1. Prions could be classified as a "life form" because:

a.) They are capable of reproducing
b.) They contain DNA
c.) They contain RNA
d.) They can be "killed" by simple chlorination or boiling
e.) All of the above
 
 

2. Which of the following are CELLULAR disease-causing agents?

a.) Prions
b.) Viruses
c.) Bacteria
d.) Protozoa
e.) Both c.) and d.)
 
 

3. Many viruses exhibit two distinct life cycles, the lytic and lysogenic cycles (or phases). Which of the following would you expect to find in cells infected with a virus in the lysogenic phase?

a.) Lots of coat proteins
b.) Multiple copies of the viral DNA
c.) Mature virus particles
d.) Viral DNA stably inserted into the host cell DNA
e.) None of the above
 
 

4. Which of the following is NEVER found in virus particles?

A.) Lipid bilayer membrane
b.) DNA
c.) Proteins
d.) RNA
e.) Internal membrane-enclosed organelles
 
 

5. To help combat a currently raging viral infection (like a really bad case of the flu) you can do which of the following?

a.) Increase the strength of your immune system by eating right, getting enough sleep, and avoiding stress.
b.) Take antibiotics
c.) Get a vaccine
d.) Eat Flavobacterium.
e.) Drink chlorine

6. Deaths due to AIDS have caused the UN to lower the long-term estimates for world population growth by 400 million. The impact of these deaths will be felt most strongly in which country?

a.) US
b.) China
c.) Russia
d.) Africa
e.) Europe
 

7. AIDS is the final stage of a disease for which the direct causative agent is:

a.) A particular style of living/behavior
b.) Prions
c.) An antibiotic-resistant bacterium
d.) A retrovirus
e.) None of the above
 

8. So far it has not been possible to develop a vaccine to prevent someone from contracting the agent that causes AIDS because:

a.) The agent that causes AIDS has an extremely high mutation rate
b.) The causative agent has learned to evolve to avoid inactivation by antibodies
c.) The causative agent can move faster in the blood than can the immune system cells and can outrun them.
d.) No researchers or companies have tried to develop a vaccine yet.
e.) All of the above
 

9. People who die from AIDS actually succumb (are fatally overwhelmed) because of:

a.) A fatal loss of blood
b.) Other ailments which normally are controlled by the immune system
c.) They lose all their Cytotoxic (Killer) T cells
d.) They lose all their antibody-producing cells
e.) None of the above
 

10. The agent which causes AIDS most likely was initially passed to humans from which of the following hosts?

a.) Mosquitos
b.) Cows
c.) Sheep
d.) Monkeys
e.) Beavers
 

11.Protease inhibitors comprise a new class of drugs that are aimed at combating AIDS. These drugs target which stage in the course of infection?

a.) Integration of genetic material into the host cell DNA.
b.) Reverse transcription of genetic material into DNA
c.) Insertion of the infectious agent into host cells across their cell membrane.
d.) The cutting up of precursor protein and formation of new disease-causing agents.
e.) Replication of the genetic material of the disease-causing agent.
 

12. You are very careful to eat only low-fat foods. Your diet is balanced and consists of largely fruits, vegetables, grains, and chicken and fish. You never eat products containing Olestra. You exercise daily. Therefore, you:

a) Cannot possibly become overweight, even if you eat twice as many calories in a day than you use
b) Are unlikely to experience a vitamin or mineral deficiency
c) Will store your excess calories only as glycogen
d) Will store your excess calories only as fat
e) Will be deficient in the essential amino acids
 

13. Fat-soluble vitamins:

a) Include a vitamin essential for proper collagen formation
b) Include a vitamin essential for vision
c) Can become toxic at high doses
d) a and c
e) b and c
 

14. Kwashiorkor:

a) Is a condition caused by the lack of adequate vitamin C in the diet
b) Is a condition that prevents the proper formation of collagen and other body proteins because of lack of adequate protein in the diet
c) Makes a child more susceptible to other diseases
d) B and C
e) A, B and C

15. Marasmus is known as "true" starvation. Which of the following statements is correct about this condition?

a) Those afflicted with marasmus have diets deficient in total food intake, both calories and protein
b) Those not treated in time often die from pneumonia, because they are too weak to cough
c) This condition is rare in the US
d) An analogous condition is anorexia nervosa, which is common in the US
e) All of the above
 

16. Olestra is a "fake-fat" product used to fry chips and other snack foods. Which of the following statements is true concerning this product?

a) It tends to attract other fatty substances to it, and may absorb fat-soluble vitamins, leading to deficiencies in these substances
b) Structurally, it is a fatty acid that is too long to be broken down in the digestive tract, so it travels through without contributing any calories to the consumer.
c) It acts to pull the fat molecules out of adipocytes, and so can act to reduce fat stores in the body
d) Excessive use can lead to scurvy
e) All of the above
 

17. Vegans in the US:

a.) Cannot get enough protein and essential amino acids in their diet
b.) Have a diet that uses substantially less water and land to produce than the diet of a meat -eater
c.) Are likely to have symptoms of kwashiorkor
d.) Are more likely to have heart disease than meat-eaters
e.) Are more likely to have colon cancer than meat-eaters
 

18. Which of the following correctly match a virus that is implicated in a human cancer, and the non-cancer disease that it normally causes?

a.) smallpox virus: chickenpox
b.) human papillomavirus: anthrax
c.) HIV: tuberculosis
d.) Epstein Barr virus; mononucleosis
e.) Giardia lamblia: stomach cancer

19. In the movie clip from "Twelve Monkeys", the red-haired man released an agent of biological warfare in the airport. Based only on the method of dispersal he used, which of the following could NOT have been the agent of biological warfare?

a) HIV particles
b) a deadly strain of influenza
c) antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis
d) anthrax bacteria
e) smallpox virus
 

20. Place in correct order of increasing size (smallest to largest):

a) Giardia lamblia < prion < Human Immunodeficiency Virus < mosquito
b) Human Immunodeficiency Virus < prion < Giardia lamblia < mosquito
c) mosquito < prion < Human Immunodeficiency Virus < Giardia lamblia
d) Giardia lamblia < mosquito < prion < Human Immunodeficiency Virus
e) prion < Human Immunodeficiency Virus <Giardia lamblia < mosquito
 
 

21. Which of the following are factors that can lead to the increase in the prevalence of emergent diseases?

a) Organ transplant operations and subsequent immunotherapy
b) Bad flooding and subsequent increases in mosquito populations
c) Soil erosion, leading to a failure of crops, and an increase in the incidence of marasmus and kwashiorkor
d) A cheap, around-the-world-in 80-days ticket on Northwest Airlines
e) All of the above
 

22. Cases of giardiasis can be connected all of the following EXCEPT:

a) Children in day care centers
b) People in rural and wooded areas
c) The practice of anal sex
d) Antibiotic-resistant strains of Giardia lamblia
e) Open sewers in city streets
 

23. Which of the following statements correctly describes the etiology of giardiasis?

a) The causative pathogen is a virus that lives in beavers and other wild animals
b) The causative pathogen is a bacterium that is transmitted by the bite of a flea
c) The causative pathogen is a prokaryote that is transmitted to mammals through ingesting contaminated water
d) The causative pathogen is a binucleated protozoan that is endemic in day care center diapers
e) The causative pathogen is respiratorily transmitted by the sneeze of moose
 

24. The symptoms of giardiasis:

a) Can be cured by penicillin therapy, but prompt treatment is necessary to avoid long term damage
b) Provide the method of dispersal of the Giardia lamblia cysts as well as causing distress in the patient
c) Include flu-like symptoms (fever, body aches, cough)
d) Are seen only among backpackers and campers
e) All of the above
 

25. Why is inhalational anthrax such a "good" bioterrorist agent??

a) It is caused by a virus and so is not treatable by penicillin
b) It has initial symptoms similar to the flu and so may be mistaken for a less-deadly disease
c) The bacterial spores are extremely resistant to destruction
d) b and c are true
e) a, b and c are true
 
 

26. Which of the following is NOT an appropriate mode of treatment for patients who have been infected with HIV?

a) administration of protease inhibitors
b) treatment with false nucleotides which are incorporated into the viral DNA by reverse transcriptase
c) therapy with drugs that block the protein receptors on the surface of T-cells preventing binding and entry of HIV
d) massive dosing with antibiotics immediately upon diagnosis to prevent replication and spread of HIV
e) all of the above are appropriate therapies
 

27. Cancer can be caused or increased in incidence by

a.) Over-exposure to UV radiation
b.) Defects in the genes that are involved in regulating the cell division.
c.) Infection by a virus
d.) Environmental and lifestyle toxins
e.) All of the above.
 

28. Which of the following statements is/are true concerning cancer in the US?

a) It is the number one cause of death in the US
b) It is always fatal
c) It is always hereditary
d) There have been recent reductions in the incidence of deaths in specific cancers, so it is not ALL bad news
e) There is nothing you can do to reduce your chances of developing cancer

29. The one change in US lifestyle that would most decrease the number of deaths from cancer is:

a.) Don’t have children
b.) Always use condoms
c.) Stay out of the sun
d.) Don’t breathe deisel fumes
e.) Quit smoking (or never start)
 
 

30. Which of the following statements is true?

a. ) Proto-oncogenes code for just enough of the proteins that stimulate cell division
b. ) Oncogenes code for proteins that inhibit cell division
c.) Tumor suppressor genes prevent tumors by attacking and destroying cancerous cells
d.) Tumor supressor genes code for increased production of cell division stimulatory proteins
e.) All of the above are true

TAKE-HOME ESSAY

PLEASE RESPOND TO YOUR GSI VIA E-MAIL BY 6 PM SATURDAY. NO ESSAYS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS TIME!

Based on what you have learned in the lecture and discussion portion of Biology 100, what do YOU believe is the biggest biologically-based problem facing humans in the century to come? (3 pts)

Why do you believe this is the worst problem? (back it up with facts…) (3 pts)

What can YOU do about it? (3 pts)

We are looking for YOUR opinion, but it must be based on facts and evidence from this course. We do NOT need a long treatise on this; a few sentences for each part is fine. But we want some science here.

In order to receive FULL credit (10 pts) for this essay, you must include in your answer: Your name and your correct section # (1 pt!)

The above three sections (9 pts total)