Question 1

Which of the following statements best explains why protists are no longer classified as a single kingdom?

Accepted Answer

Some protists are more closely related to plants, fungi, or animals than to other protists.

Question 2

Which feature is unique to euglenozoans and helps distinguish them from other protists?

Accepted Answer

Presence of a crystalline or spiral rod inside their flagella.

Question 3

A scientist discovers a unicellular organism with two equal-sized nuclei, multiple flagella, and reduced mitochondria called mitosomes. In which group should this organism be classified?

Accepted Answer

Diplomonads

Question 4

Which of the following best describes the nutritional diversity found among protists?

Accepted Answer

Protists include photoautotrophs, heterotrophs, and mixotrophs.

Question 5

Which of the following is evidence supporting the endosymbiotic origin of mitochondria?

Accepted Answer

Mitochondria are derived from alpha proteobacteria and have their own DNA.

Question 6

Which group of protists is responsible for causing 'red tides' and what is the ecological consequence of these events?

Accepted Answer

Dinoflagellates; they produce toxins that can kill fish and invertebrates.

Question 7

A patient is diagnosed with sleeping sickness after traveling in Africa. Which protist is the likely cause, and what is a key cellular feature of this group?

Accepted Answer

Trypanosoma; a single mitochondrion with a kinetoplast.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the ecological role of diatoms in the global carbon cycle?

Accepted Answer

Diatoms photosynthesize, and their dead cells sequester carbon on the ocean floor for centuries.

Question 9

Which of the following is a key difference between oomycetes and true fungi?

Accepted Answer

Oomycetes have cell walls made of cellulose, while fungi have cell walls made of chitin.

Question 10

Which structure in brown algae is analogous to the roots of plants, and what is its function?

Accepted Answer

Holdfast; anchoring the alga to a substrate

Question 11

A researcher finds a marine protist with a porous calcium carbonate shell and threadlike pseudopodia. To which group does this organism most likely belong?

Accepted Answer

Foraminiferans (forams)

Question 12

Which of the following best explains why global warming could reduce the productivity of photosynthetic protists in the ocean?

Accepted Answer

Warmer surface water prevents upwelling of nutrient-rich water, limiting protist growth.

Question 13

Which of the following protist groups includes the closest relatives of land plants?

Accepted Answer

Green algae (specifically charophytes)

Question 14

Which of the following is a characteristic of ciliates that distinguishes them from other protists?

Accepted Answer

They have two types of nuclei: micronuclei and macronuclei.

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the evolutionary significance of endosymbiosis in protists?

Accepted Answer

It led to the origin of mitochondria and plastids in eukaryotic cells.

Question 16

Which protist is responsible for malaria, and what is a unique feature of its life cycle?

Accepted Answer

Plasmodium; it requires two or more different hosts and alternates between sexual and asexual stages.

Question 17

Which of the following is a real-world application of brown algae for humans?

Accepted Answer

Brown algae are used as a thickener in processed foods due to the presence of algin.

Question 18

Which of the following protists is a common parasite in humans and is transmitted sexually?

Accepted Answer

Trichomonas vaginalis

Question 19

Which supergroup includes animals, fungi, and some protists with lobe- or tube-shaped pseudopodia?

Accepted Answer

Unikonta

Protists: Diversity, Structure, and Ecological Roles

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