2015/16

Question 1

Robert Hooke introduced the term “cell” in Micrographia when looking at: 
A. viruses
B. animal liver
C. free living freshwater algae 
D. plant material

Answer 1

D - plant material

Question 2

The cell cycle consists of the following phases:

i) G1-phase
ii) G2-phase
iii) M-phase
iv) S-phase
v) 2n-phase

Answer 2

i, ii, iii, iv

Question 3

Bacteria, archaea, fungi, plant, protist and animal cells have in common:

A. a cell wall
B. a plasma membrane
C. a nucleus
D. mitochondria

Answer 3

b

Question 4

The advantage of electron microscopy is

A. it is a very cheap method that does not require expensive equipment
B. it is suited to visualise cellular motility
C. it provides a high spatial resolution
D. it does not require extensive training

Answer 4

c

Question 5

According to the “RNA World Hypothesis”, the protocell had the following features:

i) it was surrounded by a lipid bilayer (a biomembrane)
ii) it contained ribozymes and RNA
iii) it contained several compartments
iv) it stored information in nuclear DNA
v) it secreted proteins into the extracellular space

Answer 5

i, ii

Question 6

What is green fluorescent protein?

A. A protein responsible for the green colour of plants
B. A protein from a dragonfly that emits green light in the dark
C. A coral protein that colours coral reefs
D. A protein found in the jellyfish Aequorea victoria

Answer 6

d

Question 7

Which of the following subcellular structures is/are NOT found in prokaryotes?

A. Cell walls
B. Ribosomes
C. Plasma membranes
D. Golgi apparatus

Answer 7

d

Question 8

The plasma membrane

A. is part of the membranes of chloroplasts
B. is another name for the endomembrane system
C. is the outer membrane of the cell
D. is the entity of all membranes embedded in the cytoplasm

Answer 8

c

Question 9

Phospholipids

i) consist of a hydrophobic tail and a hydrophilic head
ii) are stored in the Golgi apparatus
iii) make up bio-membranes
iv) are part of the genetic material
v) are the precursor of hormones

Answer 9

i, iii

Question 10

A polysome

A. is a single ribosome translating multiple mRNAs at the same time
B. is a complex of many ribosomes that simultaneously translate a single mRNA
C. is a ribosome consisting of numerous large subunits
D. is a ribosome complex in mitochondria

Answer 10

b

Question 11

Packaging of the DNA in metaphase chromosomes involves

A. tubulin
B. ribosomes
C. histones
D. RNA polymerase

Answer 11

c

Question 12

Exocytosis is

A. the release of material into the extracellular space
B. the transport of vesicles to the plasma membrane
C. a way of signalling extracellular cues to the nucleus
D. a crucial step in mitosis

Answer 12

a

Question 13

Which pathway(s) deliver(s) material to the lysosome for degradation?

i) autophagy
ii) phagocytosis
iii) secretion
iv) endocytosis
v) translation

Answer 13

i, ii, iv

Question 14

Fusion of transport vesicles with a target membrane involves

i) tethering of the vesicle to factors in the target membrane
ii) exchange of signalling molecules between the vesicle and the membrane
iii) docking of the vesicle to the target membrane
iv) signalling to the nucleus
v) recycling of the vesicle for reuse

Answer 14

i, iii

Question 15

The “building blocks” of microtubules are

A. gamma tubulin
B. tubulin dimers
C. tubulin aggregates of alpha, beta and gamma tubulin
D. keratin molecules

Answer 15

b

Question 16

Which of the following proteins form a vesicle protein coat?

i) clathrin
ii) kinesin-1
iii) COPI
iv) COPII
v) dynein

Answer 16

i, iii, iv

Question 17

In the cytoplasm, diffusion is sufficient to distribute

i) the nucleus
ii) transport vesicles
iii) ATP
iv) ions
v) organelles

Answer 17

iii, iv

Question 18

Microtubules are

A. linear chains of tubulin dimers
B. hollow tubules consisting of 13 protofilaments
C. double helices of 2 protofilaments
D. planar sheets of protofilaments

Answer 18

b

Question 19

F-actin has important roles in

i) mobilising storage carbohydrates
ii) chromosome segregation in mitosis
iii) motility of ciliate protists
iv) cytokinesis
v) generating force in cell migration

Answer 19

iv, v

Question 20

The axoneme

i) consists mainly of microtubules and motor proteins
ii) is the central structure in cilia
iii) is the central structure in flagella
iv) generates the beating force by microtubule sliding
v) usually contains 9 microtubule doublets and 2 central microtubules (9+2)

Answer 20

i, ii, iii, iv, v - all of them

Question 21

Primary cilia are

A. the first cilia that an embryo forms
B. cilia that mature into secondary cilia
C. structures that take part in cellular signalling
D. structures that are mainly composed of actin bundles

Answer 21

c

Question 22

Intermediate filaments function

A. as “tracks” for intracellular transport
B. as scaffolds for translation
C. as mechanical support to resist external forces
D. as guides for intracellular signal transduction

Answer 22

c

Question 23

Which of the following applies/apply to molecular motors?

i) They are enzymes that hydrolyse ATP in order to move along the cytoskeleton
ii) They are enzymes that hydrolyse fatty acids in order to move along the cytoskeleton
iii) They move cargo (such as membranous organelles or vesicles) through the cell
iv) They make steps along microtubules or F-actin
v) They utilise intermediate filaments for long-distance transport of cargo

Answer 23

i, iii, iv

Question 24

Apoptosis is a process by which the cell

A. multiplies
B. splits in two
C. inherits its DNA
D. kills itself

Answer 24

d

Question 25

Cell-cell connections in animal epithelial cells serve the following functions:

i) allow diffusion of ions and water between cells
ii) organise the actin cytoskeleton
iii) limit diffusion between cells and over the epithelium
iv) anchor intermediate filaments
v) connect to the extracellular matrix

Answer 25

i, ii, iii, iv, v - all of them

Question 26

Which of the following proteins is NOT part of the prokaryotic actin family?

A. FtsZ
B. MamK
C. Mbl
D. MreB

Answer 26

a

Question 27

Cell division in bacteria is mediated by

A. FtsZ
B. MamK
C. Mbl
D. MreB

Answer 27

a

Question 28

Moss mutant cells that have no FtsZ contain

A. larger nuclei
B. fewer microtubules
C. longer mitochondria
D. longer chloroplasts

Answer 28

d

Question 29

Bacterial pili are

A. points of replication of the bacterial genome
B. sites of chemotropic signalling
C. dynamic extensions of the cell
D. cytoskeletal elements in the cell

Answer 29

c

Question 30

Which of the following are NOT part of the fungal cytoskeleton?

i) Microtubules
ii) Intermediate filaments
iii) F-actin
iv) Molecular motors
v) ParM filaments

Answer 30

ii, v

Question 31

The Woronin body is a

A. peroxisomal structure that closes septa upon damage of fungal cells
B. stack of membranes involved in the processing of proteins in fungi
C. complex of proteins that mediates nuclear import/export in fungi
D. cluster of endocytic and exocytic vesicles that support fungal growth

Answer 31

a

Question 32

Which of the following organelles is NOT a plant plastid?

A. etioplast
B. kinetoplast
C. chloroplast
D. chromoplast

Answer 32

c

Question 33

Which of the following mechanisms can viruses use to enter the host cell?

i) They can inject themselves into the host
ii) They can fuse with the plasma membrane
iii) They can be taken up by endocytosis
iv) They can diffuse through the plasma membrane
v) They enter bacteria, which get phagocytosed and release the virus in the host

Answer 33

i, ii, iii

Question 34

The stages of a T4-phage life cycle are:

i) inactivation as an extracellular virion
ii) attachment
iii) injection
iv) DNA replication and protein formation
v) assembly and release upon lysis of the bacterium

Answer 34

i, ii, iii, iv, v - all of them

Question 35

Photosynthesis in plant chloroplasts is characterised by the following:

i) red light is absorbed by chlorophyll which cleaves water ii) electrons are transferred across the membrane
iii) electrons get excited at photosystem I and II
iv) the electron shuttle molecule NADPH is produced
v) ATP and oxygen are generated

Answer 35

i, ii, iii, iv, v - all of them

Question 36

In which organelles are proton gradients used to synthesise ATP?

i) Lysosomes
ii) Endosomes
iii) Mitochondria
iv) Peroxisomes
v) Chloroplasts

Answer 36

iii, v

Question 37

Plasmodesmata are

A. extensions of the cytoplasm that are surrounded by a plasma membrane
B. pores in the nuclear envelope that mediate nuclear transport
C. cell-cell contacts in plant cells that mediate exchange between cells
D. contractile extensions that supports cell movement

Answer 37

c

Question 38

Which of the following are properties common to both mitochondria and chloroplasts?

i) ii) iii) iv)
They are bounded by a double membrane They have thylakoid membranes
They have ribosomes
They have circular DNA

Answer 38

i, iii, iv

Question 39

Current cellular endosymbiosis is found in:

i) corals which contain photosynthetic dinoflagellates
ii) sea slugs that engulfed chloroplasts from their algae food
iii) lichens where fungi and unicellular algae live together

Answer 39

i, ii, iii - all of them

Question 40

Which of the following components take part in muscle contraction?

i) Calcium
ii) The troponin complex
iii) Actin
iv) Myosin
v) Sarcoplasmic reticulum

Answer 40

i, ii, iii, iv, v - all of them