Midterm #1

When a testable question uses specific words like ‘best’ or ‘better’, it makes the question

What does the smallest animal on the world like like? This is a testable question. True or false

What are the steps of a scientific method to experimenting?

The mad cow disease is a result of

Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes are

The steps that follow to form a eukaryote from a prokaryote is

The bacteria that cause sepsis is

Tuberculosis happens through

Cholera and sexually transmitted diseases are

What makes viruses so adaptable?

What are the criteria to determine if something is capable of life?

Natural selection is what kind of evolution?

Phenotypic variation refers to

A biologically fit organism a) adapts to its environment b) has a good heart and respiratory functions c) produces a lot of offspring d) produces offspring that produce offspring e) lives a long life

An example of intrasexual selection is a) male birds preening to make themselves more attractive to females b) female lions strutting to appear powerful to males c) male and female Rhesus monkeys fighting with each other for food d) Male elk fighting with each other for female attention

Long tails can be a disadvantage for predator avoidance, yet long tails are present in the male widowbird population due to what kind of selection?

Because peahens are more choosy than peacocks when it comes to picking mating partners, we would predict that a) Peahens have greater variance in reproduction b) Peacocks have greater variance in reproduction c) Peahens have more evolved brains that are capable of decisions d) Peahens all look the same, but peacocks have elaborate feathers e) Peacocks have greater reproduction investment

Which of the following cases is mostly likely to cause a pandemic a) A bacteria which is highly virulent with very low transmissibility b) A bacteria which has low virulence and transmissibility c) A virus formed from an antigenic drift and has high transmissibility d) A virus formed from an antigenic shift and has high transmissiblity e) A virus that is highly virulent but not transmissible

We have described natural selection as a tinkerer not an architect. Why? a) Natural selection acts on existing phenotypic variation b) Natural selection does not create organisms from scratch (from nothing) c) Natural selection is not intentional, it is a process by which some phenotypes have advantages in particular environments d) All of the above e) None of the above

You have discovered a new virus while traveling in Brazil. It appears to be transmitted by contact with blood. This has you worried, why? A) It could be like Ebola with high transmission and high virulence B) It could be like Ebola with low transmission but high virulence C)It could be like the 1918 flu with low transmission and low virulence D)It could be like the 1918 flu with high transmission and high virulence E) It could be like the H1N1 “swine flu” with low transmission and high virulence F) It could be like the H1N1 “swine flu” with high transmission and low virulence

In response to the spread of the virus, the local government is implementing a curfew that requires individuals to stay inside, especially at dawn and dusk. You suspect they are doing this because A) Clearly, the virus has mutated and is now transmissible by airborne transmission B) Clearly the virus has mutated and is now transmissible by droplet transmission C)It turns out that the virus is actually spread through vectors, like mosquitoes D)It turns out that the virus is actually spread through sexual contact E) Maybe they just want people to get a better night’s sleep

You are interested in studying antibiotic resistant bacteria but you seem to only have a few to work with. You decide to try to get more by sampling from a population of people. Which of the following people should you avoid sampling because you predict they won’t have many antibiotic resistant bacteria? A) Someone who never finishes the entire course of antibiotics B) Someone who take antibiotics for viral infections C) Someone who take antibiotics for all infections D) Someone who takes vaccines

You are vacationing in Barbados when you encounter a purple crab while walking on the beach. Since all the other crab populations you’ve encountered have been green, you think you may have discovered a new species and are eager to name it after yourself. Before you do so, what information would you need to verify that it’s actually a new species A) Mate crabs from this population with crabs from a neighbouring population and see if they produce offspring B) See if females from the neighbouring population are attracted to the males from this population C) Check to see if crabs from this population and a neighbouring one are active at similar times of the day D) Mate crabs from this population with crabs from a neighbouring population and see if they produce offspring and whether their offspring produce offspring

Sadly, it turns out not to be a new species of crab, just a population of a different color. Then, suddenly, a tsunami arrives and wipes out ¾ of the crabs on the island. Which scenario best describes the allele frequencies of the remaining crabs? A) Allele frequencies in the remaining crabs may be different than they were in the original population because of a genetic bottleneck B) Allele frequencies in the remaining crabs will be the same as before the tsunami C) Allele frequencies in a small group of crabs that are washed over to a neighbouring island will be different than they were in the original population because of the founder effect D) A and B E) A and C F) B and C G) A, B, and C