Question 1

Which of the following is a unique trait of the clade Excavata that distinguishes it from other protist groups?

Accepted Answer

Excavated feeding groove

Question 2

Giardia intestinalis, a diplomonad, is known to cause 'Beaver Fever.' Which of the following features is characteristic of diplomonads?

Accepted Answer

Multiple flagella and two nuclei

Question 3

Trypanosoma brucei, a kinetoplastid, is responsible for sleeping sickness. What is a defining feature of kinetoplastids?

Accepted Answer

A single large mitochondrion containing a kinetoplast

Question 4

Which of the following protist groups is most important in global carbon cycling due to their ability to form cysts that last for decades?

Accepted Answer

Diatoms

Question 5

A patient presents with diarrhea and cramps after drinking water from a stream. Which protist is most likely responsible, and what is its classification?

Accepted Answer

Giardia intestinalis; Diplomonad (Excavata)

Question 6

Which SAR clade member is responsible for causing red tides, and what is the underlying mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Dinoflagellates; overproduction of reddish carotenoids

Question 7

Which of the following best describes the difference between red algae and green algae?

Accepted Answer

Red algae are mostly multicellular and possess chlorophyll a + d, while green algae can be unicellular or multicellular and possess chlorophyll a + b

Question 8

Which protist group is characterized by the presence of alveoli under the plasma membrane and includes important parasites such as Plasmodium?

Accepted Answer

Alveolates

Question 9

A scientist discovers a unicellular protist with a glassy skeleton made of silica and axopodia for floating and feeding. To which group does this organism most likely belong?

Accepted Answer

Radiolarians

Question 10

Which of the following is a real-world application of brown algae, and what is the relevant biological molecule involved?

Accepted Answer

Used to thicken foods; algin (cell wall polysaccharide)

Question 11

Which protist group is most likely to be found forming limestone deposits such as the White Cliffs of Dover?

Accepted Answer

Foraminiferans

Question 12

A protist is observed to have two types of nuclei: a macronucleus and a micronucleus. What is the function of the micronucleus?

Accepted Answer

Governs reproduction

Question 13

Which of the following equations best represents the photosynthetic process in green algae?

Accepted Answer

$6CO_2 + 6H_2O \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2$

Question 14

Which protist group is most likely to be found in cold-water currents and is used as a thickener in foods?

Accepted Answer

Brown algae

Question 15

A researcher is studying a protist that moves using threadlike pseudopodia and is a parasite of plants. Which group does this organism belong to?

Accepted Answer

Cercozoans

Question 16

Which of the following is a defining feature of plasmodial slime molds, and what evolutionary concept does it illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Growth into a large multinucleate mass; convergent evolution to act like fungi

Question 17

Which protist group is most likely to cause dysentery when spread via contaminated drinking water?

Accepted Answer

Entamoeba histolytica (Amoebozoan)

Question 18

Which of the following best explains why euglenids do not have a cell wall?

Accepted Answer

They use a pellicle for shape maintenance

Question 19

Which group includes multicellular autotrophs that evolved from green algae lineage?

Accepted Answer

Plants

Question 20

Which of the following statements about fungi and animals is correct based on their evolutionary lineage?

Accepted Answer

They share ancestry with Amoebozoans in the Unikonta lineage

Protists: Diversity, Classification, and Biological Significance

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