National League for Nursing (NLN PAX) Practice Exam

Which of these processes is responsible for the recorded production of CO2 by yeast cells from sugar solution?

1. Aerobic respiration

2. Fermentation

3. Anaerobic respiration

4. Photosynthesis

The correct answer is: Anaerobic respiration

The accurate choice for this question is fermentation. Fermentation is a metabolic process that occurs in the absence of oxygen, where yeast cells convert sugar into energy. During this process, yeast not only produces energy for their survival but also generates byproducts such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and alcohol. In the context of yeast and sugar solutions, when yeast undergoes fermentation, glucose is broken down through glycolysis into pyruvate, which then continues through the fermentation pathway to produce ethanol and CO2. This release of CO2 is a key characteristic of fermentation and is responsible for the bubbles often seen in alcoholic beverages and bread making. Unlike aerobic respiration, which uses oxygen and yields more energy but produces minimal CO2, fermentation primarily focuses on energy production in anaerobic conditions, highlighting its role in producing gas from sugars in a sugar solution. Other options like aerobic respiration and photosynthesis do not apply in this context. Aerobic respiration requires oxygen and involves different pathways that do not primarily focus on the production of CO2 from sugars in yeast. Meanwhile, photosynthesis occurs in plants to convert light energy, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen, which is unrelated to the yeast processes in question.