Objective – Understand characteristics of bacteria.
Name ______________________________________________________________
Understanding Bacteria Worksheet
1. Bacteria were the only form of life on Earth for ______ billion years. (enter a
number)
2. People who are contaminated with anthrax have to be decontaminated and sent to
hospitals.
a. True
b. False
3. Bacteria can cause infectious…
a. diseases.
b. homes.
c. food.
d. vehicles.
4. Bacteria mutate (change) to resist our…
a. diseases.
b. germs.
c. viruses.
d. medicines.
5. You can rid your skin and mouth of bacteria.
a. True
b. False
6. Less than _______% of bacteria cause disease. (Enter a number)
7. Bacteria are behind many of our favorite…
a. diseases.
b. foods.
c. germs.
d. bacteria.
8. Making artificial snow depends on…
a. algae.
b. bacteria.
c. fungi.
d. protists.
9. Bacteria can live in the hot springs of Yellowstone, pools of acid, places without
light and air, and in the ocean where the temperature is over 500o F.
a. True
b. False
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Objective – Understand characteristics of bacteria.
10. How many bacteria could fit on the head of a pin?
a. A thousand
b. A hundred thousand
c. A million
d. A billion
11. We are born _________________ free.
a. algae
b. bacteria
c. fungi
d. protists
12. Bacteria help us __________ our food, turning it into sugars and vitamins.
a. eat
b. swallow
c. chew
d. digest
13. Botulism is the most _________________ substance on Earth.
a. well-known
b. toxic
c. used
d. expensive
14. Botulism toxin can relax overactive …
a. muscles.
b. imaginations.
c. nerves.
d. thyroid glands.
15. One of the leading causes of food poisoning is …
a. algae
b. bacteria
c. fungi
d. protists
16. San Francisco is famous for its _______________________ bread.
a. sourdough
b. whole wheat
c. rye
d. white
17. ________________ are responsible for making the bread dough sour.
a. algae
b. bacteria
c. fungi
d. protists
18. It wasn’t until ______________ scientists discovered the secret of the sour.
(Enter a number)
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Objective – Understand characteristics of bacteria.
19. Bacteria put the _________________ in Swiss cheese.
a. Swiss
b. holes
c. color
d. flavor
20. Necrotizing fasciitis is the ___________-eating bacteria.
a. flesh
b. toxic waste
c. algae
d. oil
21. Invasive diseases are infections that occur when strep enters …
a. the bloodstream.
b. muscles.
c. the lungs.
d. all of the above.
22. To prevent E. coli poisoning, you have to cook food adequately to kill the bacteria.
a. True
b. False
23. The first antibiotic discovered was…
a. erythromycin.
b. penicillin.
c. ampicillin.
d. azithromycin.
24. Bacteria can change, modify, and adapt over time.
a. True
b. False
25. A day care center is a poor place for bacteria to cause disease.
a. True
b. False
26. Antibiotics are widely prescribed even when they won’t help.
a. True
b. False
27. _________% of all antibiotics used the U.S. are used in animal feed. (Enter a
number)
28. Wide use of antibiotics results in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
a. True
b. False
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Objective – Understand characteristics of bacteria.
29. Most resistant strains of disease are treatable.
a. True
b. False
30. The mining company wanted to make the stream pure enough for…
a. algae.
b. amphibians.
c. trout.
d. canoeing.
31. Microbiologists looked at ____________________ as a solution.
a. algae
b. bacteria
c. fungi
d. protists
32. All water at the mine is now filtered through tanks of…
a. algae
b. bacteria
c. fungi
d. protists
33. Bacteria can help the environment by breaking down and assisting clean-up efforts
from a(n)…
a. oil spill.
b. jet fuel spill on a runway.
c. toxic waste dump.
d. gasoline spills on a road.
34. Understanding the genes of microorganisms also opens up thousands of new
targets for …
a. antibiotics.
b. vaccines.
c. industrial uses.
d. all of the above.
35. ______ thrive in the extreme conditions found in the hot pools at Yellowstone.
a. algae
b. bacteria
c. fungi
d. protists
36. In a teaspoon full of soil, there is at least one ____________________ bacteria.
a. hundred thousand
b. million
c. billion
d. trillion
37. Anywhere there is liquid water, there is a possibility of ______________.
a. protists.
b. life.
c. birds.
d. worms.
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Objective – Understand characteristics of bacteria.
Understanding Bacteria Worksheet – Key
1. 2
2. a
3. a
4. d
5. b
6. 1
7. b
8. b
9. a
10. A
11. b
12. d
13. b
14. a
15. b
16. a
17. b
18. 1970
19. b
20. a
21. d
22. a
23. b
24. a
25. b
26. a
27. 50
28. a
29. b
30. c
31. b
32. b
33. a
34. d
35. b
36. c
37. b
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Objective – Understand characteristics of bacteria.
Understanding Bacteria Worksheet – Scoring Guide
35-37 – 4
33-34 – 3.5
31-32 – 3
28-30 – 2.5
24-27 – 2
20-23 – 1.5
17-19 – 1
1-16 – 5
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