BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD ACTIVITY BOOK
Topic: Photosynthesis
1. Which of the following would NOT be capable of
performing photosynthesis?
A) a bacterium B) a pine tree C) a mushroom
D) seaweed E) algae
2. In photosynthesis, plants use carbon from ____
make sugar and other organic molecules.
A) water B) carbon dioxide C) chlorophyll
D) the sun E) soil
3. Why are C4 plants more suited to hot climates
the (C3) plants?
A) They do not close their stomata in hot, dry weather.
B) Unlike C3 plants, they keep fixing carbon dioxide
even when the concentration of carbon dioxide in the
leaf is low.
C) They evolved in cold weather but migrated to the
tropics where they were more suitable.
D) They suspend photosynthesis in the heat.
E) They same cells that bind carbon dioxide perform the
Calvin cycle.
4. You have a large, healthy philodendron that you
carelessly leave in total darkness while you are
away on vacation. You are surprised to find that it is
still aliv when you return. What has the plant been
using for anenergy source while in the dark?
A) Even though it can't carry out the light reactions, the
plant can still produce sugars because the Calvin cycle
doesn't require light.
B) While it did have access to light before you left, the
plant stored energy in the form of sugars or starch, and
it was able to derive energy from those during your
vacation.
C) Even though the plant received no visible light,
it was able to use the short-wave part of the
electromagnetic spectrum (gamma rays and X- rays) to
carry out photosynthesis.
D) When light energy is not available, plants can derive
energy from inorganic molecules.
E) None of these.
5. The "photo-" part of the word "photosynthesis"
refers to _________, whereas "-synthesis" refers to
__________.
A) the light reactions that occur in the thylakoids ...
carbon fixation
B) the reactions in the stomata ... the reactions in the
thylakoid
C) the Calvin cycle ... carbon fixation
D) the Calvin cycle ... the reactions in the stroma
E) the light reactions ... reactions in the thylakoids
6. In a rosebush, chlorophyll is located in _____.
A) chloroplasts, which are in mesophyll cells in the
thylakoids of a leaf
B) mesophyll cells, which are in the thylakoids in
chloroplasts in a leaf
C) thylakoids, which are in mesophyll cells in the
chloroplasts in a leaf
D) chloroplasts, which are in thylakoids in the
mesophyll cells of a leaf
E) thylakoids, which are in chloroplasts in the
mesophyll cells of a leaf
Photosynthesis
7. How does carbon dioxide enter the leaf?
A) through the chloroplasts
B) through the mesophyll
C) through the thylakoids
D) through the stomata
E) through the vascular system
8 .Chlorophyll molecules are in which part of the
chloroplast?
A) grana stacks B) stroma C) stomata
D) plasma membrane E) Golgi apparatus
9 Which one of the following characteristics do
plants and photosynthetic prokaryotes have in
common?
A) Both have a nucleus and ribosomes.
B) Both have peptidoglycan in their cell walls.
C) Both reproduce slowly with mitosis, taking two to
three days.
D) Both have thylakoid membranes.
E) Both are motile for most of their life cycle.
10. The source of the oxygen produced by
photosynthesis has been identified through
experiments using radioactive tracers. The oxygen
comes from _____.
A) carbon dioxide B) glucose
C) radioisotopes D) water E) light
11. Molecular oxygen is produced during _____.
A) glycolysis
B) light reactions of photosynthesis
C) the Calvin cycle
D) aerobic respiration
E) electron transport chain
12. Which of these wavelengths is least useful for
photosynthesis?
A) green B) yellow C) blue D) orange E) red
13. A photon of which of these colors would carry
the most energy?
A) green B) yellow C) blue D) orange E) red
14. The use of non-C3 and non-CAM plants as crops
may be limited in some regions because on hot, dry
days, they close their stomata. What happens as a
result of closing their stomata?
A) It reduces water loss.
B) It prevents carbon dioxide from entering theleaf.
C) In a process called photorespiration, rubisco now
binds oxygen instead of carbon dioxide.
D) It builds up oxygen from the light reactions in the
leaf.
E) All of the above.
15. The wavelengths of light absorbed by pigments
in the granum are mainly in which range?
A) green, which is why plants are green
B) blue-violet and red-orange
C) the entire spectrum of white light
D) the infrared
E) the range absorbed by carotenoids
16. Englemann's experiment determined which
wavelengths of light are most effective at causing
photosynthesis. In other words, Englemann
measured _____.
BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD ACTIVITY BOOK
A) an effective spectrum
B) an absorption spectrum
C) an electromagnetic spectrum
D) a visible light spectrum
E) an action spectrum
17. Why is it difficult for most plants to carry out
photosynthesis in very hot, dry environments such
as deserts?
A) The light is too intense and overpowers pigment
molecules.
B) The closing of stomata keeps CO2 from entering and
O2 from leaving the plant.
C) They are forced to rely on photorespiration to make
ATP.
D) The greenhouse effect is intensified in a desert
environment.
E) CO2 builds up in the leaves, blocking carbon fixation.
18. Light reactions are well located in the thylakoid
membrane because _____.
A) the membrane brings chlorophyll closer to the light
B) the enzymes involved require a lipid bound to their
active site
C) chemiosmosis can be set up across the thylakoid
membrane
D) the membrane functions as a mitochondrial
membrane at night
E) the membrane binds oxygen
19. Both mitochondria and chloroplasts ____.
A) use a hydrogen ion (proton) gradient to produ ATP
B) obtain electrons from water
C) reduce NAD+, forming NADP
D) release oxygen as a by-product
E) are surrounded by a single membrane
20. In photosynthesis, what is the fate of the oxygen
atoms present in CO2? They end up _______.
A) as molecular oxygen
B) in sugar molecules
C) in water
D) as molecular oxygen and in sugar molecules
E) in sugar molecules and in water
21. During photosynthesis in a eukaryotic cell, a
high proton concentration accumulates or is
formed in the ___________.
A) thylakoid membrane
B) (inner) thylakoid space (lumen)
C) stroma
D) stomata
E) matrix
22. Which one of the following is cycled in the
cyclic part of light reactions?
A) electrons
B) ATP
C) NADPH
D) DPGA
E) none of the above
23. Why is NADP+ needed in photosynthesis?
A) It helps produce ATP from the light reactions.
B) It absorbs light energy.
C) It forms part of photosystem II.
D) It is the primary electron acceptor.
E) It forms NADPH to be used in the Calvin cycle
Photosynthesis
24. Which of the following correctly matches each
of the inputs of the Calvin cycle with its role in the
cycle?
A) carbon dioxide: high-energy electrons ... ATP:
energy ... NADPH: carbon
B) carbon dioxide: carbon ... ATP: energy ...
NADPH: high-energy electrons
C) carbon dioxide: high-energy electrons ... ATP:
carbon ... NADPH: energy
D) carbon dioxide: energy ... ATP: carbon ...
NADPH: high-energy electrons
E) carbon dioxide: hydrogen ... ATP: carbon ...
NADPH: energy
25. In an experiment, a plant was given ____
containing radioactive 18O, and the radioactive
oxygenatoms were used to make sugar.
A) water B) chlorophyll C) oxygen gas
D) ATP E) carbon dioxide
26. The reactions of the Calvin cycle are not directly
dependent on light, but they usually do not occur at
night. Why?
A) It is often too cold at night for these reactions to take
place.
B) Carbon dioxide concentrations decrease at night.
C) The Calvin cycle depends on products of the light
reactions.
D) Plants usually open their stomata at night.
E) At night, plants cannot produce the water needed for
the Calvin cycle.
27. The synthesis of glucose by photosynthesis is
an endergonic process. The source of the energy
for the activated electrons is _____.
A) chlorophyll B) carbon dioxide C) water
D) glucose E) light
28.The Calvin cycle is a series of reactions that ___.
A) assemble sugar molecules by fixing carbon
B) convert light energy to chemical energy
C) produce oxygen gas
D) produce NADPH
E) all of the above
29. The enzyme called rubisco has an ability unique
in photoautotrophs. What is it?
A) It oxidizes NADPH and reduces carbon dioxide to
form carbohydrates.
B) It absorbs a photon of light.
C) It breaks down water and releases oxygen.
D) It binds and fixes carbon dioxide to a 5-carbon
sugar.
E) It transfers glucose from the chloroplasts to the
mitochondria.
30. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate is produced in the
stroma of chloroplasts. Which of the following
statements is true about this compound?
A) It is produced from glucose in glycolysis.
B) It is produced from pyruvate before entering the
mitochondria.
C) It is an amino acid used for making protein.
D) It is part of photosystem I.
E) It is a compound unique to photosynthesis.