HESI BIOLOGY latest exam version 2021/2022
Nursing (Chamberlain University)
1. Which of the following is not true of mitosis?
A. Mitosis produces daughter cells
B. Mitosis has five main stages
C. Mitosis can only be done by haploids
D. Following mitosis, daughter cells are identical to parent cells
Answer: C. Mitosis can only be done by haploids
2. In meiosis, the chromosome number is reduced from:
A. 46 to 23
B. 46 to 33
C. 28 to 14
D. 24 to 12
Answer: A. 46 to 23
3. Cellular respiration takes place in which of the following?
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Mitochondrion
C. Chloroplast
D. Ribosome
Answer: B. Mitochondrion
4. Which of the following is the term used to represent two alleles that are the same type?
A. Hom synchronous
B. Hypersynchronous
C. Heterozygous
D. Homozygous
Answer: D. Homozygous
5. The Punnett square shows that one parent carries the recessive gene for a cleft chin (c) while
the other parent does not. What percentage of the parents' offspring is predicted to have a cleft
chin?
A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 0%
D. 75%
Answer: B. 50%
6. Which of the following options identifies the products of cell respiration?
A. Water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen
B. Glucose and oxygen
C. Water, carbon dioxide, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
D. Water, glucose, and oxygen
Answer: C. Water, carbon dioxide, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
7. Which stage of mitosis is occurring when the nuclear envelope begins to disappear and the
chromosomes begin to attach to the spindle that is forming along the axis of the cell?
A. Prometaphase
B. Metaphase
C. Anaphase
D. Prophase
Answer: D. Prophase
8. In the hierarchic organizational system, which of these is the most restrictive category?
A. Genus
B. Class
C. Kingdom
D. Species
Answer: D. Species
9. Water is a polar molecule that can be:
A. cohesive and corrosive
B. cohesive and adhesive
C. electrostatic and ionic
D. repellent and attractive
Answer: B. cohesive and adhesive
10. What is considered the main objective of the translation stage of protein synthesis?
A. To produce amino acids
B. To produce nucleotides
C. To produce fatty acids
D. To produce nucleic acids
Answer: A. To produce amino acids
11. Prokaryotic cells lack which of the following?
A. A cell membrane
B. Genetic material
C. Cytoplasm
D. Membrane bound organelles
Answer: D. Membrane bound organelles
12. Proteins are polymers of 20 molecules called:
A. Amino acids
B. Phospholipids
C. Carbohydrates
D. Fatty acids
Answer: A. Amino acids
13. Which of the following statements is true if a molecule has adhesion?
A. Two molecules of the same substance have the ability to stay bonded to one another
B. The molecule has the ability to bond to or attract other molecules
C. A molecule has the ability to increase its heat when necessary
D. The molecule has the ability to form hydrogen bonds
Answer: B. The molecule has the ability to bond to or attract other molecules
14. Which of the following statements is most accurate regarding the transcription of DNA?
A. RNA uses reverse transcriptase to make mRNA
B. DNA uses mRNA to produce tRNA
C. RNA creates a duplicate copy of DNA
D. RNA copies DNA to produce mRNA
Answer: D. RNA copies DNA to produce mRNA
15. What are the two types of cells in biology?
A. Ribosomes and lysosomes
B. Mitochondria and chloroplasts
C. Nucleic and protein
D. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic
Answer: D. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic
16. Which two items react during cellular respiration?
A. Glucose and water
B. Carbon dioxide and water
C. Carbon dioxide and oxygen
D. Glucose and oxygen
Answer: D. Glucose and oxygen
17. What must first occur before a cell can be divided to grow, develop, and reproduce
organisms?
A. RNA replication
B. DNA replication
C. Gene replication
D. Chromosome replication
Answer: B. DNA replication
18. Which of the following organelles is known as the cell's transportation center?
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Endoplasmic reticulum
C. Mitochondria
D. Lysosomes
Answer: A. Golgi apparatus
19. During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert all except
which of the following into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds?
A. Minerals
B. Water
C. Carbon dioxide
D. Metals
Answer: D. Metals
20. What is the correct term to describe the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of
1 gram of a molecule by one degree Celsius?
A. Viscosity
B. Specific gravity
C. Latent heat
D. Specific heat
Answer: D. Specific heat
21. In DNA, the nucleotide base adenine always binds with which of the following?
A. Guanine
B. Uracil
C. Thymine
D. Cytosine
Answer: C. Thymine
22. Which of the following consists of polymers of twenty molecules called amino acids?
A. Nucleic acids
B. Proteins
C. Carbohydrates
D. Lipids
Answer: B. Proteins
23. Which of the following describes the set of metabolic reactions and processes that take place
in the cells of organisms to convert biochemical energy from nutrients into adenosine
triphosphate (ATP), and then release waste products?
A. Cellular respiration
B. Meiosis
C. Photosynthesis
D. Mitosis
Answer: A. Cellular respiration
24. Which of the following molecules is the most significant contributor to cellular function?
A. Proteins
B. Phospholipids
C. Carbohydrates
D. Fatty acids
Answer: A. Proteins
25. With which of the following does protein synthesis begin?
A. Transcription
B. Cytokinesis
C. Binary fission
D. Translation
Answer: A. Transcription
26. What function does cholesterol, a phospholipid, serve within the cell membrane?
A. It builds up fats to make the structure more flexible
B. It allows protein channels to form
C. It makes the structure very rigid and impermeable
D. It stabilizes the membrane structure
Answer: D. It stabilizes the membrane structure
27. Which of the following best describes phenotype?
A. The hereditary potentials and limitations of an individual
B. The genetic makeup of an individual organism
C. The entire complex of genes inherited from both parents
D. All the observable characteristics of an organism
Answer: D. All the observable characteristics of an organism
28. Which of the following correctly identifies the two organelles that produce cell energy?
A. Ribosomes and lysosomes
B. Mitochondria and chloroplasts
C. Mitochondria and lysosomes
D. Ribosomes and vacuoles
Answer: B. Mitochondria and chloroplasts
29. Which stage of mitosis is occurring when the chromosomes gather on either side of the
separating cell?
A. Metaphase
B. Telophase
C. Anaphase
D. Prophase
Answer: B. Telophase
30. During which stage of photosynthesis is solar energy converted to chemical energy?
A. During phosphate synthesis
B. During light reactions
C. During the Krebs cycle
D. During the Calvin cycle
Answer: B. During light reactions
31. Which of the following options is the term used to represent alternative versions of a gene?
A. Alleles
B. Binary fission
C. Heterozygous
D. Homozygous
Answer: A. Alleles
32. What is the process used by most bacteria to perform asexual reproduction?
A. Meiosis
B. Mitosis
C. Binary fission
D. Interphase
Answer: C. Binary fission
33. Which of the following is not one of the four nitrogenous bases that make up the DNA
structure?
A. Adenine
B. Guanine
C. Uracil
D. Thymine
Answer: C. Uracil
34. Which of the following molecules contains the code that is required for replication?
A. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
B. Transfer RNA (tRNA)
C. Messenger RNA (mRNA)
D. Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Answer: A. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
35. In which step of cellular respiration is the most adenosine triphosphate (ATP) created?
A. Electron transport chain
B. Glycolysis
C. Citric acid cycle (the Krebs cycle)
D. All of these produce equal amounts of ATP
Answer: A. Electron transport chain
36. Which of the following correctly identifies the two types of cells?
A. Mitosis and meiosis
B. Mitochondrion and chloroplast
C. Genotype and phenotype
D. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic
Answer: D. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic
37. Which of the following molecules acts as the genetic code's messenger?
A. RNA
B. Proteins
C. DNA
D. Carbohydrates
Answer: A. RNA
38. Water is held together by which of the following bonds?
A. Electrostatic attraction
B. Van Der Waals forces
C. Hydrogen
D. Oxygen
Answer: C. Hydrogen
39. Which of the following options correctly lists the five stages of mitosis in order from
beginning to end?
A. Prophase, Prometaphase, Telophase, Metaphase, Anaphase
B. Prophase, Prometaphase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase
C. Metaphase, Anaphase, Prophase, Prometaphase, Telophase
D. Metaphase, Telophase, Anaphase, Prophase, Prometaphase
Answer: B. Prophase, Prometaphase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase
40. Which of the following is a group of three RNA nucleotides?
A. A stop codon
B. A codon
C. An anticodon
D. tRNA
Answer: B. A codon
41. Which of the following is the term used to represent alleles of different types?
A. Genotype
B. Phenotype
C. Heterozygous
D. Homozygous
Answer: C. Heterozygous
42. Why does ice have the capability of floating on water?
A. It has a higher viscosity
B. It has a different chemical composition
C. It has a high specific heat
D. It forms a lattice when freezing
Answer: D. It forms a lattice when freezing
43. Which of the following options correctly lists biology's hierarchic organizational system?
A. Phylum, Kingdom, Class, Family, Order, Species, Genus
B. Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
C. Genus, Order, Kingdom, Class, Phylum, Species, Family
D. Class, Phylum, Kingdom, Genus, Order, Family, Species
Answer: B. Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
44. What is the science of biological classification commonly called?
A. Taxonomy
B. Physiology
C. Botany
D. Zoology
Answer: A. Taxonomy
45. What are the two primary products of photosynthesis?
A. Sugar and oxygen
B. Sugar and carbon dioxide
C. Oxygen and nitrogen
D. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide
Answer: A. Sugar and oxygen
46. Which of the following cell parts surrounds the cell, delimiting the cell from the environment
around it?
A. Vacuoles
B. Cellular membrane
C. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
D. Ribosomes
Answer: B. Cellular membrane
47. Which of the following organelles is the site of cellular respiration?
A. Nucleus
B. Mitochondria
C. Lysosomes
D. Ribosomes
Answer: B. Mitochondria
48. Amino acids are a subunit of which biological molecule?
A. Proteins
B. Carbohydrates
C. All of these
D. Lipids
Answer: A. Proteins
49. Which of the following organelles is known as the cell's digestion center?
A. Chloroplasts
B. Mitochondria
C. Lysosomes
D. Ribosomes
Answer: C. Lysosomes
50. What is binary fission a type of?
A. Photosynthesis
B. Asexual reproduction
C. Exothermic reaction
D. Sexual reproduction
Answer: B. Asexual reproduction
51. DNA and RNA are both subunits of which biological molecule?
A. Nucleic acids
B. Proteins
C. Carbohydrates
D. Lipids
Answer: A. Nucleic acids
52. The most important function of carbohydrates is which of the following?
A. Store and provide energy for the body
B. Create amino acids
C. Maintain body temperature
D. Insulate body organs against shock
Answer: A. Store and provide energy for the body
53. What are the nitrogenous bases of DNA?
A. Adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine
B. Adenine, guanine, and uracil
C. Adenine, guanine, and thymine
D. Adenine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil
Answer: A. Adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine
54. Where can ribosomes be found inside a cell?
A. Attached to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and in the cytoplasm
B. Within the cellular membrane
C. Attached to the Golgi apparatus and in the cytoplasm
D. Within the nucleus
Answer: A. Attached to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and in the cytoplasm
55. What characteristic of water allows for hydrogen bonding between molecules?
A. Its covalent bonds
B. Its cohesive properties
C. Its high specific heat
D. Its polar nature
Answer: D. Its polar nature
56. Which of the following is the process that reduces cells originally classified as diploid to
haploid?
A. Meiosis
B. Photosynthesis
C. Mitosis
D. Cytokinesis
Answer: A. Meiosis
57. The cellular membrane is composed of which of the following?
A. A bilayer of phospholipid molecules
B. A single layer of phospholipid molecules
C. Proteins that act as transport highways
Answer: A. A bilayer of phospholipid molecules
58. Using garden peas, which of the following scientists discovered the basic principles of
genetics?
A. Curie
B. Mendel
C. Hawking
D. Galileo
Answer: B. Mendel
59. Which of the following makes it possible to predict genotype and phenotype of the offspring
of sexual reproduction?
A. Punnett square
B. Chi square
C. Microscope
D. None of these
Answer: A. Punnett square
60. The term pleiotropy is best defined as which of the following?
A. A situation in which one gene remains unexpressed
B. One gene influencing multiple, seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits
C. Two genes affected by a single allele
D. A condition in which multiple genes are missing
Answer: B. One gene influencing multiple, seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits
61. What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids?
A. There is no difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids
B. Saturated fatty acids contain double bonds, unlike unsaturated fatty acids
C. Saturated fatty acids often contain two or more pairs of double bonds, unlike unsaturated fatty
acids
D. Saturated fatty acids contain no double bonds, unlike unsaturated fatty acids
Answer: D. Saturated fatty acids contain no double bonds, unlike unsaturated fatty acids
62. Based on the inherent properties of water molecules, what effect would a large body of water
have on the temperature of a climate?
A. It would increase the temperature of the climate
B. It would stabilize the temperature of the climate
C. It would decrease the temperature of the climate
D. It would have no effect on the temperature of the climate
Answer: B. It would stabilize the temperature of the climate
63. The liver is an organ responsible for detoxifying the body of many harmful substances. You
might expect the liver to contain a high amount of which of the following?
A. Rough endoplasmic reticulum
B. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
C. Mitochondria
D. Lysosomes
Answer: B. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
64. It is known that the gene that codes for male pattern baldness depends on the gene for red
hair. This type of interaction between alleles is known as which of the following?
A. Genotype
B. Pleiotrophy
C. Epistasis
D. Phenotype
Answer: C. Epistasis
65. There are four types of large biological molecules called macromolecules. Which of the
following is not a macromolecule?
A. Nucleic acids
B. Proteins
C. Carbohydrates
D. Salt
Answer: D. Salt
66. Phagocytes in the immune system are responsible for the biological action of which of the
following?
A. Secreting
B. Consuming
C. Altering
D. Building
Answer: B. Consuming
67. What is the difference between DNA and RNA?
A. RNA has an extra Phosphate group
B. DNA has one less oxygen than RNA
C. RNA has one less oxygen than DNA
D. DNA has an extra sugar molecule
Answer: B. DNA has one less oxygen than RNA
68. Prophase is the first stage of mitosis. Which of the following best describes chromosomes
during this stage?
A. They are gathered on either side of the separating cell
B. They are all aligned along the metaphase plate
C. They are attached to the spindle
D. They are visibly separate
Answer: D. They are visibly separate
69. Binary fission is a type of asexual reproduction. Which of the following occurs during the
binary fission process?
A. The chromosomes bind to the plasma membrane
B. The chromosomes attach to the spindle formed along the axis
C. The chromosomes gather in the center of the cell
D. The chromosomes begin to separate
Answer: A. The chromosomes bind to the plasma membrane
70. A water molecule contains two types of atoms that are covalently bonded. Which of the
following makes up a water molecule?
A. One hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom
B. One hydrogen atom and two oxygen atoms
C. Two hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms
D. Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom
Answer: D. Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom
71. Carbohydrates are long chains of which of the following?
A. Fats
B. Sugars
C. Proteins
D. Steroids
Answer: B. Sugars
72. Fatty acids are grouped into saturated fats or unsaturated fats. Saturated fats contain which of
the following?
A. Three double bonds
B. Two double bonds
C. One double bond
D. No double bonds
Answer: D. No double bonds
73. Phospholipids are lipids that contain a phosphate group bonded to which of the following?
A. Hormones
B. Amino acids
C. Proteins
D. Fatty acids
Answer: D. Fatty acids
74. In a cell, reactions take place in a series of steps called:
A. Glycolysis
B. Metabolic pathways
C. Cytokinesis
D. Binary fission
Answer: B. Metabolic pathways
75. Prokaryotic cells are cells that have which of the following?
A. A defined nucleus and a series of membrane-bound organelles
B. A defined nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles
C. No defined nucleus and a series of membrane-bound organelles
D. No defined nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles
Answer: D. No defined nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles
76. During cellular respiration, glycolysis takes place in the cytosol of the cytoplasm and
produces ___ molecules of ATP, ___ molecules of pyruvate, and ___ molecules of NADH.
A. two, two, two
B. two, four, two
C. two, four, four
D. four, four, four
Answer: A. two, two, two
77. Which of the following produces nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin
adenine dinucleotide (FADH2) for the electron transport chain during cellular respiration?
A. Electron transport chain
B. Glycolysis
C. Citric acid cycle (the Krebs cycle)
D. None of these
Answer: C. Citric acid cycle (the Krebs cycle)
78. The glycolysis phase of cellular respiration takes place in the cell's:
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Chloroplast
C. Cytosol
D. Mitochondria
Answer: C. Cytosol
79. A molecule's specific heat is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1 gram
of that molecule by:
A. One degree Celsius
B. Five degrees Celsius
C. Two degrees Celsius
D. Four degrees Celsius
Answer: A. One degree Celsius
80. Which of the following is a lipid that is a membrane component and a precursor to significant
hormones?
A. Nucleic acids
B. Proteins
C. Carbohydrates
D. Steroids
Answer: D. Steroids
81. Synthesis of carbohydrates, lipids, and steroid hormones are functions of which of the
following?
A. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
B. Rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
C. Golgi apparatus
D. Ribosomes
Answer: A. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
82. The organelle that transports material from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to other parts of
the cell is known as which of the following?
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Nucleus
C. Cellular membrane
D. Chloroplasts
Answer: A. Golgi apparatus
83. Which organelle has the ability to hydrolyze fats, nucleic acids, proteins, and sugars?
A. Chloroplasts
B. Mitochondria
C. Lysosomes
D. Ribosomes
Answer: C. Lysosomes
84. The bilayer of the cellular membrane consists of phospholipids with all except which of the
following peppered throughout?
A. Nucleic acids
B. Cholesterol
C. Proteins
D. Glycoproteins
Answer: A. Nucleic acids
85. The cellular membrane contributes to all except which of the following?
A. Cell energy production
B. Cell permeability
C. Cell communication
D. Cell protection
Answer: A. Cell energy production
86. Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction by which offspring arise from:
A. Two identical cells
B. A single cell
C. Two cells
D. Four daughter cells
Answer: B. A single cell
87. At the beginning of meiosis, how many chromosomes does the diploid parent cell have?
A. 23
B. 24
C. 46
D. 54
Answer: C. 46
88. Protein synthesis begins with a process known as transcription. What is produced during this
process?
A. A codon
B. A DNA helix
C. A DNA strand
D. An RNA strand
Answer: D. An RNA strand
89. The protein synthesis process ends when the chain is ended at the stop codon. At this point,
the chain is released into the:
A. Nuclear envelope
B. Cytoplasm
C. Nucleus
D. Cellular membrane
Answer: B. Cytoplasm
90. Protein synthesis begins with a process known as transcription. Where does this process
occur?
A. In the cytoplasm
B. In the nuclear envelope
C. In the ribosome unit
D. In the nucleus
Answer: A. In the cytoplasm
91. Which of the following helps support and give shape to the cell?
A. Microtubules
B. Microfilaments
C. Cilia
D. Microvilli
Answer: A. Microtubules
92. Which of the following is not found in a prokaryotic cell?
A. Plasma membrane
B. Cytoplasm
C. Nucleus
D. Ribosomes
Answer: C. Nucleus
93. The rough endoplasmic reticulum has _______ located on it.
A. Microvilli
B. Mitochondria
C. Lysosomes
D. Ribosomes
Answer: D. Ribosomes
94. What is the liquid found inside the cell?
A. Plasma membrane
B. Cilia
C. Cytoplasm
D. Cytosol
Answer: D. Cytosol
95. Which of the following is often referred to as the powerhouse of the cell?
A. Nucleus
B. Chromatin
C. Mitochondria
D. Ribosomes
Answer: C. Mitochondria
96. What cell structure is responsible for efficiently packaging DNA into a small volume to fit
into the nucleus of a cell and protect the DNA structure and sequence?
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Chromatin
C. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
D. Mitochondria
Answer: B. Chromatin
97. Which of the following serves as the information processing and administrative center of the
cell?
A. Golgi apparatus
B. Cytoplasm
C. Nucleus
D. Lysosomes
Answer: C. Nucleus
98. The smallest and most basic unit of matter is the:
A. Micromolecule
B. Atom
C. Organelle
D. Molecule
Answer: B. Atom
99. In the hierarchy of biology, cells combine to make which of the following?
A. Macromolecules
B. Molecules
C. Tissues
D. Organelles
Answer: C. Tissues
