Study Guide for Biology 1 Midterm (Mr. Somers)
Jan. 2014
The midterm will be approximately 120-130 multiple choice questions with a possible essay. The multiple
choice questions will come from the following objectives. All of the objectives are from chapter study guides.
Several objectives have been removed as they are not being tested on the midterm. The essay will be a question
that encompasses as much of the material covered as possible and will be graded based on the correct usage and
relevance of as many vocabulary terms as possible while addressing the answer.
Objectives for Chapter 1.1 and 17: Characteristics of Life
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Be able to identify the 7 characteristics of life, and be able to give examples of each as seen in the lab.
If given a description of a characteristic of life, be able to correctly identify it.
Be able to explain the various levels of organization as seen in unicellular and multicellular organisms.
Be able to make comparisons between the 2 main types of reproduction.
Be able to explain the importance of adaptations to an organism’s survival.
Be able to compare the various mechanisms of acquiring energy,
Be able to name the various taxa into which organisms are classified, and how they are classified into those
taxa.
8. Be able to explain why organisms need scientific rather than common names
9. Be able to show the correct way to write a scientific name.
10. Be able to explain the basis for our own classification as humans into each taxa from largest to smallest.
11. Be able to construct a cladogram for a given set of organisms based on a set of characteristics.
Objectives for Chapter 6: Biochemistry
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Be able to explain the difference between an ionic compound and a covalent compound. What are two
properties of each in terms of solubility in water and stability when heated?
Water is a polar molecule. Be able to explain the properties of water and why water is the only substance in
which the solid phase is lighter and less dense than the liquid phase (why ice floats).
Water is polar and a hydrocarbon is non-polar. Be able to explain why some molecules are polar and others are
non-polar.
Nearly all large biological molecules have their organization influenced by interactions with water. Describe
this interaction as it exists with a hydrocarbon (hydrophobic) or a polar molecule (hydrophilic).
Be able to list the three most abundant elements in living things.
Each carbon atom can form as many as four covalent bonds with other carbon atoms as well as with other
elements. Be able to explain why this is so.
Be able to list the four main groups of organic molecules and their functions in living things.
Condensation synthesis reactions result in the formation of covalent bonds between small molecules to form
larger organic molecules. Be able to describe a condensation reaction in words.
Be able to describe what occurs during a hydrolysis reaction.
Be able to define carbohydrates and list their functions.
The simplest carbohydrates are sugar monomers, the monosaccharides. Be able to give examples and their
functions. Be able to identify a monosaccharide of glucose and fructose as well as identify a disaccharide of
maltose (two glucose molecules) and sucrose (a glucose and a fructose molecule).
A polysaccharide is a straight or branched chain of hundreds or thousands of sugar monomers, of the same or
different kinds. Be able to identify the three common examples (starch, glycogen, and cellulose) and describe
their functions.
Be able to identify and define lipids as well as list their functions.
Distinguish between a saturated fat and an unsaturated fat. What state of matter would you find each? What
type of organism makes each?
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A phospholipid has two fatty acid tails attached to a glycerol backbone along with a phosphate attached to the
third carbon of the glycerol. What is the importance of these molecules?
Be able to describe proteins and cite their general functions.
Be prepared to identify and name the three parts of every amino acid (amino group, acid group, and R-group).
Describe the complex structure of a protein through its primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure.
How does this relate to the three-dimensional structure of proteins? Which structure is most affected by heat
and/or a change in pH? What happens to the protein when the hydrogen bonds are disrupted?
Describe the three parts of every nucleotide. Be able to distinguish between a purine and a pyrimidine. Why
can you only pair a purine with a pyrimidine in a typical DNA molecule?
Objectives for Chapter 7.1 and 7.3: Cell Structures and Functions
1. Understand and state the parts of the cell theory. Be able to apply it to any living organism.
2. Be able to identify each of the three types of microscopes in terms of resolution and dimensional view as well as
explain how each is designed and how they work.
3. Explain how cell size is related to how it gets material in and out of the cell.
4. Explain the basic makeup of a cell membrane. What is meant by a double membrane? What is meant by
hydrophobic head and hydrophilic tails?
5. ***Be able to identify every part of a eukaryotic cell both plant and animal from a picture or drawing. Also be
able to give the function of each part and its importance to the well being of the cell.
6. Explain how microtubules and microfilaments work in the cell.
7. Explain the difference between a prokaryotic cell and a eukaryotic cell.
8. Explain the endosymbiont theory for mitochondria and chloroplasts. How do we know that these organelles are
bacterial in origin?
Objectives for Chapter 7.2 and 7.4: Plasma Membrane and Modes of Transport
1. Explain the phrase “fluid mosaic model” when referring to the plasma membrane.
2. Identify and describe the components of a typical cell membrane.
3. Describe what can and cannot pass through the phospholipids bilayer of the cell membrane. Be sure to include
polarity and size in your answer.
4. List the five membrane proteins and explain the purpose and function of each.
5. Describe the difference between passive and active transport across the cell membrane.
6. Explain how diffusion works. Explain how the concentration gradient determines the rate and amount of
material that diffuses across the membrane. Be sure to identify the solute and solvent in a solution.
7. Explain osmosis in terms of isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic solutions. Describe what happens to a plant
and an animal cell in each solution.
8. How do carrier proteins function in facilitated diffusion and what type of molecules are they responsible for
moving across the cell membrane.
9. How is active transport different than passive transport in terms of concentration gradient and expended energy?
10. Describe the sodium-potassium pump works. How can an electron potential build up by using 2 positively
charged ions?
11. Explain endocytosis and exocytosis. How are phagocytosis and pinocytosis the same and how are they
different? What is the difference between pinocytosis and receptor-mediated pinocytosis?
12. Explain the process of osmosis as it occurred in your potato core lab. In the potato demonstration lab, the
molarity of the potato contents was experimentally determined by the rate of osmosis of the potato cores in six
different molarities. Be able to describe both (the molarity of the potato versus the molarity of the solution) and
how they are alike and different. Why did we use four smaller cores instead of one large core? Why did we
calculate percent difference instead of using the actual change in mass between groups?
Objectives for Chapter 12: Molecular Basis for Inheritance
1. Know the difference between transcription and translation.
2. Describe the two experiments that proved that DNA is the inherited material.
3. Describe the three components of a nucleotide and how the nucleotides are arranged on a double stranded DNA
molecule.
4. Identify the four nucleotides as purine or pyrimidine and their base pairing.
5. Explain DNA replication in detail from a single double strand to two separated double strands. Be sure to
include all enzymes associated with replication and the direction each strand is being copied.
6. Explain transcription in detail.
7. Be able to produce a polypeptide chain given the RNA sequence and a chart of mRNA codons (figure 25.6 on p.
507).
8. Explain the role of introns and exons in post-transcription. Which are retained and how does this process help
reduce the effects of mutations?
9. Describe the three stages of translation. Include tRNA and ribosomal subunits (large and small) in your answer.
Also include the E P A sites and what is happening at each.
10. Describe the four ways to control gene expression.
11. Describe the two main types of gene mutations (frameshift and point mutations). Explain how each can occur
(addition/deletion and silent/missense/nonsense) and their effect on the gene sequence.
12. Describe several ways cancer can occur and the stage of the cell cycle involved in the unregulated growth of
cancerous cells.
Objectives for Chapter 9 and 10.1: Cell Division
1. Know the cell cycle. Be able to diagram and explain the four stages of cell development and the checkpoints
that monitor the cells progress.
2. Describe apoptosis.
3. Explain the packaging levels of the chromatin as it compacts to become a chromosome ready for mitosis.
4. Explain, diagram, and label the four main stages of mitosis in an animal cell. Be sure to include the
disappearance of the nuclear membrane, the arrangement of chromosomes, the position of the centromeres, the
attachment of the spindle fibers, the movement of the kinetochores, and the reappearance of the nuclear
membrane and cleavage furrow.
5. Compare and contrast the mitosis of a plant cell and an animal cell.
6. Explain binary fission of a prokaryote. How is it the same and how is it different from mitosis.
7. Describe genetic recombination and the purpose of it in the process of meiosis.
8. Explain, diagram, and label all stages of meiosis I and meiosis II. Compare and contrast the two divisions of
meiosis with mitosis (what stages are similar and what are the major differences between the two).
9. Explain the purpose of mitosis and meiosis (be able to support your answer in terms of n). Why are each
necessary to the development of organisms and the survival of a species?
10. Explain, diagram, and label spermatogenesis and oogenesis.