Explore topic-wise MCQs in Microbiology.

This section includes 60 Mcqs, each offering curated multiple-choice questions to sharpen your Microbiology knowledge and support exam preparation. Choose a topic below to get started.

1.

Generation time of is

A. 20 minutes
B. 20 hours
C. 20 days
D. 200 hours
Answer» B. 20 hours
2.

The total biomass of an organism will be determined by the nutrient present in the lowest concentration relative to the organism's requirements is a statement of

A. Liebig's law of the minimum
B. Shelford's law of tolerance
C. quorum sensing
D. Heisenberg's principle of uncertainty
Answer» B. Shelford's law of tolerance
3.

All organisms require at least small amounts of carbondioxide, However, some can use CO as their sole source of carbon. Such organisms are termed as

A. autotrophs
B. phototrophs
C. chemotrophs
D. photo-organotrophs
Answer» B. phototrophs
4.

The ability of to produce bioluminescence chemicals only when a certain population density has been reached is an example of

A. Liebig's law of the minimum
B. Shelford's law of tolerance
C. quorum sensing
D. Heisenberg's principle of uncertainty
Answer» D. Heisenberg's principle of uncertainty
5.

can grow as

A. chemo-lithotrophs
B. chemo-organotrophs
C. both (a) and (b)
D. none of these
Answer» D. none of these
6.

The combination of low levels of NaCl, NaNO (sodium nitrate), and slightly acid pH can prevent multiplication and toxin formation of

A. all of these
Answer» E.
7.

An organism is completely dependent on atmospheric O for growth. This organism is

A. osmotolerant
B. acidophile
C. facultative anaerobe
D. obligate aerobe
Answer» E.
8.

Bacteria of genus use __________ as their electron source.

A. ammonia
B. H
C. S
D. succinate
E. light
Answer» B. H
9.

Which of the following is not the characteristic of a growth curve?

A. Shows development of microbial population under relatively stable environmental conditions
B. Plotted with logarithmic numbers
C. Graphs numbers of microbes versus time
D. Each growth curve consists of four distinct phases
Answer» E.
10.

The term facultative anaerobe refers to an organism that

A. doesn't use oxygen but tolerates it
B. is killed by oxygen
C. uses oxygen when present or grows without oxygen when absent
D. requires less oxygen than is present in air
Answer» D. requires less oxygen than is present in air
11.

Generation time of Escherichia coli is

A. 20 minutes
B. 20 hours
C. 20 days
D. 200 hours
Answer» B. 20 hours
12.

Generation time is

A. time required for the population to double
B. time required for the initial adjustment
C. obtained by expression t/n, where t = time interval, n = number of generation
D. both (a) and (c)
Answer» E.
13.

The microorganisms that grow best in a low-oxygen environment is called a (n)

A. aerobe
B. anaerobe
C. facultative
D. microaerophile
Answer» E.
14.

Pseudomonas pseudoflava can grow as

A. chemo-lithotrophs
B. chemo-organotrophs
C. both (a) and (b)
D. none of these
Answer» D. none of these
15.

Which of the following has more tolerance for acidic pH (lower pH)?

A. Yeast and moulds
B. Bacteria
C. <i>E. coli</i>
D. None of these
Answer» B. Bacteria
16.

Antimicrobial constituents for the microbial growth in foods are

A. intrinsic factor
B. extrinsic factor
C. both (a) and (b)
D. none of these
Answer» B. extrinsic factor
17.

The average size of cells during the exponential phase of growth is

A. greater than the lag phase
B. lesser than the lag phase
C. equal to the lag phase
D. none of these
Answer» C. equal to the lag phase
18.

A culture broth tube was very turbid at the surface but clear throughout the rest of the tube indicating that the

A. organism are aerobes
B. organism should be grown in an anaerobic chamber
C. organism cannot produce superoxide dismutase and/or catalase
D. organism cannot tolerate oxygen
Answer» B. organism should be grown in an anaerobic chamber
19.

The reproduction by budding occur in

A. <i>Rhodopseudomonas acidophila</i>
B. <i> Hyphomicrobium vulgare</i>
C. <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>
D. Both (a) and (b)
Answer» E.
20.

A spore differs from an actively replicating bacterium in that the spore

A. is produced during a process involving asymmetric division
B. is able to withstand more extreme conditions than the replicating cell
C. is metabolically inactive
D. all of the above
Answer» E.
21.

Bacteria and fungi multiply best

A. below 16 C
B. between 16-38 C
C. above 38 C
D. none of these
Answer» C. above 38 C
22.

An organism has an optimal growth rate when the hydrogen ion concentration is very high. This organism is

A. osmotolerant
B. acidophile
C. neutrophile
D. aerotolerant anaerobe
Answer» C. neutrophile
23.

Which of the following procedures uses a photocell to measure absorbance of a culture to regulate the flow of culture media?

A. Coulter Counter
B. Hemostat
C. Petroff-Hausser chamber
D. Trubidostat
Answer» E.
24.

Organisms, using organic compounds as electron donors are called

A. lithotrophs
B. phototrophs
C. chemotrophs
D. organotrophs
Answer» E.
25.

The total biomass of an organism will be determined by the nutrient present in the lowest concentration relative to the organism's requirements is a statement of

A. Liebig's law of the minimum
B. Shelford's law of tolerance
C. quorum sensing
D. Heisenberg's principle of uncertainty
Answer» B. Shelford's law of tolerance
26.

Which of the following organisms typically get their carbon for biosynthesis from carbon dioxide?

A. Glucose-fermenting bacteria (fermentation)
B. Anaerobic, glucose-respiring bacteria (anaerobic respiration)
C. Aerobic, glucose-respiring bacteria (aerobic respiration)
D. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (chemolithotrophic bacteria)
Answer» E.
27.

An organism that expends energy to grow in a habitat with a low water activity in order to maintain internal solute concentrations to retain water is

A. osmotolerant
B. acidophile
C. aerotolerant anaerobe
D. alkalophile
Answer» B. acidophile
28.

The straightforward method of binary fission explains how bacteria

A. grow in nutrient agar
B. evolve
C. move
D. reproduce
Answer» E.
29.

Lag phase is also known as

A. period of initial adjustment
B. transitional period
C. generation time
D. none of these
Answer» B. transitional period
30.

Which of the following is used to grow bacterial cultures continuously?

A. Chemostat
B. Coulter Counter
C. Hemostat
D. Petroff-Hausser chamber
Answer» B. Coulter Counter
31.

A microbe, which grows at temperatures above 95 C is most likely to be

A. an archaean
B. a fungus
C. a protozoan
D. none of these
Answer» B. a fungus
32.

Some organisms can use reduced inorganic compounds as electron donors and are termed as

A. lithotrophs
B. phototrophs
C. chemotrophs
D. photo-organotrophs
Answer» B. phototrophs
33.

The organism which grows best above 45 C are called

A. psychrophilic
B. mesosphilic
C. thermophilic
D. any of these
Answer» D. any of these
34.

The organism which obtain their energy from chemicals are designated as

A. prototrophs
B. chemotrophs
C. organotrophs
D. autotrophs
Answer» C. organotrophs
35.

Nutrient content and biological structures are considered as

A. implicit factor for microbial growth
B. intrinsic factor for microbial growth
C. processing factor
D. none of the above
Answer» C. processing factor
36.

Postgates assay technique is useful in determining if a cell is viable even though it is

A. incapable of cell division
B. too small to see
C. an obligate aerobe
D. a thermophile
Answer» B. too small to see
37.

What are the extrinsic factors for the microbial growth?

A. humidity
B. storage temperature
C. composition of gas phase
D. all of these
Answer» E.
38.

The combination of low levels of NaCl, NaNO3 (sodium nitrate), and slightly acid pH can prevent multiplication and toxin formation of

A. <i>Salmonella</i>
B. <i>S. aureus</i>
C. <i>C. botulinum</i>
D. all of these
Answer» E.
39.

A culture broth tube was very turbid at the bottom of the tube but clear at the top of the tube indicating that the

A. broth is sterile
B. organism can tolerate oxygen
C. organism cannot produce superoxide dismutase and/or catalase
D. organism should be grown in an anaerobic chamber
Answer» D. organism should be grown in an anaerobic chamber
40.

In the exponential phase, the cells and cell mass

A. first increases then decreases
B. decreases
C. are constant
D. double at a constant rate
Answer» E.
41.

An organism is completely dependent on atmospheric O2 for growth. This organism is

A. osmotolerant
B. acidophile
C. facultative anaerobe
D. obligate aerobe
Answer» E.
42.

The term obligate anaerobe refers to an organism that

A. doesn't use oxygen but tolerates it
B. is killed by oxygen
C. uses oxygen when present or grows without oxygen when oxygen is absent
D. prefers to grow without oxygen
Answer» C. uses oxygen when present or grows without oxygen when oxygen is absent
43.

All organisms require at least small amounts of carbondioxide, However, some can use CO2 as their sole source of carbon. Such organisms are termed as

A. autotrophs
B. phototrophs
C. chemotrophs
D. photo-organotrophs
Answer» B. phototrophs
44.

The generation time of a culture that produces two generations per hour is

A. greater than that produces three generations per hour
B. lesser than that produces three generations per hour
C. equal to that produces three generations per hour
D. none of the above
Answer» B. lesser than that produces three generations per hour
45.

Autotrophic bacteria are those which

A. make their own food
B. form a long chain glycocalyx
C. are highly susceptible to penicillin
D. produce a blue-green pigment
Answer» B. form a long chain glycocalyx
46.

Which of the following organisms typically get their carbon for biosynthesis from organic compounds?

A. Aerobic, glucose-respiring bacteria (aerobic respiration)
B. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (chemolithotrophic bacteria)
C. Photosynthetic cyanobacteria (phototrophic metabolism)
D. None of the above
Answer» B. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (chemolithotrophic bacteria)
47.

The period between inoculation of bacteria in a culture medium and beginning of multiplication is known as

A. stationary phase
B. log phase
C. lag phase
D. decline phase
Answer» D. decline phase
48.

The term aerotolerant anaerobe refers to an organism that

A. doesn't use oxygen but can grow in the presence of oxygen
B. is killed by oxygen
C. requires less oxygen than is present in air
D. prefers to grow without oxygen
Answer» B. is killed by oxygen
49.

The equation used to obtain bacterial population by binary fission is

A. N = No2
B. <sup>n</sup>
C. log N/No = (0.3010) n
D. log(N/No) = nlog 2
E. All of these
Answer» E. All of these
50.

Organisms such as lactobacilli that have elaborate requirements for specific nutrients i.e. vitamins and other growth promoting substances, are generally called as

A. fastidious hetrotrophs
B. chemo-lithotrophs
C. chemotrophs
D. photo-organotrophs
Answer» B. chemo-lithotrophs