PCAT Biology Practice Questions

1. In a carbohydrate, which elements are in a 1:2:1 ratio?
A: carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen
B: iron, carbon, and oxygen
C: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
D: oxygen, fluoride, and neon

2. What is the name of the vesicles that are surrounded by vesicles and contain the hydrolytic enzymes used during intracellular digestion?
A: ribosomes
B: lysosomes
C: mesosomes
D: mitochondria

3. What is another name for the development of an unfertilized egg into an adult organism?
A: parthenogenesis
B: exogenesis
C: meiosis
D: endogenesis

4. What is oogenesis?
A: the production of alleles
B: the destruction of male gametes
C: the production of male gametes
D: the production of female gametes

5. What is another name for the process in which information from DNA is entered into a strand of mRNA that leaves the nucleus through the nuclear pores?
A: translation
B: transcription
C: transection
D: transdiction

6. Which of the following is NOT one of the three primary germ layers of a gastrula?
A: ectoderm
B: medioderm
C: mesoderm
D: endoderm

7. What is another name for the process in which antigens clump together?
A: agglutination
B: coagulation
C: contiguation
D: collaboration

8. Which of the following is an example of a mineralocorticoid?
A: androsterone
B: aldosterone
C: fluorosterone
D: mondosterone

9. Which section of the brain is a center of motor control and a relay center for auditory and visual impulses?
A: forebrain
B: midbrain
C: rear brain
D: brain stem

10. What is another name for the ability of an organism to respond to stimuli that resemble but are not identical to the original conditioned stimulus?
A: stimulus specification
B: response generalization
C: response specification
D: stimulus generalization

Answer Key

1. C. In a carbohydrate, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen exist in a 1:2:1 ratio.

2. B. Lysosomes contain the enzymes that are essential to intracellular digestion.

3. A. Parthenogenesis is most common among lower organisms.

4. D. The production of female gametes is also known as oogenesis.

5. B. Transcription is the process by which information is encoded on mRNA.

6. B. The three germ layers of a gastrula are the ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm.

7. A. Agglutination is the clumping together of antigens.

8. B. Aldosterone is the most common mineralocorticoid.

9. B. The midbrain coordinates many of the crucial functions performed by the brain.

10. D. The process of stimulus generalization allows an animal to react to a wide variety of stimuli.

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