Quiz

QUIZ

1. What evolutionary phenomenon is not a defense mechanism that helps to clear pathogens?

a. Fever b. Cough c. Diarrhea d. Pain

Answer: d. Each of these defense mechanisms has evolved to clear pathogens more easily, except for pain, which instead acts as a warning system that something has gone wrong in the body.

2. What is the evolutionary benefit of morning sickness?

a. It expels toxic substances from the body. b. It restricts the eating of potentially toxic substances. c. It is a side effect of having high human chorionic gonadotropin levels. d. There is no evolutionary benefit to this phenomenon.

Answer: b. Morning sickness is believed to prevent birth defects by restricting the access to potentially toxic substances in the diet.

3. Which drug did not originally evolve as a protective mechanism for plants against insect infestation?

a. Nicotine b. LSD c. Opium d. Cocaine

Answer: b. Each of these is a protective mechanism that protect plants against disease from insects but they happen to affect the human nervous system as well.

4. What is a zoonotic disease?

a. A disease that only exists in animals but not humans. b. A disease that mimics a related disease in animals. c. A disease that does not kill animals but kills humans. d. A human disease that was once found only in animals.

Answer: d. A zoonotic disease is a human disease that was once found only in animals but crossed species to infect humans.

5. What animal did SARS get transferred from to humans?

a. Civet cats b. Rats c. Opossums d. Cattle

Answer: a. SARS was originally transferred to people in China who ate civet cats as a delicacy. It is believed that civet cats got the disease from bats.

6. What was the original species to have the Zika virus infection?

a. Insects b. Monkeys c. Antelope d. Koala bears

Answer: b. The virus was first seen in rhesus monkeys but is passed in humans through the bite of an infected mosquito.

7. Which infectious disease has not had a known resistance gene associated with protection against it?

a. SARS b. Malaria c. HIV d. Norwalk virus

Answer: a. Each of these has been linked to something genetic that protects a person against getting it except for SARS, which does not have a protective gene associated with it.

8. What is the first defense that humans have against bacterial and viral diseases?

a. Adaptive immune system b. Antibody responses c. Antibiotic proteins d. Barriers to pathogens

Answer: d. Barrier systems are the first line of defense against bacterial and viral infections. The pathogens, however, have found ways to counteract these mechanisms.

9. What is the biggest evolutionary selective pressure that bacteria have done to gain a foothold in human pathogenicity?

a. Antibiotic resistance b. Elimination of bacterial competitors c. Iron scavenging capabilities d. Enzymes that break down barriers

Answer: a. Each of these plays a role in giving bacteria the advantage over mankind but antibiotic resistance has played the greatest role.

10. What theory has been proven to be the cause of senescence and dying?

a. Reallocation of caloric resources for repair rather than the organism’s maintenance. b. There is a buildup of DNA damage that causes cell function to decline. c. There is an accumulation of mutations that lead to cell death. d. There is no proven theory on senescence and aging.

Answer: d. There are many theories on senescence and dying but none of these has been scientifically proven to be truer than any other theory.