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HESI Biology Set Quiz

Question 1 of 35

Which structure is present in a typical leaf cell but absent from a human liver cell?

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HESI Biology Set Quiz Practice Questions

Review these HESI Biology Set Quiz nursing practice questions with answer choices and explanations.

Question 1

Which structure is present in a typical leaf cell but absent from a human liver cell?

  1. Mitochondrion
  2. Chloroplast
  3. Cell membrane
  4. Ribosome
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Chloroplast

Explanation: Chloroplasts perform photosynthesis in green plant tissues; human cells do not contain them.

Question 2

Which carbohydrate provides much of a plant cell wall's strength?

  1. Glucose stored as blood sugar
  2. Lactose
  3. Glycogen
  4. Cellulose
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Cellulose

Explanation: Cellulose forms strong fibers in plant walls; humans do not make cellulose cell walls.

Question 3

Which statement correctly compares green plants and humans?

  1. Only green plants have DNA
  2. Both carry out cellular respiration, but green plants also perform photosynthesis
  3. Only humans use ATP
  4. Neither requires cellular enzymes
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Both carry out cellular respiration, but green plants also perform photosynthesis

Explanation: Both use respiration to generate ATP; photosynthesis is an additional energy-capturing process in green plants.

Question 4

Which classification rank includes the broadest range of organisms among these choices?

  1. Domain
  2. Family
  3. Genus
  4. Species
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Domain

Explanation: Domain is broader than kingdom and all the other ranks listed.

Question 5

Two microorganisms belong to the same genus but different species. Which conclusion is reasonable?

  1. They are necessarily both viruses
  2. They share a broader classification but are not classified as the same species
  3. They must have identical genomes
  4. They cannot share any characteristics
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. They share a broader classification but are not classified as the same species

Explanation: A genus groups related species without making them genetically identical.

Question 6

In Staphylococcus aureus, which word identifies the genus?

  1. Staphylococcus
  2. aureus
  3. Neither word
  4. Both words independently identify the genus
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Staphylococcus

Explanation: The first word in a binomial name is the genus; the second is the specific epithet.

Question 7

Which category includes humans, fungi, and plants because their cells possess nuclei?

  1. Prions
  2. Prokaryotes
  3. Eukaryotes
  4. Viruses
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Eukaryotes

Explanation: Eukaryotic cells contain membrane-bound nuclei, unlike prokaryotic cells.

Question 8

Which description best identifies a protozoan in introductory classification?

  1. A single-celled eukaryote
  2. A protein without nucleic acid
  3. A human tissue
  4. A bacterial endospore
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. A single-celled eukaryote

Explanation: Protozoa are diverse unicellular eukaryotes; some cause human disease.

Question 9

Which microorganism category includes yeast?

  1. Viruses
  2. Archaea only
  3. Bacteria
  4. Fungi
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Fungi

Explanation: Yeasts are unicellular fungi and have eukaryotic cells.

Question 10

A spherical bacterium is described as what?

  1. Bacillus
  2. Hypha
  3. Coccus
  4. Spirillum
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Coccus

Explanation: Coccus describes a spherical shape; bacillus describes a rod shape.

Question 11

A rod-shaped bacterium is described as what?

  1. Coccus
  2. Mycelium
  3. Bacillus
  4. Virion
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Bacillus

Explanation: Bacillus is a shape term for a rod-shaped bacterial cell.

Question 12

Which component is characteristic of most bacterial cell walls?

  1. Hemoglobin
  2. Peptidoglycan
  3. Cellulose only
  4. Chitin only
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Peptidoglycan

Explanation: Peptidoglycan strengthens most bacterial walls and differs from plant and fungal wall materials.

Question 13

What does a Gram stain primarily help distinguish?

  1. Human blood groups
  2. Viral DNA from RNA in every case
  3. Bacterial groups with different cell-envelope properties
  4. Dominant and recessive alleles
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Bacterial groups with different cell-envelope properties

Explanation: Differences in cell-envelope structure affect whether bacteria retain the primary stain.

Question 14

Which disease is caused by a fungus?

  1. Measles
  2. Ringworm
  3. Influenza
  4. Strep throat
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Ringworm

Explanation: Despite its name, ringworm is a fungal infection rather than a worm infection.

Question 15

Which type of pathogen causes malaria?

  1. A fungus
  2. A prion
  3. A virus
  4. A protozoan parasite
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. A protozoan parasite

Explanation: Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted by infected mosquitoes.

Question 16

What is a vector in infectious-disease biology?

  1. A blood protein that binds oxygen
  2. Any chromosome carrying an allele
  3. A digestive enzyme
  4. An organism that transmits a pathogen between hosts
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. An organism that transmits a pathogen between hosts

Explanation: Vectors such as mosquitoes can transfer disease-causing agents.

Question 17

What is a reservoir of infection?

  1. A DNA repair enzyme
  2. A microscope lens
  3. A type of muscle
  4. A habitat or host in which a pathogen normally persists
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. A habitat or host in which a pathogen normally persists

Explanation: A reservoir maintains a pathogen and can serve as a source of infection.

Question 18

What is an incubation period?

  1. The duration of every immune response
  2. The interval between infection and the appearance of symptoms
  3. The time needed to digest one meal
  4. The period after all pathogens are eliminated
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. The interval between infection and the appearance of symptoms

Explanation: An infected person may have no symptoms during the incubation period.

Question 19

What is a zoonotic infection?

  1. An infection naturally transmissible between vertebrate animals and humans
  2. A disease caused only by vitamin deficiency
  3. A genetic disorder without a pathogen
  4. An infection found only in plant roots
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. An infection naturally transmissible between vertebrate animals and humans

Explanation: Zoonoses involve pathogens that can pass between animals and people.

Question 20

Which situation illustrates an opportunistic infection?

  1. A child inherits a recessive allele
  2. A normally controlled microbe causes illness when immune defenses weaken
  3. A leaf absorbs sunlight
  4. A muscle uses ATP during exercise
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. A normally controlled microbe causes illness when immune defenses weaken

Explanation: Opportunistic pathogens exploit reduced defenses or access to normally protected sites.

Question 21

What is the main distinction between sterilization and disinfection?

  1. The terms always mean the same thing
  2. Disinfection always eliminates spores but sterilization does not
  3. Sterilization eliminates all viable microorganisms, including bacterial spores
  4. Sterilization only removes visible dirt
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Sterilization eliminates all viable microorganisms, including bacterial spores

Explanation: Disinfection reduces or destroys many pathogens, while sterilization aims to eliminate all microbial life.

Question 22

Why can handwashing with soap reduce transmission of infection?

  1. It helps remove microbes and contaminated material from the hands
  2. It changes bacterial genes into human genes
  3. It permanently vaccinates the skin
  4. It makes all microbes harmless indefinitely
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. It helps remove microbes and contaminated material from the hands

Explanation: Soap and washing help detach and remove contamination that could otherwise spread.

Question 23

Which cells are especially important in engulfing microbes during an early innate response?

  1. Red blood cells
  2. Platelets
  3. Neutrophils
  4. Skeletal muscle cells
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Neutrophils

Explanation: Neutrophils are phagocytic white blood cells that respond rapidly to many infections.

Question 24

Which immune cells can destroy virus-infected body cells through antigen-specific responses?

  1. Cytotoxic T cells
  2. Red blood cells
  3. Bone-forming cells
  4. Platelets
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Cytotoxic T cells

Explanation: Cytotoxic T cells recognize infected targets and can trigger their death.

Question 25

Which organ is a major site of T-cell maturation?

  1. Thymus
  2. Stomach
  3. Urinary bladder
  4. Gallbladder
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Thymus

Explanation: Developing T lymphocytes mature and undergo selection in the thymus.

Question 26

What is a major function of lymph nodes?

  1. Producing bile
  2. Exchanging oxygen with inhaled air
  3. Storing urine
  4. Filtering lymph and supporting immune responses
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Filtering lymph and supporting immune responses

Explanation: Lymph nodes contain immune cells that encounter material carried in lymph.

Question 27

Why does the lymphatic system return fluid to the bloodstream?

  1. To recover excess fluid that has entered the tissues
  2. To prevent all capillary exchange
  3. To turn lymph into bone
  4. To replace the heart's pumping action
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. To recover excess fluid that has entered the tissues

Explanation: Returning tissue fluid helps maintain fluid balance and circulating volume.

Question 28

Which body cavity contains the lungs?

  1. Vertebral canal
  2. Pelvic cavity
  3. Cranial cavity
  4. Thoracic cavity
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Thoracic cavity

Explanation: The lungs lie in the chest, within the thoracic cavity.

Question 29

Which term means closer to the body's midline?

  1. Distal
  2. Lateral
  3. Medial
  4. Superficial
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Medial

Explanation: Medial describes a position toward the midline; lateral means farther away.

Question 30

Which body system provides the main structural framework and protects organs?

  1. Skeletal system
  2. Digestive system
  3. Urinary system
  4. Endocrine system
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Skeletal system

Explanation: Bones support the body and protect structures such as the brain and heart.

Question 31

A liver cell needs to replace damaged proteins. Which structures assemble the new proteins?

  1. Cholesterol molecules
  2. Lysosomes only
  3. Centrioles
  4. Ribosomes
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Ribosomes

Explanation: Ribosomes translate RNA instructions into amino acid chains.

Question 32

A cell takes up water because the surrounding solution is less concentrated in nonpenetrating solutes. Which process explains this?

  1. Translation
  2. Osmosis
  3. Exocytosis
  4. Mitosis
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Osmosis

Explanation: Water moves across a selectively permeable membrane toward the higher effective solute concentration.

Question 33

Why is dietary protein important during tissue repair?

  1. It supplies genes directly to damaged cells
  2. It prevents all infections
  3. It supplies amino acids for making new proteins
  4. It replaces the need for oxygen
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. It supplies amino acids for making new proteins

Explanation: Amino acids are building blocks for structural proteins, enzymes, and other repair-related molecules.

Question 34

An individual has one dominant and one recessive allele for a gene. Which term describes the genotype?

  1. Polyploid
  2. Heterozygous
  3. Homozygous dominant
  4. Homozygous recessive
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Heterozygous

Explanation: A heterozygous individual carries two different alleles at that gene locus.

Question 35

Which process supplies most ATP in a well-oxygenated human cell with functioning mitochondria?

  1. DNA replication
  2. Osmosis
  3. Aerobic cellular respiration
  4. Antibody binding
View answer and explanation

Correct answer:

  1. Aerobic cellular respiration

Explanation: Aerobic respiration uses nutrient energy and oxygen to generate substantial ATP.