Mold Quiz

Take this quiz about mold to learn more about the dangers of mold and how you can prevent it.

Mold Busters Quiz

1 / 10

How did the Penicillium mold got their name?

a) Because they look like pencils

b) Because of their smell

c) Because they look like paintbrushes

c) Because they look like paintbrushes – The entire genus Penicillium got its name because their spore-bearing structures look like paintbrushes, which are called “penicilli” in Latin.

Penicillium sp. conidiophore (Photo source: AJC1, Wikimedia).

c) Because they look like paintbrushes – The entire genus Penicillium got its name because their spore-bearing structures look like paintbrushes, which are called “penicilli” in Latin.

Penicillium sp. conidiophore (Photo source: AJC1, Wikimedia).

2 / 10

What are molds?

a) Fungi

b) Bacteria

c) Viruses

a). Molds are multicellular, filamentous organisms that belong to the kingdom of Fungi.

a). Molds are multicellular, filamentous organisms that belong to the kingdom of Fungi.

3 / 10

Evolutionary speaking, which group was the first to developed weapons against pathogenic molds?

a) Humans

b) Ants

c) Bees

b) Ants. For more than 50 million years, leaf-cutter ants have been cultivating certain fungi which form mushroom-like structures to feed their larvae. This food source is constantly being attacked by molds. In order to protect their crops, these ants have learned to additionally cultivate certain types of microorganisms, which have antibiotic properties against the pathogenic mold.

Atta columbica queen with workers on fungal substrate (Photo source: Christian R. Linder, Wikimedia)

b) Ants. For more than 50 million years, leaf-cutter ants have been cultivating certain fungi which form mushroom-like structures to feed their larvae. This food source is constantly being attacked by molds. In order to protect their crops, these ants have learned to additionally cultivate certain types of microorganisms, which have antibiotic properties against the pathogenic mold.

Atta columbica queen with workers on fungal substrate (Photo source: Christian R. Linder, Wikimedia)

4 / 10

What causes black mouldy bread?

a) Rhizopus fungi

b) Ants

c) Penicillium fungi

a). Rhizopus fungi create black mold spots on old bread. It is never safe to eat mouldy bread as ingesting black mold can cause nausea, vomiting, and allergic reactions.

a). Rhizopus fungi create black mold spots on old bread. It is never safe to eat mouldy bread as ingesting black mold can cause nausea, vomiting, and allergic reactions.

5 / 10

The blue-green veins in cheeses such as Gorgonzola and Roquefort originate from

a) Molds

b) Bacteria

c) Food colouring

a). The blue veins are the result of Penicillium molds forming colonies in the presence of air. This cheese, even though technically spoiled, is considered safe and a delicacy.

a). The blue veins are the result of Penicillium molds forming colonies in the presence of air. This cheese, even though technically spoiled, is considered safe and a delicacy.

6 / 10

Chemical structure of cellular walls of mold fungi is similar to:

a) Plants

b) Lobsters

c) Armadillos

b) Lobsters, because the shell of arthropods (crustations, insects, spiders, and such animals) and the cell walls of fungi (molds) are made of chitin, a structural polysaccharide (sugar) molecule.

The cell wall structure of Fungi (Photo source: Maya and Rike, Wikimedia)

b) Lobsters, because the shell of arthropods (crustations, insects, spiders, and such animals) and the cell walls of fungi (molds) are made of chitin, a structural polysaccharide (sugar) molecule.

The cell wall structure of Fungi (Photo source: Maya and Rike, Wikimedia)

7 / 10

Certain molds can use one of the following to stimulate their growth:

a) Certain sound frequencies

b) Radiation

c) Fear hormones

b). Radiation. Some melanin-producing molds, such as Cladosporium sphaerospermum, can use radiation to increase the rate of their metabolism, eat more and grow several times faster. Interestingly, experiments conducted on the International Space Station showed the potential of these molds to be used for radiation shielding during long space flights.

Melanin-producing Cladosporium sphaerospermum colony (Photo source: Medmyco, Wikimedia)

b). Radiation. Some melanin-producing molds, such as Cladosporium sphaerospermum, can use radiation to increase the rate of their metabolism, eat more and grow several times faster. Interestingly, experiments conducted on the International Space Station showed the potential of these molds to be used for radiation shielding during long space flights.

Melanin-producing Cladosporium sphaerospermum colony (Photo source: Medmyco, Wikimedia)

8 / 10

Why did the Italian botanist Pier Antonio Micheli give the genus Aspergillum its name?

a) Because fungi from the genus Aspergillum look like asparagus

b) Because fungi from the genus Aspergillum were discovered in the Asperg town, Germany

c) Because fungi from the genus Aspergillum look like the Christian Holy Water sprinkler device

a) they look like the Christian Holy Water sprinkler device, called aspergillum.

(up) Aspergillum (Photo Source: Pearson Scott Foresman, Wikipedia); (down) Aspergillus niger conidiophore (Photo source: Kathie Hodge, Flickr).

a) they look like the Christian Holy Water sprinkler device, called aspergillum.

(up) Aspergillum (Photo Source: Pearson Scott Foresman, Wikipedia); (down) Aspergillus niger conidiophore (Photo source: Kathie Hodge, Flickr).

9 / 10

What percentage of asthma episodes may be triggered by the presence of household of mold in the U.S.?

a) 16%

b) 21%

c) 5%

b) 21%, which translates to approximately 4.6 million people suffering from mold-related respiratory problems only in the United States.

b) 21%, which translates to approximately 4.6 million people suffering from mold-related respiratory problems only in the United States.

10 / 10

What is the molds function in an ecosystem?

a) To infect weaker organisms, thus strengthening a population

b) To recycle organic matter

c) To make symbiosis with plants and help them grow

b) To recycle organic matter through decomposition and mineralization. In fact, everything lignin-containing can only be dissolved by saprophytic fungi, without which life on this planet wouldn’t be possible due to sheer amounts of debris formed by undecomposed plant material.

Nutrient cycle (Photo source: Jakob Assmann)

b) To recycle organic matter through decomposition and mineralization. In fact, everything lignin-containing can only be dissolved by saprophytic fungi, without which life on this planet wouldn’t be possible due to sheer amounts of debris formed by undecomposed plant material.

Nutrient cycle (Photo source: Jakob Assmann)

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