MESA COLLEGE, SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS & NATURAL SCIENCE
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107): Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
EXAM #2

YOU HAVE 75 MINUTES TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS; MAXIMUM POINTS
FOR THE TEST IS 166. GO FOR IT!
Q. 1: Which of the following invention(s) had a major impact on modern cell biology and the discovery of
important cell structures and components?
A) the light microscope
B) transfer of cellular nuclei
C) the electron microscope
D) the spectrophotometer
E) both, a) and c)
Q. 2: The two cell types established and found in biological organisms on planet Earth are called ______
and _______ cells
A) protist … uni-cellular
B) prokaryotic … nuclear
C) prokaryotic … eukaryotic
D) prokaryotic … complex
E) uni-cellular … multi-cellular
Q. 3: A bird egg is a single large cell, whereas a human blood cell is a much smaller single cell because
A) cell size is related to the cell’s function within the organisms body
B) bird eggs contain a large amount of nutrients mostly in form of yolk
C) human blood cells must fit into the narrow blood vessels
D) all bird cells are larger than human cells
E) all of the above except d)
Q. 4: Which of the following is NOT found in prokaryotic cells?
A) a nucleus
B) pili
C) a cell wall
D) a capsule
E) ribosomes
Q. 5: The nucleoid region of a prokaryotic cell
A) contains the cell’s DNA
B) separates the DNA from the cytoplasm
C) is surrounded by a nucleoid membrane
D) contains the cell’s nucleoli
E) is the site of cellular protein synthesis
Q. 6: The liquid area of a cell between the nucleus and the plasma membrane is called
A) cytoplasm/cytosol
B) protein matrix
C) cytoskeleton
D) intracellular compartment
E) none of the above
Q. 7: Cells that lack a membrane-bound nucleus are _______ cells.
A) plant
B) fungal
C) prokaryotic D) eukaryotic
E) archaic
Q. 8: The nucleus of eukaryotic cells has pores in its membrane. What is/are the function(s) of these
openings?
A) transport of ribosomes into and out of it
B) transport of RNA molecules, e.g. mRNA, out of it
C) access of organelles into the nucleus
D) movement of DNA regulating proteins (= transcription factors) into the nucleus
E) both, b and d
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MESA COLLEGE, SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS & NATURAL SCIENCE
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107): Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Q. 9: You are told that the cells on a microscope slide are plant, animal or bacterial. You look at them
through a high magnifying microscope and see thick cell walls and membrane-bound organelles. You
conclude, that the cells
A) are plant cells
B) are animal cells
C) are bacteria
D) could be either plant of bacterial
E) could be plant, animal or bacterial
Q. 10: Which of the following is/are TRUE of the nucleus of a cell
A) it is surrounded by a single layer of phospholipid membrane
B) it contains a nucleolus
C) it is the region of the cell where the ribosomes are degraded
D) it contains chromosomal DNA
E) both b and d
Q. 11: The function of the nucleolus of a cell is
A) to manufacture polypeptides
B) to manufacture/assemble ribosomes and rRNA
C) intracellular digestion of cellular waste products
D) to store chromatin
E) to produce hydrogen peroxide
Q. 12: The rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER)
A) contains microbodies
B) produces hydrogen peroxide
C) is covered with studded ribosomes
D) is the cellular site of calcium storage
E) has no connection to the membrane of the nuclear envelope
Q. 13: Which of the following is/are TRUE of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum
A) it stores huge amounts of calcium ions, e.g. in muscle cells
B) it is the major site of carbohydrate synthesis in eukaryotic cells
C) it produces new proteins destined for the cell membranes
D) it produces new phospholipids for production of new membranes
E) both, a and d
Q. 14: Compartmentation, achieved through the presence of organelles within a cell
A) divides the cell into two equal-sized halves
B) allows different metabolic processes to occur simultaneously
C) is accomplished by highly infolded biological membranes, i.e. the endomembrane system
D) is accomplished, in part, by the ER
E) all of the above, except a
Q. 15: Insulin is a small protein (peptidohormone) that is produced by pancreatic cells and released into the
blood stream. Which of the following choices best describes the route of insulin within the cells from the site
of its production to its exit from the cell?
A) rough ER, smooth ER, Golgi apparatus, transport vesicles, cell membrane
B) rough ER, transport vesicles, Golgi apparatus, secretory vesicles, cell membrane
C) smooth ER, rough ER, transport vesicles, Golgi apparatus, cell membrane
D) rough ER, lysosomes, Golgi apparatus, transport vesicles, cell membrane
E) none of the above
Q. 16: The site within the pancreas cells where insulin and other polypeptides are produced is the
peroxisome.
A) True
B) False
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MESA COLLEGE, SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS & NATURAL SCIENCE
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107): Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Q. 17: The Golgi apparatus
A) is composed of stacks of membranous, pan-cake-like vesicles
B) stores proteins, modifies proteins and packages proteins
C) strings together amino acids to produce proteins
D) forms fats and lipids from glycerol and fatty acids
E) both, a and b
Q. 18: Lysosomes
A) degrade worn-out or damaged organelles
B) help to recycle materials within the cell
C) are small cellular organelles
D) can destroy harmful bacteria trapped and engulfed by white blood cells
E) all of the above
Q. 19: Tay-Sachs disease
A) involves excessive accumulation of undegraded lipids within brain cells
B) involves damage to liver cells
C) is due to the absence of an enzyme that digests polysaccharides
D) is a human lysosomal storage disorder
E) both, a and d
Q. 20: Which of the following organelle(s) and structure(s) is/are shared by animal AND plant cells?
A) cell wall
B) mitochondria
C) chloroplast
D) ribosomes
E) b and d
Q. 21: Which of the following is NOT a component of the endomembrane system
A) transport vesicles
B) Golgi apparatus
C) smooth ER
D) rough rER
E) lysosomes
Q. 22: The stroma is the
A) thick fluid enclosed by the inner chloroplast membrane
B) watery fluid enclosed by the inner membrane of a mitochondrion
C) space between the inner and outer membranes of a chloroplast
D) space between the inner and outer membrane of a mitochondrion
E) fluid within the grana
Q. 23: The function of chloroplasts is which of the following
A) cellular respiration
B) intracellular transport of proteins
C) phospholipid synthesis
D) photosynthesis
E) intracellular digestion of bacteria
Q. 24: The function of mitochondria within cells is
A) performing important steps of cellular respiration
B) ATP production
C) lipid synthesis
D) photosynthesis
E) both, a and b
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MESA COLLEGE, SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS & NATURAL SCIENCE
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107): Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Q. 25: Which of the following finding(s) in mitochondria support(s) the so-called endosymbiotic theory,
which states that mitochondria descend from an archaic, symbiotic bacterium?
A) a similar phospholipid composition of bacterial and mitochondrial membranes
B) the presence of own DNA (= mtDNA) in mitochondria
C) mitochondria are capable to do their own protein synthesis
D) mitochondria possess two phospholipid membranes
E) all of the above
Q. 26: What are the three most important structural elements of the cellular cytoskeleton?
A) centrioles, microtubules, actin
B) cilia, microtubules, intermediate fibers
C) centrioles, intermediate fibers, microfilaments
D) microfilaments, microtubules, intermediate fibers
E) none of the above
Q. 27: The microfilaments of the cellular cytoskeleton are made up of what protein?
A) globulin
B) tubulin
C) actin
D) spectrin
E) insulin
Q. 28: The protein which forms the core structure of cilia and flagella is called
A) actin
B) tubulin
C) spectrin
D) albumin
E) keratin
Q. 29: Which of the following cells of the human body has/have flagella?
A) nerve cells
B) liver cells
C) sperm
D) white blood cells
E) all of the above
Q. 30: A drug that interferes with microtubule formation is likely to disrupt which cellular functions
A) the property to divide (= cell division)
B) the amoeboid motion of white blood cells
C) the ability of sperm to move
D) mitochondria function
E) both, a and c
Q. 31: A woman is having trouble becoming pregnant. Examination of her partner’s sperm in the hospital
indicates that a protein associated with the microtubules in the sperm flagella is defect (= mutated). A
physician explains that this could interfere with fertility by
A) preventing the sperm from attaching to the egg cell
B) preventing the sperm from swimming to the egg cell
C) preventing the sperm from producing enough energy to power swimming
D) interfering with the ability of sperm to tolerate the acid conditions in the vaginal canal
E) none of the above
Q. 32: All cells on Earth
A) are enclosed by a cell membrane that maintains internal conditions
B) have DNA as genetic material
C) can interconvert chemical compounds
D) are able to duplicate itself (= divide)
E) all of the above
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MESA COLLEGE, SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS & NATURAL SCIENCE
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107): Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Q. 33: With the creation of organelles, the eukaryotic cell gains certain advantages over a prokaryotic cells
which lacks these cell structures. Which one of the following is/are the advantage(s)?
A) creation of multiple liquid-filled spaces where many chemical reactions can occur
B) organelles assure that anabolic and catabolic chemical reactions are separated and can occur in
a cell at the same time
C) increase of the internal membrane surface for optimum uptake of nutrients
D) faster ability to divide and grow
E) all of the above, except d
Q. 34: Many bacteria have a sort of extrachromosomal DNA which occurs as small DNA rings within the
cell. What is this form of DNA called?
A) nucleoids
B) plasmids
C) plastoids
D) chromatin
E) none of the above
Q. 35: These ring-like extrachromosomal DNA pieces in bacteria play a role in
A) the defence against other bacteria
B) the rapid transfer of resistance genes against certain antibiotics
C) the maintenance of chromosome stability
D) the anchoring of ribosomes
E) none of the above
Q. 36: A child is hospitalized for a series of chronic bacterial infections and dies despite heroic efforts. At
autopsy, the physicians are startled to see that the child’s white blood cells are loaded with vacuoles
containing intact bacteria. Which of the following explanations would you account for this finding?
A) A defect in the Golgi apparatus prevented the cells from degrading and excreting the bacteria
B) A defect in the rough ER prevented the synthesis of the antibodies (= defensive proteins) which
would have inactivated the bacteria
C) A defect in the cell walls of the white blood cells prevented the cells from crushing the bacteria
D) A defect in the lysosomes of the white blood cells prevented the cells from degrading the
engulfed bacteria
E) A defect in the calcium storage capacity of the smooth ER stopped the degradation of the
bacteria in the vacuole
Q. 37: The statement that disordered energy, i.e. heat, is produced whenever energy is changed into
another form of energy is laid down in:
A) the first law of thermodynamics
B) the second law of thermodynamics
C) Einstein’s law of relativity
D) the Maxwell equations
E) the Helmholtz equation
Q. 38: Which one of the following statements best describes the definition of energy? Energy is:
A) the ability to create electricity
B) the ability to perform work
C) the ability to release light
D) transformed matter
E) always freed electrons
Q. 39: Which of the following energy transfers is/are possible in living organisms?
A) light energy to chemical energy
B) chemical energy to kinetic energy
C) potential energy to kinetic energy
D) light energy to potential energy
E) all of the above
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MESA COLLEGE, SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS & NATURAL SCIENCE
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107): Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Q. 40: “Free energy coupling” refers to the fact that living cells couple a Gibbs free energy requiring
_________ reaction with a(n) __________ reaction
A) exergonic …… endergonic
B) endergonic …… exergonic
C) exergonic …… spontaneous
D) spontaneous …… exergonic
E) endergonic …… spontaneous
Q. 41: Cells usually couple chemical reactions with the freed energy released after ________ of the
biomolecule ____ .
A) condensation …… NADH + H+
B) hydrolysis …… NADH + H+
C) hydrolysis …… ATP
D) oxidation …… ATP
E) none of the above
Q. 42: Which of the following is/are TRUE of living systems
A) they do NOT violate the first law of thermodynamics
B) they violate the second law of thermodynamics
C) they decrease their entropy (= disorder) while increasing the entropy of the Universe
D) they can NOT make energy conversion with 100% efficiency
E) all of the above, except b
Q. 43: Which of the following processes is endergonic
A) the combustion of wood
B) the combustion of gasoline in the engine of a car
C) the combustion of glucose in your body cells
D) the build-up of glucose from carbon dioxide and water during photosynthesis
E) the breakdown of glucose to power ATP formation
Q. 44: An ATP molecule is made of which of the following molecular components
A) three sulfate, ribose and adenine
B) three phosphates, ribose and adenine
C) two phosphates, ribose and adenine
D) three phosphates, fructose and adenine
E) none of the above
Q. 45: Anything that prevents ATP formation in a cell
A) results in cell death
B) forces the cell to relay on lipids for energy
C) results in the conversion of kinetic energy into chemical energy
D) force the cell to relay on ADP for energy
E) have no effect on the cellular energy household
Q. 46: ATP can be used as the cell’s energy currency because
A) endergonic reactions can be fueled by coupling them with the formation of ATP from ADP
B) ATP is the most energy-rich small molecule in the cell
C) endergonic chemical reactions can be fueled by coupling them with the hydrolysis of highenergy phosphate bonds in ATP
D) the regeneration of ATP from ADP can be fueled by coupling it with exergonic reactions
E) both c and d
Q. 47: Which of the following cellular or biological activities is NOT powered by ATP
A) the division of a cell into two (= mitosis)
B) the movement of sperm to an egg cell
C) circulation of blood in our body
D) vision of our eyes
E) all of the above biological activities are powered by ATP
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MESA COLLEGE, SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS & NATURAL SCIENCE
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107): Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Q. 48: Redox reaction is an abbreviation for chemical _________ .
A) redunant oxidation reaction
B) reduction oxidation reaction
C) reduction oxygenation reaction
D) reduced oxygen reaction
E) none of the above
Q. 49: During cellular redox reactions involving NAD+ it’s _____ , which are moved between two different
chemical reaction partners
A) protons
B) outershell electrons
C) outer-and innershell electrons
D) neutrons
E) a and b
Q. 50: During the biological degradation of glucose within a cell, the carbon skeleton of glucose is _______
by a class of enzymes called ________ .
A) reduced ….. dehydrogenases
B) oxidized …… dehydrogenases
C) oxidized ……. reductases
D) reduced …… oxidases
E) none of the above
Q. 51: Which of the following biomolecules play(s) the crucial role(s) in the mediation and maintenance of
cellular redox reactions
A) phospholipids
B) NAD+
C) ATP
D) FAD
E) both, b and d
Q. 52: Oxidation of a molecule is accompanied with a ____ of _____ .
A) gain … neutrons
B) gain … electrons
C) gain … hydrogen
D) loss … electrons
E) cleavage … the molecule
Q. 53: The two most important hydrogen carrier molecules in biological organisms, NAD+ and NADP+,
albeit high structural similarity, support and drive two totally different processes in living cells. NAD+ is
essential for many ______ processes, while NADP+ is mostly used in _______ processes.
A) degradative … metabolic
B) metabolic … degradative
C) anabolic … catabolic
D) catabolic … anabolic
E) reduction … oxidation
Q. 54: Respiration of our lungs ______ , and cellular respiration ________ .
A) takes up carbon dioxide …. produces ATP
B) is gas exchange …. produces glucose
C) is gas exchange …. produces ATP
D) uses glucose …. produces glucose
E) a and c
Q. 55: The first stage of cellular respiration is a metabolic pathway called glycolysis.
A) True
B) False
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MESA COLLEGE, SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS & NATURAL SCIENCE
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107): Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Q. 56: The overall or so-called net equation of cellular respiration of glucose is
A) C6H12O6 + 6 CO2  6 O2 + 6 H2O + energy
B) C6H12O6 + 6 O2  6 CO2 + 6 H2O + energy
C) C6H12O6 + 6 O2  3 CO2 + 9 H2O + energy
D) C6H12O6 + 3 CO2  3 O2 + 6 H2O + energy
E) C6H12O6 + O2  3 CO2 + 6 H2O + energy
Q. 57: During cellular respiration, the chemical energy of the glucose molecule
A) is released by a series of only exergonic chemical reactions
B) is used to manufacture ATP by coupling it with endergonic reactions
C) is released at one step and all at once
D) is released step by step, a little bit at a time
E) both, b and d
Q. 58: Where within a cell do the chemical reactions of glycolysis take place?
A) the cytoplasm
B) the mitochondrion
C) the peroxisome
D) the cell membrane
E) anywhere
Q. 59: Which of the following is a result of glycolysis?
A) reduction of FAD to FADH2
B) release of CO2
C) conversion of glucose into two three-carbon compounds called DAP and GAP
D) reduction of NAD+ to NADH + H+
E) both, c and d
Q. 60: Which of the following statements about glycolysis is TRUE?
A) glycolysis does not occur in plant cells
B) glycolysis only occurs in eukaryotic cells
C) glycolysis does not occur in bacterial cells
D) glycolysis does not occur in yeast cells
E) glycolysis takes place in the cells of virtually all biological organisms on planet Earth
Q. 61: The end product of glycolysis is which of the following?
A) 2 pyruvate
B) 2 GAP
C) 1 citrate
D) 1 pyruvate and 1 GAP
E) 6 carbon dioxide (CO2)
Q. 62: The is a net production of ___ ATP molecules during glycolysis.
A) zero
B) 1
C) 2
D) 3
E) 4
Q. 63: The bridging chemical reaction which links glycolysis and the Krebs cycle is
A) the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA
B) the oxidation of NADH
C) the oxidation of FADH2
D) the conversion of ADP to ATP
E) the production of alcohol
Q. 64: The enzyme complex which converts pyruvate into acetyl-CoA within the mitochondria is called
pyruvate dehydrogenase.
A) True
B) False
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MESA COLLEGE, SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS & NATURAL SCIENCE
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107): Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Q. 65: There is no redox reactions taking place during glycolysis.
A) True
B) False
Q. 66: The enzymes of glycolysis are located in the _______, while the enzymes of the Krebs cycle are all
localized in the _______ .
A) peroxisome …. cytoplasm
B) cytoplasm …. outer mitochondrial membrane
C) cytoplasm …. mitochondrial matrix
D) mitochondrial matrix …. cytoplasm
E) inner membrane space of the mitochondrion …. mitochondrial matrix
Q. 67: The first product of the Krebs cycle is a __ carbon molecule called _____________.
A) 4 … oxalic acid
B) 4 … malate
C) 6 … citrate
D) 5 … ribulose
E) 5 … succinate
Q. 68: How many NADH + H+ molecules are generated during each complete round within the Krebs
cycle?
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
E) none
Q. 69: For each molecule of glucose metabolized during cellular respiration, the Krebs cycle generates a
total of __ ATP molecule(s).
A) one
B) two
C) 4
D) no ATP is generated in the Krebs cycle
Q. 70: At the end of the Krebs cycle, most of the energy remaining from the original glucose molecule is
stored in (count the amount of molecules retrieved!)
A) CO2
B) pyruvate
C) ATP
D) NADH + H+
E) FADH2
Q. 71: During chemio-osmosis
A) energy is generated because H+ ions move freely across the mitochondrial membranes
B) ATP is synthesized when H+ ions move through a protein port provided by the ATP synthase
enzyme
C) energy is generated by coupling exergonic reactions with other exergonic reactions
D) a concentration gradient is generated when large numbers of H + ions are actively transported
from the mitochondrial matrix to the mitochondrion’s inner membrane space
E) both b and c
Q. 72: In the respiratory electron transport chain, electrons are passed from one electron transport
molecule to another, and are finally transferred onto
A) NAD+
B) a molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2)
C) a molecule of water
D) molecular oxygen (O2)
E) ATP
Q. 73: Which of the following is/are components of the mitochondrial electron transport chain?
A) ubiquinone
B) iron-containing cytochromes
C) enzymes called oxidases
D) phospholipids
E) all of the above
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MESA COLLEGE, SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS & NATURAL SCIENCE
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107): Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Q. 74: The molecule cyanide differs from dinitrophenol (DNP) because
A) cyanide is highly toxic to human cells and dinitrophenol is non-toxic
B) cyanide is an electron transport blocker and dinitrophenol is a so-called uncoupler which
destroys the proton gradient across the mitochondrial membrane
C) cyanide makes the membrane of mitochondria leaky to protons and prevents a concentration
gradient from building up; dinitrophenol blocks the passage of electrons through the electron
transport chain
D) cyanide inhibits the production of ATP by inhibiting the ATP synthase; dinitrophenol causes
the mitochondrial membranes to become less permeable to H +-ions
E) both a and b
Q. 75: At the electron transport chain (ETC), the oxidation of each FADH2 molecule leads to the
production of a maximum of ____ ATP and oxidation of each NADH + H+ at the ETC yields a maximum of
____ ATP molecules
A) 3…2
B) 2…3
C) 3…3
D) 1…3
E) 3…1
Q. 76: The Krebs cycle must spin _____ times for each glucose molecule to completely broken down.
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5
Q. 77: The carbon dioxide we exhale derives from the activities (chemical reactions) happening in the
A) glycolysis pathway
B) Krebs cycle
C) electron transport chain
D) both, a and b
E) none of the above
Q. 78: While NADH+H+ and FADH2 give off _______________ at the electron transport chain, a
______________ is established as a form of potential energy.
A) electrons and protons … potassium gradient
B) electrons … sodium gradient
C) electrons and protons … proton gradient
D) exclusively protons … proton gradient
E) ions … glucose gradient
Q. 79: What is the name of the mitochondrial enzyme complex which converts the potential energy of a
proton gradient into forms of chemical energy?
A) pyruvate dehydrogenase
B) ATP synthase
C) ATP isomerase
D) ATPase
E) cytochrome oxidase
Q. 80: Before glucose molecules can be metabolized by our cells they have to be taken up. Which of the
following cellular hormones set the signal for our body cells to take up the circulating glucose from the
blood or body fluids?
A) hemoglobin
B) insulin
C) glucagon
D) testosterone
E) glucose can freely pass the cellular membrane
Q. 81: Cellular respiration operating under aerobic conditions generates a total of ____ ATP molecules
from each glucose molecule, while only ___ ATPs are generated in the absence of oxygen.
A) 4 … 2
B) 18 … 1
C) 38 … 2
D) 2 … 38
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MESA COLLEGE, SAN DIEGO
SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS & NATURAL SCIENCE
General Biology Lecture (BIOL 107): Instructor: Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Q. 82: When a fatty acid is used as a food molecule by a cell and used in aerobic cellular respiration, it is
degraded down to ____, which is fed into ____ .
A) glucose … glycolysis
B) GAP … glycolysis (partway through)
C) pyruvate … alcoholic fermentation
D) acetyl-CoA … the Krebs cycle
E) citric acid … the Krebs cycle
Q. 83: When an organism such as yeast lives by fermentation, it converts the pyruvate resulting from
glycolysis into a different compound such as ethanol which leaves the cell. Why doesn’t it simply secrete the
pyruvate directly into the environment?
A) The conversion yields one ATP per pyruvate molecule
B) The conversion yields one NADH per pyruvate molecule
C) The conversion yields one FADH2 per pyruvate molecule
D) The conversion is needed to regenerate (= recycle) the NAD+ consumed during glycolysis
E) A build-up of pyruvate in the surrounding environment would be too toxic for the yeast cells
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