Test Bank for Microbiology: The Human Experience
(Second Edition) By: John W. Foster; Zarrintaj
Aliabadi; Joan L. Slonczewski
Chapter 1 - 27 Complete
,Chapter 01: Microbes Shape Our History
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following is NOT considered a benefit of microorganisms?
a. nitrogen fixation c. synthesis of vitamins
b. production of fermented foods d. causative agents of disease
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1a Describe how we define a microbe, and explain why the definition is a challenge.
MSC: Remembering
2. A microbe that is 50 nm in size would most likely be
a. fungi. c. virus.
b. E. coli. d. algae.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
3. Based on the figure shown, the type of organism indicated with an arrow could be a
a. virus. c. macroscopic fungi.
b. bacteria. d. large ameba.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
4. Based on the figure, the type of organism shown is a(n)
, a. virus. c. archaea.
b. bacteria. d. eukaryote.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
5. Which of the following demonstrates correct scientific notation of a bacterial organism?
a. Staphylococcus Epidermidis c. Staphylococcus epidermidis
b. Staphylococcus epidermidis d. Staphylococcus Epidermidis
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
6. Which key characteristic differentiates a prokaryote from a eukaryote?
a. the absence of proteins
b. the presence of DNA
c. the absence of membrane-bound organelles
d. the presence of a cell wall
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Remembering
7. Which of the following methods for classifying life forms can best be used to distinguish between two
closely related rod-shaped bacterial organisms, Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli?
a. physical characteristics c. DNA sequence comparison
b. method of reproduction d. environmental habitat
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Applying
8. Which of the following is always classified as a eukaryote?
a. papillomavirus c. Escherichia coli
b. methanogen d. yeast
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
, OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Understanding
9. Which of the following has been used as a tool for gene therapy?
a. viruses c. protozoa
b. archaea d. fungi
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Understanding
10. Which of the following would you not expect to find in the human digestive tract?
a. archaea c. bacteria
b. algae d. intestinal viruses
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Describe the three major domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Explain what
the three domains have in common and how they differ. MSC: Understanding
11. Antibiotics are chemotherapeutic drugs that function by inhibiting an important cellular structure or
process of an organism that is causing an infection. Which of the following would not be affected by
an antibiotic that targets cellular metabolic enzymes?
a. Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria c. ameba
b. Herpes virus d. bread mold
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1c Define viruses, and explain how they relate to living cells.
MSC: Analyzing
12. Which scientist is credited with constructing the first microscope?
a. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek c. Robert Hooke
b. Catherine of Siena d. Louis Pasteur
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
MSC: Remembering
13. Which of the following was an unexpected benefit of the bubonic plague?
a. There was no benefit to the bubonic plague.
b. The population of Europe experienced a baby boom.
c. It resulted in a better understanding of aseptic practices and how to prevent the spread of
infection.
d. The population decline enabled the cultural advancement of the Renaissance.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
MSC: Understanding
14. Which of the following organisms would you NOT be able to see using Robert Hooke’s microscope?
a. vinegar eels c. mold filaments
b. dust mites d. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.2
, OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
MSC: Understanding
15. Which of the following is NOT an explanation for the centuries it took between Leeuwenhoek
observing microorganisms with his microscope and the discovery that microbes are capable of causing
disease?
a. Microbes are found everywhere.
b. Bacteria appeared similar to sperm and blood cells under the microscope.
c. Microorganisms are capable of existing through spontaneous generation.
d. Diseases were not a problem in the world until long after the discovery of microorganisms.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
MSC: Applying
16. If Spallanzani had unknowingly poked a hole in the top of his flask of meat broth, what would this
have implied about the theory of spontaneous generation?
a. No growth would have occurred in the flask, refuting the theory of spontaneous generation.
b. No growth would have occurred in the flask, supporting the theory of spontaneous
generation.
c. Growth would have occurred in the flask, refuting the theory of spontaneous generation.
d. Growth would have occurred in the flask, supporting the theory of spontaneous generation.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2b Describe how microbes participate in human cultural practices such as production of food
and drink. MSC: Applying
17. What would John Tyndall have needed to use to disprove the theory of spontaneous generation with
his experiments?
a. a swan-neck flask c. an autoclave
b. a microscope d. organic media
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2b Describe how microbes participate in human cultural practices such as production of food
and drink. MSC: Applying
18. Which of the following theories was the Miller experiment designed to test?
a. the endosymbiotic origin of life
b. the idea that all the chemicals found in early Earth could have come together to form the
basic components of cellular life
c. spontaneous generation
d. the RNA world hypothesis
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 1.2
OBJ: 1.2a Explain how microbial diseases have changed human history.
MSC: Understanding
19. Why did fewer soldiers die from infectious disease during the Crimean War in the winter months?
a. Pathogens do not multiply as quickly in colder temperatures.
b. Pathogens do not multiply as quickly in wet environments.
c. Soldiers have fewer close interactions with other individuals during the winter months.
d. Chemical agents used to treat and prevent infections do not function effectively in warmer
temperatures.
, ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: 1.3
OBJ: 1.3b Explain how Florence Nightingale first drew a statistical correlation between infectious
disease and human mortality. MSC: Applying
20. Based on the figure below, approximately what percentage of the hospitalizations in week 43 resulted
in deaths?
a. 80% c. 20%
b. 40% d. 4%
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.3
OBJ: 1.3b Explain how Florence Nightingale first drew a statistical correlation between infectious
disease and human mortality. MSC: Analyzing
21. What is the causative agent of the infectious disease used to establish Koch’s postulates?
a. Streptococcus pyogenes c. Helicobacter pylori
b. Bacillus anthracis d. Chlamydia trachomatis
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 1.3
OBJ: 1.3c Explain how Koch’s postulates can show that a specific kind of microbe causes a disease.
MSC: Remembering
22. Why was the selection of anthrax by Robert Koch a fortunate one?
a. The microbe that causes it multiplies slowly.
b. The microbe that causes it multiplies to a high concentration in the kidneys.
c. The microbe that causes it is not dangerous to humans.
d. The microbe that causes it can remain infective outside the body for long periods.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.3
OBJ: 1.3c Explain how Koch’s postulates can show that a specific kind of microbe causes a disease.
MSC: Applying
23. The arrow in the figure shows a(n)
, a. gelatin suspension. c. colony.
b. endospore. d. cell.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.3
OBJ: 1.3c Explain how Koch’s postulates can show that a specific kind of microbe causes a disease.
MSC: Understanding
24. The first vaccination was done to prevent
a. AIDS. c. tuberculosis.
b. smallpox. d. anthrax.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 1.3
OBJ: 1.3c Explain how Koch’s postulates can show that a specific kind of microbe causes a disease.
MSC: Remembering
25. Which of the following techniques is effective in creating an attenuated version of a pathogen useful
for vaccinations?
a. putting a liquid culture of the pathogen in the freezer
b. heating an aged culture of the pathogen
c. homogenizing a culture of the pathogen
d. exposing a culture of the pathogen to nuclear radiation
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 1.3
OBJ: 1.3c Explain how Koch’s postulates can show that a specific kind of microbe causes a disease.
MSC: Understanding
26. Regarding the natural source for the production of antibiotics, the best weapon we have against
pathogenic microorganisms is
a. medical doctors.
b. acclaimed scientific researchers.
c. other microorganisms that can exist with the pathogenic microorganisms.
d. the CDC.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 1.3
OBJ: 1.3c Explain how Koch’s postulates can show that a specific kind of microbe causes a disease.
MSC: Understanding
27. What is happening in the figure shown?
, a. The mold on the left is producing a compound that inhibits the growth of the bacterial
colonies on the right.
b. The mold on the left is outcompeting the bacterial cells for nutrients and therefore is
growing faster.
c. The bacterial cells on the right are inhibiting the growth of the mold on the left.
d. The mold and bacterial cells are growing in a symbiotic relationship.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: 1.3
OBJ: 1.3c Explain how Koch’s postulates can show that a specific kind of microbe causes a disease.
MSC: Applying
28. Warts are a common skin condition caused by an organism that cannot be grown in pure culture on an
agar petri dish and is small enough to pass through a tiny-pored filter. What is the causative agent of
warts?
a. a bacterium c. an archaea
b. a virus d. a fungus
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 1.3
OBJ: 1.3c Explain how Koch’s postulates can show that a specific kind of microbe causes a disease.
MSC: Applying
29. Thiobacillus ferrooxidans is a microorganism that gains its energy from the oxidation of ferrous iron
(Fe2) to ferric iron (Fe3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Based on this
information, T. ferrooxidans is an example of a
a. nitrogen fixer. c. endosymbiont.
b. lithotroph. d. biofilm participant.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: 1.4
OBJ: 1.4a Describe examples of how microbes contribute to natural ecosystems.
MSC: Applying
30. A microbial growth medium for Staphylococcus aureus is prepared with a high salt concentration to
minimize the growth of many organisms that are not capable of growth in these conditions. This is an
example of
a. animal culture. c. pure culture.
b. endosymbiosis. d. enrichment culture.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: 1.4
OBJ: 1.4a Describe examples of how microbes contribute to natural ecosystems.
, MSC: Applying
31. Which of the following is NOT an example of an endosymbiont?
a. Bacillus anthracis spores present in the soil of cattle farms
b. rhizobial bacteria growing in the root nodules of certain plants
c. microorganisms in the digestive system of the cow degrading cellulose
d. bacteria in termite intestines digesting plant polymers
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: 1.4
OBJ: 1.4a Describe examples of how microbes contribute to natural ecosystems.
MSC: Applying
32. Consider the figure below. What does the arrow pointing from cyanobacteria to plants and algae
indicate according to the endosymbiotic origin of eukaryotic cells?
a. Cyanobacteria are the early evolutionary ancestors of plants and algae.
b. Cyanobacteria merged together to form plants and algae.
c. Cyanobacteria serve as a common source of energy for plants and algae.
d. Cyanobacteria were internalized by early cells to form the chloroplast present in plants and
algae.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 1.4
OBJ: 1.4b Explain how mitochondria and chloroplasts evolved by endosymbiosis.
MSC: Analyzing
33. According to the endosymbiotic origin of eukaryotic cells, respiring bacteria similar to E. coli were
engulfed by cells and evolved into the
a. nucleotides. c. energy-generating organelles.
