Question 1

Louis Pasteur made several important contributions to microbiology. These included studying wine making,diseases in silkworms and which of the following:
A) associated diseases with multiple different organisms, such as the 3 different organisms which caused the same silkworm disease
B) developing the first rabies vaccine
C) used swan-necked flasks to prove that air contained the vital force that brought microbes
D) discovering a method to introduce unwanted organisms into food and wine

Accepted Answer

Louis Pasteur developed the first rabies vaccine, which was a major contribution to microbiology. He also studied wine making and diseases in silkworms, but did not associate diseases with multiple different organisms or discover a method to introduce unwanted organisms into food and wine. Additionally, Pasteur used swan-necked flasks to disprove the idea of spontaneous generation, not to prove that air contained the vital force that brought microbes.

Question 2

Vaccines are
A) specific disease-causing molecules that incorporate into cells
B) the causative agent of Black Death
C) selective chemicals used to treat infectious disease
D) preparations that establish immunity to a disease

Accepted Answer

Vaccines are preparations that establish immunity to a specific disease by introducing a weakened or dead pathogen, or a part of it, to the body to stimulate an immune response. This helps the body produce antibodies to fight off the actual disease-causing pathogen in case of future exposure, thus preventing the occurrence of the disease.

Question 3

While a doctor may diagnose and treat a patient who presents with a disease,an epidemiologist
A) helps in the development and use of vaccines
B) investigates what organism is responsible for a particular patient's disease
C) figures out how to use microorganisms to clean up the environment
D) studies the frequency and distribution of the disease in the community

Accepted Answer

An epidemiologist studies the frequency and distribution of diseases in the community. They analyze patterns and risk factors to identify potential outbreaks and prevent the spread of diseases. Unlike a doctor, they focus on the population as a whole rather than individual patients.

Question 4

Which of the following statements are true about infection control?
A) Semmelweiss encouraged physicians to go directly from autopsies to examining women in labor without changing their white coats in hopes of reducing puerperal fever.
B) Surgery which uses asceptic technique increases surgical wound infections
C) Lister aided infection control by encouraging wounds to be left open to the air instead of using bandages.
D) Semmelweiss was ridiculed by physicians for his suggestion that physicians should wash their hands and adopt more sanitary practices before seeing patients.

Accepted Answer

Semmelweiss was actually one of the earliest advocates of hand hygiene and introduced the idea of washing hands with a chlorine solution to reduce the transmission of disease in hospitals. However, he faced ridicule and disbelief from many physicians of his time, which delayed wider acceptance of hand hygiene practices. Choices A, B, and C are all inaccurate and contradict established infection control practices.

Question 5

A parasitologist studies parasites. What does a mycologist study?
A) protozoa
B) how viruses cause disease and are involved in cancer
C) the development of chemical substances to treat diseases
D) fungi

Accepted Answer

A mycologist studies fungi.

Question 6

Before Ehrilich began a systematic search for a chemical to kill specific bacteria,the only chemotherapies available were substances derived from medicinal plants. What distinguished Ehrlich's chemotherapy research?
A) he systematically tested hundred of compounds, for their ability to destroy specific bacteria without damaging surrounding tissue
B) he used metals, such as antimony and mercury to treat diseases
C) he inoculated his own son with fluid from a cowpox blister
D) he introduced cinchona tree bark, a native American remedy to treat malaria

Accepted Answer

Ehrlich's chemotherapy research was distinguished by his systematic testing of hundreds of compounds to find a chemical that could specifically target and kill bacteria without harming surrounding tissue. This approach was different from previous chemotherapies that relied on substances derived from medicinal plants.

Question 7

All of the following are true statements about the development of antibiotics,except:
A) most bacteria that stopped the growth of other bacteria by producing antibiotics were soil bacteria
B) Fleming noticed that a contaminant mold (Penicillium) prevented the growth of bacteria adjacent to itself
C) an antibiotic was discovered in the sea after a scientist noted the absence of disease causing organisms in the seawater where the sewage entered
D) sulfa drugs did not prove to be useful as the body converted them into inactive molecules

Accepted Answer

Option D is false. Sulfa drugs were widely used before the advent of antibiotics and were effective against a wide range of bacterial infections. However, some people were allergic to sulfa drugs and they were gradually replaced by newer and more effective antibiotics.

Question 8

What did ancient civilizations know about disease?
A) even though they couldn't see microbes the Greeks and Romans knew that they caused disease and could be transmitted.
B) the ancient Mosaic laws in the bible forbid the burial of waste and banned the separation of lepers and other diseased individuals
C) all ancient civilizations thought that disease struck people that were morally corrupt
D) infectious diseases did not have much impact on the survival of people in ancient civilizations.

Accepted Answer

Although they didn't know about microbes, the Greeks and Romans correctly inferred that they were responsible for disease and could be spread from person to person.

Question 9

Viruses were initially identified as small infectious agents that could pass through filters. How was it believed that these molecules could survive?
A) they had small compact structures that allowed for the production of metabolites and replication
B) they survived on the metabolites and poisons that pass through the filter
C) they borrowed the use of existing metabolic and replicative mechanisms of the host cells they infected
D) they are capable of capturing energy from the sun

Accepted Answer

It is believed that viruses survive by infecting host cells and taking over their metabolic and replicative mechanisms in order to produce new viruses. This is known as the lytic cycle.

Question 10

Which of the following is a reason microorganisms are useful in many different research laboratories (such as ecology,biochemistry,evolution and genetics)?
A) they are easy to see and count
B) they have fairly complex structures and are expensive
C) they reproduce fast and grow in large numbers
D) they live everywhere so contaminants from the environment are not a problem.

Accepted Answer

Microorganisms reproduce quickly and grow in large numbers, making them useful for a variety of research purposes that require a large sample size. Additionally, their fast growth allows for the rapid development and testing of hypotheses.

Question 11

Which statement about variolation is false?
A) variolation originated in ancient China
B) variolation involves infecting a person with dried scabs from lesions of people who had recovered from the disease
C) variolation requires chemicals produced from another microorganism to kill the disease causing microbe
D) variolation leads to a controlled infection that induces immunity against further infection

Accepted Answer

Variolation does not require chemicals produced from another microorganism to kill the disease causing microbe. It involves introducing a small amount of the disease-causing microbe into the body to induce immunity.

Question 12

Microbes live in us,on us and nearly everywhere around us. Which of the following activities are microbes involved in?
A) decomposing dead organisms
B) aiding the digestive processes of grazing animals
C) capturing energy from the sun
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Microbes are involved in decomposing dead organisms, aiding the digestive processes of grazing animals, and capturing energy from the sun through photosynthesis. They play an essential role in all of these activities.

Question 13

Microbiology is the study of bacteria,algae,fungi,viruses and protozoa. Most of these are single-celled,except for which two:
A) bacteria (some of which are multicellular) and algae (which are nonliving proteins)
B) viruses (which are not cells) and fungi (some have many cells)
C) protozoa (which are not made up of cells) and fungi (which are free nucleic acids)
D) bacteria (some of which have no cells) and viruses (made of many cells)

Accepted Answer

The only two options that are not single-celled are viruses (which are not cells) and fungi (which can have many cells). Option A is incorrect as algae are living organisms and are not made up of proteins, and not all bacteria are multicellular. Option C is incorrect as protozoa are single-celled organisms and fungi are not made up of free nucleic acids. Option D is incorrect as all viruses are made up of only one cell or a group of cells, and bacteria are always made up of cells.

Question 14

All of the following statements agree with the germ theory of disease,except
A) microorganisms can invade other organisms and cause disease
B) maggots only grow on meat that is left in an open flask because microbes are transmitted by flies and do not spontaneously generate
C) disease causing organisms will spontaneously arise from decaying meat
D) disease is not caused by bad air or spirits

Accepted Answer

This statement goes against the germ theory of disease, as it suggests that disease-causing organisms can spontaneously arise, rather than being transmitted from other organisms or the environment.

Question 15

Koch's postulates were
A) specific to anthrax and tuberculosis but don't apply to other diseases
B) designed to establish a casual relationship between a causative microbe and a disease
C) strict in that microorganisms isolated from experimentally inoculated hosts had to be different from the microorganism that was introduced into the host.
D) interpreted as many organisms could cause the same disease

Accepted Answer

Koch's postulates were a set of criteria designed to establish a causal relationship between a causative microbe and a disease, and were not specific to any particular disease. They were based on the idea that the microbe must be present in every case of the disease, isolated and cultured from the host, and then shown to cause the disease in a healthy individual upon introduction. The fourth postulate, which required that the microorganisms isolated from experimentally inoculated hosts must be different from the microorganism that was introduced into the host, is not always strictly followed because some organisms can cause similar diseases.

Question 16

Koch developed tuberculin,which he hoped would be a vaccine against tuberculosis. Tuberculin is
A) the current vaccine used against tuberculosis
B) responsible for definitively proving that one organism causes one disease
C) administered as a skin test to diagnose tuberculosis
D) an exception to germ theory

Accepted Answer

Koch's tuberculin is not the current vaccine used against tuberculosis. It is administered as a skin test to diagnose tuberculosis. It is not an exception to germ theory, as it helped to prove that tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Question 17

What discovery was crucial to the founding of the field of microbiology?
A) isolation of lepers limiting the spread of infectious disease
B) agglutination of bacteria in immune serum
C) the chemical composition of DNA, the genetic material
D) microscopes that allowed for the direct observation of microbes

Accepted Answer

The discovery of microscopes that allowed for the direct observation of microbes was crucial to the founding of the field of microbiology. This opened up a whole new world of study and understanding of microorganisms, including their morphology, behavior, and diversity.

Question 18

The English scientist Robert Hooke coined the term cell because the small boxes he saw in the microscope reminded him of a monk's room. What is the cell theory that was later proposed?
A) cells are fundamental units of life
B) replication requires the division of cells into two equal cells
C) hereditary information is passed on in the form of DNA
D) all organisms are unicellular, made up of one cell

Accepted Answer

The cell theory states that cells are the fundamental units of life, that all living things are composed of cells, and that cells arise from pre-existing cells. This theory was later proposed by Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann in the 19th century. Option B is incorrect because replication (cell division) can result in the formation of two cells that are not necessarily equal in size. Option C is also incorrect because while DNA is an important molecule involved in heredity, it is not the only means by which genetic information can be passed on. Option D is incorrect because many organisms are multicellular, composed of more than one cell.

Question 19

Because viruses could not be visualized using conventional microscopes further progress required the development of techniques for isolating,propagating and analyzing viruses. All of the following are true,except:
A) crystal structure of the tobacco mosaic virus showed that it was made up of RNA and protein
B) viruses were first observed with an electron microscope
C) viral DNA has a different structure from that discovered by Watson and Crick
D) Hershey and Chase demonstrated that the genetic material of some viruses is DNA

Accepted Answer

Viral DNA has the same double-helical structure as discovered by Watson and Crick.

Question 20

Pasteur worked on rabies and cholera vaccine during the emergence of immunology. While culturing a chicken cholera he noted that an old culture was weakened and useful as a vaccine as it
A) caused disease
B) caused severe cholera symptoms and prevented further infection
C) allowed for the cholera to spread from person to person
D) did not cause disease symptoms and immunized against chicken cholera.

Accepted Answer

Pasteur noted that the old culture did not cause disease symptoms but immunized against chicken cholera, making it a useful vaccine.

Quiz 1: Scope and History of Microbiology

Louis Pasteur made several important contributions to microbiology. These included studying wine making,diseases in silkworms and which of the following:

Vaccines are

While a doctor may diagnose and treat a patient who presents with a disease,an epidemiologist

Which of the following statements are true about infection control?

A parasitologist studies parasites. What does a mycologist study?

Before Ehrilich began a systematic search for a chemical to kill specific bacteria,the only chemotherapies available were substances derived from medicinal plants. What distinguished Ehrlich's chemotherapy research?

All of the following are true statements about the development of antibiotics,except:

What did ancient civilizations know about disease?

Viruses were initially identified as small infectious agents that could pass through filters. How was it believed that these molecules could survive?

Which of the following is a reason microorganisms are useful in many different research laboratories (such as ecology,biochemistry,evolution and genetics) ?

Which statement about variolation is false?

Microbes live in us,on us and nearly everywhere around us. Which of the following activities are microbes involved in?

Microbiology is the study of bacteria,algae,fungi,viruses and protozoa. Most of these are single-celled,except for which two:

All of the following statements agree with the germ theory of disease,except

Koch's postulates were

Koch developed tuberculin,which he hoped would be a vaccine against tuberculosis. Tuberculin is

What discovery was crucial to the founding of the field of microbiology?

The English scientist Robert Hooke coined the term cell because the small boxes he saw in the microscope reminded him of a monk's room. What is the cell theory that was later proposed?

Because viruses could not be visualized using conventional microscopes further progress required the development of techniques for isolating,propagating and analyzing viruses. All of the following are true,except:

Pasteur worked on rabies and cholera vaccine during the emergence of immunology. While culturing a chicken cholera he noted that an old culture was weakened and useful as a vaccine as it