MINDANAO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City

GENERAL BIOLOGY and

FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

PRELIM EXAM

Write/encode your answer(s) on Microsoft Word or on OpenOffice Document.

Format: 1 inch margin on all sides; single spacing; and Times New Roman 12point

Multiple Choices: (Select the best answer from the choices.)

1. Select the statement that is correct.

(1) Photosynthesis is a catabolic process that breaks down glucose.
(2) The Calvin Cycle requires molecular carbon dioxide, ATP, and molecular oxygen in order
to manufacture glucose.
(3.) Glycolysis is aerobic during fermentation.
(4) Most of the ATP in cellular respiration is produced anaerobically.
(5) The Calvin cycle is a light-independent metabolism.

2. Photosynthesis is the process by which

(1) the potential energy of glucose is transferred to ATP molecules
(2) glucose is gradually broken down to form lactic acid or alcohol
(3) two glucose molecules combine to form maltose and water
(4) light energy is converted into the chemical energy of glucose

3. A green plant is kept in a brightly lighted area for 48 hours. What will most likely occur if the
light intensity is then reduced slightly during the next 48 hours?
(1) Photosynthesis will stop completely.
(2) The rate at which nitrogen is used by the plant will increase.
(3) The rate at which oxygen is released from the plant will decrease.
(4) Glucose production inside each plant cell will increase.

4. Much of the carbon dioxide produced by algae is not excreted as a metabolic waste because it
(1) can be used for photosynthesis
(2) cannot pass through cell membranes
(3) is needed for aerobic respiration
(4) is used for the hydrolysis of proteins

5. Four identical groups of geranium plants were grown under conditions that were the same except
for the color of light. The least amount of oxygen would be produced by those plants grown in
(1) red light
(2) white light
(3) violet light
(4) green light
6. Which activity occurs in the process of photosynthesis?
(1) Chemical energy from organic molecules is converted into light energy.
(2) Organic molecules are obtained from the environment.
(3) Organic molecules are converted into inorganic food molecules.
(4) Light energy is converted into the chemical energy of organic molecules.

7. Most of the food and oxygen in the environment is produced by the action of
(1) saprophytic bacteria
(2) heterotrophic bacteria
(3) aerobic protozoans
(4) autotrophic organisms

8. What does the process of photosynthesis produce?

(1) starch, which is metabolized into less complex molecules by dehydration synthesis
(2) protein, which is metabolized into less complex molecules by dehydration synthesis
(3) glycerol, which is metabolized into more complex molecules by dehydration synthesis
(4) glucose, which is metabolized into more complex molecules by dehydration synthesis

9. Plants store carbohydrates in the form of

(1) amino acids
(2) fatty acids
(3) starch
(4) nucleic acids

10. Which of the following photosynthetic reactions describe the reactions in which photolysis
occurs?
(1) Photochemical reactions, only
(2) Carbon-fixation reactions, only
(3) Both photochemical and carbon-fixation reactions

11. Which organisms are not able to make organic molecules from inorganic raw materials?
(1) mushrooms
(2) algae
(3) bryophytes
(4) tracheophytes

12. Eating a sweet potato provides energy for human metabolic processes. The original source of this
energy is the energy
(1) in protein molecules stored within the potato
(2) from starch molecules absorbed by the potato plant
(3) made available by photosynthesis
(4) in vitamins and minerals found in the soil

13. Which reactions are involved in the process of photosynthesis?

(1) photochemical reactions, only
(2) carbon-fixation reactions, only
(3) both photochemical and carbon-fixation reactions
(4) neither photochemical nor carbon-fixation reactions
14. An inorganic molecule required by green plants for the process of photosynthesis is
(1) oxygen
(2) starch
(3) carbon dioxide
(4) Glucose

15. Which of the following photosynthetic reactions describe the reactions in which the radioactive
isotope carbon-14 can be used to trace the chemical pathway of the carbon in carbon dioxide
(1) Photochemical reactions, only
(2) Carbon-fixation reactions, only
(3) Both photochemical and carbon-fixation reactions

16. Which is present in both prokaryotic cells and in eukaryotic plant cells?
a. Chloroplasts
b. Cell walls
c. Nucleus
d. Mitochondria
e. Microtubules

17. The major factor limiting cell size is the

a. concentration of water in the cytoplasm.
b. need for energy.
c. presence of membranous organelles.
d. ratio of surface area to volume.
e. composition of the plasma membrane.

18. Which statement about mitochondria is not true?

a. Their inner membrane folds to form cristae.
b. They are usually 1 μm or smaller in diameter.
c. They are green because they contain chlorophyll.
d. Energy-rich substances from the cytosol are oxidized in them.
e. Much ATP is synthesized in them.

19. Which statement about plastids is true?

a. They are found in prokaryotes.
b. They are surrounded by a single membrane.
c. They are the sites of cellular respiration.
d. They are found in fungi.
e. They are of several types, with different functions.

20. If all the lysosomes within a cell suddenly ruptured, what would be the most likely result?
a. The macromolecules in the cytosol would begin to break down.
b. More proteins would be made.
c. The DNA within mitochondria would break down.
d. The mitochondria and chloroplasts would divide.
e. There would be no change in cell function.
21. The Golgi apparatus
a. is found only in animals.
b. is found in prokaryotes.
c. is the appendage that moves a cell around in its environment.
d. is a site of rapid ATP production.
e. packages and modifies proteins.

22. Which organelle is not surrounded by one or more membranes?

a. Ribosome
b. Chloroplast
c. Mitochondrion
d. Peroxisome
e. Vacuole

23. The cytoskeleton consists of

a. cilia, flagella, and microfilaments.
b. cilia, microtubules, and microfilaments.
c. internal cell walls.
d. microtubules, intermediate filaments, and microfilaments.
e. calcified microtubules.

24. Microfilaments
a. are composed of polysaccharides.
b. are composed of actin.
c. provide the motive force for cilia and flagella.
d. make up the spindle that aids the movement of chromosomes.
e. maintain the position of the chloroplast in the cell.

25. Which statement about the plant cell wall is not true?
a. Its principal chemical components are polysaccharides.
b. It lies outside the plasma membrane.
c. It provides support for the cell.
d. It completely isolates adjacent cells from one another.
e. It is semirigid.

26. Which statement about membrane phospholipids is not true?

a. They associate to form bilayers.
b. They have hydrophobic “tails.”
c. They have hydrophilic “heads.”
d. They give the membrane fluidity.
e. They flop readily from one side of the membrane to the other.

27. Human growth hormone binds to a specific protein on the plasma membrane. This protein is called
a ___________.
a. ligand.
b. clathrin.
c. receptor.
d. hydrophobic protein.
e. cell adhesion molecule.
28. Which statement about membrane proteins is not true?
a. They all extend from one side of the membrane to the other.
b. Some serve as channels for ions to cross the membrane.
c. Many are free to migrate laterally within the membrane.
d. Their position in the membrane is determined by their tertiary structure.
e. Some play roles in photosynthesis.

29. Which statement about membrane carbohydrates is not true?

a. Most are bound to proteins.
b. Some are bound to lipids.
c. They are added to proteins in the Golgi apparatus.
d. They show little diversity.
e. They are important in recognition reactions at the cell surface.

30. Which statement about animal cell junctions is not true?

a. Tight junctions are barriers to the passage of molecules between cells.
b. Desmosomes allow cells to adhere strongly to one another.
c. Gap junctions block communication between adjacent cells.
d. Connexons are made of protein.
e. The fibers associated with desmosomes are made of protein.

31. You are studying how the protein transferrin enters cells. When you examine cells that have taken
up transferrin, it is inside clathrin-coated vesicles. Therefore, the most likely mechanism for
uptake of transferrin is ___________.
a. facilitated diffusion.
b. proton antiport.
c. receptor-mediated endocytosis.
d. gap junctions.
e. ion channels.

32. Which statement about membrane channels is not true?

a. They are pores in the membrane.
b. They are proteins.
c. All ions pass through the same type.
d. Movement through them is from high concentration to low.
e. Movement through them is by simple diffusion.

33. Facilitated diffusion and active transport both

a. require ATP.
b. require the use of proteins as carriers.
c. carry solutes in only one direction.
d. increase without limit as the solute concentration increases.
e. depend on the solubility of the solute in lipid.

34. Primary and secondary active transport both

a. generate ATP.
b. are based on passive movement of sodium ions.
c. include the passive movement of glucose molecules.
d. use ATP directly.
 e. can move solutes against their concentration gradients.

35. Which statement about osmosis is not true?

a. It obeys the laws of diffusion.
b. In animal tissues, water moves into the cell which is hypertonic to the medium.
c. Red blood cells must be kept in a plasma that is hypoosmotic to the cells.
d. Two cells with identical osmotic potentials are isosmotic to each other.
e. Solute concentration is the principal factor in osmosis.

Modified True or False: (Write true if the statement is TRUE and if false, change the underline
word(s)/phrase(s) to make the statement true)

36. Robert Brown contended that only the living yeast could carry out the fermentation of sugar to alcohol.
37. Animals are the ultimate source of energy-laden food.
38. The study of the normal functions of living things is called pathophysiology.
39. Solid materials have definite volume and indefinite shape.
40. Complex Organization, one of the characteristics of living things wherein it is built from special type of
structural substances that are found only in the biological settings.
41. A single bacterium can sense food nearby and move towards it.
42. Metabolism, an energy-requiring processes whereby organisms use food – both as chemical building blocks
and as growth sources.
43. Growth results from the various metabolic processes that build complex molecules within the organisms.
44. Reproduction does not always imply the existence of sophisticated sense organs and a well-developed
nervous system.
45. Evolution, a unifying principle in microbiology and will continue to be a major framework that will bind
diverse specialization within the life sciences.
46. Chemical properties are those properties that can be observed only when the substance undergoes a change
in structures.
47. Ionic bond is a low energy bond that is extremely important in biological system.
48. Sub-atomic particles are traveling electrons at the same average distance from the nucleus.
49. The most complex organic molecule is the nucleic acid.
50. Growth is the act of producing new individuals that are like the parent.

Essays: (Write the answers on separate sheet/page. Each will be having 10 points.)

1. The information Darwin used to develop his theory of evolution by natural selection was well
known to his contemporaries. Why was it so difficult for people to think of such an obvious
mechanism of evolutionary change?

2. What are the main biological importance and functions of water?

3. Why the cells in an organism must produce the energy?

Submission:
 Once you are thru in answering all the questions and had finalized your documents, please send it
right away to my e-mail address, dokietris_must@gmx.com, with the following format:

To: dokietris_must@gmx.com
Subject: Bio10 Prelim Exam (APS) – sender’s name (course/year)

 Don’t forget to lists down the names of all the members of the group on the last page of your
documents.