Questions on Protists – Evolution and Characteristics
Multiple-Choice Questions: Protists – Evolution and Characteristics
Protists: Evolution and Classification
1. Protists are primarily classified based on their:
A) Color
B) Cell wall composition
C) Mode of nutrition and movement
D) Number of mitochondria
E) Presence of chloroplasts
2. Protists are generally considered to be:
A) Prokaryotic and multicellular
B) Eukaryotic and unicellular or simple multicellular
C) Eukaryotic and always autotrophic
D) Prokaryotic and autotrophic
E) Always multicellular
3. Which of the following statements about protists is true?
A) They form a monophyletic group
B) They are all microscopic and photosynthetic
C) They can be heterotrophic, autotrophic, or mixotrophic
D) They are found only in freshwater
E) They lack DNA
4. Protists are thought to have evolved from:
A) Archaea
B) Bacteria
C) Early prokaryotic ancestors through endosymbiosis
D) Fungi
E) Plants
5. Which event is most closely associated with the origin of protists?
A) The evolution of mitochondria from chloroplasts
B) Endosymbiosis of eukaryotic cells by prokaryotes
C) Formation of Earth’s crust
D) Appearance of multicellular organisms
E) Extinction of dinosaurs
Structural and Functional Features
6. The presence of which structure distinguishes protists from prokaryotes?
A) Flagella
B) Nucleus
C) DNA
D) Cell membrane
E) Ribosome
7. Protists that produce their own food via photosynthesis are called:
A) Fungi-like protists
B) Zooflagellates
C) Autotrophic protists
D) Amoeboids
E) Ciliates
8. A key characteristic of animal-like protists is:
A) They produce spores
B) They are heterotrophic and mobile
C) They contain chlorophyll
D) They form fruiting bodies
E) They lack organelles
9. Which organelle do photosynthetic protists use to capture sunlight?
A) Mitochondria
B) Chloroplasts
C) Nucleus
D) Contractile vacuole
E) Lysosome
10. The contractile vacuole in freshwater protists helps to:
A) Break down nutrients
B) Synthesize proteins
C) Regulate water balance (osmoregulation)
D) Capture prey
E) Reproduce
Protist Diversity
11. Which of the following is an example of a plant-like protist?
A) Amoeba
B) Paramecium
C) Euglena
D) Plasmodium
E) Trypanosoma
12. Plasmodium, the parasite that causes malaria, is classified as a:
A) Fungi-like protist
B) Plant-like protist
C) Animal-like protist
D) Sporozoan (Apicomplexan) protist
E) Zooplankton
13. Which group of protists moves using cilia?
A) Amoebozoa
B) Flagellates
C) Diatoms
D) Ciliates
E) Sporozoans
14. Diatoms have cell walls made of:
A) Cellulose
B) Protein
C) Lignin
D) Chitin
E) Silica
15. Protists that obtain nutrients by absorbing decaying matter are:
A) Autotrophs
B) Heterotrophs
C) Saprobes
D) Zooplankton
E) Phototrophs
Ecological Role and Importance
16. Which of the following best describes the ecological role of protists?
A) All are parasitic
B) They have no significant ecological function
C) They are crucial as producers, decomposers, and parasites
D) They only live in soil
E) They only act as disease agents
17. The endosymbiotic theory explains the origin of:
A) Mitochondria and chloroplasts in eukaryotic cells
B) Protist locomotion
C) Spore formation in fungi
D) Bacterial resistance
E) Animal multicellularity
18. Protists are found in:
A) Only in marine environments
B) Only in extreme environments
C) Soil and freshwater only
D) A wide variety of moist environments
E) Only inside other organisms
19. Which of the following is a mixotrophic protist, capable of both photosynthesis and ingestion?
A) Amoeba
B) Euglena
C) Paramecium
D) Plasmodium
E) Dinoflagellates
20. Protists are important to science because they:
A) Include only harmful pathogens
B) Have no relevance to evolution
C) Provide insight into the evolution of eukaryotic cells
D) Are used as fossil fuels
E) Cannot be cultured in labs
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Answer Key with Explanations
1. C – Protists are often classified by their mode of nutrition and locomotion.
2. B – Protists are eukaryotic and often unicellular, with some being colonial or simple multicellular.
3. C – Protists show diverse modes of nutrition: autotrophy, heterotrophy, and mixotrophy.
4. C – Protists likely evolved through endosymbiotic events involving prokaryotes.
5. B – The origin of protists is associated with endosymbiosis that led to complex eukaryotic cells.
6. B – Protists are eukaryotes, so they have a true nucleus, unlike prokaryotes.
7. C – Autotrophic protists use sunlight to make their own food.
8. B – Animal-like protists are heterotrophic and often motile.
9. B – Chloroplasts enable photosynthesis in autotrophic protists.
10. C – Contractile vacuoles remove excess water for osmoregulation.
11. C – Euglena is a photosynthetic protist with plant-like and animal-like features.
12. D – Plasmodium is a sporozoan (apicomplexan), a parasitic protist.
13. D – Ciliates like Paramecium move using cilia.
14. E – Diatoms have unique silica-based cell walls.
15. C – Saprobes feed on dead or decaying organic material.
16. C – Protists play essential roles as producers (e.g., algae), decomposers, and parasites.
17. A – The endosymbiotic theory explains how mitochondria and chloroplasts originated.
18. D – Protists thrive in moist environments such as water, soil, and inside hosts.
19. B – Euglena is a classic mixotroph; it can photosynthesize and ingest food.
20. C – Protists are important model organisms for understanding early eukaryotic evolution.
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