 3μm. The human egg cell has a radius of 100μm100μm. Which statement correctly indicates the cell that is able to more efficiently exchange materials with the external environment and provides a correct explanation?

The bacterial cell, because it has the largest surface-to-volume ratio.

Muscle cells have high ATPATP demands. Which of the following is a scientific claim about how the structure of the mitochondria in muscle cells should be different than it is in other cells because of the high energy demands of mitochondria?

The inner membrane of the mitochondria in muscle cells should have more folds to increase the surface area, allowing more ATPATP to be synthesized.

The figure shows a process by which a cell might absorb food from its surrounding environment and break it down for use as a source of energy and matter. The process involves lysosomes, which are membrane-bound organelles that contain hydrolytic enzymes. Activation of the hydrolytic enzymes requires an acidic pHpH, and lysosomes maintain an internal acidic pHpH by using ion pumps. Which of the following outcomes will most likely result from a loss of ion pump function in the cell's lysosomes?

The internal pH of the lysosomes will increase, which will prevent the activation of hydrolytic enzymes and interfere with the intracellular digestion of food.

Organelles such as mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum have membranes that compartmentalize reactions and other metabolic processes. To function properly, the organelles must move substances across their membranes. Which of the following statements describes a feature shared by mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum that increases the efficiency of their basic functions?

They have highly folded membranes.

The enzyme peroxidase is found in many organisms. It catalyzes the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen gas. The rate of peroxidase activity at different pH values was assessed by students in the lab. The students' results are shown in graph 1. If the experiment is repeated at pH 11, the observed activity level of the enzyme will most likely be

lower than the level at pH 9