BIO 1010
BOYLE
Spring 2017
NAME _________KEY_________
Exam 1
DATE ____ 2-7 March 2017____
Questions 1 - 30; MULTIPLE CHOICE Circle the best answer and mark on the Scantron card
Two points each. 60 points.
Questions 31-38: SHORT ANSWER -- Provide a one or two paragraph answer to each question.
Five points each: 40 points.
1. Biology is
A) mostly a collection of facts that can be ordered and memorized.
B) the study of living things.
C) always used responsibly in advertising claims.
D) a separate branch of science from the study of how organisms interact with each
other and with their environment.
E) Both the first and second answer choices are correct.
2. Thinking scientifically relies on which of the following?
A) intuition
B) objective observation and experimentation
C) statements from authorities
D) learning a list of facts
E) applying your preconceptions
3. If a food chain consisted of grass to rabbits to foxes, what weight of foxes could be
expected in a meadow that has 10,000 pounds of grass?
A) 10,000
B) 2000
C) 10
D) 100,000
E) 100
4. The significant event that occurred 3.8 Gigayears ago was:
A) The origin of the universe
B) The appearance of multicellular animals
C) The formation of the Earth
D) The appearance of life on Earth
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5. Conservation biology draws from which of the following disciplines?
A) physical sciences
B) biological sciences
C) economics
D) social sciences
E) All of the above answer choices are correct.
6. Over the last 200 years, the amount of CO2 in the air has
A) increased because the amount of photosynthetic biomass has decreased.
B) increased because the amount of fossil fuel–burning has increased.
C) remained constant.
D) decreased because of global warming.
E) Both the first and second answer choices are correct.
7. Planting trees can combat global warming because
A) photosynthesis from those trees absorbs O2, a greenhouse gas, from the
atmosphere.
B) photosynthesis from those trees absorbs CO2, a greenhouse gas, from the
atmosphere.
C) photosynthesis from those trees will produce carbohydrates that can be used as a
greenhouse-gas-free fuel.
D) in the process of photosynthesis, the leaves of those trees will intercept photons
from the Sun, thus reducing the amount of heat reaching the Earth.
E) the shade from the leaves of the trees will cool the Earth.
8. Which one of the following statements best represents the relationship between
respiration and photosynthesis?
A) Respiration occurs only in animals and photosynthesis occurs only in plants.
B) Photosynthesis reverses the biochemical pathways of respiration.
C) Respiration stores energy in complex organic molecules, while photosynthesis
releases it.
D) Photosynthesis stores energy in complex organic molecules, while respiration
releases it.
E) Photosynthesis occurs only in the day and respiration occurs only at night.
9. Energy is released as ATP becomes ADP when ATP ejects
A) ribose.
B) one of its phosphate groups.
C) two of its phosphate groups.
D) adenine.
E) three of its phosphates.
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10. An atom of iron has the atomic number 26. This means that it has
A) 52 protons.
B) 13 neutrons.
C) an atomic mass of 26.
D) 26 protons.
E) 13 electrons.
11. All matter on Earth, both living and non-living, is made up of
A) cells.
B) DNA.
C) carbohydrates.
D) phospholipids.
E) atoms.
12. Sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (the sugar found in milk) are examples of
A) simple sugars.
B) disaccharides.
C) monosaccharides.
D) naturally occurring enzymes.
E) polyunsaccharide sugars.
13. What can happen if an enzyme is altered, even slightly?
A) It will continue to catalyze reactions, but at a slower rate.
B) It will still catalyze reactions, but only at a higher temperature.
C) Its active site may change, causing the enzyme to stop functioning.
D) The amount of activator required to “turn on” the enzyme will need to increase.
E) It will catalyze reactions too quickly, potentially causing illness for the individual.
14. Which type of macromolecule is an informational molecule?
A) monosaccharide
B) DNA
C) protein
D) polysaccharide
E) fatty acid
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15. A solution's acidity is a measure of
A) the H+ (free-floating protons) it contains.
B) the number of all dissolved molecules in a solution.
C) the number of nucleotide bases in the solution.
D) the amount of buffer molecules in the solution.
E) its negative charge (the stronger the negative charge, the more acidic the
substance).
16. Which of the following is the primary site of protein assembly within eukaryotic cells?
A) the vesicles
B) the Golgi apparatus
C) the smooth endoplasmic reticulum
D) the ribosomes
E) the peroxisome
17. The principal components of cell membranes are
A) lipids.
B) proteins.
C) carbohydrates.
D) nucleic acids.
E) glycoproteins.
18. Which of the following BEST defines diffusion?
A) net movement of particles from areas of high concentration to areas of low
concentration
B) net movement of particles from areas of low concentration to areas of high
concentration
C) net movement of particles between cells
D) net movement of particles from a cell into the extracellular matrix
E) net movement of fluids from the environment into and out of an organism
19. What makes the rough endoplasmic reticulum rough?
A) It is covered with cilia.
B) It is covered with ribosomes.
C) Its surface is highly folded to increase surface area.
D) It is covered with tiny flagella.
E) It has a high density of receptor proteins in its membrane.
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20. In any DNA molecule, the number of guanine bases will
A) always be equal to the number of adenine bases.
B) always be equal to the number of thymine bases.
C) sometimes be equal to the number of cytosine bases and will sometimes be equal to
the number of adenine bases.
D) sometimes be equal to the number of thymine bases and will sometimes be equal to
the number of adenine bases.
E) always be equal to the number of cytosine bases.
21. The stomach
A) is lined with cells that can secrete highly acidic gastric juice.
B) has muscular walls that can churn and mix the stomach's contents.
C) is the chief digestive site of water absorption.
D) Both the first and second answer choices are correct.
E) All of the above answer choices are correct.
22. Bile is
A) stored in the gall bladder.
B) stored in the pancreas.
C) not stored in the body.
D) stored in the stomach.
E) stored in the small intestine.
23. In the colon,
A) water is absorbed from the digestive tract, returning to the blood and tissues of the
body.
B) bile increases the absorption of dietary lipids.
C) enzymes cause the absorption of macromolecules.
D) stomach acids are neutralized with more basic secretions.
E) acid-tolerant bacteria can cause gastric ulcers.
24. Most mammals (including humans) prefer the taste of fats to carbohydrates and
proteins. Why?
A) Fats are more easily digested than proteins or carbohydrates.
B) Many individuals lack the enzymes (such as lactase) to break down
polysaccharides into their component sugars.
C) The caloric content of a gram of fat is more than double that of a gram of protein or
carbohydrate.
D) Bile, secreted by the liver, can act as a detergent in breaking up fat aggregations.
E) Microvilli secretions buffer chyme from proteins and carbohydrates but not fat.
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25. Which of the following is an example of an abiotic factor?
A) average litter size
B) average life span
C) rate of predation on a prey population
D) mean annual rainfall in an ecosystem
E) rate of disease transmission
26. An ecosystem
A) consists of all of the living and non-living things functioning together in an area.
B) consists of all of the living organisms in a given area.
C) is composed of all of the abiotic factors that influence living organisms in a given
area.
D) consists of all of the living animals in a given area.
E) is composed of the plant life and climate of a given area.
27. The main source of energy that drives global climate is
A) ocean currents.
B) chemical energy.
C) wind power.
D) solar energy.
E) geothermal energy.
28. Which of the following organisms would occupy a high trophic level?
A) zooplankton
B) rabbit
C) spider
D) grass
E) fungus
29. Density-dependent and density-independent factors influence the growth of a population
by causing changes in the
A) pattern of dispersion and carrying capacity.
B) carrying capacity and age structure.
C) death rate and pattern of dispersion.
D) birth rate and death rate.
E) age structure and birth rate.
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30. The demographic transition
A) includes a decrease in the death rate followed by a decrease in the birth rate as a
population becomes industrialized.
B) is characterized by an increase in a population's growth rate.
C) occurs in predator–prey pairs, such as the lynx and hare, whose population sizes
cycle regularly.
D) is not influenced by the quality of health care available to a population.
E) includes a decrease in the birth rate followed by a decrease in the death rate as a
population becomes industrialized.
END OF SCANTRON questions
Questions 31-38: SHORT ANSWER -- Provide a one or two paragraph short answer to each question.
Five points each: 40 points.
These are EXAMPLES of correct answers – other possible correct answers were marked as such.
31. What are some of the potential consequences of global warming?
The major potential consequence of global warming is the melting of the polar ice caps, which will
increase ocean levels and create flooding problems for large numbers of peoples living near
seacoasts, including major cities such as New York City, Miami, Mumbai, and many more. There
will also be trees blooming earlier, and birds and butterflies extending their geographic ranges
northward. With the change of migratory patterns of different animals in response to climate change,
many of these animals will reach a point where they have nowhere to go when it gets too warm.
Many croplands will no longer be able to support previously grown crops. There will be changes
affecting all living and non-living aspects of ecosystems all over the world.
32. Is the production of oxygen gas the purpose of photosynthesis? Explain.
No. The purpose of photosynthesis is to produce glucose molecules that contain energy.
Oxygen gas is produced as a by-product.
33. Why is it that many adults cannot digest lactose, and nobody can digest cellulose?
The ability to digest such compounds requires specific enzymes. Human children produce the
enzyme lactose, which helps digest lactose, however many adults lose the ability to produce this
enzyme. Humans lack the ability to produce the enzyme cellulose, which digests cellulose.
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34. Describe how the properties of the head and tail ends of the phospholipid molecules
account for their specific arrangements that form the bilayer.
The head of each phospholipid molecule is hydrophilic or polar, meaning this end of the molecule is
attracted to water. On the other hand, the tails are hydrophobic or non-polar, meaning this end of the
molecule is not attracted to water. This orientation allows many of these molecules to pack together
with all of the heads facing one way and the tails facing the other, forming a sheet that is hydrophilic
on one side and hydrophobic on the other. Two of these sheets then come together in such a way that
all of the hydrophobic tails point toward each other, away from the watery fluids, and the hydrophilic
heads point toward the watery intracellular fluid on one side and the watery extracellular fluid on the
other..
35. Define and give an example of each: herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore.
Herbivores, such as tortoises and seed-eating birds, consume only plants.
Carnivores, such as spiders, snakes, wolves, and birds of prey, consume only other animals.
Omnivores consume both plants and animals. The prime example of omnivores are humans, but
bears, raccoons, and chickens also are examples.
36. What is an ecosystem? Where can one “find” ecosystems on Earth?
An ecosystem is a community of biotic species and abiotic factors in a specific locality. Ecosystems
are found literally everywhere on Earth. They are found in obvious places, such as ponds and tropical
rain forests. They are also found in less obvious places, such as on the back of a beetle or in the
digestive tract of an organism.
37. Describe the steps in the formation of rain. Is it possible to predict rainfall patterns
around the world?
Solar radiant energy hits the Earth, warming the oceans, lakes and rivers, turning liquid water into
water vapor, which rises with the warm air, getting farther from the Earth’s surface. As the air rises,
it cools. Then, because cold air holds less moisture than warm air, clouds form. If the air continues to
cool, the moisture will condense into rain that falls from the sky. It is possible to predict rainfall
patterns around the world by taking into account that warm air holds more moisture than cold air. At
the equator, it is very wet because it is warm and more moisture will evaporate, cool, and and then
fall as rain. On the other hand, around 30 degrees latitude, many deserts are found, which receive
little precipitation throughout the year.
38. Why can't a population sustain exponential growth indefinitely?
Because there are factors that limit the total number of individuals that can live in a
particular ecosystem, such as limited space, limited food supplies, and increased
susceptibility to diseases and predation. Some of these factors are density-dependent,
such as the previous ones, which depend on the number of individuals in a particular
area, while other factors that do not, are density-independent, such as floods, earthquakes,
catastrophic storms, and other natural disasters.
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