BI 173 - First Exam - 1999

Place the letter of the choice that best answers the question on the line to the left.
Two Points Each. NOTE: "e" answers are never the correct answer.

_______ 2. Which are among the more likely ecosystems where life on Earth began?
                            a. Upper atmosphere & inland lakes
                            b. Shoreline & Soil
                            c. Ocean surface & deep-sea hot vents
                            d. All of these are equally possible
                            e. A discarded extraterrestrial greasetrap

_______ 3. In experiments, results from the testing of the variable are only reliable when compared to results from the
                            a. Hypothesis                 b. Control                 c. Statistics
                            d. Observations                     e. Latest public opinion polls

_______ 4. Moths and bats both have wings, but are only very distantly related. This makes the wings
                            a. Analogous and homologous                b. Homologous but not analogous
                            c. Neither analogous nor homologous     d. Analogous but not homologous
                                                   e. Not something you'd want Buffalo-style

_______5. Subtle attractions of varied strength that give large molecules their overall shapes are
                            a. Nuclear interactions                         b. Hydrogen bonds
                            c. Ionic bonds                                     d. Spin resonances
                            e. Bound to lead to messy in-molecule romances and break-ups

_______6. Which is an accurate description of the Cambrian Explosion?
                            a. Almost all of the animal phyla present today appear in the fossil record
                            b. The asteroid impact ended the age of Dinosaurs
                            c. An extraterrestrial impact launched the moon from the Earth
                            d. Amphibians, reptiles, and mammal groups appear in the fossil record
                            e. It was loud and, um, Cambrian

_______8. According to classic scientific method, what is the most important factor about a hypothesis?
                            a. It should be testable         b. It should be consistent with known theories
                            c. Everyone must accept it   d. It should be well-presented
                                    e. Whether it will lead to the big bucks

_______9. Because of Charles Lyell and geologic uniformitarianism, many evolutionary theories are presented in terms of
                            a. Slow and gradual changes                 b. Cataclysmic events
                            c. Acquired characteristics                    d. Recessive / hybrid genes
                  e. Long, boring, obtuse names (remember, you're not allowed to pick this one...)

_______10. Primordial soup, according to the Heterotroph Hypothesis, contained "food" from
                            a. Autotrophs                 b. The original materials that formed the Earth
                            c. Heterotrophs              d. The Cambrian Explosion
                                              e. Wal-Mart Super Stores

_______11. A scale with positive numbers based upon negative base-ten exponents is found in
                            a. Mendelian Genetics Laws                 b. Concentration gradients
                            c. pH measurement                               d. Allele frequency shifts
                                                    e. Sounds like tax law to me

_______12. Which term is most closely linked to evolution involving a new use for an existing gene while the "old" use is kept?
                            a. Multiple gene traits                             b. Codominance
                            c. Independent assortment                      d. Redundancy
                                           e. What a wimpy natural process!

_______13. A cell would be suspected of being a secretion producer if it had many
                            a. Nuclei                 b. Golgi Bodies                 c. Mitochondria
                            d. Microfilaments                     e. Disgusting habits

_______14. The production of proteins from RNA and amino acids occurs in the
                            a. Ribosomes                 b. Nucleolus                 c. Receptors
                            d. Lysosomes                     e. Bits too small to care about

_______15. One of Darwin's famous discoveries were several fairly different species of birds all descended from mainland-type finches. This is a result of
                            a. Artificial selection                         b. Divergent evolution
                            c. Independent Assortment               d. Convergent evolution
                                        e. They're not being sure what they want

_______16. In genetics, linkage refers to
                            a. How genes produce certain traits
                            b. Genes found on the same chromosome
                            c. How characteristics are passed on through families
                            d. The RNA used to translate genes into proteins
                            e. The family tree of the pork sausage

_______17. Many fresh-water animals are water-proofed to
                            a. Prevent diffusion of materials from their surroundings in
                            b. Prevent osmosis from their tissues out
                            c. Prevent osmosis from their surroundings in
                            d. All of these
                            e. It's a warranty thing...

_______18. In passive transport, things move
                            a. From high concentration areas to low-concentration areas
                            b. From low concentration areas to high-concentration areas
                            c. In any direction, regardless of concentration
                            d. Only between areas of equal concentrations
                            e. Very dully

Short Answer.  

Pick TEN Questions to answer in the spaces provided.
NOTE: if you answer MORE than ten, only the first ten will be corrected.

Four Points each. Partial credit is possible.

2. Why exactly is an electron microscope able to resolve smaller objects than a light microscope?

3. Briefly explain how and when crossing over occurs.

4. Why would a cell have microvilli?

5. The cell membrane, on a molecular level, is described by the fluid mosaic model. Explain how each aspect works, including the types of molecules involved:

Fluid:

Mosaic:

6. What happened to the vast majority of fossilized organisms just after they died?

8. What widely-accepted idea was challenged by the discovery of fossils of extinct animals?

10. If it is not practical to set up a controlled experiment to test a hypothesis, what other major option is commonly used?

12. Define and give the differences:

Endoplasmic Reticulum:

Rough ER:

Smooth ER:

13. If genes are only codes for proteins, then how are species-specific non-proteins made?

15. What is an allele?

16. Chromosome numbers exist in a fair but limited range. Explain the possible drawbacks to:

High numbers:

Low numbers:

Long Answer.  

Select and answer completely any four of the following questions.
Note: if you answer more than four, only the first four will be corrected.

Six Points Each. Partial credit is possible.

1. Describe three different ways that sex (gender) determination occurs in animals.

4. For three of the four basic types of important biological molecules, give the name and a single important use for that type found in animals.

5. Answer for one of the two fundamental types of reproduction.

BONUS QUESTIONS. Answer as many or as few as you wish. You can't lose points on the rest of the exam by getting these wrong. Partial credit is possible.

What aspects of an experiment's results need to be known well before the experiment is run? Four Points.

What sorts of important fossils are found in western Canada and China? Four Points.

Which Mendelian Law has many exceptions (Three Points), and why didn't Mendel not know about them? (Five Points)

DNA exists as doubled complementary chains. Why? Four Points.

Why are only small animals asexual reproducers? Why not larger species? Four Points.

Where did Alfred Russel Wallace live and gather most of his observations (Three Points), and why was it such a good place to gather evidence? (Four Points)

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