Biology Acrostic Trivia Quiz

Answer: anaerobic

Anaerobic means "without air." Mammals, fish, and insects all require oxygen to grow. Some kinds of bacteria and archaea do not need oxygen; in fact, some types die in the presence of oxygen.

Answer: amnion

The amniotic sac contains the amniotic fluid that protects the fetus. the outer membrane of this sac is called the chorion.

Wrong answers: An allele is a DNA sequence. Anemia is a disorder of the red blood cells. An antigen is a substance that triggers an immune response.

Answer: nucleus

The word "nucleus" comes from a Latin word meaning kernel, or little nut.

Wrong answers: the Golgi apparatus (or body) sorts and packages proteins. Mitochondria are responsible for ATP function. Neither of these organelles can be seen with a light microscope. A neutron is a non-charged particle in an atom, not an organelle at all.

Answer: animal

Animals digest food internally (stomachs rule!) and their cells lack walls, which separates them from plants.

Wrong answers: algae do not digest food internally. Eukaryotes include animals AND plants AND fungus, so they're out. Archaeans are single-celled organisms, so they're out.

Answer: enzyme

Enzymes are proteins (sometimes RNA) that accelerate chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy needed.

Wrong answers: an oocyte is an immature egg cell. The aorta is the greater vessel that carries blood to other arteries. Ecdysone is an insect hormone.

Answer: ribosome

Ribosomes consist of two subunits of rRNA and proteins.

Wrong answers: a rhizoid is an absorptive structure in fungi. A sarcomere is a protein system in muscles. Somites are the material that will become skin and muscles in vertebrate embryos.

Answer: oxidation

Technically, oxidation is a change in an atom's oxidation number, but the typical definition is more or less accurate.

Wrong answers: osmosis is the diffusion of liquid between membranes. An organelle is a specialized compartment found in the cytoplasm of a cell. An ovary is a female reproductive organ.

Answer: base

A salt is any compound that dissolves and releases ions other than H+ and OH-. For example, HCl (Hydrochloric acid, an acid) and NaOH (Sodium hydroxide, lye, a base) bond to form NaCl (Sodium chloride, table salt). The left over molecules are H, O and H, which is H2O, or water.

Wrong answers: an acid is a low pH material such as lime juice or cola. They don't form salts when they interact. A lipid is fatty compound (a nonpolar hydrocarbon), either saturated or unsaturated. A protein is a compound of amino acids.

Answer: inorganic

Traditionally, inorganic molecules are said to be mineral, while organics are biological in origin. This is not to say that organic molecules are "dead" and organic molecules are "living." Today, many organic molecules are synthetic.

Wrong answers: Organic molecules are the complement to inorganic molecules: they contain carbon atoms. Proteins are composed of many amino acids linked together; they are a type of organic compound. Ionic refers to the positive or negative charge of a group of atoms.

Answer: carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a type of organic molecule composed of simple sugars. They help store and transport energy in plants and animals.

Wrong answers: lipids are compounds formed from fatty acids. Enzymes are a type of protein that accelerate chemical reactions in a cell. Nucleotides are chemical compounds that make up the building blocks of nucleic acids, such as DNA.