BGS, BSGS Bachelor of General Studies BSGS Natural Sciences 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What type of natural selection favors individuals at one extreme of a trait distribution over the other extreme?
- Stabilizing selection
- Disruptive selection
- Directional selection (Correct answer)
- Sexual selection
Correct answer: Directional selection
Directional selection shifts the population mean toward one phenotypic extreme, such as larger beak size during drought.
Question 2: In chemistry, which term describes a reaction that releases heat to the surroundings?
- Endothermic
- Endergonic
- Exothermic (Correct answer)
- Isothermal
Correct answer: Exothermic
Exothermic reactions have a negative ΔH (enthalpy change), meaning energy is released as heat, as in combustion.
Question 3: Which phenomenon explains why planets orbit the Sun in elliptical paths rather than perfect circles?
- Gravitational lensing
- The Doppler effect
- Kepler's first law (Correct answer)
- The Coriolis effect
Correct answer: Kepler's first law
Kepler's first law states that each planet's orbit is an ellipse with the Sun at one of the two foci.
Question 4: Which macromolecule class serves as enzymes, structural components, and signaling molecules in living organisms?
- Lipids
- Carbohydrates
- Nucleic acids
- Proteins (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Proteins
Proteins perform a vast range of functions including catalysis (enzymes), structural support (collagen), and cell signaling (hormones and receptors).
Question 5: What is the primary driver of plate tectonics on Earth?
- Tidal forces from the Moon
- Convection currents in the mantle (Correct answer)
- Solar radiation heating the crust
- Magnetic field reversals
Correct answer: Convection currents in the mantle
Heat-driven convection currents in the semi-fluid asthenosphere exert drag on tectonic plates, causing them to move.
Question 6: In wave physics, which property of a wave determines its color when describing visible light?
- Amplitude
- Speed
- Frequency (Correct answer)
- Phase
Correct answer: Frequency
The frequency (or equivalently, wavelength) of visible light determines its color, ranging from low-frequency red to high-frequency violet.
Question 7: Which cellular process uses an mRNA template to assemble a chain of amino acids into a protein?
- Transcription
- Replication
- Translation (Correct answer)
- Splicing
Correct answer: Translation
Translation occurs at ribosomes, where tRNA molecules carry amino acids that are joined in the sequence specified by the mRNA codon order.
BGS, BSGS Bachelor of General Studies BSGS Natural Sciences 5
What type of natural selection favors individuals at one extreme of a trait distribution over the other extreme?