What is the basic unit of life?
C.Cell
Cells are the smallest units that perform the coordinated processes of life; organs contain many cells.
Biology Trivia
Cells, DNA, evolution and the living world.
25 questions
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Name ____________________ Score ______ / 25
Round 1Cells, energy and structure
What process do plants use to make food using sunlight?
A.Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis converts light energy into chemical energy, rather than simply absorbing food through roots.
What gas do plants absorb from the air for photosynthesis?
B.Carbon dioxide
Carbon from carbon dioxide is incorporated into sugars; oxygen is released during oxygenic photosynthesis.
Which enzyme-containing organelle breaks down worn-out components in many animal cells?
B.Lysosome
Lysosomes contain digestive enzymes and participate in recycling cellular material; ribosomes instead make proteins.
DNA stands for what?
B.Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA’s name refers to its deoxyribose sugar; RNA contains ribose instead of deoxyribose.
Which organelle carries out most aerobic ATP production in a typical animal cell?
C.Mitochondrion
Mitochondria produce much of the ATP in aerobic cells; glycolysis also produces ATP in the cytosol.
In a typical animal cell, where is most DNA located?
D.Nucleus
Most animal-cell DNA is in the nucleus, but mitochondria also contain their own small genomes.
Which pair of DNA bases normally bonds together?
D.Adenine and thymine
Adenine pairs with thymine and guanine with cytosine in the standard DNA double helix.
What structures carry out protein synthesis?
C.Ribosomes
Ribosomes assemble amino acids into proteins using instructions carried by messenger RNA.
What is the green pigment in plants that captures light for photosynthesis?
A.Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll absorbs light used in photosynthesis; other pigments can also contribute to light capture.
What is the main structural polysaccharide in plant cell walls?
D.Cellulose
Cellulose provides structural support; starch is a plant storage carbohydrate rather than the wall’s framework.
What type of cell has no nucleus (e.g. bacteria)?
D.Prokaryotic cell
Prokaryotic cells lack a membrane-bound nucleus, although they still contain genetic material.
Which carbohydrate is stored in human liver and muscle cells?
B.Glycogen
Glycogen is a carbohydrate reserve; fat is also an important energy store but is not a carbohydrate.
Which organelle is found in plant cells but not in animal cells?
D.Chloroplast
Chloroplasts carry out photosynthesis in plant cells; animal cells do not contain these organelles.
Round 2Inheritance and evolution
What is the process by which organisms with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce?
A.Natural selection
Selection changes populations over generations when inherited traits affect survival and reproductive success.
Which process separates duplicated chromosomes into two genetically matching nuclei in a typical body cell?
A.Mitosis
Mitosis divides the nucleus; cytokinesis is the separate process that divides the cell’s cytoplasm.
Which two naturalists independently developed explanations of evolution by natural selection in the nineteenth century?
A.Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace
Darwin and Wallace developed the idea independently; their work was jointly presented in 1858.
Which division process halves chromosome number when forming human egg or sperm cells?
C.Meiosis
Meiosis reduces chromosome number and reshuffles inherited material; fertilization later combines two gametes.
In RNA, which base replaces thymine?
D.Uracil
RNA normally contains uracil where DNA uses thymine, alongside adenine, guanine and cytosine.
What is the name of the structure that forms when chromosomes pair up during meiosis?
D.Tetrad
A tetrad contains paired homologous chromosomes, each already duplicated, giving four chromatids in total.
Gregor Mendel is known for his work with what type of organism?
D.Pea plants
Mendel used pea plants to study inherited traits across generations and infer patterns of inheritance.
What is the name of the process by which mRNA is made from DNA?
D.Transcription
Transcription produces RNA from a DNA template; translation uses RNA information to build proteins.
Round 3Organisms and ecology
What type of organism can make its own food?
D.Autotroph
Autotrophs make organic compounds from inorganic carbon; some use light and others use chemical energy.
Which kingdom do mushrooms belong to?
A.Fungi
Fungi form a separate kingdom and obtain nutrients by absorption rather than plant-style photosynthesis.
What is the relationship called when both interacting species benefit?
A.Mutualism
Mutualism benefits both species; parasitism benefits one partner at the other’s expense.