Entomology MCQs

1.Insects are thought to be so very successful because of
a. Their small size b. Ecological diversity
c. Ability to utilize many food sources d. Reproductive potential
e. All of the above
2.For their size, insects are much stronger than man because
a. Their muscles are naturally stronger
b. They can control muscle response more precisely
c. They have giant nerve fibers
d. Of physical properties related to their small size
e. None of the above
3.Insects are considered to be beneficial because they are
a. Effective pollinators b. Make useful products
c. Act as biological control agents d. Are a potential protein source
e. All of above
4.The most important vectors (transmission agents) of human disease would probably be
a. Moths b. Ants
c. Beetles d. Fleas
e. Cockroaches
5.The most important reason for the success of insects as a group is probably
a. Parthenogenetic reproduction b. Muscle strength to weight ratio
c. Ability to digest unusual foods d. Ability to fly
e. None of the above
6. In grasshoppers, the sclerite on the front of the head located between the frons & the
labrum is
a. Clypeus b. Maxilla
c. Gena d. Vertex
7. The modified hind wings in flies (used for balance) are called:
a. Elytra b. Halteres
c. Hamuli d. Tegmina
8. Another name for an insect walking leg is:
a. Ambulatory b. Fossorial
c. Cursorial d. Saltatorial
9. A spray that kills insects when they touch it is called
a. A contact insecticide b. A fumigant
c. A stomach poison d. A desiccant
10. You find something crawling on your dog that looks like a small flat brown bug;
it has eight legs. It is:
a. An insect b. A flea
c. A tick d. A brown bug

11. Mosquito males locate females by using:
a. Scolopophorous sensillae b. Campaniform sensillae
c. Tympanum d. Compound eyes

12. The use of X-ray irradiated flies for pest management is an example of:
a. Sterile male release b. Neoplasia induction
c. Mutant proliferation d. Environmental hazards
13. What is the mode of action of organophosphate insecticides?
a. Chitin-synthesis inhibition b. Mixed-function oxidase inhibition
c. Physical suffocation d. Acetylcholinesterase inhibition
e. Changing the ion permeability of membranes
14. More than 500 species of insects are currently resistant to one or more pesticides.
How are insects able to resist the toxic action of pesticides?
a. Cross-resistance b. Mixed-function oxidases
c. Behavioral adaptations d. Physiological changes at the level of the target site
e. All of the above
15. Ants are:
a. The largest group of social insects (ca. 9,000 described species)
b. The only social insects in the order Hymenoptera
c. The only group of insects to be found in the fossil record
d. a. and b.
e. None of the above
16. The greatest threat to biodiversity in terms of the percentage of species affected is:
a. Habitat degradation b. Disease
c. Overexploitation d. Pollution
e. None of the above
17. Mutualisms have evolved between:
a. Ants and bees (particularly Africanized Honey Bees)
b. Ants and termites (e.g., the Formosan termite that has invaded Hawaii)
c. Ants and plant feeding insects that produce honeydew (e.g., aphids and scale insects)
d. Ants and plants that provide rewards in the form of food (e.g., extrafloral nectar)
e. (c ) and d.
18. The notion that preservation of one species (often a “charismatic” organism that acts
as a “flagship species”) may aid in the preservation of many others is often called:
a. A ‘habitat saver’ b. The ‘umbrella effect’
c. the ‘conservation strategy’ d. A ‘non-target effect’
e. All of the above
19. Current uses of genetically modified organisms include:
a. Glyphosate (Roundup) resistant plants
b. Insect resistant plants expressing the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) endotoxin gene
c. Enhanced microbial pesticides, e.g., baculoviruses expressing scorpion toxin genes
d. Production of vaccines
e. All of the above
20. Pathogen derived resistance refers to:
a. Use of Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxin against Colorado Potato Beetle
b. Use of genes from a virus to protect a plant from a very similar or homologous virus isolate
c. Coat protein mediated cross protection
d. a. and c.

e. b. and c.

21. The highest, or most developed, form of sociality among insects is referred to as:
a. Subsocial b. Semisocial
c. Eusocial d. Communal
e. Quasisocial
22. Some of the evolutionary advantages of social behavior include:
a. Improved resource acquisition b. Improved defense
c. Improved survival of offspring d. reduced stinging requirements
e. a., b. and c.

23. Worker honey bees in a colony:
a. Are all sterile females b. Have the same mother
c. Are diploid d. Are haploid
e. a., b. and c.
24. Honey bee caste determination is:
a. Is age related and regulated genetically and hormonally
b. Is regulated by photoperiod and temperature
c. Is regulated by the waggle dance
d. Is determined by pesticides in the environment
e. All of the above
25. Termites differ from honeybees in that they:
a. Are haplo-diploid b. Have no males
c. Are diploid d. Have a fertile queen and king in each colony
e. c. and d.
26. Family of the Droscha magniferae:
a. Coccidae b. Aleurodidae
c. Aphididae d. Pyralidae
27. The two most important structural insect pests in urban situations are:
a. Moths and butterflies b. Spiders and scorpions
c. Beetles and flies d. Termites and ants
e. None of the above
28. Family of the Emmalocera deprcsella:
a. Chrysomelidae b. Pyralidae
c. Anobiidae d. Noctuidae
29. Family of the Spodoptera litura:
a. Chrysomelidae b. Pyralidae
c. Anobiidae d. Noctuidae
30. Family of the Pectinophora gossypiella:
a. Tenebrionidae b. Noctuidae
c. Gelechiidae d. Aphididae
31. Approaches to biological control tactics include classical, augmentative and
conservation. Classical biological control is the:
a. Preservation of natural enemies (predators & parasitoids) that are already established in an area
b. Importation and release of an insect pest to a new area to provide hosts for natural enemies
c. Culture and release of natural enemies that are already established in the field, but that need a
“boost” to effectively control the insect pest species
d. Importation and release of natural enemies from the native home of an alien insect
pest that has invaded a new area
e. Use of chemical insecticides to reduce alien insect pests to establish new equilibrium position
32. Family of the Bemisia tabaci:
a. Apionidae b. Aleurodidae
c. Pyralidae d. Pyrrhocoridae
33. An example(s) of a relative method to assess economic threshold levels for an insect pest is:
a. Number of insects per leaf b. Number of insects per plant
c. Number of insects per twig d. Pheromone traps
e. a., b., and c.
34. Quarantine of an insect pest involves:
a. Eradication of the pest b. Limit the movement of the pest
c. Cooperation of the public d. b. and c.
e. a., b. and (c

35. The equilibrium level in an insect population:
a. Is the point at which insects can begin to migrate
b. Refers to fluctuations in the population around a mean
c. Is important in determining pest status d. All of the above
e. b. and (c )
36. Which chemicals do insects use to communicate messages at the following three
levels, respectively: within the insect body, intra-specifically (between members of
the same species), and inter-specifically (between members of different species)?
a. Hormone, PTTH, and tympanum, respectively.
b. Kairomone, pheromone and hormone, respectively.
c. Hormone, pheromone and allomone, respectively.
d. Juvenile hormone, PTTH and luciferin, respectively.
e. Kairomone, pheromone and allomone, respectively.
37. The honey bee waggle dance conveys information about the location of nectar
sources to other worker bees in the hive. Which of the following senses do worker
bees use to interpret the dance?
a. Sight. b. Smell.
c. Taste. d. Touch.
e. b., c. and d. only.
38. What is the insect auditory sense structure that detects sound (analogous to the
human ear) called?
a. Lek. b. Antenna.
c. Kairomone. d. Tympanum.
e. Luciferin.
39. Insects can create vibrations that are transmitted through a substrate:
a. That send very specific intraspecific messages, e.g. courtship songs.
b. And used for efficient intraspecific communication over short distances.
c. That represent a secure means of intraspecific communication.
d. And attract mates from great distances, well over a mile.
e. a., b. and c.
40. The honey bee worker has a “stinger” which
a. Is a modified ovipositor and associated with a poison gland that produces the venom.
b. Has a barb on it which can imbed into the skin and be released by muscles to allow the
bee to sting another victim.
c. Has a barb on it which can imbed into the skin of an animal and is left behind to continue
injecting venom into the victim.
d. a. and b..

e. a. and c.
41. Bubonic plague is:
a. Present in rodent populations along with its efficient louse vector in the Sierra Mountains
of California.
b. Present in bear populations along with its efficient flea vector in the Sierra Mountains of
California.
c. Present in rodent populations along with its efficient flea vector in the Sierra Mountains of
California.
d. No longer a threat because the flea vector has been eradicated with chemical insecticides
in the Sierra Mountains of California.
e. No longer a threat because the louse vector has been eradicated with chemical insecticides
in the Sierra Mountains of California
42. Examples of some density-independent mortality factors in insect populations are:
a. Predators, parasitoids, and pathogens.
b. Predators, chemical insecticides, and intraspecific competition.
c. Chemical insecticides, hurricanes, and temperature extremes (i.e., hot and cold)
d. Chemical insecticides, flooding, and intraspecific competition.
e. Chemical insecticides, flooding, and predators.

Entomology MCQs

43. Which of the following responses occur when predators interact with prey
populations?
a. A numerical response. b. A functional response.
c. A lag effect. d. a., b. and c..
e. a. and b. only.
44. An example of a biological control against insects is the use of
a. Herbicides b. Wildlife refuges
c. Pesticides d. Sex hormones
45. As human consumers become less tolerant of insect damage on fruit, the economic
thresholds for fruit pests are likely to:
a. Increase b. Remain the same
c. Decrease d. No way to tell
46. Which of these is NOT considered an insect growth regulator?
a. Synthetic pyrethroid b. Juvenile hormone analogue
c. Chitin inhibitor d. Ecdysteroid
47. Organophosphate and carbamate insecticides work by disrupting an insect’s:
a. Digestive system b. Nervous system
c. Respiratory system d. Endocrine system
48. The sterile-male technique would probably not work well for an insect pest whose:
a. Population is extremely abundant. b. Individuals are easily mass reared.
c. Females mate only once in their lifetime. d. Males are very strong fliers.
49. Which of these is an “unbiased” sampling strategy?
a. Malaise trap b. Light trap
c. Sticky trap d. None of these
50. Breeding nursey stock for higher levels of secondary plant compounds would be an
example of:
a. Antixenosis b. Xenobiosis
c. Antibiosis d. Tolerance