Exam 1 Study Guide
Chapter 1
What is the smallest, basic unit of life?
Know unicellular vs multicellular and where they are found
What is an organ?
What are organ systems?
What are tissues?
What is metabolism?
What is photosynthesis?
Understand homeostasis
Understand reproduction
Asexual vs sexual reproduction
EX: sexual reproduction allows for genetic diversity…better survival and adaptation
Understand evolution and the process of natural selection
Know the 8 classification categories?
What are the three domains?
What is a biosphere?
What is a population, community, and ecosystem?
What is science?
Name the steps of the scientific method.
What is a variable?
What is a test group?
Control group?
Give five characteristics of scientific theory.
Chapter 2
What is an element?
What are atoms?
Understand the atomic mass and number
What is a proton?
What is an electron?
What is a neutron?
Looking at the atomic number, what can you deduce?
Looking at the atomic mass, what can you deduce?
Where can you find the metals and nonmetals on the periodic table?
Answer: metals are generally of the left (left of the stairs) and nonmetals are on the right
What are isotopes?
Do they have the same atomic number? Atomic mass?
What are the uses of isotopes…i.e. radioisotopes?
Understand electron shells, octet rule and valence electrons
Use valence electrons to understand ionic and covalent bonds
Know the difference between ionic vs covalent bonds
What is a compound?
Answer: one that is made up of 2 or more elements
Understand the properties of water
Know the general trend of the pH scale (above 7 is basic and below 7 is acidic)
Know the definition of a buffer
Chapter 3
Know the definition of organic molecules, hydrocarbons, and isomers
Know that functional groups can confer polarity
Polarity contributes to how the molecule will react with other molecules or the
environment
Know hydrophobic vs hydrophilic
What are the biological molecules?
What’s a monomer?
What is a hydrolysis reaction? Dehydration reaction?
What are carbohydrates?
Know the monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides
Especially for the polysaccharides, where are they found? Animal cells, plant cells, etc
Know lipids and their uses in the cell
What are triglycerides?
What are phospholipids?
What are steroids?
What are the functions of proteins?
What is a peptide? Polypeptide?
What are the different structures of protein?
Know nucleic acids
What are the differences between RNA and DNA?
What are the relationship between proteins, mRNA, and DNA
Chapter 4
Why are cells so small?
Define prokaryotic cells
What are bacteria and what do they have?
Understand the components of the plasma membrane
Know the functions of the plasma membrane
Why are phospholipids so important for the plasma membrane?
What are eukaryotic cells? Compare them to prokaryotic (make a chart if you must)
What are the 4 categories of organelles?
What the different organelles and their functions?
Be sure to know which organelles are only found in plant cells and which are
only found in animal cells
(Don’t be confused. Both animal cells and plant cells are eukaryotic cells. They
just have some organelles that are different from each other.)
Understand the process of making proteins
Know the cell junctions