Take a Shot! BS Actual question.

[doctorperez]

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138. Mitochondria are believed to be endosymbiotic remnants of free living eubacteria. Which of the following findings would LEAST support this theory:

a. Mitochondria and eubacteria both divide by binary fission

b. Mitochondria and eubacteria have both been found to contain DNA.

c. A lipid bilayer is found on both mitochondria and eubacteria.

d. Ribosomes have been isolated from both mitochondria and eubacteria.



You have 1.29 min approximately. Good luck!.

Dr.Perez

 

[moo]

I think the answer is "c."

There are lipid bilayers around other organelles and they are not exclusive to living entities. I should add that almost all cells have lipid bilayers as a cell membrane.

 

[scubadiva]

Oh crap!!!! I got that one wrong.....oh no, I think I put D, I don't know anymore 😕 .

 

[Sir William Osler]

my guess is A.

 

[Legend]

I think it is 'C' because all eukaryotes have plasma membranes.

 

[jakethaiCSULA]

put "C" down for me!!!1

 

[Jalopycat]

I put C

 

[mike_D]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but some bacteria do contain a cell membrane as well as a peptidoglycan cell wall. I know that mitochondria contain their own DNA, but I think that proteins are synthesized by the cell's ribosomes. Consequently, I put D. However, I am not sure 100% sure that this is correct.

 

[kutastha]

C for me. D and B exclude each other and A is strong evidence.

Andrew

 

[Drako]

You guys are nuts! Don't you have enough stress with AMCAS already? I say All of the above!

 

[6-8 Weeks]

The answer is C. For the mitochondria to be free living and thus an endosymbiant, it would need to reproduce (A), have DNA (B), and produce proteins (D). However, it does not need to have a lipid bilayer (C) because some bacteria have peptidoglycan cell walls.
This question tests whether you know what is essential for free-living life.

 

[CoffeeCat]

"C"...we should have more questions posted like this with discussion...good mcat practice.

 

[elle]

My immediate guess is "C" but I have no idea if that's right... and weirdly enough it was fun to try to answer an MCAT question. 🙂

 

[SaucyAZN]

The answer is false...wait a minute, the MCAT doesn't have any true or false!

-Sauce

 

[Mossjoh]

I think its D, because ribosomes are contained in any cell. It is just the size that varies between eukaryotic ribosomes and prokaryotic ribosomes. The mitochondria, in a eukaryotic cell, have their own ribosomes, but they are the size of prokaryotic ribosomes. Funny question though.

 

[BlackPuma]

my gosh

I saw this question on princeton review 2 years ago!!

wow, never knew the same questions were recycled....

i think at the time i was tempted to write C

but I think the real answer was D

cuz mitochondria don't have ribosomes!! helloo!!! this I think was a trick question

look at the structure of a mitochondria...they DONT HAVE Ribosomes!! anyway, I remember at the time Iput C also 😉

 

[rxfudd]

Originally posted by WatchaMaCallit:
•my gosh

I saw this question on princeton review 2 years ago!!

wow, never knew the same questions were recycled....

i think at the time i was tempted to write C

but I think the real answer was D

cuz mitochondria don't have ribosomes!! helloo!!! this I think was a trick question

look at the structure of a mitochondria...they DONT HAVE Ribosomes!! anyway, I remember at the time Iput C also 😉•

Doesn't matter if they don't have ribosomes, you are presented with evidence that you must assume to be true and determine which of the 4 pieces of evidence least support the theory. With this in mind, I say that the answer is C for the same reason that everyone else has posted.

 

[BlackPuma]

eh no rxfudd

ribosomes are not exclusive to eukaryotes...even though they are under the classification of organelles...prokaryotes do in FACT have ribosomes!!

so the answer is D 😀

 

[BlackPuma]

oh screw this...my brother said it is "C"

just shows how much those MCAT pple can make a simple topic complicated....bunch of A**holes...nothin better to do...

glad i took it 2 years ago 😀

 

[rxfudd]

Originally posted by WatchaMaCallit:
•eh no rxfudd

ribosomes are not exclusive to eukaryotes...even though they are under the classification of organelles...prokaryotes do in FACT have ribosomes!!
•

Yes, I agree with this - but my point is that just because mitochondria don't have ribosomes, you cannot automatically exlude it - they are basically saying "assume that ribosomes have been isolated from both mitochondria and eubacteria". Sounds like compelling evidence to me.

 

[Dave2K]

I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but mitochondria DO indeed have their own ribosomes Look here! and even if they didn't, I'm pretty sure that the MCAT is not designed around "trick questions" as stated. You are required to take information given in passages/questions as factual, and form your basis for answers around that. I won't proclaim to be 100% certain, but I strongly think that the answer is C. Shake up a solution of water and phospholipids and you'll get micelles of lipid bilayers, even though they clearly are not living.

 

[Mossjoh]

Mitochondria do have ribosomes!! They are similar to those of prokaryotes

I'm sure of this

Mossjoh

 

[Sm00th13]

I said "C" also. Reason along the line with moo's post.

 

[SeeGulz]

I'm curious, what is the source for this question?

 

[Darwin]

Mitochondria do have ribosomes. For a lengthy (and somewhat complicated) reference you can read Gillham's Organelle Genes and Genomes. These mt ribosomes are, in fact, coded by mtDNA, and do not contain the same 60s/40s subunits, but they are there.

 

[gmendese]

Just to let you all know, the potential responses to the question are worded incorrectly. For choice D, it said something to the effect of "ribosomes isolated from mitochondria are similar in structure to those found in eubacteria" not just that they both had ribosomes. And I'm not sure that the answer is C...after all, not ALL organelles have phospholipid membranes. So, I think the fact that both eubacteria and mitochondria DO have them kind of suggests this as strong evidence. But honestly...who cares at this point? The exam is over and there's nothing we can do about our answer choices. Take a breather...we all deserve it.

 

[Smoke This]

No wonder they call this section "BS"! 😉

I agree with gmendese. The MCAT is over. Stop thinking about it! I was lucky enough to have taken it a year ago and I will never, ever have to take that gawdawful mindf*&^ again. I never want to even think about the MCAT any more.

On that note, I think the answer is C. 😉

 

[coop]

i think the majority has it pretty well established, c is correct. and yes even if mitochondria didn't have ribosomes, that is irrelevant to your hypothetical evidence.

A,B,and D make a mitochondria like a cell and different from other organelles in some way, C makes a mitochondria like either an organelle or a cell.

 

[Karina]

I'd go with A....I just took Biology I....I'm pretty sure that's it 🙂

 

[gmendese]

Oops...of course they all have membranes. Disregard my last post. I think I put "A" on the exam because I answered it quickly (I didn't think mitochondria divided by binary fission...but it's irrelevant to the question). I'm pretty sure now that the answer is C. But who cares? Delete this post! The MCAT is over!

 

[together]

If you got the question wrong, you probably still got the same score.

If you got the question right, you probably still got the same score.

If you're not sure if you got the question right or wrong, you just wasted precious minutes of your summer writing about it!

Now get out there and enjoy the final week of summer! 😎

Together 😀

 

[sweetz1180]

1. I think i read the question wrong, i dont remember seeing the word "LEAST" in there 🙁
2. cant remember what i put down.
3. Stop stressing about the MCATs...its over, just wait 2 months for the scores, until then forget you took them, at least that's what i'm doing 🙂