15. Which of the following habitats would most likely have a high proportion of species of plants that are in symbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria?
(A) anoxic soils such as fens and bogs
(B) agriculturally productive regions that have gone fallow
(C) nutrient-limiting soils such as wet tropical rain forests
(D) alpine coniferous forests

11. A researcher is using adult stem cells and comparing them to other adult cells from the same tissue. Which of the following is a likely finding? (A) The cells from the two sources exhibit different patterns of DNA methylation. (B) The nonstem cells have fewer repressed genes. (C) The two kinds of cells have virtually identical gene expression patterns in microarrays. (D) Adult stem cells have more DNA nucleotides than their counterparts.

12. In order to determine the probable function of a particular sequence of DNA in humans, what might be the most reasonable approach? (A) Look for a reasonably identical sequence in another species, prepare a knockout of this sequence in that species, and look for the consequences. (B) Genetically engineer a mouse with a copy of this sequence and examine its phenotype. (C) Prepare a knockout mouse without a copy of this sequence and examine the mouse phenotype. (D) Prepare a genetically engineered bacterial culture with the sequence inserted and assess which new protein is synthesized.

13. There are those who claim that the theory of evolution cannot be true because the apes, which are supposed to be closely related to humans, do not likewise share the same large brains, capacity for complicated speech, and tool-making capability. They reason that if these features are generally beneficial, then the apes should have evolved them as well. Which of these provides the best argument against this misconception? (A) Evolution can be influenced by environmental change. (B) Adaptations are often compromises. (C) A population's evolution is limited by historical constraints. (D) Advantageous alleies do not arise on demand.

14. Which of these observations gives the most support to the endosymbiotic theory for the origin of eukaryotic cells? (A) the size disparity between most prokaryotic cells and most eukaryotic cells (B) the observation that some eukaryotic cells lack mitochondria (C) the existence of structural and molecular differences between the plasma membranes of prokaryotes and the internal membranes of mitochondria and chloroplasts (D) the similarity in size between the cytosolic ribosomes of prokaryotes and the ribosomes within mitochondria and chloroplasts

16. Which of the following statements regarding flowering plants is false? (A) Pollination is the placing of pollen on the stigma of a carpel. (B) The food-storing endosperm is derived from the cell that contains two polar nuclei and one sperm nucleus. (C) Flowers produce fruits within the ovules. (D) Female gametophytes develop from megaspores within the anthers.

17. Which of the following hormones would be most useful in promoting the rooting of plant cuttings? (A) auxins (B) gibberellins (C) abscisic acid (D) oligosaccharins

18. The velocity of blood flow is the lowest in capillaries because (A) the capillary walls are not thin enough to allow oxygen to exchange with the cells. (B) the total cross-sectional area of the capillaries is greater than the total cross-sectional area of the arteries or any other part of the circulatory system. (C) the capillaries are far from the heart, and blood flow slows as distance from the heart increases. (D) the diastolic blood pressure is too low to deliver blood to the capillaries at a high flow rale.

19. The switch of one B cell from producing one class of antibody to another antibody class that is responsive to the same antigen is due to (A) the rearrangement of immunoglobulin heavy-chain C region DNA. (B) a switch in the kind of antigen-presenting cell that is involved in the immune response. (C) a patient's reaction to the first kind of antibody made by the plasma cells. (D) the rearrangement of V region genes in that clone of responsive B cells.

20. Osmoregulatory adjustment via the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system can be triggered by (A) drinking several glasses of water. (B) eating a pizza with olives and pepperoni. (C) sleeping for one hour. (D) severe sweating on a hot day.

21. Asexual reproduction results in greater reproductive success than does sexual reproduction when (A) pathogens are rapidly diversifying. (B) a species is in stable and favorable environments. (C) a species has accumulated numerous deleterious mutations. (D) a species is expanding into diverse geographic settings.