Bioprospecting Quiz
C. Kohn, Waterford WI
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Hour
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1. What is the US Department of Energy Billion Ton Challenge?
a. To reduce the US consumption of fuel by 1 billion gallons
b. To increase gasoline use by 30%
c. To replace all liquid fuels with electrical energy
d. To replace 30% of transportation fuel with biofuel from plant biomass
2. What is being shown in the image to the right?
a. Fermentation
b. Hydrolysis
c. Pretreatment
d. Bioprospecting
3. What is being shown in the image to the right?
a. Fermentation
b. Hydrolysis
c. Pretreatment
d. Bioprospecting
4. The main motivation for bioprospecting is…
a. To find new species
b. To find enzymes and other products in nature that are of value to humans
c. To prevent extinctions
d. To find inorganic substances that aid human processes.
5. Biofuel researchers are relying on bioprospecting primarily because…
a. They need to find a better feedstock for ethanol
b. They need to find a better feedstock for biodiesel
c. They need to find organisms that are better at degrading cellulose
d. They need to find organisms that are better at degrading glucose
6. Why are biofuel researchers interested in leaf-cutter ants?
a. They are able to digest the cellulose in the toxic leaves of rainforest plants
b. They are able to digest the cellulose in the toxic fungi that they grow underground
c. They produce antibiotics that could be used to make biofuels
d. They have a symbiotic relationship with mold; the mold produces enzymes that break down the
cellulose into the sugars that the ants eat.
7. A/an ____________ is a protein that speeds up slows down a chemical reaction.
a. Active site b. Regulatory region c. Enzyme d. Substrate e. Product
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Copyright 2012 by Craig Kohn, Agricultural Sciences, Waterford WI. This source may be freely used and distributed provided the author is cited.
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8. A/an ____________ is where a substance is bound so that it can be broken down.
a. Active site b. Regulatory region c. Enzyme d. Substrate e. Product
9. A/an ____________ is the substance that is broken down.
a. Active site b. Regulatory region c. Enzyme d. Substrate e. Product
10. A/an ____________ is the thing created after a substance is broken down.
a. Active site b. Regulatory region c. Enzyme d. Substrate e. Product
11. What is a biochemical pathway?
a. The process by which an enzyme breaks down a substrate using multiple steps
b. The process used to find an enzyme through bioprospecting
c. The substance that is broken down by an enzyme
d. The substance produced by an enzyme
12. In what step of bioprospecting are the microbes spread onto cellulose plates?
a. Screening b. Community method c. Plating d. Isolation
13. In what step of bioprospecting are the microbes tested for cellulase activity?
a. Screening b. Community method c. Plating d. Isolation
14. In what step of bioprospecting are the microbes that grow the fastest chosen?
a. Screening b. Community method c. Plating d. Isolation
15. In what step of bioprospecting are the microbes tested on different feedstocks?
a. Screening b. Community method c. Plating d. Isolation
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Copyright 2012 by Craig Kohn, Agricultural Sciences, Waterford WI. This source may be freely used and distributed provided the author is cited.