All GRE Subject Test: Biology Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #2 : Understand Inputs And Outputs, Purpose
Some organisms, such as green plants, are capable of obtaining energy directly from photosynthesis. These organisms are termed __________.
herbivores
autotrophs
homotrophs
heterotrophs
primary consumers
autotrophs
Autotrophs are organisms that produce complex organic compounds from substances present in the surroundings. These organisms may do this through the use of energy from light or from inorganic chemical reactions.
In contrast, heterotrophs require organic input in order to generate biological compounds and are unable to use light or inorganic materials for energy.
Example Question #351 : Gre Subject Test: Biology
Which of the following refers to the principle of alternation of generations in plants?
Gamete-producing sporophytes
The differences between a tree and a seed
A life cycle that includes a multicellular haploid stage
The need for external pollinators
A life cycle which includes a unicellular haploid stage
A life cycle that includes a multicellular haploid stage
Plants have a multicellular haploid stage called the gametophyte. Gametophytes () produce gametes () through mitosis, which combine to produce a zygote (). The zygote grows into a multicellular, diploid sporophyte (), which produces spores () through meiosis. Those spores give rise to multicellular gametophytes.
Example Question #1 : Understanding Vascular And Avascular Plants
Fill in the blanks.
The __________ generation is dominant in the bryophyte life cycles, and the __________ generation is dominant in seedless vascular plants.
gametophyte . . . gametophyte
gametophyte . . . sporophyte
sporophyte . . . gametophyte
sporophyte . . . sporophyte
gametophyte . . . sporophyte
Bryophytes are nonvascular plants, such as mosses. Gametophytes are species that have haploid cells during their mature lives, while sporophytes are predominantly diploid during their adult phases.
Bryophytes have the gametophyte generation as dominant, with the sporophytes relying on the parental gametophyte. Starting with the evolution of seedless vascular plants, the gametophytes become reduced and are no longer the dominant life cycle. By the formation of angiosperms (seed plants), the gametophytes have become dependent on the parental sporophyte.
Example Question #1 : Classes Of Plant
Which of the following structures would be found in a tracheophyte, but not in a bryophyte?
Chloroplasts
Xylem
Plasmids
Cell walls
Xylem
All plants can be classified as either bryophytes or tracheophytes. Plants that contain transport vessels (xylem and phloem) are tracheophytes, while those without transport vessels are bryophytes. All plants contain cell walls and chloroplasts, but only a tracheophyte would contain xylem. Plasmids are structures that are almost exclusively found in bacteria or protozoans.
Example Question #2 : Evolution
Which of the following is false of the phylum chordata?
They are protostomes
They have a notochord at some point in their development
They have a coelom
They have bilateral symmetry
They are protostomes
All chordates are deuterostomes, not protostomes. During early development, the formation of the blastopore leads to the growth of the digestive tract. In protostomes, the blastopore develops into the mouth, while in deuterostomes it becomes the anus.
All chordates have a notochord during development, which eventually gives rise to the nervous system. Chordates also have a coelom, or fluid filled cavity, somewhere within the body and they all exhibit bilateral symmetry.
Example Question #1 : Evolution
Which of the following is not necessary for designation as a chordate?
I. A notochord
II. Vertebrae
III. A post-anal tail
IV. Gill arches
V. A dorsal, tubular nervous system
I
V
II
III
IV
II
Chordates must have, at some point in their embryogenesis, all features except vertebrae. Although the vast majority of chordates are vertebrates, Amphioxus has only a notochord. This primitive organism never develops vertebrae. Man has gill arches, and remnants of these are seen in certain congenital malformations. The notochordal remnants can give rise to the tumor known as a chordoma. The brain has ventricles (it is tubular) and it is certainly dorsal. Finally, human tail persists in about one per million live births.
Example Question #1 : Evolution
Which of the following statements about chordates is true?
They are protostomes
All chordates are vertebrates
They lack a coelom
Their anus forms from the blastopore
Their anus forms from the blastopore
The phylum chordata has a few key characteristics. They are deuterostomes, meaning that the anus arises from the blastopore. They have a coelom that arises from the mesoderm during development, and at some point they have a tail, pharyngeal slits, and a notochord.
Vertebrata is a subphylum of chordata, so not all chordates are vertebrates (though all vertebrates are chordates).
Example Question #1 : Animalia
Which of the following organelles is/are mainly present in animal cells?
I. Peroxisome
II. Centrioles
III. Flagella
II and III
III only
I and III
I only
II only
II only
Centrioles are generally only found in animal cells, but have been found in a variety of eukaryotes. There are a small subset of plants that do contain centrioles. Some plant cells have flagella and peroxisomes.
Example Question #352 : Gre Subject Test: Biology
Which of the following would be a secondary consumer?
People who are keen to eat bear, which eats small mammals that live off berries and seeds
Earthworms, bacteria and fungi that decompose plant matter on the forest floor to replenish the soil
A black-tailed deer that browses on grasses and shrubs
A western diamondback rattlesnake that preys on field mice that eat seeds and berries
A maple tree that stores energy harnessed from the sun in the form of sugars through a process called photosynthesis
A western diamondback rattlesnake that preys on field mice that eat seeds and berries
A secondary consumer is a step above the primary consumer (herbivore) on the food chain, consisting of omnivores and carnivores. A mouse that lives off plant matter and is thus a primary consumer. When a snake eats the mouse, it is the secondary consumer in the food web.
Example Question #353 : Gre Subject Test: Biology
What is the ratio of energy generated by producers to the energy absorbed by the next trophic level up, that of primary consumers?
With every advancement in the trophic level, energy converts on a ten-to-one scale. For example, ten kilograms of grain fed to a steer produces roughly one kilogram of beef. This is true for every step up the tropic food pyramid.
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