Question 1

Which of the following best describes the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans can detect with their eyes?

Accepted Answer

Wavelengths between 400 nm and 710 nm

Question 2

Light behaves as particles called photons. Which property of photons is directly related to the energy of light?

Accepted Answer

Frequency: $E = h 
u$

Question 3

Which of the following statements about photoreceptors in the human retina is correct?

Accepted Answer

Both rods and cones contain pigments that absorb light.

Question 4

A conformational change in a photoreceptor protein occurs after which event?

Accepted Answer

A photon is absorbed by the pigment molecule.

Question 5

Trichromatic vision in humans is the result of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The presence of three different opsin proteins sensitive to short, medium, and long wavelengths.

Question 6

Which of the following best explains why individuals with only SWS and MWS opsins have dichromatic vision?

Accepted Answer

They lack the opsin sensitive to long wavelengths (red light), so they cannot distinguish between red and green.

Question 7

Which of the following is a unifying concept of biology that explains both the unity and diversity of life?

Accepted Answer

Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

Question 8

According to the cell theory, which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

All cells come from pre-existing cells.

Question 9

A scientist claims that all organisms alive today descended from a common ancestor. Which concept does this statement support?

Accepted Answer

Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

Question 10

Which of the following best describes a scientific theory?

Accepted Answer

A broad explanation based on many lines of evidence that generates new hypotheses and has withstood rigorous testing.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a fundamental characteristic of life shared by all organisms?

Accepted Answer

Ability to photosynthesize

Question 12

A phylogenetic tree shows evolutionary relationships among species. What does a branch point (node) on such a tree represent?

Accepted Answer

A common ancestor shared by the descendant lineages.

Question 13

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the mechanism of natural selection?

Accepted Answer

Individuals with a heritable trait that increases survival produce more offspring, causing the trait to become more common in the population over generations.

Question 14

Which of the following best explains why the visible spectrum is limited to certain wavelengths for humans?

Accepted Answer

Human photoreceptor proteins (opsins) are only sensitive to wavelengths between approximately 400 nm and 710 nm.

Question 15

If a mutation caused a person to lack the MWS opsin, which color would they have the most difficulty distinguishing?

Accepted Answer

Green

Question 16

Which of the following equations correctly relates the energy of a photon to its wavelength?

Accepted Answer

$E = \frac{hc}{\lambda}$

Question 17

A patient is diagnosed with color blindness and genetic testing reveals they lack the gene for the LWS opsin. Which type of color vision do they most likely have?

Accepted Answer

Dichromatic vision

Question 18

Which of the following best describes the relationship between unity and diversity of life as explained by evolutionary theory?

Accepted Answer

All organisms share a common ancestor (unity), but have diversified through evolutionary processes (diversity).

Question 19

Which of the following is a correct application of the cell theory to a real-world scenario?

Accepted Answer

When a wound heals, new skin cells arise from the division of pre-existing skin cells.

Question 20

A researcher is studying a population of bacteria and observes that some individuals survive antibiotic treatment due to a genetic mutation. Over time, the frequency of this mutation increases in the population. Which biological concept does this scenario best illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection acting on heritable variation

General Biology Study Notes: Light, Vision, and Unifying Concepts of Life

Study Guide - Practice Questions

Study Guide - Flashcards