BIO 5 UC Merced Exam 1 Practice P.1

A researcher wanted to determine if consuming diet sodas causes diabetes. He conducted a study in which subjects were asked to recall how many diet sodas they drank each day, on average; the subjects' blood sugar levels were then measured. The average blood sugar levels were determined in the test subjects. Each group included an equal number of male and female participants and the groups were standardized for average weight and age. Which of these statements most accurately describes what is seen in the graph? a. There appears to be a positive correlation between the number of diet sodas consumed each day and the average blood sugar levels measured in mmol/L. However, no definite cause-effect relationship has been established. b. There appears to be a negative correlation between the number of diet sodas consumed each day and the average blood sugar levels measure in mmol/L. However, no definite cause-effect relationship has been established. c. Drinking four or more diet sodas each day causes diabetes; a definite cause-effect relationship has been established. d. Drinking six or more diet sodas each day causes diabetes; a definite cause-effect relationship has been established.

A

A tissue is defined as a. a group of cells that performs a unique set of tasks in the body. b. two or more atoms held together by strong chemical bonds. c. the basic unit of life. d. a network of organs which perform a wide range of functions.

A

Macromolecules are typically formed by repetitively adding small monomers together. Which macromolecule is properly matched with the appropriate monomer? a. polypeptide—amino acid c. polysaccharide—nucleotide b. nucleic acid—amino acid d. triglyceride—cholesterol

A

Some antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections kill the bacteria by chemically punching holes in the cell wall of the bacteria, by preventing the bacteria from replicating their DNA, or by many other actions that ultimately cause cell death. Why do these antibiotics not work to kill viruses and cure people of viral infections? a. Antibiotics cannot kill a virus because viruses are not living cells with cell walls to puncture, nor do they have their own organelles to replicate DNA. b. Viruses are just too virulent to be killed by those antibiotics. c. Viruses are too quick for the antibiotics to work. d. Viruses mutate at a rate faster than the rate at which antibiotics can work to kill them.

A

The chemical reaction that represents photosynthesis is 6 H2O + 6 CO2 à C6H12O6 + 6 O2. What are the reactants? a. H2O and CO2 c. H2O and O2 b. C6H12O6 and CO2 d. C6H12O6 and CO2

A

When ammonia (NH3) is dissolved in a solution, it accepts hydrogen ions from its surroundings. Ammonia is therefore a. a base. c. a salt. b. an isotope. d. an acid.

A

Which of the following would be a theory? a. Specific pathogens are directly responsible for specific diseases and conditions. b. A fungal infection is responsible for the spread of white noses and associated higher mortality across bat populations and species. c. Bats with white noses have been observed in the wild. d. A fungal infection causes bats to wake up repeatedly during the winter and use up their fat reserves.

A

Is it possible for scientists to study events that happened or animals/plants that lived millions of years ago? a. Yes. Apply the laws of physics and nature that we know exist today to evaluate the evidence of past events. For example, observe modern animal behavior, structure, and function, and compare them to the structures of fossilized animals to deduce the function of the fossilized structures. b. No. The laws of physics that exist today are not the same laws of physics that existed in the past, so there is no way to compare plant or animal fossils to those of modern organisms and deduce the function of fossilized structures. c. Yes. Genetic manipulation of fossils allows scientists to directly test metabolic and behavioral characteristics of plants and animals from the past. d. No. There is no way to analyze plant or animal fossils that lived millions of years ago because the laws of nature that exist today have changed dramatically from the past.

A.

1. Living organisms maintain a constant internal environment by sensing and responding to their internal conditions. This stable maintenance of internal conditions is known as a. homeostasis. c. reproduction. b. evolution. d. sensation.

A. Homeostasis

Observational studies typically point out correlations between aspects of the natural world, but they do not establish solid ________ relationships. a. controlled c. correlative b. cause-effect d. casual

B

Once supported by a predictable experimental outcome, a scientific hypothesis a. is never reexamined. b. still cannot be considered to have been proven true. c. can be used to predict the outcome of all future similar events. d. is elevated to the status of theory.

B

Which of the following is the largest in size? a. glucose c. carbon atom b. protein d. nucleotide

B

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

B.

Carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen are all examples of a. compounds. c. elements. b. macromolecules. d. amino acids.

C

In the laboratory you identify protein in a food item that you've tested. Which of the following must the food item also contain? a. glucose c. amino acids b. lipids d. nucleotides

C

The pH scale measures a. the amount of water in a solution. b. the likelihood that a solution will evaporate. c. the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution. d. the number of atoms found within a molecule.

C

Which of the following are composed of the same monomers? a. proteins and DNA c. starch and cellulose b. RNA and cellulose d. cholesterol and sucrose

C

Which of the following statements is true of proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids? a. All three are used to store genetic information. b. None of these macromolecules mixes well with water. c. Each of these molecules is built from a common set of monomers. d. All of these molecules are primarily used as energy-storage molecules.

C

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.

C.

Recently, beekeepers have noticed an alarming and sudden disappearance of honeybees from their hives. Some beekeepers and environmentalists worry that crops genetically engineered to contain the gene for the Bt insecticidal toxin may be killing the bees. Without data from a scientific experiment, is it reasonable to state that Bt-containing crops are responsible for the loss of honeybees? a. Yes, because it is obviously the Bt crops killing the bees. b. Yes, because there cannot possibly be any other explanation for the loss of the honeybees. c. No, because there could be some other unknown or unmentioned factor affecting the survival of honeybees. d. No, because there is no reason to suspect that an insecticide would kill honeybees.

C.

A carwash attendant offers to treat your windshield with a protective agent. This substance coats the glass, causing beads of water to easily roll off during a rain shower. Which of the following must be correct about the protective agent? a. It resists temperature changes well. c. It is a polar substance. b. It must be an acid. d. It must be hydrophobic.

D

Land biomes are most commonly defined by a. their climate, physical characteristics, and dominant animal life. b. only the dominant plant life in them. c. the dominant plant life that influences the dominant animal life in them. d. their climate and physical characteristics which influence the dominant plant life and, subsequently, animal life in them.

D

Nucleotides a. are the building blocks of proteins. b. are involved in every chemical reaction in the cell. c. form physical structures such as hair. d. are the building blocks of nucleic acids.

D

The subatomic particles that possess a single negative charge and surround the nucleus are the a. isotopes. c. neutrons. b. protons. d. electrons.

D

The roots of a sunflower plant growing downwards while the shoot grows upwards and the flower turns towards the sun are examples of what characteristic of all living organisms? a. They reproduce using DNA. b. They evolve through time. c. They make their own energy. d. They sense the environment and respond to it.

D.