NYA Practice Test Questions 1

1. What were the two major “problems” that had to be solved before life could move
into terrestrial habitats?
a. reproduction and prevention of dehydration
b. support and absorption
c. reproduction and locomotion
d. prevention of dehydration and locomotion
e. cell division and absorption of nutrients

2. What evidence supports the hypothesis that mitochondria and chloroplasts

evolved from prokaryotic endosymbionts?
a. They have a single circular chromosome similar to bacterial chromosomes.
b. They have flagella similar to bacterial flagella.
c. Their ribosomes are more like prokaryotic ribosomes than eukaryotic ribosomes.
d. They divide by a process similar to meiosis
e. both a and c

3. Single-celled prokaryotes had the Earth to themselves for approximately ______.

a. 1.5 million years
b. 3 billion years
c. 1.5 billion years
d. 150,000 years
e. 3 million years

4. The strongest evidence for the endosymbiotic origins of eukaryote organelles is

the homology between prokaryotes and:
a) cilia & mitochondria.
b) nuclei & ribosomes.
c) mitochondria & chloroplasts.
d) ribosomes & cilia.
e) chloroplasts & nuclei.

5. The early atmosphere on Earth is though to have lacked which one of the
following gases?
a. methane
b. oxygen
c. carbon dioxide
d. water
e. nitrogen
NYA Practice Test Questions 2

6. What prokaryotic adaptation occurred during the oxygen revolution and opened
up the possibility for energy-demanding multicellular life-forms?
a. electron transport systems
b. anaerobic fermentation
c. cellular respiration
d. photosynthesis
e. emergence of obligate anaerobes

7. The first self-replicating molecules were most likely _____.

a. DNA
b. phospholipids
c. viruses
d. true proteins
e. RNA

8. All living organisms are reliant on bacteria to transform ____________ into a

usable form?
a. Carbon
b. Nitrogen
c. Phosphorous
d. Water
e. Sulfur

9. A gram-negative cell wall consists of _____.

a. a thick layer of peptidoglycan surrounded by an outer membrane
b. a thin layer of peptidoglycan surrounded by an outer membrane
c. two layers of peptidoglycan with a layer of lipid in between
d. cholesterol and peptidoglycan
e. bacteriorhodopsin and periplasmic gel

10. Bacteria that use inorganic chemicals for their energy source and CO2 for their
carbon source are called _____.
a. photoautotrophs
b. photoheterotrophs
c. chemoautotrophs
d. chemoheterotrophs
e. photochemoheterotrophs

11. Which of the following groups of algae is (are) most closely related to land
plants?
a. brown algae
b. green algae
c. red algae
d. blue-green algae
e. all of the above
NYA Practice Test Questions 3

12. The population of small, photosynthetic organisms found near the surface of the
ocean are called
a. zooplankton
b. phytoplankton.
c. dinoflagellates
d. diatoms.

13. Fungus-like protists get nutrients by

a. photosynthesis.
b. living as an animal parasite.
c. absorbing them from dead or decaying matter.
d. none of the above

14. Fungi are ______ organisms.

a. chemoautotrophic
b. photoautotrophic
c. mixotrophic
d. chemoheterotrophic
e. photoheterotrophic

15. Lichens are _____.

a. mutualistic associations of fungi and plant roots
b. predatory fungi
c. the sexual stage of deuteromycetes
d. symbiotic associations of photosynthesizers and fungi
e. used to produce blue cheese

16. In contrast to plants, the cell walls of fungi are composed of _____.
a. lignin
b. cellulose
c. peptidoglycan
d. pectin
e. chitin

17. There is a fungus in Oregon that covers 890 hectares! The bulk of this fungus is
most likely _____.
a. reproductive structures
b. mycelium
c. haustoria
d. pathogenic
e. sporangia
NYA Practice Test Questions 4

18. The development of the _____ prevents plants from drying out and protects them
from microbes.
a. cuticle
b. stomata
c. xylem
d. phloem
e. stem

19. Which example below is a group of nonvascular plants?

a. pine tree
b. fern
c. moss
d. maple tree
e. all of the above

20. In moving to land, plants had to overcome which of the following challenges?
a. less available CO2 in the atmosphere than in the oceans
b. desiccation
c. lack of structural support
d. many herbivores on land
e. both b and c

21. Ferns and mosses are both limited to moist environments because ____.
a. their pollen is carried by water
b. they lack cuticles and stomata
c. they lack vascular tissue
d. they have swimming sperm
e. their seeds do not store water

22. Vascular tissues of plants include _____.

a. xylem for conducting water and minerals, and phloem for conducting dissolved
organic molecules
b. xylem for conducting organic molecules, and phloem for conducting water and
minerals
c. lignin for conducting organic molecules, and phloem for conducting sugars
d. phloem for conducting water and minerals, and lignin for conducting organic
molecules
e. cuticles for conducting water, and phloem for conducting organic molecules

23. Rhizoids _____.

a. are found in ferns and gymnosperms but not in mosses
b. play a primary role in water and mineral absorption
c. contain vascular tissue
d. anchor mosses to the ground
e. have tissues in their centers that allow some mosses to grow up to 2m tall
NYA Practice Test Questions 5

24. A bright pink flower with deep floral tubes (i.e. long thin flowers) will most likely
be pollinated by which mechanism?
a. birds with long beaks
b. bats
c. honeybees
d. wind
e. self-pollination

25. The portion of a flower that receives the pollen is the ______.
a. filament
b. ovary
c. anther
d. stigma
e. style

26. Seeds, produced by gymnosperms and angiosperms, have advantages over spores,
produced by mosses and ferns. For example, ______.
a. seeds contain embryonic plants, an abundant food supply, and a protective
covering
b. seeds can survive for extended periods of time at reduced metabolic rates
c. seeds are single cells, demanding fewer nutrients from the parent plants
d. seeds can survive even in conditions that are unfavorable for the parent plants
e. most seeds are poisonous; therefore, they are not consumed by animals and persist
in the environment for long periods of time

27. Like gymnosperms, many grasses and angiosperm trees are wind-pollinated. To
conserve energy, these angiosperms do not produce complete flowers (complete
flowers have all four of the basic parts). Which part would be unnecessary for
wind-pollinated angiosperms?
a. petals
b. sepals
c. anthers
d. ovaries
e. fruits

28. During pollination, pollen grains are transferred from the _____ to the _____.
a. ovary; anther
b. stigma; ovary
c. anther; sepal
d. carpel; stigma
e. anther; stigma
NYA Practice Test Questions 6

29. Which one of the following best describes the function of fruits?
a. protection and dispersal of seeds
b. reward for pollinators
c. food storage for the plant to use over the winter
d. to distract herbivores from eating the leaves

30. Animals probably evolved from colonial protists. How do animals differ from
these protist ancestors?
a. The protists were prokaryotic.
b. Animals have more specialized cells.
c. The protists were heterotrophic.
d. The protists were autotrophic.
e. Animals are able to reproduce.

31. Which characteristic below is shared by plants, fungi, and animals?

a. They all have cell walls.
b. All are multicellular eukaryotes.
c. All are held together by structural proteins.
d. All are autotrophs.
e. All release enzymes to the outside of the body to aid in digestion.

32. Unlike other animals, sponges _____.

a. are unicellular
b. possess cell walls
c. lack specialized tissues
d. exhibit bilateral symmetry
e. are prokaryotic

33. A large brain is an evolutionary adaptation referred to as ________________.

a. cephalization
b. a nerve net
c. a ganglion
d. a central nerve cord
e. nerves

34. A closed circulatory system __________________.

a. Is found in all animals
b. Contains the blood and aids in the transport of respiratory gases, nutrients and
wastes.
c. Transports blood to the body cavity where it enters into open sinuses and bathes
organs directly.
d. means every cell of the organism must exchange nutrients, wastes and respiratory
gases directly with the physical environment.
NYA Practice Test Questions 7

35. The animal phyla characterized by pentaradial symmetry, a calcareous

endoskeleton and water vascular system are the ____________.
a. Chordata
b. Annelida
c. Echinodermata
d. Porifera
e. Arthropoda

36. Which of the following is a form of asexual reproduction?

a. budding
b. cloning
c. parthenogenesis
d. all of the above
e. none of the above

Answers:
1a, 2e, 3c, 4c, 5b, 6c, 7e, 8b, 9b, 10c, 11b, 12b, 13c, 14d, 15d, 16e, 17b, 18a, 19c,
20e, 21d, 22a, 23d, 24a, 25d, 26a, 27a, 28e, 29a, 30b, 31b, 32c, 33a, 34b, 35c, 36d