Basic Biology Practice Test: Chemistry of Carbon, Organic Compounds, & Life | Practice Test / Quiz / MCQs

4. Which action could produce a carbonyl group?

the addition of a thiol to a hydroxylthe replacement of the nitrogen of an amine with oxygenthe addition of a hydroxyl to a phosphatethe addition of a sulfhydryl to a carboxylthe replacement of the OH of a carboxyl group with hydrogen

5. Which of the following is a false statement concerning amino groups?

They contain nitrogen.They are basic in pH.They are components of urea.They are nonpolar.They are found in amino acids.

6. A chemist wishes to make an organic molecule less acidic. Which of the following functional groups should be added to the molecule in order to do so?

sulfhydrylphosphateaminocarboxylhydroxyl

8. Organic chemistry is currently defined as

the study of hydrocarbons.the study of compounds made only by living cells.the study of carbon compounds.the study of natural (as opposed to synthetic) compounds.the study of vital forces.

10. Which of the following statements best describes the carbon atoms present in a seed-eating bird?

Inorganic carbon atoms in the seeds were incorporated into organic molecules by the bird.The carbon atoms ultimately came from simple organic compounds that formed abiotically from inorganic carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen atoms.The carbon atoms are ultimately derived from coal.The carbon atoms ultimately came from the soil.The carbon atoms ultimately came from carbon dioxide incorporated into sugars through photosynthesis.

11. A compound contains hydroxyl groups as its predominant functional group. Which of the following statements is true concerning this compound?

It should dissolve in a nonpolar solvent.It is hydrophobic.It won't form hydrogen bonds with water.It lacks an asymmetric carbon, and it is probably a fat or lipid.It should dissolve in water.

12. The experimental approach taken in current biological investigations presumes that

living organisms can be understood in terms of the same physical and chemical laws that can be used to explain all natural phenomena.simple organic compounds can be synthesized in the laboratory from inorganic precursors, but complex organic compounds like carbohydrates and proteins can only be synthesized by living organisms.although a life force, or vitalism, exists in living organisms, this life force cannot be studied by physical or chemical methods.a life force ultimately controls the activities of living organisms and this life force cannot be studied by physical or chemical methods.living organisms are composed of the same elements present in nonliving things, plus a few special trace elements found only in living organisms or their products.

13. Stanley Miller's 1953 experiments assumed that early Earth's atmosphere contained

methane, formaldehyde, ammonia, and carbon dioxide.ammonia, methane, hydrogen gas, and water vapor.ammonia, methane, oxygen gas, and water vapor.amino acids, methane, hydrogen cyanide, and water vapor.hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, hydrogen gas, and water vapor.

14. A carbon atom is most likely to form what kind of bond(s) with other atoms?

ionic bonds, covalent bonds, and hydrogen bondscovalent bonds and hydrogen bondshydrogencovalentionic

15. Hermann Kolbe's synthesis of an organic compound, acetic acid, from inorganic substances that had been prepared directly from pure elements was a significant milestone for what reason?

It proved that organic compounds could be synthesized from inorganic compounds.It disproved the concept of vitalism.It showed that life originated from simple inorganic chemicals.It solved an industrial shortage of acetic acid.It proved that organic compounds could be synthesized from inorganic compounds and disproved the concept of vitalism.

16. A carbon skeleton is covalently bonded to both an amino group and a carboxyl group. When placed in water it

would function only as an acid because of the carboxyl group.would function as both an acid and a base.is impossible to determine how it would function.would function only as a base because of the amino group.would function as neither an acid nor a base.

17. Research indicates that ibuprofen, a drug used to relieve inflammation and pain, is a mixture of two enantiomers; that is, molecules that

differ in the arrangement of atoms around their double bonds.differ in the location of their double bonds.are mirror images of one another.have identical chemical formulas but differ in the branching of their carbon skeletons.exist in either linear chain or ring forms.

18. What determines whether a carbon atom's covalent bonds to other atoms are in a tetrahedral configuration or a planar configuration?

the presence or absence of double bonds between the carbon atom and other atomsthe presence or absence of bonds with oxygen atomsthe polarity of the covalent bonds between carbon and other atomsthe presence or absence of bonds with nitrogen atomsthe solvent that the organic molecule is dissolved in

19. Which of the following statements correctly describes cis-trans isomers?

They have the same chemical properties.Their atoms and bonds are arranged in different sequences.They have variations in arrangement around a double bond.They have an asymmetric carbon that makes them mirror images.They have different molecular formulas.

20. Stanley Miller's 1953 experiments proved that

the conditions on early Earth were conducive to the abiotic synthesis of organic molecules.the conditions on early Earth were conducive to the origin of life.life arose on Earth from simple inorganic molecules.life arose on Earth from simple organic molecules, with energy from lightning and volcanoes.organic molecules can be synthesized abiotically under conditions that may have existed on early Earth.

21. Compared to a hydrocarbon chain where all the carbon atoms are linked by single bonds, a hydrocarbon chain with the same number of carbon atoms, but with one or more double bonds, will

be more polar.have fewer structurally distinct isomers.be more constrained in structure.be more flexible in structure.have more hydrogen atoms.

22. Differences among organisms are caused by

differences in inorganic compounds present in each organism.large differences in elemental composition from organism to organism.differences in the sizes of the organic molecules in each organism.differences in the elements that bond with carbon in each organism.differences in the types and relative amounts of organic molecules synthesized by each organism.

25. Why are hydrocarbons insoluble in water?

The majority of their bonds are polar covalent carbon-to-hydrogen linkages.They exhibit considerable molecular complexity and diversity.They are hydrophilic.The majority of their bonds are nonpolar covalent carbon-to-hydrogen linkages.They are lighter than water.

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25 Questions

❤ If you liked Fatskills, consider supporting us by checking out The Life Manuals You Never Got.

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About | Explore | User Guide | Topics | Subjects | Doubt Solver | Career Aptitude Test | Answers | Free Tools | What Should We Know?
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Without work one finishes nothing. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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