Passage II
1 . D Use POE. If you’re not sure whether to answer “yes” or “no,” check the reasons. According
to Table 1, Strain D can grow in the presence of Glu, Amp, and Kan. Eliminate (B), which
states that Strain D cannot grow in the presence of Kan. Also according to Table 1, Strain D
cannot grow in the presence of Pen or Tet. Eliminate (A) and (C), which suggest that Strain D
can grow in the presence of Tet. Only (D) remains.
2 . J The question refers to Figure 2, but the presence of Strain A at the top of the figure links back
to Figure 1. According to Figure 1, Strain A can grow only when cultured in the antibiotic-
free control medium (Glu) or in the presence of Kan. It cannot grow in the presence of Amp,
Pen, or Tet. It can be inferred that if growth occurred in a culture, it will be pictured in
Figure 2 with a smaller white region than in those colonies where growth did not occur.
Therefore, the colonies that have received a plasmid conferring resistance to tetracycline
should show a smaller white region in the Tet column. Colonies X and Z have this small
white region, making (J) the best answer.
3 . D According to Table 1, Strains B, C, and E were able to grow in the presence of penicillin, or
+Pen. Choice (D) gives the correct number.
4 . H According to Table 1, Strain A can grow in Glu and Kan media. It cannot grow in the
presence of Amp, Pen, or Tet. It can be inferred that if growth occurred in a culture, it will be
pictured in Figure 2 with a smaller white region than in those colonies where growth did not
occur. Therefore, the colonies that have received a plasmid with resistance genes to
penicillin and tetracycline should show a smaller white region in the Pen and Tet columns.
Colonies X and Z have this small white region, making (H) the best answer.
5 . D This question requires a bit of outside knowledge about why scientists do what they do when
setting up experiments. Use POE and common sense. Notice (A), (B), and (C) all contain
mention of substances that are lab generated. Only (D) contains mention of strains that are
not lab generated. Think about it this way: Scientists are trying to control the environment of
their experiment, so they don’t want things from outside (things that are not lab generated) to
contaminate the things in the experiment. Also, notice that (C) and (D) are direct opposites, a
good indication that one of them will be correct.
6 . G According to Table 1, Strain A can grow in Glu and Kan media. It cannot grow in the
presence of Amp, Pen, or Tet. It can be inferred that if growth occurred in a culture, it will be
pictured in Figure 2 with a smaller white region than in those colonies where growth did not
occur. Therefore, a colony that did NOT grow in the presence of ampicillin should show a
larger white region in the Amp column. Of the choices given, only colony X has a larger
