There are three (3) parts to the final exam with a total possible100 points:

Part A. Multiple Choice (20 questions for 1 point each)

Part B. Short Answer (5 questions for 4 points each)

Part C. Short Essay (6 questions for 10 points each)

Responses to Parts B and C must be written as complete sentences and in your own words (see Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), “Paraphrase: Write in Your Own Words” (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/02/ ). You must include complete citations in APA style for the sources of your information (see additional instructions about citations in week 8 Course Content “About the Final Exam”. No points will be earned for answers that do not include complete and accurate citations for the sources of information used to answer the question or that support your answer.

Submit your answers as a Word attachment (Start the file name of the attachment with your last name-for example student John Smith would be Smith J.Final Exam. doc); points will be deducted for not doing so.

 Part A Multiple Choice: Select the best or most complete answer (1 point each)

1. RNA polymerase initiates transcription by binding to the
2. mRNA transcript
3. promoter base sequence
4. operator base sequence
5. all of the above

 

2. Which of the following structures is responsible for the changes in influenza viruses that requires the development of a new vaccine each season?

 

1. Changes in the envelope phospholipids
2. Changes in the internal capsid proteins
3. Changes in the surface spike proteins
4. Changes in the DNA genome
5. All of the above

 

3. The effects of endotoxin and exotoxins are mechanisms by which bacteria can cause disease. Exotoxins are generally more potent than endotoxin because unlike endotoxin,
4. many act as catalysts and are reusable
5. they have a higher specificity of action
6. they can act at distant sites in the host
7. all of the above

 

 

4. Which of the following best describes the innate immune system?
5. a targeted and highly specific response to a single pathogen or molecule
6. a generalized and nonspecific set of defenses against a class or group of pathogens
7. a set of barrier mechanisms that adapts to specific pathogens after repeated exposure
8. the production of antibody molecules against pathogens

 

5. Immunity that results when a patient with Ebola is treated with convalescent plasma from patients that recovered from the disease is:
6. active artificially acquired immunity.
7. passive artificially acquired immunity.
8. passive naturally acquired immunity.
9. active naturally acquired immunity.

 

6. What does each codon in messenger RNA (mRNA) specify?
7. a nucleotide
8. an enzyme
9. an amino acid
10. a promoter

 

7. Which of the following infectious disease(s) has (or have) been eradicated in the world?
8. measles
9. polio
10. whooping cough
11. smallpox
12. all of the above
13. Which of the following is a characteristic of the adaptive immune response and not of the innate immune response?
14. Clonal expansions of activated B cells
15. Physical and chemical barriers
16. Inflammatory mediators
17. Phagocytosis

 

9. Which of the followings is a characteristic of prions that is unique from other known pathogenic microbes?
10. They lack the characteristics of a classic cell.
11. They are made entirely of protein.
12. They can be transmitted from animals to man.
13. They cause permanent damage to the host.

 

10. In the lab you use the Gram staining procedure, a differential staining technique, as a first step in identifying the type of bacteria on a slide. After you carefully perform the staining procedure, you look at the cells under the microscope and see purple round-shaped cells. This result indicates that
11. the cells have a thin peptidoglycan layer as part of the physical structure of the cell wall and are gram-positive bacilli.
12. the cells have a thick peptidoglycan layer as part of the physical structure of the cell wall and are gram-positive cocci.
13. the cells have a thin peptidoglycan layer as part of the physical structure of the cell wall and are gram-negative cocci.
14. the cells have a thick peptidoglycan layer as part of the physical structure of the cell wall and are gram-negative bacilli.

 

11. What’s the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic?
12. A pandemic is an epidemic that causes more than a thousand deaths.
13. A pandemic affects multiple animal species, not just humans.
14. A pandemic is an epidemic that spreads to multiple countries, or even worldwide.
15. They can be used interchangeably.

 

12. What are some benefits of our microbiome?
13. It can supply essential nutrients.
14. It can aid in preventing the colonization of pathogens.
15. It can ensure proper functioning of the host immune systems
16. It can aid in food digestion.
17. All of the above

 

13. Retroviruses are named because their reverse transcriptase
14. reverses the action of drugs on viruses.
15. reverses the flow of genetic information from RNA to DNA.
16. reverses the ability of viruses to associate with cells.
17. reverses the response to antibiotics.
18. all of the above.

 

14. Plasmids
15. replicate with the bacterial chromosome.
16. are as large as the bacterial chromosome.
17. may contain antibiotic resistance genes.
18. contain genes essential for growth.

 

15. Antigens are
16. specific.
17. proteins or polysaccharides (complex sugars).
18. recognized as foreign by the body’s immune system.
19. all of the above.

 

16. Viruses usually initiate infection by first interacting with receptors on the surface of cells. Which of the following statements is most accurate about cellular receptors for viruses?
17. All viruses within a given family use the same cellular receptor.
18. All cells in a susceptible host will express the viral receptor.
19. Successful infection of a cell by a virus may involve the interaction with more than one type of receptor.
20. Cellular receptors for viruses have no known function.

 

17. Why does COVID-19 make so many people sick?
18. the disease is easily spread
19. most people have no immunity to the virus
20. both a and b.
21. none of the above.

 

18. The production of RNA using DNA as a template is known as
19. transduction.
20. translation.
21. transformation.
22. transcription.

 

19. Which of the following is a correct usage of binomial nomenclature?
20. Borrelia burgdorferi
21. borrelia burgdorferi
22. Borrelia burgdorferi
23. Borrelia Burgdorferi

 

.  20. Resistance to antibiotics in bacteria is controlled by ___.

1. hormones.
2. genes.
3. viruses.
4. white blood cells

 Part B. Short Answer (4 points each)

Answer the questions below as completely and as thoroughly as possible and where appropriate include a specific example to illustrate. Answer the question in essay form (not as an outline or as bullets) using complete sentences. Cite sources of information you used to answer the questions or that support your answer.

21. Genes A, B, and C are three structural genes of an operon and fall in that order within the operon. A mutation occurs in Gene A that halts transcription early in the gene. What effect will this have on the levels of proteins produced by Genes A, B, and C? Explain why (you need to describe the structure of an operon and how transcription occurs in an operon).

 

22. Given an amino acid sequence (amino acids linked together), can one predict a unique corresponding mRNA nucleotide sequence (nucleotides linked together)? Explain how you arrived at your answer and give an example to illustrate.

 

23. How does herd immunity prevent a non-immune individual from acquiring the disease? Also, include a figure to illustrate and the level of immunity (immunity threshold) against a specific viral pathogen needed to protect the community.

 

24. Differentiate a physical barrier from a mechanical removal mechanism of a pathogen and give an example of each for influenza viruses. State whether an innate or an adaptive immune response.

 

25. a) Describe how genetic information is transferred from DNA to RNA to proteins. Include the terms, transcription, translation, the principal events and enzymes. (1.5 points)

Use the following DNA molecule to show the molecules produced. (1.5 points)

3′-TACAGGTTAGGCCATGCATAGATT-5′ Template strand used for transcription

5ʹ-ATGTCCAATCCGGTACGTATCTAA-3ʹ Coding strand (“inactive” strand)

1. b) (1 point) A DNA mutation occurs in the template strand that results in a change in the first G to a C. Name the type of mutation and show the effect on the transcribed and the translated product.

Reminder: As noted in week 2 Assignments, the transcription sequence in Course Module 2 Animation 2.2 is incorrect. For an example of correct sequencing for transcription see Content > Quiz Comments > Comments about Quiz 2

Part C. Short Essay (10 points each)

Answer the questions below as completely and as thoroughly as possible and where appropriate include a specific example to illustrated. Answer the question in essay form (not as an outline or as bullets) using complete sentences. You may use diagrams to supplement your answers, but a diagram alone without appropriate discussion will not be adequate for full credit. You must provide complete and accurate citations sources of information you used to answer the questions or that support your answer.

26. What are the four patterns of organization common to eukaryotes and prokaryotes? Briefly describe how each is similar in eukaryotes and prokaryotes and summarize in a table.

 

27. Name the family in which HIV is classified and briefly describe the type of genome and the principal molecules and events in HIV’s life cycle (name the stage of the life cycle involved: attachment, entry or penetration, uncoating, biosynthesis, maturation and release). Explain what makes viruses in this family difficult to eliminate from the host.

 

28. Explain how a secondary antibody response to an antigen may prevent a bacterial or viral disease when the primary adaptive (acquired) immune response to that antigen did not protect the person from the disease. Be specific about the types of cells and products involved in the secondary responses and the type of response.

 

29. What are four ways antibiotic-sensitive bacteria can acquire genes for antibiotic resistance? Name and describe the mechanisms. Explain how a population of antibiotic-resistant bacteria might develop from non-resistant bacteria and become the dominant strain in response to increased exposure to antibiotics.

 

30. Briefly explain the differences between antigenic drift and antigenic shift in influenza A viruses. Why is antigenic shift in influenza A viruses of major concern? Given an example.

 

31. Read the following article:

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. (2020, July 30). Single-shot COVID-19 vaccine protects non-human primates: Findings lay groundwork for clinical development program. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 3, 2020 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200730110112.htm

Answer the following questions (in your own words and in complete sentences). Cite sources of additional information.

1. (0.5 point) What type of microbe causes COVID-19? What is the pathogen and species names and in which family is it classified?
2. (1 point) What was the purpose of the study? What type of vaccines were tested (target & delivery)?

For c-h answer the questions for the Ad26.COV2.S candidate vaccine

1. (2 points) What was the experimental design and approach of the experiment? Include a flow diagram to show the procedure. In your summary include the number and status of the subjects, and what was measured and method.
2. (2 points) What were the independent and dependent variables of the experiment? Explain how you know based on the definitions of the variables.
3. (1 points) What was the control group? What type of control? Explain the purpose and how you know based on definitions of control groups.
4. (1 point) What is at least one controlled variable in the experiment? Explain how you know based on the definition and purpose of controlled variables.
5. (2 points) Describe and summarize the results in a table*. Did the results support the hypothesis?
6. (0.5 point) What are the scientists’ conclusion?