Dr. K.

Dulai

C2 0Spring: Exam 1
First Name:________________ Last Name:__________________
Answer ALL questions. Take your time and understand each question before you answer. Mark your
Scantron with the correct answer and make sure that you are filling in the correct boxes. Please give me
your Scantron and your question booklet before you leave.
Good Luck!
1.

The smallest unit of life is a(n)

(a)
DNA molecule
(b)
(c)
organelle
(d)

cell
virus

(e)

protein

2.

Which one of the following statements concerning procaryotes is TRUE?

(a)
They have no nucleus and hence no DNA
(b)
They have no mitochondria and make their energy in another way
(c)
They are all able to perform photosynthesis
(d)
They include bacteria, yeast, and protozoans
(e)
They all live on organic energy sources

3.

Which statement about the basic chemistry of cells is TRUE?

(a)
All cells contain exactly the same proteins
(b)
All proteins are constructed from the same 22 amino acids
The genetic instructions in organisms are stored in DNA
(c)
(d)
All organisms contain the same genes
(e)
All of the above

4.

What unit of length would you generally use to give the measurements of a typical human cell?
(a)
Centimetres
(b)
Nanometres
(c)
Millimetres
(d)
Micrometres

5.

Why are tissues usually cut into thin sections and stained before examination under a light
microscope?
(a)
The section would be too thick to place on the microscope stage
(b)
Something to do to keep your job!
(c)
So that the light can pass through to the eyepiece
(d)
To permit the stain to penetrate the specimen
(e)
None of the above

6.

Which one of the following organelles is bounded by two membrane layers?

(a)
Endoplasmic reticulum
(b)
Nucleus
(c)
Lysosome
(d)
Peroxisome
(e)
Vacuole

7.

Which of the following bond types does not stabilize the overall conformation of proteins? Think
it out!
(a)
Ionic bonds
(b)
Hydrogen bonds
(c)
Van der Waals forces
(d)
Covalent bonds
(e)
None of the above

8.

Atoms form covalent bonds with each other by

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Dr. K. Dulai

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)

sharing protons.
sharing electrons.
transferring electrons from one atom to the other.
sharing neutrons.
attraction of positive and negative charges.

9.

Which of the following is the largest in size?

(a)
Protein molecule
(b)
Human fat cell
(c)
Mitochondrion
(d)
Ribosome
(e)
Yeast cell

10.

Living organisms require a continual supply of energy to exist because they

(a)
defy the laws of thermodynamics.
(b)
convert it into heat energy, which powers biosynthetic reactions.
(c)
create order out of disorder inside their cells.
(d)
cause the entropy in the universe to decrease.
(e)
are closed systems isolated from the rest of the universe.

11.

A glass containing 18g of pure water would have approximately how many molecules of water?
(a)
23,000
(b)
18
(c)
18,000
(d)
600,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
(e)
18,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

12.

You wish to explore how mutations in specific genes affecting sugar metabolism might alter tooth
development. Which organism is likely to provide the best model system for your studies?
Eliminate the wrong answers for obvious reasons
(a)
Humans
(b)
Mice
(c)
E. coli
(d)
Arabidopsis
(e)
Gorillas

13.

Which of the following elements is least abundant in living organisms?

(a)
Sulfur
(b)
Carbon
(c)
Oxygen
(d)
Nitrogen
(e)
Hydrogen

14

Which element is the most abundant in the Earths crust?

(a)
Sulfur
(b)
Carbon
(c)
Oxygen
(d)
Nitrogen
(e)
Hydrogen

15.

Which of the following is NOT true of condensation reactions? Think about it!
(a)
Produce many biological polymers from monomers.
(b)
Consume water molecules.
(c)
Aid in storage of energy reserves.
(d)
Are the opposite of hydrolysis reactions.
(e)
Are usually catalyzed in cells by enzymes.

16.

Phospholipids can form bilayer membranes because they are? Select the best answer.
(a)
amphipathic.
(b)
lipids.
(c)
hydrophobic.
(d)
hydrophilic.
(e)
amphoteric.

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Dr. K. Dulai

17.

Where do peptide bonds form?

(a)
Between two sugar molecules
(c)
Between two lipid molecules
(e)
None of the above

(b)
(d)

Between two amino acids

Between two nucleotides

18.

The energy required by a human cell to grow and reproduce is provided by

(a)
the generation of order inside it.
(b)
its anabolic metabolism.
(c)
its catabolic metabolism.
(d)
generation of heat.
(e)
its biosynthetic reactions.

19.

Which does not form macromolecules?

(a)
Carbohydrates
(b)
Nucleic acids
(d)
Lipids
(e)
None of the above

(c)

Proteins

20.

Which of the following statements about enzymes is correct?

(a)
Catalysis of an energetically unfavorable reaction by an enzyme will enable that reaction
to occur.
(b)
An enzyme can direct a molecule along a particular reaction pathway.
(c)
An enzyme can catalyze many chemically different reactions.
(d)
An enzyme can bind to many structurally unrelated substrates.
(e)
Enzymes are permanently altered after catalyzing a reaction.

21.

Which property of saturated fats in your diet is NOT true?

(a)
raise total blood cholesterol
(b)
mainly found in animal products
(c)
plant foods are also high in saturated fats
(d)
raise LDL cholesterol
(e)
None of the above

22.

Which of the following is NOT a crucial benefit of using enzymes to catalyze biological
reactions?
(a)
Enzymes are highly selective in which reactions they catalyze.
(b)
Enzymes can drive an unfavorable reaction by coupling it to a favorable reaction, either
directly or via activated carrier molecules.
(c)
Enzymes make reactions occur faster than without catalysis.
(d)
Enzymes change the equilibrium of a reaction to make it more favorable.
(e)
The activity of enzymes can be modulated by inhibitors and other small molecules to
respond to the needs of the cell at each moment.

23.

The enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of macromolecules do not also catalyze their breakdown
by hydrolysis because
(a)
enzymes can catalyze reactions in only one direction.
(b)
hydrolysis is not an energetically favorable reaction.
(c)
the hydrolytic reaction is not the reverse of the reaction pathway that is used for
biosynthesis.
(d)
enzymes are destroyed immediately after synthesis is completed.
(e)
biosynthesis proceeds more rapidly than hydrolysis.

24.

What is a disaccharide?
(a)
A sugar molecule
(c)
A dye used to stain cells
(e)
None of the above

(b)
(d)

A long chain of sugar molecules

Just two sugar molecules bonded together

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Dr. K. Dulai

25.

Polyunsaturated fats have

(a)
No double bonds.
(b)
Have one single bond. (c)
(d)
Have two or more double bonds
(e)

Have one double bond

None of the above

26.

SS bonds (disulfide bonds)

(a)
are formed by the cross-linking of methionine residues.
(b)
are formed mainly in proteins that are retained within the cytosol.
(c)
stabilize but do not change a proteins final conformation.
(d)
can be broken by oxidation through agents such as mercaptoethanol.
(e)
rarely form in extracellular proteins.

27.

What happens during equilibrium centrifugation?

(a)
The fractions of a sample separate until they reach a point at which their density reaches
that of the medium.
(b)
The rate of separation is dependent upon the size of the sample.
(c)
The time of rotation determines the type of separation.
(d)
The speed of rotation determines the rate at which the fractions pellet.
(e)
None of the above.

28.

The biosynthetic pathway for the two amino acids E and H is shown schematically below. You
are able to show that E inhibits enzyme V, and H inhibits enzyme X. Enzyme T is most likely to
be subject to feedback inhibition by __________________ alone.

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
29.

A
B
C
E
H

What is a ligand?
(a)
A distinct part of the polypeptide which binds substrate.
(b)
The name of the active site of an enzyme.
(c)
The name of the protein that is made in the liver.
(d)
A site other than the active site of the protein.
(e)
None of the above.

30 Which of the following forms disulphide bonds to stabilize proteins?

(a)
Cystine
(b)
Cysteine
(c)
(d)
Cytocine
(e)
Cytoplasm

Cystyine

31.

The specificity of a protein is determined primarily by

(a)
The primary structure
(b)
The secondary structure
(c)
The tertiary structure
(d)
The quaternary structure
(e)
None of the above

32.

The agent of infection in prion disease is

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Dr. K. Dulai

(a)
(d)

A bacteria
A plant

(b)
(e)

A virus
(c)
None of the above

A fungi

33.

Domains of proteins which cross the lipid bilayer have certain properties. Which of the following
is NOT one of these.
(a)
Contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids
(b)
They have hydrophobic amino acids facing outwards
(c)
They tend to form alpha-helices
(d)
They contain only hydrophilic amino acids
(e)
None of the above

34.

ATP, the main energy carrier molecule of the cell, does not contain?
(a)
Lipid
(b)
Sugar
(c)
Base
(d)
Phosphate
(e)
None of the above

35.

Fatty acids are also important for energy storage, but their most essential function is in the
formation of?
(a)
Polysaccharides
(b)
Cell membranes
(c)
Ribosomes
(d)
Enzymes
(e)
DNA

36.

All biological enzymes are?

(a)
Proteins
(d)
Nucleotides

(b)
(e)

Lipids
None of the above

What is acetyl CoA?

(a)
An electron carrier
(c)
An enzyme

(b)
(d)

An activated carrier molecule

A lipid
(e)

37.

38.

(c)

Carbohydrates

None of the above

ATP is the abbreviation of?

(a)
Alanine 5-triphosphate
(b)
Alanine 5-triplephosphate
(c)
Adenocine 5-triplephosphate
(d)
Adenosine 5-triplephosphate
(e)
None of the above

39 A double covalent bond consists of?

(a)
a single electron shared between atoms
(b)
a single pair of electrons shared between atoms
(c)
two electrons shared between atoms
(d)
two pairs of electrons shared between atoms
(e)
None of the above
40 What is the best definition of atomic valence?
(a)
The number of other atoms with which a given atom interacts.
(b)
The number of electrons that a given atom must gain or lose to attain a filled outer shell.
(c)
A region which extends around the atom where it has influence.
(d)
The difference between the number of protons and neutrons.
(e)
None of the above
41 Which is not considered a model organism?
(a)
mouse
(b)
human
(d)
fruit fly
(e)
None of the above

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(c)

nematode worm

Dr. K. Dulai

42 According to the essential concepts at the end of chapter 1, how many genes does a human have?
(a)
1000
(b)
30,000
(c)
300,000
(d)
3 million
(e)
3 billion
43. Which of the following are not found in the secondary structure of proteins?
(a)
-helices
(b)
-sheets
(c)
-barrels
(d)
coiled-coils
(e)
None of the above
44. Various AAs are modified by enzymes after their incorporation into polypeptides. Which is not one
of these modifications?
(a)
Phosphate groups
(b)
Methyl groups
(c)
Disulfide bonds
(d)
Hydroxyl groups
(e)
None of the above
This last section shall test your ability to recall amino acid properties and naming conventions.
45. Which amino acid in the list below is not polar?
(a)
T
(b)
Y
(d)
I
(e)
K

(c)

46. Which amino acid has the single letter abbreviation of W?

(a)
Valine
(b)
Glutamic Acid
(d)
Lysine
(e)
Tryptophan

(c)

47. What would be the single letter abbreviation for Phenylalanine?

(a)
P
(b)
H
(c)
F
(d)
Q
48. What is the three letter abbreviation for Asparagine?
(a)
Ala
(b)
Arg
(c)
(d)
Asn
(e)
Asp

Glutamate

(e)

Asg

49. Which of the following is a negatively charged amino acid?

(a)
Glutamate
(b)
Lysine
(c)
Proline
(d)
Phenylalanine (e)
Valine
50. Which of the following amino acids contains a sulphur atom?
(a)
Lysine
(b)
Histidine
(c)
Tryptophan
(d)
Methionine
(e)
Glycine
THIS IS THE END OF THIS EXAM. YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK YOUR ANSWERS IF YOU
HAVE TIME!
Bonus Question answer this on the reverse side of your scantron please, on line 1
B1.

What symbol is used in the SI system to measure mass (weight)?

(a)
M
(b)
G
(c)
L
(d)
C
(e)
None of the above

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