Deck 5: The Nature of Life on Earth

Question 1

Energy utilization appears to be

A) a sufficient condition, but not a necessary condition for life
B) both a necessary condition and a sufficient condition for life
C) neither a necessary condition nor a sufficient condition for life
D) a necessary condition, but not a sufficient condition for life

Answer 1

a necessary condition, but not a sufficient condition for life

Question 2

The second law of thermodynamics states that

A) energy cannot be created or destroyed
B) matter cannot be crated or destroyed
C) the energy in a system undergoes changes that lead to increasing disorder
D) the energy in a system undergoes changes that lead to increasing complexity

Answer 2

the energy in a system undergoes changes that lead to increasing disorder

Question 3

Bacteria reproduce by the process of cell division. This kind of reproduction is referred to as

A) sexual
B) unsexual
C) asexual
D) agamic

Answer 3

asexual

Question 4

The property of response to the environment appears to be

A) a necessary condition, but not a sufficient condition for life
B) a sufficient condition, but not a necessary condition for life
C) both a necessary condition and a sufficient condition for life
D) neither a necessary condition nor a sufficient condition for life

Question 5

What can be said about the presence of order in living organisms?

A) it is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient condition for life
B) it is a sufficient condition, but not a necessary condition for life
C) it is both a necessary condition and a sufficient condition for life
D) it is neither a necessary condition nor a sufficient condition for life

Question 6

When humans get cold, they shiver in order to increase their body temperature. Which of the key properties of life is this an example of?

A) growth and development
B) reproduction
C) order
D) response to environment

Question 7

Energy utilization in living organisms is

A) one of the most basic requirements of life, without which organisms could not maintain order, grow, and reproduce
B) only important for organisms like plants which receive their energy directly from the Sun
C) neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for life
D) not important for organisms that have adapted to survive extremely low temperatures (psychrophiles)

Question 8

All organisms have finite lifetimes and eventually die. Which of the basic characteristics of life corrects for this?

A) energy utilization
B) response to the environment
C) evolutionary adaptation
D) reproduction

Question 9

Nearly all life on Earth passes on its heredity using

A) lipids
B) RNA
C) DNA
D) proteins

Question 10

A genus is

A) a group of species that are closely related to one another
B) a group of species that are particularly intelligent
C) a group of organisms that look similar
D) groups of organisms that are genetically distinct

Question 11

Humans are scientifically classified as Homo sapiens. In this system, the word Homo refers to the

A) family
B) genus
C) order
D) species

Question 12

When humans get hot, they sweat in order to reduce their body temperature. Which of the key properties of life is this an example of?

A) growth and development
B) reproduction
C) response to environment
D) order

Question 13

Species are groups of organisms

A) with a common ancestor
B) that are genetically distinct
C) that look similar
D) that are capable of interbreeding with one another

Question 14

Traits passed from parents to offspring are referred to by biologists as

A) inheritance
B) heredity
C) adaptation
D) heraldry

Question 15

The property of growth and development appears to be

A) a necessary condition, but not a sufficient condition for life
B) a sufficient condition, but not a necessary condition for life
C) both a necessary condition and a sufficient condition for life
D) neither a necessary condition nor a sufficient condition for life

Question 16

Humans are scientifically classified as Homo sapiens. In this system, the word sapiens refers to the

A) genus
B) species
C) order
D) family

Question 17

A mule is an example of an exception to which of the fundamental characteristics of life?

A) response to environment─mules cannot respond to changing environmental conditions and that is why they are stubborn
B) evolutionary adaptation─because mules are sterile they cannot evolve and adapt
C) growth and development-mules being sterile do not grow and develop like other life forms
D) reproduction─a mule is sterile and cannot reproduce even though it is the product of reproduction between two closely related animals (a horse and a donkey)

Question 18

The type of reproduction that occurs between human beings is referred to as

A) unsexual
B) carnal
C) asexual
D) sexual

Question 19

Abnormal forms of protein molecules called prions have one of the characteristics of living things in that they

A) can replicate themselves by causing other molecules to change
B) actively respond to external changes
C) have very complex structures
D) use sunlight for energy

Question 20

Scientists cannot agree on whether viruses are living or not because

A) they are much smaller than other simple living organisms
B) they can reproduce but do not require any utilization of energy to do so
C) they can only reproduce within a host cell and not independently
D) under certain conditions they can reproduce, but they do not contain any DNA

Question 21

Most of the oxygen in living cells is found in

A) carbohydrates
B) water
C) lipids
D) proteins

Question 22

Emperor penguins are part of the species forsteri and genus aptenodytes. Given this, their scientific classification would be written

A) Aptenodytes Forsteri
B) forsteri Aptenodytes
C) Forsteri aptenodytes
D) Aptenodytes forsteri

Question 23

What is the unifying theme of all modern biology?

A) zoology
B) ecology
C) evolution
D) biochemistry

Question 24

Different dog breeds have been bred by humans from a common ancestor over the past few thousand years. This is an example of

A) natural selection
B) un-natural selection
C) artificial selection
D) artificial insemination

Question 25

More than 96% of the mass of living cells are made of

A) carbon and hydrogen
B) carbon
C) carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen
D) hydrogen and oxygen

Question 26

The resistance of bacteria to certain antibiotics is a current example of

A) natural variety
B) artificial selection
C) un-natural selection
D) natural selection

Question 27

Evolutionary adaptations are related to changes that occur through time in

A) lipids
B) carbohydrates
C) proteins
D) DNA

Question 28

Most likely, before biological evolution there was

A) chemical evolution
B) physical evolution
C) geological evolution
D) no evolution of any kind

Question 29

In the scientific method, natural selection is classified as a

A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) model
D) principle

Question 30

The first person to introduce the concept of evolution was the

A) English scientist Charles Darwin
B) Greek scientist Anaximander
C) American scientist Stephen Jay Gould
D) the French scientist Jean Baptiste Lamarck

Question 31

What is the main factor that drives Darwinian evolution?

A) the competition for finite resources
B) the need to have sex
C) the ability of an organism to harness the energy of the Sun
D) the size of an organism

Question 32

Which is the MOST important property of the element carbon that makes it ideal as a fundamental building block of biological molecules?

A) it is a very stable element
B) it is the only element capable of bonding to itself
C) it is a common element
D) it readily forms chemical bonds with itself and other elements, allowing a wide variety of complex molecules to form

Question 33

The different species of finches found on the Galapagos islands are evidence of Darwin's theory of natural selection because

A) all species are competing for the same resources
B) they are capable of interbreeding with each other
C) they have all evolved adaptations from a common ancestor to suit the environmental conditions found on different islands
D) some species are more successful than others

Question 34

The organisms Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Homo sapiens

A) are part of the same genus
B) have nothing in common
C) are part of the same genus and species
D) are part of the same species

Question 35

The most basic definition of life which takes account of the relative importance of the six fundamental properties of living things is that life is something that can

A) grow and develop
B) respond to environmental changes
C) utilize energy
D) reproduce and evolve through natural selection

Question 36

Of the six basic properties of life, biologists consider the most fundamental to be

A) response to environment
B) reproduction
C) order
D) evolutionary adaptation

Question 37

According to Darwin, in the struggle for survival, those individuals whose traits best enable them to survive and reproduce will, on average, leave the largest number of offspring that in turn survive to reproduce. This is the basic idea behind his theory of

A) natural selection
B) creationism
C) differential evolution
D) artificial selection

Question 38

The fact that all cells used in life on Earth are based on the same biochemistry suggests that

A) life originated from a variety of sources
B) life on Earth was created by some omnipotent being
C) all life on Earth shares a common ancestor
D) the biochemistry of life on Earth is universal

Question 39

The basic biological structures of life on Earth are called

A) cells
B) bacteria
C) molecules
D) atoms

Question 40

The walls of cells are referred to by biologists as

A) linings
B) coats
C) shells
D) membranes

Question 41

Enzymes are catalysts which means that they

A) speed up biochemical reactions which would normally occur too slowly
B) slow down biochemical reactions which would normally occur too quickly
C) prevent unwanted biochemical reaction occurring
D) destroy harmful chemical species

Question 42

The atoms in a molecule are joined together by chemical

A) bonds
B) linkages
C) attachments
D) ligatures

Question 43

What is the MOST important role that nucleic acids play in living organisms on Earth?

A) long-term energy storage and cell structure
B) basic functioning of living organisms
C) the storage and transfer of information
D) short-term energy storage

Question 44

Which of the following observations is consistent with the hypothesis that all life on Earth has a common ancestor?

A) different organisms use the same set of amino acids
B) different organisms use different sets of amino acids
C) all proteins are made of amino acids
D) some organisms don't use amino acids at all

Question 45

The bond between carbon atoms in the molecule ethane, H₃C-CH₃ is referred to as

A) a triple bond
B) an ionic bond
C) a single bond
D) a double bond

Question 46

Silicon forms its strongest chemical bonds with

A) itself
B) carbon
C) oxygen
D) hydrogen

Question 47

Why might we think that silicon would be an obvious alternative to carbon as a building block for biological molecules?

A) it forms the basis of some life forms on Earth
B) it has a similar abundance on Earth to carbon
C) it forms complex molecules like carbon
D) it has a similar electronic structure to carbon, forming a maximum of four bonds and, hence, should have a similar chemistry

Question 48

Simple molecules containing only carbon and hydrogen are referred to as

A) carbon hydrides
B) hydrocarbons
C) carbohydrides
D) hydrogen carbides

Question 49

How many different amino acids make up proteins found in virtually all life on Earth?

A) 23
B) 5
C) 20
D) 4

Question 50

What is the MOST important role that proteins play in living organisms on Earth?

A) basic functioning of living organisms
B) short-term energy storage
C) information storage
D) long-term energy storage and cell structure

Question 51

Which is NOT a reason that silicon is unsuitable as a building block for life compared to carbon?

A) silicon-silicon bonds are much weaker than carbon-carbon bonds
B) silicon does not form multiple bonds with itself, limiting the complexity of molecules it can form
C) silicon does not bond with many other elements
D) silicon dioxide is a high melting point solid and, hence, cannot be used to transfer silicon atoms like gaseous carbon dioxide can be used to transport carbon atoms

Question 52

What is the maximum number of atoms that carbon can bond to?

A) 4
B) 2
C) 3
D) 1

Question 53

Perhaps the most fundamental role that enzymes play in living cells is

A) attacking foreign bodies like bacteria and viruses
B) carrying oxygen across cell membranes
C) facilitating the replication of DNA and the reading of the genetic code
D) the breaking down of more complex molecules

Question 54

The bond between carbon atoms in the molecule acetylene, HC=CH is referred to as

A) an ionic bond
B) a double bond
C) a single bond
D) a triple bond

Question 55

What is the MOST important role that carbohydrates play in living organisms on Earth?

A) long-term energy storage and cell structure
B) information storage
C) basic functioning of living organisms
D) short-term energy storage

Question 56

Chemists refer to molecules containing carbon atoms as

A) carbonic
B) organic
C) carbonaceous
D) inorganic

Question 57

What is the MOST important role that lipids play in living organisms on Earth?

A) basic functioning of living organisms
B) long-term energy storage and cell structure
C) short-term energy storage
D) information storage

Question 58

Lipids are more commonly known as

A) enzymes
B) sugars
C) fats
D) organic acids

Question 59

The bond between carbon atoms in the molecule ethylene, H₂C=CH₂ is referred to as

A) an ionic bond
B) a double bond
C) a single bond
D) a triple bond

Question 60

The basic molecular building blocks of proteins are

A) nucleotides
B) fatty acids
C) amino acids
D) monosaccharides

Question 61

Eukaryotes

A) are made of two cells fused together
B) are all unicellular
C) can be unicellular or multicellular
D) are all multicellular

Question 62

The most numerous life on Earth is

A) insects
B) plants
C) human beings
D) microbes

Question 63

Which of the following molecules does not occur in left- and right-handed forms (carbon is the central atom and the groups around this central atom are in parentheses)?

A) (H) (Cl) C (F) (D)
B) (CH₃) (NH₂) C (COOH) (H)
C) (CHO) (C₂H₅) C (C₂H₅) (H)
D) (C₄H₉) (C₂H₅) C (CH₃) (C₃H₇)

Question 64

At the root of the tree of life

A) is the common ancestor of all life on Earth
B) is the common ancestor of all mammals
C) are viruses
D) are human beings

Question 65

Human beings are examples of

A) multicellular eukaryotes
B) unicellular prokaryotes
C) unicellular eukaryotes
D) multicellular prokaryotes

Question 66

Organisms whose cells lack a nucleus are called

A) prokaryotes
B) eukaryotes
C) non-nucleotes
D) karyokes

Question 67

In the tree of life

A) animals are members of the domain Eukarya, while plants are members of the domain Archaea
B) animals are members of the domain Archaea, while plants are members of the domain Eukarya
C) both plants and animals are members of the domain Archaea
D) both plants and animals are members of the domain Eukarya

Question 68

All living cells use the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

A) to carry oxygen into cells
B) to catalyze biochemical reactions
C) as a building block for nucleic acids
D) to store and release energy for biochemical processes

Question 69

Which domains of life are closely related to each other?

A) Eukarya and Archaea
B) all three are closely related
C) Bacteria and Eukarya
D) Bacteria and Archaea

Question 70

Based of cellular biochemistry, how many different domains can life be classified into?

A) 4
B) 3
C) 2
D) 1

Question 71

Amino acids found in protein in life on Earth are

A) a unequal mixture of left-handed and right-handed molecules, left-handed being most abundant
B) all left-handed molecules
C) all right-handed molecules
D) an equal mixture of left-handed and right-handed molecules

Question 72

The tree of life

A) traces back the evolution of all mammals to a common ancestor
B) classifies organisms according to their physical appearance
C) illustrates the biochemical and genetic relationships between the different domains of life
D) is a name for the first organism from which all life originated

Question 73

The basic requirement for metabolism inside cells is

A) a source of carbon and a source of energy
B) a source of carbon only
C) a source of energy only
D) the presence of ATP

Question 74

Bacteria are examples of

A) unicellular prokaryotes
B) unicellular eukaryotes
C) multicellular eukaryotes
D) multicellular prokaryotes

Question 75

Which forms of life on Earth show the greatest diversity?

A) insects
B) human beings
C) plants
D) microbes

Question 76

Metabolism is a term that describes the

A) breaking down of complex organic molecules by bacteria
B) rate at which molecules travel across cell membranes
C) chemical processes that occur inside cells
D) rate of cell division of bacteria

Question 77

An amoeba is an example of a

A) multicellular prokaryote
B) multicellular eukaryote
C) unicellular prokaryote
D) unicellular eukaryote

Question 78

Branch lengths in the tree of life are a measure of the

A) rate of evolution between different species
B) size difference between species
C) life expectancy difference between species
D) amount of genetic difference between different species

Question 79

A chemoheterotroph gets is energy from

A) chemical reactions and its carbon from its environment
B) the Sun and its carbon from its environment
C) chemical reactions and its carbon from other organisms
D) the Sun and its carbon from other organisms

Question 80

Which domains of life consist entirely or microbes?

A) bacteria only
B) archaea and eukarya
C) bacteria and archaea
D) archaea only