Photosynthesis AP Style Questions Practice

A researcher claims that a certain herbicide suppresses plant growth by inhibiting chloroplast function. To test the claim, the researcher treats isolated chloroplasts with increasing concentrations of the herbicide. The data from the experiment are presented in Table 1. Which of the following statements best clarifies how the data support the researcher's claim?

ATPATP synthase activity depends on a proton gradient across the thylakoid membrane.

A scientist claims that Elysia chlorotica, a species of sea slug, is capable of photosynthesis.Which of the following observations provides the best evidence to support the claim?

Elysia chlorotica grows when exposed to light in the absence of other food sources.

Researchers have proposed a model of chloroplast evolution. According to the model, chloroplasts evolved from a small prokaryotic organism that was engulfed by an ancestral eukaryote. The engulfed prokaryote then formed an endosymbiotic relationship with the eukaryotic host. Which of the following observations best supports the model?

Chloroplasts and some prokaryotes share similar photosynthetic reactions.

A researcher claims that the initial rise of oxygen in Earth's early atmosphere, which occurred approximately 2.3 billion years ago, resulted from the metabolic activity of prokaryotic organisms. The claim is based on an interpretation of the geochemical and fossil evidence represented in Figure 1. Which of the following types of evidence will best support the researcher's claim?

Evidence that the cyanobacteria produced oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis

In an experiment, researchers compared the growth of two different plants, plant X and plant Y. The researchers maintained the plants under nearly identical conditions and observed that plant X grew faster than plant Y. The researchers also observed that the inner mitochondrial membranes of plant X had more folds than did those of plant Y. Which of the following conclusions about increasing the number of folds in the inner mitochondrial membrane is best supported by the results of the experiment?

It increases the surface area available for ATP production, which results in faster cell growth.

Euglenids are single-cell eukaryotes that live in aquatic environments. The chloroplasts found inside euglenids are enveloped by three membranes, as represented in Figure 1. The inner membrane of euglenid chloroplasts resembles the thylakoid membrane.Figure 1. Simplified diagram of a euglenid, showing the structure of the chloroplast envelope Which of the following claims about the origin of the euglenid chloroplast is best supported by the three-membrane structure of the envelope?

It originated from the incorporation of a photosynthetic prokaryote into a eukaryotic cell by two endosymbiotic events.

Researchers grew seedlings of corn, Zea mays, in loose and compact sand. The researchers measured the amount of time required for the cells in the growing root tips of the seedlings to double in number. The mean cell doubling times for the two groups of seedlings are shown in Figure 1.Mean cell doubling times for the growing root tips of Zea mays seedlings planted in loose or compact sand Based on the sample means, which of the following conclusions about the cells in the growing root tips of Zea mays seedlings is best supported by the results of the experiment?

More cells are produced per unit of time in the root tips growing in compact sand than in the root tips growing in loose sand.

In chloroplasts, ATP is synthesized from ADP plus inorganic phosphate (Pi) in a reaction catalyzed by ATP synthase molecules that are embedded in the thylakoid membrane. Which of the following statements provides evidence to support the claim that no ATP will be synthesized in the absence of a proton gradient across the thylakoid membrane?

No ATP is synthesized when channel proteins that allow the free passage of protons are inserted into the thylakoid membrane

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Phycobiliproteins are a complex of accessory pigments and proteins found in cyanobacteria but not in green algae. A researcher claims that the phycobiliprotein pigments in cyanobacteria allow the cyanobacteria to survive in certain aquatic niches better than green algae can. Which of the following statements best justifies the researcher's claim?

The additional pigments absorb light at wavelengths that green algae cannot absorb; this may allow cyanobacteria to capture more light energy for photosynthesis than green algae can in certain areas.

The figure shows the results of an experiment to investigate the effects of an enriched CO2 environment on plant growth. Identical plants were separated into different groups and grown either in a standard CO2 environment (400 ppm CO2) or in an enriched CO2 environment (700 ppm CO2). Of the plants in each environment, half were grown under ideal conditions and half were grown under stressed conditions. Based on the figure, which statement best describes the observed relationship between atmospheric CO2 enrichment and plant growth under ideal and stressed conditions?

The increase in atmospheric CO2 resulted in a greater increase in plant growth under stressed conditions than under ideal conditions.

Stomata are pores on the surfaces of the leaves and stems of plants that regulate gas exchange between the plants and the atmosphere. Researchers found that the stomata density on the leaves of a species of plant change as the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere changes. When grown at 350 ppm CO2 the plant has an average density of 300 stomata per mm2, but when grown at 400 ppm CO2 the plant has an average density of 250 stomata per mm2. Which of the following best describes how the ratio of the density of stomata (stomata per mm2) per CO2 concentration (ppm CO2) changes as the CO2 concentration increases?

The ratio decreases from 0.860 to 0.63, because fewer stomata are needed at higher CO2 concentrations.

A researcher claims that the incorporation of carbon dioxide into organic molecules during photosynthesis does not violate the second law of thermodynamics. Which of the following statements best helps justify the researcher's claim?

The total system that includes photosynthetic organisms and the Sun becomes less ordered over time.

Brown fat is a type of fat tissue found in hibernating mammals. Inside the mitochondria of these fat tissue cells, these mammals have an uncoupling protein embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane. This uncoupling protein allows hydrogen ions to leak from the intermembrane space back into the mitochondrial matrix. Figure 1 shows details of the processes in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Which of the following statements provides reasoning that supports the claim that brown fatty tissue keeps an animal warm?

The uncoupling protein in this tissue reduces the proton gradient across the membrane and thus produces heat to warm the animal without ATPATP production.

Researchers conducted an experiment to investigate the effects of a valinomycin treatment on skeletal muscle cells. Valinomycin is a naturally occurring substance that can be used as a drug. The results of the experiment are presented in the table. Which of the following claims about the effects of the valinomycin treatment is best supported by the data presented in the table?

The valinomycin treatment caused a decrease in the activity of the mitochondria.

A researcher claims that spinach leaves capture the most energy from light waves in the range of 500 nm to 600 nm. To test the claim, the researcher will place spinach leaves in separate chambers and expose the leaves to different wavelengths of light. For each chamber, the researcher will measure the amount of oxygen gas (O2) that is produced in one hour. Which of the following graphs best represents data from the experiment that will support the researcher's claim?

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