Chapter 1
Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life
Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Which of the following properties or processes do we associate with living things?
A) evolutionary adaptations
B) energy processing
C) responding to the environment
D) growth and reproduction
E) all of the above
2) Which of the following is not a theme that unifies biology?
A) interaction with the environment
B) emergent properties
C) evolution
D) reductionism
E) structure and function
3) Which of the following sequences represents the hierarchy of biological organization from the least to the most complex level?
A) organelle, tissue, biosphere, ecosystem, population, organism
B) cell, community, population, organ system, molecule, organelle
C) organism, community, biosphere, molecule, tissue, organ
D) ecosystem, cell, population, tissue, organism, organ system
E) molecule, cell, organ system, population, ecosystem, biosphere
4) A localized group of organisms that belong to the same species is called a
A) biosystem.
B) community.
C) population.
D) ecosystem.
E) family.
5) Which of the following is a false statement regarding DNA?
A) Each chromosome has one very long DNA molecule with hundreds of thousands of genes.
B) Every cell is enclosed by a membrane.
C) Every cell uses DNA as its genetic information.
D) All forms of life are composed of cells that have a membrane-enclosed nucleus.
E) DNA is the unit of inheritance that is transmitted from parent to offspring.
6) In terms of the hierarchical organization of life, a bacterium is at the __________ level of organization, whereas a human is at the __________ level of organization.
A) single-celled organism; multicellular organism
B) single organelle; organism
C) organelle; organ system
D) single tissue; multicellular organism
E) tissue; organism
7) Which of these is a correct representation of the hierarchy of biological organization from least to most complex?
A) organelle of a stomach cell, digestive system, large intestine, small intestine, intestinal tissue, organism
B) organelle of an intestinal cell, digestive system, small intestine, large intestine, intestinal tissue, organism
C) molecule, intestinal cell organelle, intestinal cell, intestinal tissue, digestive system, organism
D) molecule, small intestine, large intestine, intestinal tissue, digestive system, organism
E) molecule, digestive system, digestive cell organelle, small intestine, large intestine, intestinal cell, organism
8) Organisms interact with their environments, exchanging matter and energy. For example, plant chloroplasts convert the energy of sunlight into
A) the energy of motion.
B) carbon dioxide and water.
C) the potential energy of chemical bonds.
D) oxygen.
E) kinetic energy.
9) The main source of energy for producers in an ecosystem is
A) light energy.
B) kinetic energy.
C) thermal energy.
D) chemical energy.
E) ATP.
10) The dynamics of any ecosystem include the following major processes:
A) the flow of energy from sunlight to producers
B) the flow of energy from sunlight to producers and then to consumers
C) the recycling of chemical nutrients
D) the flow of energy to producers and the recycling of nutrients
E) the flow of energy from sunlight to producers and then to consumers, and the recycling of chemical nutrients.
11) For most ecosystems __________ is (are) the ultimate source of energy, and energy leaves the ecosystem in the form of __________.
A) sunlight; heat
B) heat; light
C) plants; animals
D) plants; heat
E) producers; consumers
12) The illustration above represents
A) a computer simulation of the structure of a eukaryotic cell.
B) a map of a network of protein interactions within a eukaryotic cell.
C) an inventory of all the genes in a fruit fly.
D) an X-ray diffraction image of the nucleus and cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell.
E) a computer generated map of the interaction