1. Study Questions for Bio 101
Biological Molecules: Carbohydrates
2. How are monosaccharides used living things? How are the different
polysaccharides we studied (five in all) used in living things and where are they
found?
3. Which polysaccharides are used for storage, and what is their structure? What
monomers are they made of? What types of glycosidic bonds do they have? What
is the structural differences between the storage polysaccharides? Where are each
found in nature?
4. Which polysaccharides are used for structural support in living things? How are
they constructed with regards to monosaccharides and types of glycosidic bonds?
Where are each of these polysaccharides found and what is their function there?
5. What are the two monomers that make up all lipids? How do different fatty acids
differ from one another?
6. Describe how the saturation (number of double bonds) affects the flexibility or
"kinkiness" of a fatty acid. How does this play a role in the fluidity of
triglycerides at room temperature? What types of triglycerides are liquid, and
what types are solid at room temperature, and why?
7. How are triglycerides built and what is their function in living things? How do
they vary in solidity/fluidity? Name a specific triglyceride.
8. What is the structure of a phospholipid? What is the function of this lipid in the
natural world, and where is it found? Why do phospholipids form micelles and
bilayers? Name a specific type of phospholipid.
9. What is the structure of a sterol? What is the function of most sterols? What
function does cholesterol have in animal cells? Can you name at least two
sterols?
10. Describe the structure and function of at least one type of photosynthetic pigment.
11. What are the monomers and polymers of protein called?
12. What are the components of an amino acid, and how are they arranged in this
molecule? What two important functional groups are part of this molecule?
What is a side group (variable group) and how is this group important in the
folding of a protein? Why aren't the carboxyl and amino groups of the amino acid
important in driving folding reactions?
13. Describe how amino acids are connected to form polypeptides and the types of
bonds that are formed during connection.
14. What are the four levels of folding and the important bonds and structures formed
found at each level? How are disulfide bonds important in maintaining protein
shape? Be able to predict which residues (peptides) would be found on the
exterior or interior of a protein.
15. Name a protein whose highest folding level is tertiary and another whose highest
level is quaternary. What is the difference in structure between these two
proteins? What is another name for "unfolding"?
16. Name and describe at least five different functions of proteins in a living
organism.
17. What is the difference between a ribonucleotide and a deoxyribonucleotide?
Draw a diagram of each one showing the components. What does the C2' OH
refer to, and why is this significant?
18. What are the nitrogenous bases used in deoxyribonucleic acids vs. ribonucleic
acids? How are pyrimidines different from purines, and which bases belong to
which category? Which bases can hydrogen bond to each other?
19. Name the three ways in which the structure of DNA differs from RNA.
20. Diagram the structure of DNA or RNA using the words "sugar", "phosphate", and
"base" and indicating covalent bonds with solid lines and hydrogen bonds with
dotted lines.
21. What is the biological function of each type of nucleic acid?
22. 14. What are the general names for a monomer or polymer belonging to the
carbohydrate group of macromolecules? Specifically name two or three of the
monomers and 5 different polymers in this group.