SBI 4U
Ms. Girvan
Grade 12 Biology
2012 Exam Review
Unit #1 – Biochemistry (~ 22.5%)
1. Atoms (composition) and elements (atomic mass and number)
2. Isotopes (radioisotopes)
3. Ions (cation and anion), Bohr-Rutherford diagrams (valence shell electrons)
4. Electronegativity, bonding patterns (covalent, ionic, polar covalent, hydrogen etc.),
polarity and partial charges
5. Properties of water
6. Solubility of substances in water (hydrophilic vs. hydrophobic regions)
7. Acids, bases, and neutralization reactions
8. Buffers
9. Composition of organic molecules
10. Types of isomers (structural, geometric, enantiomers)
11. Functional groups
12. Redox reactions
13. Condensation and hydrolysis reactions for all biological macromolecules
14. Types of macromolecules (structure and function) and bonding patterns [CHO,
lipids, proteins (4 structures), nucleic acids]
15. Be able to identify the structural diagrams of the following molecules: amino acid,
steroid, wax, monosaccharide, nucleic acid, fat or oil, phosphate group, glycerol,
disaccharide, dipeptide, phospholipid)
16. Cell Membranes: Structure and Function
17. Transport: diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion, active transport
18. Prokaryotes vs. Eukaryotes
19. Theory of Endosymbiosis
20. Animals vs. Plant Cells
21. Organelles: structure and function
22. Metabolism, anabolism and catabolism
23. Laws of Thermodynamics
24. Kinetic/potential/chemical energy
25. Exothermic and endothermic reactions
26. Importance, structure and function in metabolic reactions of ATP
27. Uses of ATP (chemical, mechanical and transport)
28. Enzyme structure, function, specificity
29. Induced fit model of enzyme function
30. Catalytic cycles (enzyme-substrate complex)
31. Factors affecting enzyme function (temperature, pH)
32. Enzyme inhibition (competitive and non-competitive) and allosteric regulation
33. Cofactors and coenzymes
Unit #2 – Metabolic Processes (~ 22.5%)
1. Know the difference between an oxidative and reductive reaction.
2. What are NAD+ and FAD?
3. What is the formula for cellular respiration?
4. Be able to sketch and label a diagram of a simple mitochondria.
5. What are the four major steps in cellular respiration? Where does each reaction
occur? What are the reactants and products of each reaction?
6. Be able to distinguish between the two types of ATP production: substrate-level
phosphorylation and chemiosmotic phosphorylation.
7. What is the net amount of energy produced for one molecule of glucose through
respiration?
8. Be able to compare aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
9. What is the formula for photosynthesis?
10. Be able to draw and label a diagram of a chloroplast.
11. What is the electromagnetic spectrum? What portion of it is relevant for the study
of photosynthesis?
12. What are pigments? What is special about chlorophyll’s structure? Name some
secondary pigments.
13. What are the main stages of photosynthesis?
14. What are the reactants and products of the ‘LIGHT’ reactions?
15. Be able to follow the path of electrons through cyclic and non-cyclic electron
pathways.
16. Be able to follow the path of CO2 through the Calvin cycle.
17. C3 is a common metabolic pathway, what are other pathways that can be used by
plants?
18. Be able to compare and contrast photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
Unit #3: Homeostasis (~ 22.5%)
1. Feedback Systems (positive and negative feedback loops)
2. Maintaining Human Body Temperature
3. Stimulus, Receptor, Integrator/Regulator, Effector and Response
4. The Urinary System (know organs and structures involved)
5. Pathway of Human Urinary System
6. Kidney: Structure and Function
7. The Nephron: Structure and Function
8. Formation of Urine (Filtration, Re-absorption and Secretion)
9. Water Balance (ADH, blood pressure, blood pH and buffers)
10. Regulating Blood Sugar (insulin, glucagon, pancreas, diabetes, etc.)
11. The Structure of the Nervous System (CNS and PNS – divisions)
12. Types of Nerve Cells (glial and neurons)
13. Sensory, Motor and Inter-neurons
14. Structure of a Neuron
15. Reflex Arc (5 essential components)
16. Resting Potential of a Neuron
17. Action Potential (initiation, refractory period, threshold level, all or none response,
depolarization, repolarization).
18. How an action potential moves along the axon of a neuron
19. Synaptic Transmission (synaptic cleft, neurotransmitters, etc…)
20. The Brain: Structure and Function
21. Endocrine vs. Exocrine Glands
22. Hormones (steroid vs. non-steroid hormones)
23. The Endocrine Glands and their Hormones (hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid,
parathyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands, testes and ovaries)
24. Reproductive Hormones (male and female reproductive systems)
25. Menstrual Cycle
Unit #4: Molecular Genetics (~ 22.5%)
1. Scientists and Experiments
- Griffith, Avery et. al, Chargaff, Hershey-Chase, Franklin, Watson and Crick
2. Structure of DNA
3. DNA Replication – Semi-conservative theory (Meselson-Stahl Experiment)
- initiation, elongation, termination, proofreading and correction
4. One gene-one polypeptide hypothesis
5. Central Dogma of the Genetic Code
- triplet hypothesis, transfer of genetic material, mRNA codons, characteristics of the
code
6. RNA
7. Transcription
- initiation, elongation, termination, processing of mRNA transcript
8. Translation
- tRNA, ribosomes, initiation, elongation, termination
9. Regulation of Gene Expression (Prokaryotes)
- the operon model (lac and tryp operon)
10. Mutations and Mutagens
- types (point and chromosomal), causes, repair mechanisms
11. Restriction Endonucleases
12. Plasmids
13. Gel Electrophoresis
14. Bacterial Transformation
15. PCR
16. RFLP Analysis
17. Applications of Biotechnology
Unit #5: Population Ecology (~ 10%)
1. Characteristics of populations
2. Dispersion Patters (clumped, uniform, random)
3. Measuring Populations (quadrat and mark-recapture methods)
4. Factors Affecting Population Change (density dependent and independent factors)
5. Carrying Capacity
6. Survivorship Curves (Type I, II, III)
7. Population Growth Models (geometric, exponential, logistic growth)
8. Interactions within Communities (ppt. note)