Biol 211, Fall 2008
Exam #1
Name ____________________
Section 1. Questions in this section can be answered with one or a few words.
For the following definitions, provide the correct term.
1. Form of chemical reaction where electrons are removed from one molecule by another molecule. (1 pt)
2. A complex of proteins that directly produces ATP by using the concentration gradient of H+. (1 pt)
3. Type of energy that comes from the structural arrangement of molecules. (1 pt)
4. An organism that must get its carbon compounds by eating other organisms. (1 pt)
5. Type of chemical bond where one or more electrons are shared between two elements in order to fill
their outer electron shells. (1 pt)
6. Type of protein used to lower the activation energy required for many chemical reactions. (1 pt)
7. Term for the harnessing of a concentration gradient to do cellular work (1 pt)
8. Organism that must live in an environment without oxygen. (1 pt)
Answer the following questions.
9. During which stage of cellular respiration is carbon dioxide produced? (1 pt)
10. List two functions of accessory pigments (1 pt)
11. What is the function of Coenzyme A?(1 pt)
12. List one piece of evidence that supports the Endosymbiosis Theory. (1 pt)
13. If ΔG is greater than zero, than the chemical reaction will be (exergonic/endergonic)? (1 pt)
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Biol 211, Fall 2008
Exam #1
Name ____________________
14. List one enzyme that participates in glycolysis and briefly describe its function. (1.5 pt)
15. What is the function of a chaperonin? (1 pt)
16. How does ATP perform cellular work? (1 pt)
17. Why do electrons from FADH2 generate fewer ATP in the electron transport chain in mitochondria
than electrons from NADH? (1 pt)
Section 2. Short Answer.
18. Provide a concise definition for each that will clearly distinguish between the following pairs of
terms. Be sure to include how the two terms are related to one another. (2 pts each):
a) entropy / enthalphy
b) oxidative phosphorylation / substrate-level phosphorylation
Answer the following questions.
19. a) What role does pyruvate dehydrogenase play in cellular respiration? (2 pts)
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Biol 211, Fall 2008
Exam #1
Name ____________________
b) What are two ways that pyruvate dehydrogenase can be regulated? (2 pts)
20. The relationship between structure and function is a major theme in biology. Please discuss this
theme in relation to enzymes. (3 pts)
21. Early research into the mechanisms of photosynthesis hypothesized that O2 is produced by splitting
CO2. Describe one experiment that supported the idea that O2 is produced by the splitting of water and
not from CO2. (2 pts)
22. What would happen, in terms of a cell’s ability to do photosynthesis, if a mutation occurred that
caused the primary electron acceptor in the water-splitting photosystem (PS2) to become a stronger
electron acceptor than the chlorophyll a in the NADPH-producing photosystem (PS1)? Be specific. (3
pts)
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Biol 211, Fall 2008
Exam #1
Name ____________________
23. a) All organisms need ATP to do cellular work. Prior to 2.7 bya there was no free oxygen on the
planet, yet organisms have been around since 3.6 bya. How did these early organisms (pre-2.7bya)
generate ATP? (2 pts)
b) What evolutionary changes were made possible by the rise in atmospheric oxygen after 2.7 bya
and how did organisms benefit (or not benefit) from these changes? (2 pts)
24. a) What is feedback inhibition? (2 pts)
b) Provide a specific example of feedback inhibition from the material we have covered in class. (2
pts)
25. a) What is the function of rubisco? (2 pts)
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Biol 211, Fall 2008
Exam #1
Name ____________________
b) Why would rubisco be considered the most abundant enzyme on the planet? (1.5 pts)
Bonus Question (2pts)
Answer only one of the question below.
1. You are a researcher studying two different species of crabs. One species of crab lives in water that
is at a much lower temperature than where the other crab lives. What is one difference you might expect
to see in the structure of the plasma membrane between the two crab species?
2. What would be the effect on a cell if the endoplasmic reticulum stop synthesizing hydrolytic enzymes?
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