Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

Excavated feeding groove and modified mitochondria

Question 2

Giardia intestinalis, a diplomonad, is known to cause 'Beaver Fever.' Which of the following best describes its cellular structure?

Accepted Answer

Unicellular, with two nuclei and mitosomes

Question 3

Trypanosoma brucei, a kinetoplastid, is responsible for sleeping sickness. Which feature is characteristic of kinetoplastids?

Accepted Answer

A single, large mitochondrion containing a kinetoplast

Question 4

Which of the following protists is most likely to be found as a major component of marine phytoplankton and is responsible for red tides?

Accepted Answer

Dinoflagellates

Question 5

A scientist discovers a unicellular organism with a glass-like cell wall made of hydrated silica, capable of forming cysts that last decades. Which group does this organism most likely belong to?

Accepted Answer

Diatoms

Question 6

Which of the following statements about brown algae is correct?

Accepted Answer

They are multicellular, photosynthetic, and have a diploid-dominant life cycle.

Question 7

Which equation best represents the photosynthetic process in green algae?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

Which protist group is characterized by the presence of alveoli under the plasma membrane and includes many parasitic species?

Accepted Answer

Alveolates

Question 9

A patient presents with symptoms of malaria. Which protist is responsible, and what is a key feature of its life cycle?

Accepted Answer

Plasmodium; complex life cycle with multiple hosts

Question 10

Which of the following best explains why radiolarians are important in marine environments?

Accepted Answer

Their silica skeletons contribute to marine sediment formation.

Question 11

Which protist group is most likely to be found decomposing leaf litter in a forest ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

Water molds (oomycetes)

Question 12

Which of the following is a commercial use of red algae?

Accepted Answer

Production of agar for microbiological media

Question 13

A protist is observed to have two types of nuclei: a macronucleus and a micronucleus. Which group does it most likely belong to, and what is the function of the macronucleus?

Accepted Answer

Ciliates; controls cell activity

Question 14

Which of the following protists is most likely to infect humans via contaminated drinking water and cause dysentery?

Accepted Answer

Entamoeba histolytica

Question 15

Which evolutionary relationship is supported by the shared ancestry of fungi and animals?

Accepted Answer

Both evolved from amoebozoans within the Unikonta supergroup

Question 16

Which of the following best describes the life cycle of plasmodial slime molds?

Accepted Answer

They grow into a large multinucleate mass and form fruiting bodies when resources are scarce.

Question 17

Which protist group is characterized by true multicellular bodies with cell division and differentiation, and repeated karyokinesis without cytokinesis?

Accepted Answer

Green algae

Question 18

A protist is found to be a unicellular heterotroph with a shell hardened by calcium carbonate, living attached to rocks in marine environments. Which group does it belong to?

Accepted Answer

Foraminiferans

Question 19

Which of the following is a defining feature of euglenids within the Euglenozoans?

Accepted Answer

Possess chloroplasts with chlorophyll a and b, and can be autotrophic, mixotrophic, or parasitic

Question 20

Which of the following protists is most likely to be symbiotic with coral and contribute to the formation of coral reefs?

Accepted Answer

Dinoflagellates

Protists: Diversity, Classification, and Biological Significance

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