All GRE Subject Test: Biology Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Archaea
What comprises the cell wall of archaea?
Peptidoglycan
Glycogen
Cellulose
Chitin
Pseudopeptidoglycan
Pseudopeptidoglycan
The correct answer is pseudopeptidoglycan. This is molecularly different than peptidoglycan, which comprises the bacterial cell wall. However, both pseudopeptidoglycan and peptidoglycan cell walls are similar in function, shape and structure. Cellulose comprises the cell walls of plants, chitin comprises the cell walls of fungi and glycogen is the animal form of stored glucose, and is found in the liver and skeletal muscle.
Example Question #2 : Archaea
Which of these choices is not a characteristic present in archaea?
Cell walls are made of peptidoglycan
Glycerol diethers in lipid bilayers
Chromosomes and plasmids are circular
S-layer
70S ribosome
Cell walls are made of peptidoglycan
Only bacterial have peptidoglycan cell walls. The other traits are typical of at least some known archaea. The s-layer involves crystalline arrays of proteinaceous subunits, which are common to some archaea and bacteria.
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