Question 1

The pink coloration of Utah’s Great Salt Lake is primarily due to the presence of which type of organism?

Accepted Answer

Extreme halophilic prokaryotes

Question 2

Which structural adaptation allows prokaryotes to survive in environments with high salt concentrations, such as the Great Salt Lake?

Accepted Answer

Specialized proteins and polysaccharides in the cell wall (lacking peptidoglycan)

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a common shape of prokaryotic cells?

Accepted Answer

Cuboidal

Question 4

Gram-positive bacteria are characterized by which feature?

Accepted Answer

A thick peptidoglycan layer and no outer membrane

Question 5

Why are Gram-negative bacteria generally more resistant to antibiotics than Gram-positive bacteria?

Accepted Answer

They possess an outer membrane that can be toxic and block antibiotic entry

Question 6

Which cell-surface structure enables prokaryotes to adhere to surfaces and form colonies?

Accepted Answer

Fimbriae

Question 7

A prokaryote forms a metabolically inactive structure that can survive harsh conditions for centuries. What is this structure called?

Accepted Answer

Endospore

Question 8

Which process allows prokaryotes to move toward or away from a chemical stimulus?

Accepted Answer

Chemotaxis

Question 9

Prokaryotic flagella differ from eukaryotic flagella in which way?

Accepted Answer

They evolved independently and are composed of different proteins

Question 10

Which statement best describes the genetic material of most prokaryotes?

Accepted Answer

It consists of a circular chromosome located in the nucleoid region

Question 11

Which equation best represents the process of nitrogen fixation performed by some prokaryotes?

Accepted Answer

$ \mathrm{N_2 + 3H_2 \rightarrow 2NH_3} $

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a mechanism of genetic recombination in prokaryotes?

Accepted Answer

Binary fission

Question 13

A bacterium with the F plasmid can transfer genetic material to another bacterium through which structure?

Accepted Answer

Sex pilus

Question 14

Which nutritional mode describes a prokaryote that uses light as an energy source and CO$_2$ as a carbon source?

Accepted Answer

Photoautotrophy

Question 15

Obligate anaerobes are poisoned by oxygen and use which metabolic process?

Accepted Answer

Fermentation or anaerobic respiration

Question 16

In the cyanobacterium Anabaena, metabolic cooperation occurs between which two types of cells?

Accepted Answer

Photosynthetic cells and heterocysts

Question 17

Which ecological relationship describes a situation where one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed?

Accepted Answer

Commensalism

Question 18

Pathogenic bacteria can cause disease by releasing which type of toxin only when they die and their cell walls break down?

Accepted Answer

Endotoxins

Question 19

Which process is used in bioremediation to remove pollutants from the environment?

Accepted Answer

Bioremediation using prokaryotes

Question 20

Which equation best represents the exponential growth of a prokaryotic population under ideal conditions?

Accepted Answer

$ N_t = N_0 	imes 2^n $

Bacteria and Archaea: Structure, Function, and Ecological Roles

Study Guide - Practice Questions