MBIO1010

Mid-term #1 Practice Questions

1) Which of the following statements are incorrect?
a. Archaea are cells that contain membrane bound organelles that allow them to
survive more extreme environmental conditions
b. All bacteria contain peptidoglycan that helps them to resist changes in
osmolarity
c. Yeasts are unicellular organisms containing a membrane bound nucleus
d. All living cells have a plasma membrane that surrounds their cytoplasmic
contents
e. More than one of the above are incorrect

2) Viruses:
a. Can be classified based on 16S rRNA sequences
b. Are very small in part because they contain smaller ribosomes than prokaryotic
cells
c. Share the same branch of the phylogenetic tree as bacteria
d. Rely on ribosomes provided by prokaryotes and eukaryotes to synthesize their
proteins
e. Are composed of prokaryotic cells

3) Which of the following is written correctly?
a. E. coli 0157:H7
b. E. coli 0157:H7
c. E. coli 0157:H7
d. E. coli 0157:H7
e. E. coli 0157:H7

4) When counting bacteria:
a. Each colony is assumed to have come from two cells in the original sample
b. Agar can be used to isolate countable colonies because it is a nutrient source
that is easily broken down by bacteria
c. The most accurate counts are obtained when plates with fewer than 30 colonies
are counted because they are nicely spaced apart from one another
d. Counts obtained from a 1mL sample added to 9mL of nutrient broth must be
divided by 10
e. None of the above are correct of counting bacteria








5) Which of the following scientists is incorrectly matched to his contribution to
microbiology?
a. van Leewenhoek: first to observe eukaryotic microbes
b. Koch: established a set of criteria that allowed the identification of a relationship
between a microorganism and a specific disease
c. Pasteur: disproved spontaneous generation
d. Hooke: made observations that led to the determination that all living organisms
are composed of cells
e. Pasteur: observed that yeast are able to produce alcohol from sugars under
anaerobic conditions

6) Consider the information in the table below. What are you able to conclude from this
information?
Shape Endospore Sensitive to
Stain Penicillin
Bacterium A Cocci All pink No
Bacterium B Bacilli Pink and Green Yes
Bacterium C Bacilli Pink and Green Yes

a. Bacterium B could be E. coli
b. Bacterium B could be a member of the Mycoplasma spp.
c. Bacterium B would produce a purple gram stain
d. Bacterium C would produce a pink gram stain
e. None of the above are possible conclusions that can be drawn from this
information

7) Lipopolysaccharide:
a. Is encountered in bacteria that produce a green and pink endospore stain
b. Is embedded in the plasma membrane of gram negative bacteria
c. Is attached to the outer membrane of bacteria via O-specific polysaccharide
d. Is found in organisms that use periplasmic binding proteins
e. Is also found in organisms that have a high quantity of teichoic acids

8) Animal cells:
a. Divide by binary fission
b. Have 70S ribosomes attached to their plasma membrane
c. Are not sensitive to lysozyme
d. Are generally smaller than prokaryotic cells
e. Do not contain nuclei




 9) The gram stain:
a. Allows the visualization of living cells
b. Uses alcohol to remove safranin from gram negative cells
c. Stains mycolic acid with methylene blue
d. Uses alcohol to remove crystal violet from gram positive cells
e. None of the above are true of the gram stain

10) Eukaryotic cells:
a. Have a smaller nutrient exchange per unit volume than prokaryotic cells
b. Grow more quickly than prokaryotic cells
c. Have less intracellular content to restrict size than prokaryotic cells
d. Have a very large surface area to volume ratio when compared to prokaryotic
cells
e. Lack many essential genes because important proteins are often provided
directly by the host cell

11) In the plasma membrane of bacterial cells:
a. The charge on the membrane is stabilized by chloride and other anionic
compounds
b. Isoprene monolayers can be used to protect against high heat conditions
c. Ester linkages are used to attach fatty acids to the phospholipid structure
d. Amphipathic triglycerides form the bulk of the membrane while integral
membrane proteins are also included for transmembrane transport
e. Protons are kept in higher concentration in the cytoplasm of the cell because the
membrane forms an impermeable barrier to proton movement

12) During nutrient uptake into the bacterial cell:
a. Gram positive organisms use periplasmic binding proteins to help carry nutrients
to ABC transporters
b. ABC transporters form two molecules of ATP while moving nutrients across the
cell membrane from an area of low concentration to an area of high
concentration
c. Phosphorylation of substrates that have been transported into the cell can help
to increase the amount of substrate that can be brought inside
d. Lactose can be brought into the cell with the lac permease antiporter
e. Gram positive organisms use periplasmic binding proteins to bind to nutrients
that can be transported into the cell against their concentration gradient at the
expense of ATP






 13) Which of the following is false of gram negative cells?
a. They contain an outer membrane
b. They contain lipoteichoic acid
c. They contain endotoxin in their outer membrane
d. They contain porins to allow nutrients to enter into the periplasmic space
e. They produce periplasmic binding proteins

14) Which of the following is matched correctly?
a. Eukaryotic cells: gram stain purple
b. Eukaryotic cells: stain with methylene blue
c. Gram positive cells: gram stain pink
d. Positive endospore stain: all contents will stain pink
e. Gram negative cells: stain with carbol fuschin dye

15) Which of the following is the correct evolutionary pathway of life?
a. Photosynthetic bacteria, the first anaerobic cells, eukaryotic microbes, multi-
cellular eukaryotes
b. Eukaryotic microbes, the first anaerobic cells, photosynthetic bacteria, multi-
cellular eukaryotes
c. The first anaerobic cells, photosynthetic bacteria, eukaryotic microbes, multi-
cellular eukaryotes
d. Photosynthetic bacteria, eukaryotic microbes, the first anaerobic cells, multi-
cellular eukaryotes
e. The first anaerobic cells, eukaryotic microbes, photosynthetic bacteria, multi-
cellular eukaryotes

16) All of the following are functions of the cell wall except:
a. Protection against osmotic lysis
b. Immune system avoidance
c. Determination of cell shape
d. Permission of detergents and other large, hydrophobic molecules to enter into
the cell
e. Protection from large drug molecules

17) Which of the following types of microscopy play on a molecules ability to absorb and
emit light at different wavelengths?
a. Phase contrast microscopy
b. Fluorescent microscopy
c. Dark field microscopy
d. Transmission electron microscopy
e. Differential interference contrast microscopy

18) The image provided shows purple cells. The
photo was taken after the gram stain was
completed. What are you able to conclude from
this image?
a. The cells contain endotoxin
b. The cells are spirochetes
c. The cells could be Staphylococcus aureus
d. The cells contain lipoteichoic acids
e. More than one of the above can be
concluded from the image provided

19) Peptidoglycan:
a. Is found in both archaea and bacteria
b. Is targeted by lysozyme enzyme
c. Is of the exact same composition in all cells
d. Is connected by an inter-bridge in organisms that have an outer membrane
e. Is composed of repeating units of NAM-NAG amino acids

20) S-layers:
a. Are less common in archaea than pseudomurein
b. Can be made from glycolipid
c. Are an example of a peptidoglycan substitute that’s found in some bacterial cells
d. Can composed of protein and sugar
e. Can be degraded by penicillin

21) Which of the following is matched incorrectly?
a. Acid fast stain: non-acid fast cells stain blue
b. Endospore stain: cells stain pink
c. Gram stain: gram negative cells hold the safranin stain
d. Simple stain: cells stain the color of the acidic chromophore
e. Acid fast stain: mycolic acid stains pink

22) Pasteur’s swan neck flask experiment:
a. Used heat to promote the growth of bacteria in the nutrient broth
b. Showed that bacteria began to appear in the nutrient broth once the flask had
been left for extended periods of time
c. Showed that bacteria began to affect the quality of the nutrient broth once the
flask was tipped on its side
d. Was able to prove that spontaneous generation occurs
e. Included a cap on the opening of the flask in order to prevent any new bacteria
from entering


23) Bacteria are:
a. Prokaryotic cells that are never pathogenic
b. Eukaryotic cells that are sometimes pathogenic
c. Viruses that are sometimes pathogenic
d. Prokaryotic cells that are sometimes pathogenic
e. Eukaryotic cells that are never pathogenic

24) 70S ribosomes:
a. Have a small 40S subunit
b. Have a large 60S subunit
c. Are located in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells
d. Can be found in association with the plasma membrane when they are
responsible for assembling proteins destined to be excreted from the cell
e. More than one of the above are true of prokaryotic ribosomes

25) Which of the following is a feature of the bacterial cell wall?
a. It is very flexible
b. It is impermeable to sugar and other nutrients
c. It is located inside of the cell membrane
d. It plays a role in determining cell shape
e. It is a key regulator of molecules that are able to enter and exit the cell

26) The human small intestine is lined with cells that contain trans-membrane proteins
that are able to carry both sodium and glucose from the intestine into the cell
cytoplasm. The movement of sodium from high concentration to low concentration
provides the energy needed to move glucose from low concentration to high
concentration. This is an example of:
a. Uniport
b. Symport
c. Osmosis
d. Antiport
e. ABC transport

27) The microbial chromosome:
a. Does not form a part of the cell genome
b. Carries only non-essential genes such as those required for antibiotic resistance
c. Is composed of RNA
d. Includes any plasmids that may be present
e. Carries essential genes needed for important activities inside of the cell





 28) Which of the followings statements is correct?
a. All microbes must be viewed with a microscope in order to be seen
b. All microbes are unicellular
c. Myxobacteria are an example of multicellular microorganisms
d. Prokaryotic organisms must be visualized with an electron microscope
e. More than one of the above statements is correct

29) All of the following are reasons in support of the importance of microorganisms
except:
a. Microbes were the first life forms on Earth
b. Some microorganisms can tolerate very harsh environmental conditions
c. Plants and other organisms are dependent on microorganisms for nitrogen and
other compounds required for survival
d. Microorganisms perform important biochemical reactions that complete
biogeochemical cycles
e. Microorganisms are the second most abundant life form behind insects

30) Plasmids located inside of microbial cells:
a. Are RNA molecules
b. Are the chromosome of the prokaryotic cell
c. Are part of the cell genome
d. Are responsible for protein synthesis
e. Carry essential genes needed for normal cell activity