Deck 2: The Nature of Life

Question 1

As living individuals grow and reproduce their response to environmental stimuli may include ________.

A) movement
B) increase in size
C) change in position
D) all of these
E) none of these

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following carries a single positive charge?

A) proton
B) neutron
C) lepton
D) electron
E) quark

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT an attribute of ALL living organisms?

A) response to stimuli
B) metabolism
C) nervous system
D) reproduction
E) growth

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is the maximum number of electrons that can occupy the innermost electron orbital?

A) 2
B) 4
C) 6
D) 8
E) 10

Question 5

At present the number of elements naturally occurring on earth is ________.

A) less than 90
B) 92
C) 98
D) 104
E) more than 105

Question 6

If a plant is wounded, some cells near the wound site begin dividing and seal off the wound. Once the wound is sealed, the cells stop dividing. The criterion /criteria of life illustrated here is/are

A) response to an external stimulus.
B) growth.
C) reproduction.
D) adaptation to the environment.
E) Both response to the environment and growth are involved.

Question 7

Determination of whether something is a living organism or a nonliving object is based on ________.

A) a single characteristic such as change in position
B) presence of carbon and hydrogen atoms
C) several characteristics such as DNA and other organic materials inside a cell
D) movement
E) presence of carbon and oxygen atoms

Question 8

Reproduction in living organisms results in ________.

A) new individuals of the same species
B) new individuals that are always genetically identical to the parents
C) new individuals that are never genetically identical to the parents
D) overpopulation of the community by that species
E) loss of genetic variability in the population

Question 9

Response to a stimulus ________.

A) requires movement
B) may include a cellular or chemical change in the individual
C) may occur without any chemical or physical change by the individual
D) is not characteristic of rooted plants.
E) always changes the genetic information

Question 10

The volume of space in which a given electron occurs 90% of the time is called

A) an orbital.
B) a nucleus.
C) an atom.
D) a molecule.
E) a bond.

Question 11

The mass of the protons and neutrons added is the

A) atomic sum.
B) atomic number.
C) atomic weight.
D) atomic charge.
E) atomic coefficient.

Question 12

The basic "stuff of the universe" or matter has which of the following characteristics?

A) occupies space
B) has mass
C) is composed of atomic elements
D) a and b only
E) all of the above

Question 13

The element with the lowest atomic number and/or mass is

A) oxygen.
B) hydrogen.
C) boron.
D) nitrogen.
E) carbon.

Question 14

Which of the following metabolic activities of plants produces sugars?

A) photosynthesis
B) assimilation
C) digestion
D) respiration
E) None of these answers are correct.

Question 15

Electrons are essentially

A) positive electric charges.
B) negative electric charges.
C) unstable isotopes.
D) uncharged particles.
E) atomic particles that are bonded together.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a form of metabolism?

A) respiration
B) photosynthesis
C) diffusion
D) digestion
E) assimilation

Question 17

The atomic number of an element is based on

A) the number of electrons associated with a single atom.
B) the number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.
C) the number of isotopes associated with it.
D) the number of protons present in a single atom.
E) its atomic mass.

Question 18

Unfilled positions within an electron orbital tend to make the atom

A) unreactive.
B) neutral.
C) less reactive.
D) more reactive.
E) stable.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT an attribute of ALL living organisms?

A) metabolism
B) photosynthesis
C) reproduction
D) response to stimuli
E) adaptation to the environment

Question 20

The number of protons and electrons in a neutral atom is

A) quite variable.
B) the same.
C) unknown.
D) always unequal.
E) unrelated.

Question 21

If there is an asymmetric charge distribution on a molecule creating a positively charged sector and a negatively charged sector, the type of molecule resulting would be ________.

A) neutral.
B) charged.
C) polar.
D) hydrophobic.
E) radioactive.

Question 22

Compounds that consist of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a ratio of CH₂O are ________.

A) lipids
B) proteins
C) nucleic acids
D) enzymes
E) carbohydrates

Question 23

Carbon has an atomic number of 6. How many electrons does carbon have in its first and second electron orbitals, respectively?

A) 2, 4
B) 4, 2
C) 1, 5
D) 3, 3
E) 0, 6

Question 24

A substance consisting of two or more elements united by chemical bonds in a definite ratio is called a

A) molecule.
B) mixture.
C) compound.
D) base.
E) valence.

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a major component of protoplasm?

A) carbon
B) hydrogen
C) oxygen
D) nitrogen
E) sulfur

Question 26

Classes of proteins called ________ function as organic catalysts for chemical reactions in cells.

A) peptides
B) enzymes
C) thermal agents
D) disaccharides
E) hormones

Question 27

Structural and functional molecules making up a cell have a skeleton of ________.

A) carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
B) nitrogen and oxygen
C) silicon and oxygen
D) carbon and oxygen
E) calcium phosphate

Question 28

In photosynthesis, light energy is converted into chemical energy plus heat energy. According to the first law of thermodynamics,

A) the amount light energy is greater than the amount of chemical energy and heat energy combined.
B) the amount of energy in heat plus chemical energy is greater than the amount of energy in light.
C) the amount of light energy is equal to the amount of chemical energy and heat energy combined.
D) the amount of light energy is equal to the amount of chemical energy, since both are forms of potential energy.
E) there is no relationship between the amount of energy in light versus the amount of energy in chemical and heat energy since they are all different forms of energy.

Question 29

Covalent bonds between molecules inside living cells are often formed or broken through the addition or loss of ________.

A) carbon dioxide
B) oxygen
C) water
D) chlorine and sodium
E) neutrons

Question 30

The basic units or subunits of which a protein is composed are ________.

A) fatty acids
B) glycerols
C) monosaccharides
D) amino acids
E) nucleic acids

Question 31

Which of the following pH values is considered neutral (i.e., neither acidic nor basic)?

A) 6.8
B) 7.3
C) 7.5
D) 8.0
E) none of the choices are correct

Question 32

Which type of chemical bond involves the transfer of electrons?

A) ionic
B) covalent
C) hydrogen
D) both ionic and covalent are correct
E) both ionic and hydrogen are correct

Question 33

________ polymer serve as the genetic memory in living cells.

A) Carbohydrate
B) Nucleic acid
C) Protein
D) Lipid
E) Two or more of these

Question 34

Laws pertaining to energy are called laws of ________.

A) metabolism
B) aerodynamics
C) atomic fusion
D) thermodynamics
E) heredity

Question 35

The number of naturally occurring amino acids is ________.

A) 20
B) 600
C) less than 10
D) 35
E) 64

Question 36

The bonds that hold atoms together do so through the sharing or transfer of

A) atomic nuclei.
B) electrons.
C) protons.
D) neutrons.
E) molecules.

Question 37

Each nucleotide of a DNA molecule consists of a nitrogenous base plus ________.

A) a 5-carbon sugar and a phosphate group
B) an RNA molecule
C) a sulfur salt
D) a form of starch and a potassium ion
E) a lipid and a carbohydrate

Question 38

An acid is a compound that

A) releases hydroxyl ions when dissolved in water.
B) forms water when mixed with a salt.
C) releases positively charged hydrogen ions when dissolved in water.
D) converts starch to glucose.
E) converts proteins to carbohydrates.

Question 39

A solution that is slightly alkaline would have a pH in the range of

A) 8.5.
B) 7.5.
C) 7.0.
D) 6.5.
E) 2.0.

Question 40

When an acid and a base are mixed together, which of the following is produced?

A) a salt
B) a mixture
C) an isotope
D) a lipid
E) a carbohydrate

Question 41

What type of chemical bond joins amino acids together?

A) hydrogen
B) glycosidic
C) ionic
D) peptide
E) both glycosidic and peptide are correct

Question 42

The linear sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain is called the ________.

A) primary structure
B) secondary structure
C) tertiary structure
D) quaternary structure
E) beta structure

Question 43

Nucleotides and amino acids are both "building blocks" of larger molecules.

Question 44

Callose is produced on the bark of a plant that has been damaged.

Question 45

Potential energy can be converted to kinetic energy.

Question 46

Hydrolysis of starch involves the addition of water molecules to the starch molecule.

Question 47

A base is a compound that releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water.

Question 48

Nitrogenous bases refer to specific types of amino acids.

Question 49

Protein molecules differ from those of carbohydrates and lipids in having nitrogen present.

Question 50

The function of a protein will be either less effective or lost if the three-dimensional shape of the protein is altered.

Question 51

If a lipid has its fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule, it is called a wax.

Question 52

An ion is neither positively nor negatively charged.

Question 53

Two different atoms, each with 7 electrons in their outmost energy shell, may share two pairs of electrons; that is, a double bond is formed between the two atoms.

Question 54

The combining capacity of an atom or ion is referred to as its valence.

Question 55

Assimilation is the conversion of raw materials into protoplasm and other cell substances.

Question 56

If a fatty acid contains three or more double bonds between the carbons in the carbon chains, it would be ________.

A) saturated
B) unsaturated
C) polycarbonated
D) a polymer
E) polyunsaturated

Question 57

Isotopes of an element have the same chemical characteristics but slightly different atomic mass due to differing number of neutrons.

Question 58

If hydrogen atoms are attached to every available attachment point of fatty acid carbon atoms in a fat, the fat is said to be unsaturated.

Question 59

Peptide bonds link the building blocks of carbohydrates together.

Question 60

About 50% of the cytoplasm including structures within are composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. The other 50% includes phosphorous, sulfur, potassium, and calcium.

Question 61

All hormones and enzymes are lipids.