Name:
Answer key
Tuesday, October 13th, 2015
Time: 5:30-6:20 (50 mins)
Location: HLTH 1150
Biology 120 Mock Midterm Examination
Student Learning Services and Bio 120 SSS Peer Mentors
Important note: This mock midterm was written by your Biology Peer Mentors (not your
professors)! It is designed to help you test yourself on topics and concepts covered in class and
should not in any way be considered a “preview” of the actual midterm.
You have 50 minutes to complete this exam, which consists of 40 questions. You are required to
remain in your seat for 30 minutes, but are free to leave the room after 30 minutes (at 6:00). No
talking. No use of electronic devices (i.e. cell phones, laptops).
Be sure to read the questions and all possible answers carefully. Choose the most correct answer.
Select only one answer per question.
1. Which is NOT a characteristic of a eukaryote?
a. contains membrane-bound organelles
b. contains a nucleoid region
c. can be unicellular
d. divides by mitosis
2. The plasma membrane consists of:
a. phospholipids
b. integral proteins
c. cholesterol
d. all of the above
3. Which of the following best describes Scanning Electron Microscopy?
a. It uses a stream of light to create a 3D image of the surface of the sample.
b. It uses a stream of electrons to create a 3D image of the surface of the sample.
c. It uses excited electrons to emit x-rays which create a 3D image of the surface of the
sample.
d. It uses a stream of electrons to create flat images of a thin section of the sample.
4. An animal’s life cycle is best described as:
a. Diploid Dominant
b. Haploid Dominant
c. Alternation of Generations
d. None of the above
5. Why do cells in a multicellular organism need to divide?
a. Growth
b. Repair
c. Reproduction
d. All of the above
Questions and answers for the mock midterm will be posted immediately after at:
http://library.usask.ca/sss.
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6. Which of the following is NOT a common cellular component of both eukaryotic and
prokaryotic cells?
a. DNA
b. Plasma membrane
c. Ribosomes
d. Mitochondria
7. An anabolic pathway _____________
a. consumes energy to break down complex molecules
b. builds complex molecules, releasing energy
c. breaks down complex molecules, releasing energy
d. consumes energy to build complex molecules
8. What stage of mitosis does the following image illustrate?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Prophase
Metaphase
Telophase
Anaphase
9. In what stage does crossing over occur in meiosis?
a. Metaphase II
b. Anaphase I
c. Prophase I
d. Telophase II
10. Identify the exergonic reaction.
a. A + B  C
ΔG= -7.2 kcal/mol
b. Q + S  R
T= 35°C
c. A + B  C + D
ΔG= +11.4 kcal/mol
d. D + F  G + I T= 337 K
11. How do cells regenerate ATP?
a. By combining ADP and Pi in an endergonic reaction
b. By combining ADP and Pi in an exergonic reaction
c. Through ATP hydrolysis, in an endergonic reaction
d. Through ATP hydrolysis, in an exergonic reaction
Questions and answers for the mock midterm will be posted immediately after at:
http://library.usask.ca/sss.
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12. The cells near the hoof of a caribou have a higher unsaturated fatty acid content in their
plasma membranes than the cells nearer to the body. Considering caribou live in snow
covered environments, which of the following best explains the reason for this difference?
a. The unsaturated fatty acids in the hoof cells decrease the plasma membrane fluidity
to keep those cells functioning in cold temperatures.
b. The unsaturated fatty acids in the hoof cells increase plasma membrane
fluidity to keep those cells functioning in cold temperatures.
c. The saturated fatty acids in the cells near the body increase the plasma membrane
fluidity to keep those cells functioning at temperatures closer to 37˚C.
d. The unsaturated fatty acids in the hoof cells help insulate the cells against the cold.
13. The rise in cyanobacteria 2.5 billion years ago resulted in:
a. The accumulation of O2 in the atmosphere
b. The widespread use of H2O as the electron donor for photosynthesis
c. The formation of banded iron deposits
d. All of the above
14. Some bacteria are able to survive extreme temperatures, such as hot springs, because:
a. Their enzymes are insensitive to temperature
b. They are able to maintain a lower internal temperature
c. Their enzymes have a high optimal temperature
d. They are not technically considered living in the first place
15. Why is there a difference between cell division in eukaryotes and that in prokaryotes?
a. Prokaryotic cells have no organelles to redistribute
b. Eukaryotic cells have multiple chromosomes
c. Prokaryotes are only unicellular
d. Both a) and b) are correct
16. Meiosis and Mitosis differ in that
a. Meiosis occurs in eukaryotes, while mitosis occurs in prokaryotes.
b. Meiosis produces diploid cells, while mitosis produces haploid cells.
c. Meiosis produces somatic cells, while mitosis produces gametes.
d. Meiosis produces genetically diverse cells, while mitosis produces genetically
identical cells.
17. When an osmotic equilibrium has been reached, the water molecules will move:
a. In one direction, into the cell
b. In one direction, out of the cell
c. In and out of the cell at equal rates
d. There will not be any movement once equilibrium has been reached
18. The _______ phospholipids that make up cellular membranes form a _________ that is
_______ to most polar molecules.
a. amphipathic, trilayer, permeable
b. hydrophilic, bilayer, impermeable
c. hydrophobic, fluid, permeable
d. amphipathic, bilayer, impermeable
Questions and answers for the mock midterm will be posted immediately after at:
http://library.usask.ca/sss.
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19. According to the 7 Characteristics of Life, a virus is NOT considered to be a living organism
because:
a. it is not able to reproduce on its own
b. it does not have a nucleus
c. it is not multi-cellular
d. it is not able to move on its own
20. Hydrolysis of ATP is the process of
a. Removing adenine from ATP to release free energy
b. Adding water to ATP to release free energy
c. Removing water from ATP to release free energy
d. Adding adenine to ATP to release free energy
21. You are looking at a micrograph of an unknown animal cell and you observe extensive
amounts of endoplasmic reticulum, with many vesicles leaving the Golgi apparatus towards
the cell membrane. You hypothesize that the cell’s primary function is most likely:
a. Muscle movement
b. Absorption of nutrients
c. Storage of fats
d. Making and secreting enzymes and/or hormones
22. Immediately following cell division, what stage of the cell cycle does a typical eukaryotic cell
enter?
a. S
b. G1
c. G2
d. Mitosis
23. The Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum:
a. is the site of protein synthesis
b. stores genetic material
c. is the site of lipid synthesis
d. contains hydrolytic enzymes for digestion
24. Molecules packaged by the Golgi body can be sent by a vesicle to be released outside of the
cell in a process known as:
a. Endocytosis
b. Exocytosis
c. Pinocytosis
d. Phagocytosis
25. When you are busy studying for midterms and you stop cleaning your desk, the increasingly
cluttered result is an example of which law of thermodynamics?
a. The First Law, which states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed
b. The Second Law, which states that energy cannot be created not destroyed.
c. The First Law, which states that the entropy (and thus, disorder) of a system is
always increasing.
d. The Second Law, which states that the entropy (and thus, disorder) of a system
is always increasing.
Questions and answers for the mock midterm will be posted immediately after at:
http://library.usask.ca/sss.
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26. A plant cell wall is primarily composed of:
a. Chitin
b. Cellulose
c. Phospholipids
d. Proteins
27. The substance that an enzyme binds to is called its:
a. Ligand
b. Substrate
c. Key
d. Sister Particle
28. An amoeba engulfs and internalizes its prey in a vesicle before digesting it. This process is
known as:
a. Exocytosis
b. Pinocytosis
c. Phagocytosis
d. Facilitated diffusion
29. Which of the following does NOT correctly describe microtubules?
a. They are made of actin dimers
b. They associate with the motor proteins dynein and kinesin
c. They form the centrioles in animal cells
d. All of the above describe microtubules
30. What happens in telophase of a plant cell?
a. The chromosomes de-condense and the spindle disassembles
b. The DNA is replicated and condense into homologous pairs
c. The plasma membrane furrows, followed by cytokinesis
d. The chromosomes condense and align in the center of the cell
31. The contractile ring formed during cytokinesis that splits the dividing cell into two daughter
cells is made from?
a. Cellular muscle fibers
b. Microfilaments
c. Microtubules
d. Myoglobin
32. What is the role of the kinetochore?
a. It functions as the main microtubule organizing center
b. It works to condense chromosomes
c. It allows microtubules to attach to chromosomes
d. It helps to regulate cell division
33. The characteristics of life are said to be emergent because:
a. All life emerges from one common ancestor, LUCA
b. They emerge from the interactions of simple molecules
c. They emerge in every known order of life
d. They emerged from the primordial soup
Questions and answers for the mock midterm will be posted immediately after at:
http://library.usask.ca/sss.
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34. Which of the following support the theory of LUCA?
a. Protein assembly from amino acids using mRNA and tRNA
b. The breakdown of glucose by a conserved pathway to create ATP
c. Reliance on proteins as the major structural and catalytic molecule
d. All of the above
35. Why are enzymes needed in biological systems?
a. They are food that provides energy for reactions
b. They slow down reactions that occur too quickly
c. They speed up reactions that occur too slowly
d. They provide structure and support
36. When a red blood cell is submerged in a sugar solution, it shrinks. This indicates that the
sugar solution is ___________ to the cell.
a. Hypertonic
b. Hypotonic
c. Isotonic
d. None of the above
37. The area on an enzyme where the substrate attaches is called the:
a. Active Site
b. Allosteric Site
c. Lock Site
d. Reaction Site
38. Plant cells have:
a. Contractile Vacuoles
b. A Plasma Membrane
c. Centrioles
d. Lysosomes
39. In a solution where enzyme concentration is kept constant but substrate concentration is
increasing, what will be the limiting factor in the rate of catalysis?
a. The substrate concentration
b. The product concentration
c. The enzyme concentration
d. The concentration of yeast
40. The liver detoxifies harmful substances in the human body. Based on this, which organelle
would you expect to be abundant in liver cells?
a. Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
b. Lysosomes
c. Chloroplasts
d. Ribosomes
Questions and answers for the mock midterm will be posted immediately after at:
http://library.usask.ca/sss.
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