Questions:

1. Based on what you know about bacteria, can you assess the importance of starting

with a sterile cotton swab for this experiment?

2. Based on what you know, what would you use to kill most bacteria on your lab
bench surface?

3. After viewing the results on your plate, assess the value or importance of keeping a
sterile environment when growing your cell culture.

4. Without using a microscope, how could you tell if a bacterium is probably gram
negative or gram positive? What could you use?

5. Draw your plate using colored pencils, and/or markers.