HESI Biology Questions with Answers
1. Which of the following is not true of mitosis?
A. Mitosis produces daughter cells
B. Mitosis has five main
... [Show More] stages
C. Mitosis can only be done by haploids
D. Following mitosis, daughter cells are identical to parent cells
2. In meiosis, the chromosome number is reduced from:
A. 46 to 23
B. 46 to 33
C. 28 to 14
D. 24 to 12
3. Cellular respiration takes place in which of the following?
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Mitochondrion
C. Chloroplast
D. Ribosome
4. Which of the following is the term used to represent two alleles that are the same type?
A. Homosynchronous
B. Hypersynchronous
C. Heterozygous
D. Homozygous
The Punnett square shows that one parent carries the recessive gene for a cleft chin
(c) while the other parent does not.
5. What percentage of the parents' offspring is predicted to have a cleft chin?
A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 0%
D. 75%
6. Which of the following options identifies the products of cell respiration?
A. Water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen
B. Glucose and oxygen
C. Water, carbon dioxide, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
D. Water, glucose, and oxygen
7. Which stage of mitosis is occurring when the nuclear envelope begins to disappear and the chromosomes begin to attach to the spindle that is forming along the axis of the cell?
A. Prometaphase
B. Metaphase
C. Anaphase
D. Prophase
8. In the hierarchic organizational system, which of these is the most restrictive category?
A. Genus
B. Class
C. Kingdom
D. Species
9. Water is a polar molecule that can be:
A. cohesive and corrosive
B. cohesive and adhesive
C. electrostatic and ionic
D. repellent and attractive
10. What is considered the main objective of the translation stage of protein synthesis?
A. To produce amino acids
B. To produce nucleotides
C. To produce fatty acids
D. To produce nucleic acids
11. Prokaryotic cells lack which of the following?
A. A cell membrane
B. Genetic material
C. Cytoplasm
D. Membrane bound organelles
12. Proteins are polymers of 20 molecules called:
A. Amino acids
B. Phospholipids
C. Carbohydrates
D. Fatty acids
13. Which of the following statements is true if a molecule has adhesion?
A. Two molecules of the same substance have the ability to stay bonded to one another
B. The molecule has the ability to bond to or attract other molecules
B. A molecule has the ability to increase its heat when necessary
C. The molecule has the ability to form hydrogen bonds
14. Which of the following statements is most accurate regarding the transcription of DNA?
A. RNA uses reverse transcriptase to make mRNA
B. DNA uses mRNA to produce tRNA
C. RNA creates a duplicate copy of DNA
D. RNA copies DNA to produce mRNA
15. What are the two types of cells in biology?
A. Ribosomes and lysosomes
B. Mitochondria and chloroplasts
C. Nucleic and protein
D. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic
16. Which two items react during cellular respiration?
A. Glucose and water
B. Carbon dioxide and water
C. Carbon dioxide and oxygen
D. Glucose and oxygen
17. What must first occur before a cell can be divided to grow, develop, and reproduce organisms?
A. RNA replication
B. DNA replication
C. Gene replication
D. Chromosome replication
18. Which of the following organelles is known as the cell's transportation center?
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Endoplasmic reticulum
C. Mitochondria
D. Lysosomes
19. During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert all except which of the following into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds?
A. Minerals
B. Water
C. Carbon dioxide
D. Metals
20. What is the correct term to describe the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a molecule by one degree Celsius?
A. Viscosity
B. Specific gravity
C. Latent heat
D. Specific heat
21. In DNA, the nucleotide base adenine always binds with which of the following?
A. Guanine
B. Uracil
C. Thymine
D. Cytosine
22. Which of the following consists of polymers of twenty molecules called amino acids?
A. Nucleic acids
B. Proteins
C. Carbohydrates
D. Lipids
23. Which of the following describes the set of metabolic reactions and processes that take place in the cells of organisms to convert biochemical energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and then release waste products?
A. Cellular respiration
B. Meiosis
C. Photosynthesis
D. Mitosis
24. Which of the following molecules is the most significant contributor to cellular function?
A. Proteins
B. Phospholipids
C. Carbohydrates
D. Fatty acids
25. With which of the following does protein synthesis begin?
A. Transcription
B. Cytokinesis
C. Binary fission
D. Translation
26. What function does cholesterol, a phospholipid, serve within the cell membrane?
A. It builds up fats to make the structure more flexible
B. It allows protein channels to form
C. It makes the structure very rigid and impermeable
D. It stabilizes the membrane structure
27. Which of the following best describes phenotype?
A. The hereditary potentials and limitations of an individual
B. The genetic makeup of an individual organism
C. The entire complex of genes inherited from both parents
D. All the observable characteristics of an organism
28. Which of the following correctly identifies the two organelles that produce cell energy?
A. Ribosomes and lysosomes
B. Mitochondria and chloroplasts
C. Mitochondria and lysosomes
D. Ribosomes and vacuoles
29. Which stage of mitosis is occurring when the chromosomes gather on either side of the separating cell?
A. Metaphase
B. Telophase
C. Anaphase
D. Prophase
30. During which stage of photosynthesis is solar energy converted to chemical energy?
A. During phosphate synthesis
B. During light reactions
C. During the Krebs cycle
D. During the Calvin cycle
31. Which of the following options is the term used to represent alternative versions of a gene?
A. Alleles
B. Binary fission
C. Heterozygous
D. Homozygous
32. What is the process used by most bacteria to perform asexual reproduction?
A. Meiosis
B. Mitosis
C. Binary fission
D. Interphase
33. Which of the following is not one of the four nitrogenous bases that make up the DNA structure?
A. Adenine
B. Guanine
C. Uracil
D. Thymine
34. Which of the following molecules contains the code that is required for replication?
A. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
B. Transfer RNA (tRNA)
C. Messenger RNA (mRNA)
D. Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
35. In which step of cellular respiration is the most adenosine triphosphate (ATP) created?
A. Electron transport chain
B. Glycolysis
C. Citric acid cycle (the Krebs cycle)
D. All of these produce equal amounts of ATP
36. Which of the following correctly identifies the two types of cells?
A. Mitosis and meiosis
B. Mitochondrion and chloroplast
C. Genotype and phenotype
D. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic
37. Which of the following molecules acts as the genetic code's messenger?
A. RNA
B. Proteins
C. DNA
D. Carbohydrates
38. Water is held together by which of the following bonds?
A. Electrostatic attraction
B. Van Der Waals forces
C. Hydrogen
D. Oxygen
39. Which of the following options correctly lists the five stages of mitosis in order from beginning to end?
A. Prophase, Prometaphase, Telophase, Metaphase, Anaphase
B. Prophase, Prometaphase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase
C. Metaphase, Anaphase, Prophase, Prometaphase, Telophase
D. Metaphase, Telophase, Anaphase, Prophase, Prometaphase
40. Which of the following is a group of three RNA nucleotides?
A. A stop codon
B. A codon
C. An anticodon
D. tRNA
41. Which of the following is the term used to represent alleles of different types?
A. Genotype
B. Phenotype
C. Heterozygous
D. Homozygous
42. Why does ice have the capability of floating on water?
A. It has a higher viscosity
B. It has a different chemical composition
C. It has a high specific heat
D. It forms a lattice when freezing
43. Which of the following options correctly lists biology's hierarchic organizational system?
A. Phylum, Kingdom, Class, Family, Order, Species, Genus
B. Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
C. Genus, Order, Kingdom, Class, Phylum, Species, Family
D. Class, Phylum, Kingdom, Genus, Order, Family, Species
44. What is the science of biological classification commonly called?
A. Taxonomy
B. Physiology
C. Botany
D. Zoology
45. What are the two primary products of photosynthesis?
A. Sugar and oxygen
B. Sugar and carbon dioxide
C. Oxygen and nitrogen
D. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide
46. Which of the following cell parts surrounds the cell, delimiting the cell from the environment around it?
A. Vacuoles
B. Cellular membrane
C. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
D. Ribosomes
47. Which of the following organelles is the site of cellular respiration?
A. Nucleus
B. Mitochondria
C. Lysosomes
D. Ribosomes
48. Amino acids are a subunit of which biological molecule?
A. Proteins
B. Carbohydrates
C. All of these
D. Lipids
49. Which of the following organelles is known as the cell's digestion center?
A. Chloroplasts
B. Mitochondria
C. Lysosomes
D. Ribosomes
50. What is binary fission a type of?
A. Photosynthesis
B. Asexual reproduction
C. Exothermic reaction
D. Sexual reproduction
51. DNA and RNA are both subunits of which biological molecule?
A. Nucleic acids
B. Proteins
C. Carbohydrates
D. Lipids
52. The most important function of carbohydrates is which of the following?
A. Store and provide energy for the body
B. Create amino acids
C. Maintain body temperature
D. Insulate body organs against shock
53. What are the nitrogenous bases of DNA?
A. Adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine
B. Adenine, guanine, and uracil
C. Adenine, guanine, and thymine
D. Adenine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil
54. Where can ribosomes be found inside a cell?
A. Attached to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and in the cytoplasm
B. Within the cellular membrane
C. Attached to the Golgi apparatus and in the cytoplasm
D. Within the nucleus
55. What characteristic of water allows for hydrogen bonding between molecules?
A. Its covalent bonds
B. Its cohesive properties
C. Its high specific heat
D. Its polar nature
56. Which of the following is the process that reduces cells originally classified as diploid to haploid?
A. Meiosis
B. Photosynthesis
C. Mitosis
D. Cytokinesis
57. The cellular membrane is composed of which of the following?
A. A bilayer of phospholipid molecules
B. A single layer of phospholipid molecules
C. Proteins that act as transport highways
58. Using garden peas, which of the following scientists discovered the basic principles of genetics?
A. Curie
B. Mendel
C. Hawking
D. Galileo
59. Which of the following makes it possible to predict genotype and phenotype of the offspring of sexual reproduction?
A. Punnett square
B. Chi square
C. Microscope
D. None of these
60. The term pleiotropy is best defined as which of the following?
A. A situation in which one gene remains unexpressed
B. One gene influencing multiple, seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits
C. Two genes affected by a single allele
D. A condition in which multiple genes are missing
61. What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids?
A. There is no difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids
B. Saturated fatty acids contain double bonds, unlike unsaturated fatty acids
C. Saturated fatty acids often contain two or more pairs of double bonds, unlike unsaturated fatty acids
D. Saturated fatty acids contain no double bonds, unlike unsaturated fatty acids
62. Based on the inherent properties of water molecules, what effect would a large body of water have on the temperature of a climate?
A. It would increase the temperature of the climate
B. It would stabilize the temperature of the climate
C. It would decrease the temperature of the climate
D. It would have no effect on the temperature of the climate
63. The liver is an organ responsible for detoxifying the body of many harmful substances. You might expect the liver to contain a high amount of which of the following?
A. Rough endoplasmic reticulum
B. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
C. Mitochondria
D. Lysosomes
64. It is known that the gene that codes for male pattern baldness depends on the gene for red hair. This type of interaction between alleles is known as which of the following?
A. Genotype
B. Pleiotrophy
C. Epistasis
D. Phenotype
65. There are four types of large biological molecules called macromolecules. Which of the following is not a macromolecule?
A. Nucleic acids
B. Proteins
C. Carbohydrates
D. Salt
66 Phagocytes in the immune system are responsible for the biological action of which of the following?
A. Secreting
B. Consuming
C. Altering
D. Building
67. What is the difference between DNA and RNA?
A. RNA has an extra Phosphate group
B. DNA has one less oxygen than RNA
C. RNA has one less oxygen than DNA
D. DNA has an extra sugar molecule
68. Prophase is the first stage of mitosis. Which of the following best describes chromosomes during this stage?
A. They are gathered on either side of the separating cell
B. They are all aligned along the metaphase plate
C. They are attached to the spindle
D. They are visibly separate
69. Binary fission is a type of asexual reproduction. Which of the following occurs during the binary fission process?
A. The chromosomes bind to the plasma membrane
B. The chromosomes attach to the spindle formed along the axis
C. The chromosomes gather in the center of the cell
D. The chromosomes begin to separate
70. A water molecule contains two types of atoms that are covalently bonded. Which of the following makes up a water molecule?
A. One hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom
B. One hydrogen atom and two oxygen atoms
C. Two hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms
D. Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom
71. Carbohydrates are long chains of which of the following?
A. Fats
B. Sugars
C. Proteins
D. Steroids
72. Fatty acids are grouped into saturated fats or unsaturated fats. Saturated fats contain which of the following?
A. Three double bonds
B. Two double bonds
C. One double bond
D. No double bonds
73. Phospholipids are lipids that contain a phosphate group bonded to which of the following?
A. Hormones
B. Amino acids
C. Proteins
D. Fatty acids
74. In a cell, reactions take place in a series of steps called:
A. Glycolysis
B. Metabolic pathways
C. Cytokinesis
D. Binary fission
75. Prokaryotic cells are cells that have which of the following?
A. A defined nucleus and a series of membrane-bound organelles
B. A defined nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles
C. No defined nucleus and a series of membrane-bound organelles
D. No defined nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles
76. During cellular respiration, glycolysis takes place in the cytosol of the cytoplasm and produces molecules of ATP, molecules of pyruvate, and
molecules of NADH.
A. two, two, two
B. two, four, two
C. two, four, four
D. four, four, four
77. Which of the following produces nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FADH2) for the electron transport chain during cellular respiration?
A. Electron transport chain
B. Glycolysis
C. Citric acid cycle (the Krebs cycle)
D. None of these
78. The glycolysis phase of cellular respiration takes place in the cell's:
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Chloroplast
C. Cytosol
D. Mitochondria
79. A molecule's specific heat is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1 gram of that molecule by:
A. One degree Celsius
B. Five degrees Celsius
C. Two degrees Celsius
D. Four degrees Celsius
80. Which of the following is a lipid that is a membrane component and a precursor to significant hormones?
A. Nucleic acids
B. Proteins
C. Carbohydrates
D. Steroids
81. Synthesis of carbohydrates, lipids, and steroid hormones are functions of which of the following?
A. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
B. Rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
C. Golgi apparatus
D. Ribosomes
82. The organelle that transports material from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to other parts of the cell is known as which of the following?
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Nucleus
C. Cellular membrane
D. Chloroplasts
83. Which organelle has the ability to hydrolyze fats, nucleic acids, proteins, and sugars?
A. Chloroplasts
B. Mitochondria
C. Lysosomes
D. Ribosomes
84. The bilayer of the cellular membrane consists of phospholipids with all except which of the following peppered throughout?
A. Nucleic acids
B. Cholesterol
C. Proteins
D. Glycoproteins
85. The cellular membrane contributes to all except which of the following?
A. Cell energy production
B. Cell permeability
C. Cell communication
D. Cell protection
86. Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction by which offspring arise from:
A. Two identical cells
B. A single cell
C. Two cells
D. Four daughter cells
87. At the beginning of meiosis, how many chromosomes does the diploid parent cell have?
A. 23
B. 24
C. 46
D. 54
88. Protein synthesis begins with a process known as transcription. What is produced during this process?
A. A codon
B. A DNA helix
C. A DNA strand
D. An RNA strand
89. The protein synthesis process ends when the chain is ended at the stop codon. At this point, the chain is released into the:
A. Nuclear envelope
B. Cytoplasm
C. Nucleus
D. Cellular membrane
90. Protein synthesis begins with a process known as transcription. Where does this process occur?
A. In the cytoplasm
B. In the nuclear envelope
C. In the ribosome unit
D. In the nucleus
91. Which of the following helps support and give shape to the cell?
A. Microtubules
B. Microfilaments
C. Cilia
D. Microvilli
92. Which of the following is not found in a prokaryotic cell?
A. Plasma membrane
B. Cytoplasm
C. Nucleus
D. Ribosomes
93. The rough endoplasmic reticulum has located on it.
A. Microvilli
B. Mitochondria
C. Lysosomes
D. Ribosomes
94. What is the liquid found inside the cell?
A. Plasma membrane
B. Cilia
C. Cytoplasm
D. Cytosol
95. Which of the following is often referred to as the powerhouse of the cell?
A. Nucleus
B. Chromatin
C. Mitochondria
D. Ribosomes
96. What cell structure is responsible for efficiently packaging DNA into a small volume to fit into the nucleus of a cell and protect the DNA structure and sequence?
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Chromatin
C. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
D. Mitochondria
97. Which of the following serves as the information processing and administrative center of the cell?
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Cytoplasm
C. Nucleus
D. Lysosomes
98. The smallest and most basic unit of matter is the:
A. Micromolecule
B. Atom
C. Organelle
D. Molecule
99. In the hierarchy of biology, cells combine to make which of the following?
A. Macromolecules
B. Molecules
C. Tissues
D. Organelles [Show Less]