Biology Basics Quiz

1. What is the basic unit of life?

1. A cell
2. A molecule
3. An atom
4. An organ

2. What is photosynthesis?

1. The process by which animals digest food
2. The process by which cells divide
3. The process by which cells produce energy from oxygen
4. The process by which plants convert sunlight, water, and CO₂ into glucose and oxygen

3. What is the function of mitochondria?

1. Energy production (ATP) through cellular respiration
2. Protein synthesis
3. Storing genetic information
4. Transporting substances in the cell

4. What is DNA?

1. A protein that carries oxygen in blood
2. A type of carbohydrate providing energy
3. An enzyme that breaks down food
4. The molecule carrying genetic instructions for all living organisms

5. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution proposes that species change over time through:

1. God's design
2. Lamarckian inheritance — acquired traits are passed on
3. Natural selection — individuals with beneficial traits reproduce more successfully
4. Random mutation only, with no selection

6. What is the difference between a plant cell and an animal cell?

1. Animal cells have cell walls; plant cells do not
2. Plant cells cannot reproduce
3. Plant cells have a cell wall, chloroplasts, and large vacuoles; animal cells do not
4. Plant cells have no nucleus

7. What is an 'ecosystem'?

1. A community of living organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment
2. A protected natural habitat
3. All living things on Earth
4. The range of species in a given area

8. What is the difference between a virus and a bacterium?

1. Bacteria are larger; viruses are not alive and cannot reproduce independently
2. Bacteria are not alive; viruses are
3. There is no significant biological difference
4. Viruses can be treated with antibiotics; bacteria cannot

9. What is the role of enzymes in the body?

1. To act as biological catalysts, speeding up chemical reactions without being consumed
2. To carry oxygen in the blood
3. To form structural components like muscles and bones
4. To store energy

10. What is 'homeostasis'?

1. The cycle of nutrients through an ecosystem
2. The maintenance of stable internal conditions in an organism
3. The process of evolution by natural selection
4. The relationship between predators and prey

11. In biology, what are the five kingdoms traditionally used to classify life?

1. Plants, Animals, Fungi, Bacteria, Viruses
2. Plants, Animals, Fungi, Protists, Monera (bacteria)
3. Plants, Animals, Insects, Fungi, Bacteria
4. Producers, Consumers, Decomposers, Parasites, Pathogens

12. What is respiration in biology?

1. Breathing in and out
2. The breakdown of food in the stomach
3. The exchange of gases in the lungs
4. The process by which cells release energy from glucose

13. What is the Hardy-Weinberg principle in genetics?

1. All inherited traits follow a 3:1 ratio
2. Allele and genotype frequencies in a population remain constant without evolutionary influences
3. Dominant traits are always more common in a population
4. Natural selection always changes allele frequencies

14. What is the function of the ribosomes in a cell?

1. Cellular digestion
2. DNA replication
3. Energy production
4. Protein synthesis

15. What is a 'food chain'?

1. A classification of animals by what they eat
2. A sequence showing how energy passes from one organism to another in an ecosystem
3. The range of foods an animal eats
4. The supply chain for food in human societies

16. What is 'natural selection' and who proposed it?

1. The idea that organisms evolve by effort and will; proposed by Lamarck
2. The inheritance of acquired characteristics; proposed by Darwin
3. The mechanism by which organisms with favourable traits survive and reproduce; proposed by Darwin and Wallace
4. The randomness of genetic mutation; proposed by Mendel

17. What are chromosomes?

1. Individual genes within a cell
2. Strands of RNA carrying genetic information
3. The building blocks of DNA
4. Thread-like structures of DNA and protein found in cell nuclei

18. What is 'osmosis'?

1. The active transport of molecules across cell membranes
2. The breakdown of glucose to release energy
3. The diffusion of water across a semi-permeable membrane from low to high solute concentration
4. The movement of ions against a concentration gradient

19. What is biodiversity and why does it matter?

1. The geographic distribution of species
2. The rate at which new species evolve
3. The total number of individual organisms on Earth
4. The variety of life on Earth across species, genes, and ecosystems — it underpins ecological stability and resilience

20. What is the significance of the 1953 discovery of DNA's double helix structure?

1. It led immediately to genetic engineering
2. It proved that proteins carry genetic information
3. It revealed how genetic information is stored and replicated, explaining heredity at the molecular level
4. It showed that DNA is the same in all species