Bacteria Progress Check

Which bacterial form can be curved like a spiral, thick and rigid, or thin and flexible?

• spirillum
• coccus
• bacillus
• aerobic

Which type of bacteria is rod-shaped and E. coli is an example of this?

• coccus
• bacillus
• spirillum
• aerobic

Which type of bacteria can be found in pairs, chains, squares of four, cubes of eight, or grapelike clusters?

• coccus
• bacillus
• spirillum
• aerobic

What is the advantage of genetic recombination as a mode of reproduction in bacteria?

• less time finding other bacteria
• higher rates of reproduction
• more susceptibility to antibiotics
• greater genetic variation

Which type of bacterial reproduction involves the donation of a single strand of plasmid DNA from one bacterial cell to another?

• binary fission
• conjugation
• transformation
• transduction

Which is a reason that bacteria can cause infections in other organisms?

• fast reproduction
• no outer covering
• better antibiotics
• the immune system

Which reason best explains why bacteria can reproduce quickly?

• outer capsule
• binary fission
• protective covering
• new antibiotics

What would happen to a bacterial cell if its protective covering was destroyed?

• It would be better protected from the outside environment.
• It would be able to convert nitrogen to a usable form for plants.
• It would be harmed by chemicals in the environment.
• It would reproduce more slowly.

There are four steps in bacterial conjugation. The second step is missing in this list.
1. Special sex pilus connects two cells.
2.
3. Each cell makes a complementary DNA strand.
4. The cells separate.
Which is the missing step for the process of conjugation described?

• Two new, identical cells are produced.
• The cell membrane elongates and pinches off.
• Some DNA moves from one cell to another.
• A DNA molecule attaches to the cell membrane.

What is the way in which bacteria can share genetic information?

• Transformation
• Transduction
• Conjugation
• All of the above