Question 1

Which of the following best explains why protists are considered the most diverse kingdom among the six kingdoms of life?

Accepted Answer

They include both unicellular and multicellular organisms with a wide variety of cell features, ways of moving, and methods of obtaining nutrients.

Question 2

A scientist observes a protist with cilia, a gullet, and both a macronucleus and micronucleus. Which group does this protist most likely belong to?

Accepted Answer

Animal-like protists (protozoa)

Question 3

Which of the following is a real-world example of a multicellular protist used in food production?

Accepted Answer

Nori seaweed used in sushi

Question 4

Which equation best represents the process of photosynthesis carried out by plant-like protists such as algae?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

Which protist is responsible for causing malaria, and how is it transmitted?

Accepted Answer

Plasmodium; transmitted by mosquitoes

Question 6

What is the main classification characteristic for protists?

Accepted Answer

They are eukaryotic organisms that are not animals, plants, or fungi.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about mitochondria and chloroplasts supports the endosymbiotic theory?

Accepted Answer

They have their own internal chromosomes similar to prokaryotic chromosomes.

Question 8

A protist is observed to move using pseudopodia and engulfs food by phagocytosis. Which protist is most likely being observed?

Accepted Answer

Amoeba

Question 9

Which of the following best describes the alternation of generations in multicellular protists?

Accepted Answer

A life cycle in which diploid individuals produce spores that create haploid individuals; the haploid individuals reproduce sexually, producing diploid individuals and completing the cycle.

Question 10

Which of the following protists is a major producer in marine ecosystems and is often used as a thickening agent in foods?

Accepted Answer

Red algae (carrageenan)

Question 11

Which of the following is a plausible consequence of increased water acidity and warming temperatures on protist populations in aquatic ecosystems?

Accepted Answer

Disruption of major aquatic food webs due to harm to protist producers and consumers.

Question 12

Which of the following best describes the process of endosymbiosis?

Accepted Answer

A relationship in which a single-celled organism lives within the cell(s) of another organism, leading to the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts.

Question 13

Which of the following protists is responsible for causing 'Beaver Fever' and what is the primary symptom?

Accepted Answer

Giardia lamblia; chronic gut inflammation and diarrhea

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic shared by all protists?

Accepted Answer

They all have the same method of obtaining nutrients.

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the reproduction of single-celled protists?

Accepted Answer

Asexual reproduction by binary fission and sexual reproduction by conjugation.

Question 16

Which of the following is a plausible explanation for why mitochondria and chloroplasts have two membranes?

Accepted Answer

They originated from prokaryotes that were engulfed by early eukaryotic cells, resulting in an inner and outer membrane.

Question 17

Which of the following protists is most likely to cause a 'red tide' and what is the consequence?

Accepted Answer

Red algae; toxins can kill fish and poison people who eat affected shellfish

Question 18

Which of the following is a correct statement about the role of protists in ecosystems?

Accepted Answer

Photosynthetic protists are major producers at the bottom of aquatic food chains.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the nutritional mode of animal-like protists (protozoa)?

Accepted Answer

Heterotrophic, feeding on other organisms or dead matter

Question 20

Which of the following is a distinguishing feature of fungi-like protists compared to true fungi?

Accepted Answer

Their cell walls do not contain chitin.

L7 Biodiversity

Study Guide - Practice Questions

Study Guide - Flashcards