NameClass Date
Viruses, Bacteria, Protists, and Fungi
Lesson 3 Quiz
Write the letters of the correct answers on the lines at left.
______ 1. Termites get almost all their energy from eating wood and dead plants.
Although termites rely on wood for food, they cannot digest it on their
own. Instead, termites rely on protists called Trichonymphs. These
organisms live in their intestines and convert wood particles into food.
Even though termites are animals and Trichonymphs are protists, what
do both organisms have in common?
A. Both are eukaryotic.
B. Both have cells with cell walls.
C. Both are autotrophs.
D. Both have a parasitic lifestyle.
______ 2. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists have a bad reputation. People
focus on the diseases they cause, the food they rot, and the bad odors
they create, even though most types cause no harm to living things.
One type is an exception. It is non-living and can only reproduce by
hurting its host. Which one of these groups is a non-living agent of
disease?
A. bacteria
B. viruses
C. fungi
D. protists
3. Many species of mushroom look similar. One way to identify mushrooms is by their
spore print. Mushroom hunters set the cap from a mature mushroom on a piece of
paper or aluminum foil. Over the next few hours, spores fall out of the mushroom,
making a spore print like the ones pictured. Both the color and the pattern of the
spore print help to identify the species of mushroom.
Choose one word from the first column and one word from the second column that
correctly complete the sentence.
virus defense
bacteria reproduction
protists homeostasis
fungi waste elimination
Mushrooms are _____________________ that use spores for ____________________.
Lesson 3 Quiz
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NameClass Date
Use the information below to answer questions 4, 5, and 6.
Bacteria in the Shigella genus cause the disease shigellosis. The symptoms of shigellosis
include diarrhea, fever, and intestinal cramping. The disease is unpleasant, but most
people recover within a week. Shigellosis is transmitted from one person to another through
bodily wastes. You can catch shigellosis from a baby when changing its diaper. People also
catch the disease by drinking contaminated water. The best way to avoid shigellosis is
through frequent hand-washing with soap.
Write the letter of the correct answer on the line at left.
______ 4. Shigella bacteria can survive on a fly’s body for up to 24 days. Suppose
that a fly lands on waste from an infected person. That fly could then
spread bacteria on everything it lands on for almost a month! How do
bacteria survive for so long during harsh conditions until finding a host?
A. They store up fat and hibernate until conditions improve.
B. They feed each other so that every bacterium has a little food.
C. They have ribosomes where food is made.
D. They form an endospore with thick walls and await better conditions.
5. People with severe shigellosis take antibiotics to kill the Shigella bacteria.
Unfortunately, Shigella bacteria are becoming resistant to many common
antibiotics. Even if you take these antibiotics, Shigella can continue to reproduce
in your body and make you sick.
Bacteria pass the genetic information for antibiotic resistance to other cells during
conjugation. Order the steps to show the correct sequence of antibiotic
resistance spreading through a bacteria population.
______ The antibiotic-resistant Shigella connects to a second Shigella cell.
______ The second Shigella cell reproduces asexually. Both daughter bacteria
are resistant to amoxicillin.
______ The second Shigella cell changes shape, making it resistant to
amoxicillin.
______ One Shigella cell’s genetic material shifts, causing the cell to change
shape. The cell is now resistant to the antibiotic amoxicillin.
______ The antibiotic-resistant Shigella passes a chunk of genetic material to the
second Shigella cell.
Lesson 3 Quiz
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NameClass Date
Write an answer for the following question in the space provided.
6. A strategy for fighting bacterial infections uses viruses. Viruses that infect bacteria are
called bacteriophages. Phage comes from the Greek word for “eater.” Explain why it
is not accurate to call a virus that kills bacteria a “bacteria eater.” What happens when
a virus attacks a cell?
Lesson 3 Quiz
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