Varsity Biology Questions

Q: The reptilian order Chelonia consists of what animals?

A: turtles or tortoises

Q: What aquatic organisms are placed in the Phylum Porifera?

A: Sponges

Q: What animal phylum’s name means “wheel bearer”? The distinguishing characteristic of
this phylum is an anterior crown of cilia.

A: Rotifera

Q: Phylum Sporozoa consists of immobile, parasitic members of what taxonomic kingdom?

A: Protista

Q: Silverfish are members of which insect order?

A: Thysanura

Q: What is the term for the larval stage of a frog or toad?

A: tadpole

Q: What is the common term for members of Sauria, a suborder of Squamata?

A: lizards

Q: What South American animal, similar to an enormous guinea pig, is the world’s largest
rodent?

A: capybara

Q: When it comes to viruses, what is the opposite of virulent? The same term is used to
refer to latitudes between the tropics and the polar circles.

A: Temperate

Q: What is the term for the evolutionary development and history of a species?

A: phylogeny or phylogensis
Q: What term refers to the subgroup of primates that includes monkeys, apes, and humans?

A: Anthropoid

Q: Owls are members of what bird order?

A: Strigiformes

Q: Give one of the two common names for members of the taxonomic class Anura?

A: Toads or frogs

Q: Spicules are found on members of what taxonomic phylum?

A: Porifera

Q: What is the term for the structure that stores dirt in earthworms and food in birds?

A: crop

Q: What is the largest order of recent reptiles? Members are distinguished by their skins,
which bear horny scales or shields. Common examples include lizards and snakes.

A: Squamata

Q: What is the more formal term for the white of an egg? It also refers to the class of water-
soluble proteins that make up the white, along with many other plant and animal tissues.

A: Albumen

Q: What is the term for the organ that secretes material for the shell of mollusks? The same
name refers to the layer of the Earth immediately below the crust.

A: Mantle

Q: What is the term for the primitive backbone that forms the main body support in lower
chordates?

A: notochord

Q: Book lungs, Malpigian tubules, coxal glands, and spiracles are organs found in what
arthropod group?

A: Arachnida
Q: What is the formal term for the song box of a bird?

A: syrinx

Q: What obsolete yet common taxonomic term encompasses the animal phyla Ctenophora
and Cnidaria? This phylum contained both coral animals and comb jellies.

A: Coelenterata

Q: What animal phylum’s name means “jointed foot”? Subphylum include Trilobita,
Crustacea, and Uniramia

A: Arthropoda

Q: What is the total number of bones in an adult human?

A: 206

Q: What structures can be classed as lumbar, cervical, or thoracic?

A: Vertebrae

Q: What is the term for a pit in the skin in which a hair or feather develops?

A: follicle

Q: What muscle extends from the top of the shoulder across the upper back to the base of the
skull and mid spine?

A: Trapezius

Q: How many bones make up the sternum?

A: 3

Q: What is the name of the middle section of the human small intestine?

A: Jejunum

Q: The alimentary canal is part of what organ system?

A: Digestive

Q: What is the term for the ducts which connect the kidneys to the bladder?

A: Ureters
Q: Inhibitory neurons in the neocortex are examples of what neuron type? These act as links
between sensory neurons and motor neurons?

A: interneurons or association neurons

Q: In higher vertebrates, oxygenated blood passes from the left ventricle into what major
vessel?

A: Aorta

Q: What human skeletal subsystem contains 126 bones? The pectoral girdle, the upper
limbs, the pelvic girdle, and the lower limbs are included in this area, which, along with
the axial skeleton encompasses all bones.

A: Appendicular

Q: What type of nerves connect major sense organs to the brain?

A: Cranial

Q: What anatomical structure is divided into two layers, the fibrous and the serous? This
double walled sac contains the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels.

A: pericardium

Q: The specialized cells called tenocytes form what connective tissue in the body?

A: Tendons

Q: What polypeptide hormone is synthesized and secreted by the anterior pituitary gland?
This hormone stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and other vertebrates.

A: Somatotropin

Q: What is the term for chemical substances, such as acetylcholine or dopamine, that
transmit nerve impulses across a synapse?

A: Neurotransmitters

Q: What crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic, anti-malarial with analgesic and anti-
inflammatory properties and a bitter taste is a stereoisomer of quinidine? It is most
commoly used to treat malaria.

A: Quinine
Q: What is the technical term for exhalation, the act of breathing out? The same term is
sometimes used as a euphemism for the act of dying.

A: expiration

Q: What anatomical terms means “any supplementary or accessory part of a bodily organ or
structure?” In humans, it usually refers to a seemingly unused tube connected to the
cecum.

A: Appendix

Q: What term refers to the process by which cells or tissues undergo a change toward a more
specialized form or function, especially during embryonic development?

A: Differentiation

Q: What is the name given to the vegetative mass of hyphae of a fungus?

A: mycelium

Q: Bryophytes reproduce by what means?

A: spores

Q: What is the term for any tree that bears cones, such as pines?

A: coniferous

Q: Photosynthesis occurs in what tissue, located between the upper and lower epidermis?

A: Mesophyll

Q: Thylakoids are found in what organelles, found only in plant cells?

A: Chloroplasts

Q: What is the term for a symbiotic association between fungi and green algae?

A: Lichen

Q: What is the term for cell death caused by the excessive diffusion of water into a cell until
it bursts?

A: Cytolysis
Q: What is the full name of the cellular enzyme NADP?

A: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate

Q: Fractionation is a process to break up and extract the contents of what biological units?

A: Cells

Q: What is the term for cells or organisms that contain more than two copies of each of their
chromosomes?

A: Polyploid

Q: The citric acid cycle is better known as what cycle, named for its 20th century German
discoverer? This cycle is part of a metabolic pathway involved in the chemical
conversion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins into carbon dioxide and water to generate a
form of usable energy.

A: Krebs Cycle

Q: Polyploid organisms contain the wrong number of what?

A: Chromosomes

Q: What term beginning with “K” can refer to all of the chromosomes in a cell or an
individual organism, visible through a microscope during cell division?

A: Karyotype

Q: What cellular technique for copying DNA is abbreviated PCR?

A: Polymerase chain reaction

Q: What procedure separates large molecules by acting on differences in their size and
electric charge? It is often used to determine the protein components of viruses.

A: Electrophoresis

Q: What is the selectively permeable lipid bilayer coated by proteins which comprises the
outer layer of a cell?

A: Cell membrane (or cytoplasmic membrane or plasmalemma)

Q: Benedict’s solution is used to detect the presence of what substances?

A: (reducing) sugars (accept glucose, lactose or fructose)

Q: Benedict’s Solution is used to test for the presence of what common monosaccharide?
This compound is used by cells as a source of energy and is one of the main products of
photosynthesis.

A: Glucose

Q: What biome type covers the majority of Australia?

A: desert

Q: What term refers to fossils of organisms that lived in a particular geologic age and are
used to date the rock layer in which they are found?

A: Index or zone or guide

Q: Identify these biological scientists:

1. Determined that blood circulates and established study of pathology.

2. Laid the foundation for genetics through his study of pea plants.
3. Established the chemical pathway for C-3 photosynthesis.
4. Showed genes could move on a chromosome.
5. Advocated theory that organisms could pass on acquired characteristics
6. Pioneered the study of inheritance
7. Greek who established the basic principals of anatomy and physiology
8. Along with James Watson, discovered DNA

1. William Harvey
2. Gregor Mendel
3. Melvin Calvin
4. Barbara McClintock
5. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
6. Gergor Mendel
7. Galen
8. Francis Crick

Q: Identify the following taxonomic classification of the lion:

1. Class 1. Mammalia
2. Order 2. Carnivora
3. Family 3. Felidae
4. Genus 4. Panthera

Q: Answer the following about the taxonomic description of the box turtle:

1. What phylum does it belong to? 1. Chordata

2. What class? 2. Reptilia
3. What order? 3. Chelonia
4. What family? 4. Testudinidae

Q: Identify the basic insects in the following Orders:

1. Ephermeroptera 1. Mayflies
2. Odonata 2. Dragonflies or Damselflies
3. Thysanura 3. Silverfish or Firebrats
4. Dermaptera 4. Earwigs
5. Thysanoptera 5. Thrips
6. Neuroptera 6. Lacewings
7. Hymenoptera 7. Bees
8. Diptera 8. True flies
9. Siphonaptera 9. Fleas
Q: Identify the phyla for these animals:

1. ribbon-worms.
2. roundworms.
3. sea urchins.
4. lemurs.

1. Nemertina
2. Nematoda
3. Echinodermata
4. Chordata

Q: Identify the following terms related to arthropods:

1. Silk-making organs of spider.

2. Subphylum that contains centipedes and millipedes.
3. Crustacean appendages analogous to jaws.
4. Subphylum that contained trilobites.

1. spinnerets
2. Uniramia
3. maxillipeds
4. Trilobita

Q: Identify the following terms associated with the class Insecta:

1. Middle portion of the insect digestive system; analogous to a stomach.

2. Inactive state in insect metamorphosis.
3. Survival technique in which an insect blends in with its environment.
4. In poisonous or foul tasting insects, color patterns that warn potential predators.

1. midgut
2. pupa
3. camouflage
4. warning coloration

Q: Identify the taxonomic orders for these reptiles:

1. Tortoises 1. Chelonia
2. Gavials 2. Crocodilia
3. Iguanas 3. Squamata
4. Vipers 4. Squamata
Q: There are only four surviving reptile orders. Identify them.

1. Crocodilia
2. Rhynchocephalia
3. Squamata
4. Chelonia

Q: Identify the type of symbiosis which exists between the following:

1. bacteria in the gut of cattle

2. orchids and trees
3. mistletoe and trees.
4. hagfish and perch.

1. Mutualism
2. Commensalism
3. Parasitism
4. Parasitism

Q: 1- 3. Identify the three most common forms or shapes of organisms in the Kingdom
Monera.
4. What is the prefix that indicates a cluster of moneran cells?

1. spherical or cocci
2. rod-shaped or bacilli
3. spiral or spirilli
4. staphylo-

Q: Answer the following concerning metazoan development:

1 - 3. What are the three germ layers fond in developing metazoans?

4. What is the term for the hollow ball of cells formed when a zygote undergoes
repeated cycles of cell division?

A: 1 - 3. ectoderm
mesoderm
endoderm
4. Blastula
Q: Identify the following terms that relate to amphibians:

1. Vertical grooves on the sides of salamanders.

2. Juvenile, land dwelling stage during a newt or salamander’s life cycle.
3. The common opening for waste and reproduction.
4. Conglomeration of poison glands located to the back or sides of the head, used for
defense.

1. Coastal grooves
2. Eft
3. Cloaca
4. Paratoid gland

Q: Identify the following branches or disciplines of biology:

1. Study of heredity.
2. Study of the processes by which organisms grow and mature.
3. Study of disease in human populations.
4. Study of organisms that live in the oceans.

1. Genetics
2. Developmental biology
3. Epidemiology
4. Marine biology

Q: Identify these types of natural selection:

1. Type of selection in which individuals with the average form of a trait have an
advantage in survival and reproduction.
2. Type of selection in which individuals with a particular extreme form of a trait
have an advantage.
3. Type of selection in which individuals with either extreme form of a trait have an
advantage.
4. Type of selection in which individuals with a specific trait are more likely to be
chosen as a mate.

1. Stabilizing selection
2. Directional selection
3. Disruptive selection
4. Sexual selection
Q: Identify the following terms related to genetic equilibrium:

1. This process disrupts equilibrium by producing new alleles for a trait.

2. This process disrupts equilibrium through the introduction of new individuals into
a population.
3. The phenomenon by which allele frequencies change as a result of random events.
4. What principle states that natural selection must not occur if a population is to
remain in equilibrium?

1. mutation
2. migration
3. Genetic drift
4. Hardy-Weinberg

Q: Identify the following genetics terms:

1. A cross between individuals that involves one pair of contrasting traits.

2. Procedure in which an individual of unknown genotype is crossed with a
homozygous recessive individual.
3. A cross between individuals that involves two pairs of contrasting traits.

1. Monohybrid
2. Testcross
3. Dihybrid

Q: Identify these stages of mitosis in which these events occur:

1. Chromatids move to opposite sides of the cell

2. Cytokinesis
3. Chromatids line up on the equatorial plate.
4. Reproductive dormancy.

1. Anaphase
2. Telophase
3. Metapahse
4. Interphase
Q: Identify the following terms associated with cells and cell division:

1. Having a pair of each type of chromosome, so that the basic chromosome number
is doubled.
2. Penultimate phase of mitosis
3. Organelle that breaks down nonfunctioning organelles and is responsible for
cellular digestion.
4. The region of a chromosome that holds the chromatids together.

1. Diploid
2. Anaphase
3. Lysosomes
4. Centromere

Q: Identify the following eukaryotic cell structures:

1. Membrane system of folded sacs.

2. Processing, packaging, and secreting organelles.
3. Outer boundary of a cell.
4. Only organelles that can divide within a cell.

1. Endoplasmic reticulum
2. Golgi apparatus
3. Cell membrane
4. Mitochondria

Q: Identify the following “R” Terms:

1. The embryonic root of a plant.

2. A nerve cell that receives information from both external and internal stimuli.
3. The power of a microscope to show detail.
4. The storage chamber in the stomach of artiodactyls

1. Radicle
2. Receptor
3. Resolution
4. Rumen
Q: Identify these “E” terms:

1. Germ layer found in the innermost layer of the gastrula

2. Aquatic biome where freshwater streams flow into saltwater seas
3. A tissue in angiosperms that provides food for the developing embryo
4. Peripheral nerve cell that responds to messages from the central nervous system

A: 1. Endoderm
2. Estuary
3. Endosperm
4. Effector

Q: Identify the following “F” terms from their definitions:

1. Type of organisms that can metabolize with or without oxygen.

2. A carboxylic acid, often with a long aliphatic tail, either saturated or unsaturated.
3. The fusion of gametes.
4. Method by which sessile organisms acquire food from water.

1. Faculatative anerobe
2. Fatty Acid
3. Fertilization
4. Filter feeding

Q: Identify these “C” terms:

1. The folds formed by the inner folding of the inner membrane of the mitochondria.
2. In ecological systems, an organism that receives its energy by devouring others.
3. The three-lobed portion of the brain.
4. The transparent anterior face of the eyeball.
5. All of the protoplasm in a cell except that in the nucleus
6. The first leaf of a monocot embryo in the seed.
7. The transparent anterior fact of the eyeball
8. The fine hair-like processes extending from the surfaces of many eukaryotic cells

1. cristae
2. consumer
3. cerebellum
4. cornea
5. Cytoplasm
6. Cotyledon
7. Cornea
8. Cilia
Q: Identify the following “Z” Terms:

1. Hybrid animal that results from breeding zebras and horses

2. Unicellular, heterotrophic organisms that drift in water
3. In fungi, a structure that forms from the diploid zygote created by the fusion of
haploid hyphae of different mating types.
4. The branch of biology that deals with animals and animal life.

1. Zebroid
2. Zooplankton
3. Zygospore
4. Zoology

Q: Identify these “W”, “X”, “Y”, or “Z” terms:

1. A rolling gait in which the weight-bearing hip is not stabilized; usually applied to
flightless and limited-flight birds
2. The alternation of two or more different forms in the life cycle of a plant or
animal
3. Common term for single-celled rounded fungi that reproduce by budding
4. An organic body or cell having locomotion

A: 1. waddle
2. xenogenesis
3. yeasts
4. zooid

Q: Identify the following “D” Terms:

1. Compound adjective that applies to plants unaffected by daylight length.

2. A formation from two amino acids bonded together by means of a condensation
reaction.
3. The first section of the human small intestine.
4. The normal rhythmically occurring relaxation and dilatation of the heart chambers
during which they fill with blood.

1. Day-neutral
2. Dipeptide
3. Duodenum
4. Diastole
Q: Identify the following “T” Terms:

1. Membrane- bound compartment in chloroplasts made up of grana.

2. The second process of protein biosynthesis in which messenger RNA is decoded
to produce a polypeptide.
3. Region of highly repetitive DNA at the end of a chromosome.
4. Any innate behavior response by an organism to directional stimulus.

1. Thylakoid
2. translation
3. telomere
4. taxis

Q: Identify the following “G” terms from their definitions:

1. A short segment of DNA that contains coding for a polypeptide or protein.

2. A series of dyes that turn either purple or pink according to the chemistry of a
bacterial cell wall.
3. A cub-shaped embryo formed as the blastula folds inward.
4. A covering in some prokaryotes that functions to stick the organism to a surface.

1. gene
2. Gram stain
3. gastrula
4. glycocalyx

Q: Identify the following “A” terms from their definitions:

1. Either of the two of the four membranes of an amniote egg that fit this clue.
2. Scientific term for a flowing plant.
3. The movement of any substance across a cell membrane with the use of energy
from ATP.
4. Posterior segment of an animal that usually houses organs of digestion and
excretion.

1. Amnion or Allantois
2. Angiosperm
3. Active (active transport)
4. Abdomen

Q: Identify the four major component of human blood:

1. Erythrocytes or red blood cells

2. Leukocytes or white blood cells
3. Thrombocytes or platelets
4. Plasma
Q: Identify the four bones of the leg above th ankle:

1. femur
2. tibia
3. fibula
4. patella

Q: Give the adjective that applies to the subset of the circulatory system that supplies blood to
these organs:

1. heart 1. coronary
2. kidneys 2. renal
3. lungs 3. pulmonary
4. liver 4. hepatic

Q: Identify the location of the following bones in the body:

1. calcaneus 1. ankle
2. hyoid 2. throat
3. sphenoid 3. skull or head
4. incus 4. ear

Q: Identify these components of the digestive system:

1. Glands that start process of starch digestion.

2. Organ that produces pepsin to digest proteins
3. Site of bile production
4. Produces insulin as well as digestive enzymes.

1. Salivary glands
2. Stomach
3. Liver
4. Pancreas

Q: Identify these algae related terms:

1. The body of an alga.

2. Photosynthetic plankton
3. Organelle that synthesizes and stores starch.
4. Structure that anchors an alga to an object such as a rock.

1. thallus
2. phytoplankton
3. pyrenoids
4. holdfast
Q: Identify the common name for these trees given their Latin names:

1. Acer 1. Maple
2. Pinus 2. Pine
3. Populus 3. Popular
4. Eucalyptus 4. Gum or Eucalyptus
5. Salix 5. Willow
6. Juniperus 6. Juniper
7. Juglans 7. Walnut
8. Palmae 8. Palm

Q: Identify the following about plants:

1. This unit of the corolla is thought to be a modified leaf.

2. The vascular tissue which is responsible for carrying water and solutes from the
roots.
3. The protective layer of dead cells outside the vascular cambium in the stems and
roots showing secondary growth.
4. An underground stem which acts as a means of vegetative propagation.

1. Petal
2. Xylem
3. Bark
4. Rhizome

Q: Identify the following parts of the flower:

1. Female reproductive organ

2. Pollen-producing tip
3. Vascular tissue that carries fluid and sugars produced by the plant.
4. Woody tissue that provides structure

1. Pistil
2. Anther
3. Phloem
4. Xylem

Q: Identify the taxonomic divisions into which these plants are classified:

1. Liverworts 1. Bryophyta
2. Spruce 2. Coniferophyta
3. Rose 3. Magnoliophyta or Angiospermaphyta
4. Ginkgo 4. Ginkophyta
Q: Identify the following types of plants:

1. This class is the dominant gymnosperm group with waxy leaves.

2. Subclass of Angiosperms in which the plants develop from seedlings bearing two
embryonic leaves.
3. Subclass of Angiosperms in which the plants develop from seedlings bearing a
single embryonic leaf.
4. This family of plants includes pears, apples, and one of the most popular flowers.

1. Conifers or Coniferopsida
2. Dicotyledons
3. Monocotyledons
4. Rose or Rosaceae

Q: Answer the following related to viruses:

1. Adjective term for a virus (or any organism) that causes disease.
2. Adjective term for a virus that does not cause disease, at least not immediately.
3. A glycoprotein particle containing a polypeptide of about 250 amino acids;
implicated in diseases caused by viruses with long incubation periods.
4. A short, single strand of RNA that causes disease.

1. Virulent
2. Temperate
3. Prion
4. Viroid