Evolution Essays
By: Mr. Schiller
James Monroe HS
ESSAY Do’s and Don’ts
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Do: First thing- Read the Question.
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Answer the Question, Only the Question and All the Parts of it.
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If you are given a choice of parts to answer, choose carefully,
Don’t answer all the parts in that case.
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As you read the question, pay particular attention to bold and
underlined words, they are important.
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Tips for Writing AP Biology Exam EssaysCompiled from various teachers, including Lois Peterson, Louise Huey, Richard
Patterson, and Franklin Bell
•
•
Second thing – Read the Question.
Third Thing – Read the Question.
Essay Do’s and Don’ts
• Briefly Outline the answer. You’ve got 10 min to do it!
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Pay attention to the verbs used in the directions… like
“describe” “explain” “compare “give Evidence For…” etc.
• -- FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS.
• Then Write your essay.
•
Define Terms Used. Describe. Explain. Elaborate.
•
Tips for Writing AP Biology Exam EssaysCompiled from various teachers, including Lois Peterson, Louise Huey,
Richard Patterson, and Franklin Bell
• Write even the EASY Definitions… these may get you points!
ESSAY Do’s and Don’ts
• Answer the Question in the order called for.
• Label Each Essay. The Essays Don’t have to be
Answered in any particular order.
• Label Each Part of each Essay. If the essay is set
up with internal parts A,B,C etc. then answer them
that way. Label Each Part.
•
Tips for Writing AP Biology Exam EssaysCompiled from various teachers, including Lois Peterson,
Louise Huey, Richard Patterson, and Franklin Bell
Essay Do’s and Don’ts
• Write Clearly and Neatly.
• Go Into Detail – be on subject and to the
point.
• Be Sure to Include the Obvious :
• “Light is necessary for photosynthesis…”
• Answer the Question Thoroughly.
•
Tips for Writing AP Biology Exam EssaysCompiled from various teachers, including
Lois Peterson, Louise Huey, Richard Patterson, and Franklin Bell
Essays Do’s and Don’ts
• If you Can’t Remember a Word – Take a shot at it, get as
close as you can…
•
If you don’t remember the name of a concept, then
Describe it.
• Label your diagrams – title, X- and Y- axis, units…
•
Be sure to refer to your diagram in your essay.
•
Tips for Writing AP Biology Exam EssaysCompiled from various teachers, including Lois Peterson, Louise Huey,
Richard Patterson, and Franklin Bell
Essay Do’s and Don’ts
• You Have around 22 minutes… bring a watch.
• The essays are written to be difficult… The
National Average is about 50%.
• You may not know everything about each essay, but
you will know something about each essay, relax
and do the best you can.
•
Tips for Writing AP Biology Exam EssaysCompiled from various teachers, including Lois Peterson,
Louise Huey, Richard Patterson, and Franklin Bell
Essay Do’s and Don’ts
•
•
Synthesis and Conceptual Questions:
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Protein synthesis and how they are exported out of the cell..
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Mendel’s Laws and Mitosis…
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How Seeds, Placentas and Diploidy contribute to Evolutionary
Success of Organisms…
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IF ASKED THIS QUESTION and you DON’T know the RELATIONSHIP
Between 2 or 3 of these concepts, at least tell what you know about
them individually.
Tips for Writing AP Biology Exam EssaysCompiled from various teachers, including Lois Peterson, Louise Huey, Richard
Patterson, and Franklin Bell
ESSAY do’s and DON’TS
•
Don’t Waste Time on Background Information
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Don’t do a Long Introduction.
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Don’t Ramble … get to the point!
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Don’t Make Stuff Up. Don’t Contradict yourself.
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Don’t Panic… you probably know something about the essay.
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Don’t Worry about Spelling or Grammar … we ain’t no English Teacers!
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Don’t Write Sloppy.
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Don’t Leave the Question Blank… Each Point you earn on an essay is worth 2 pts on the MC Questions.
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Don’t Quit. Start writing and you may find yourself recalling more than you think you know.
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Tips for Writing AP Biology Exam EssaysCompiled from various teachers, including Lois Peterson, Louise Huey, Richard Patterson, and Franklin Bell
OK… So Some Evolution
Essays…
• 1990: A. Describe the differences between
the terms in each of the following pairs. (1)
Coelomate versus acoelomate body plan
(2) Protostome versus deuterostome
development (3) Radial versus bilateral
symmetry B. Explain how each of these
pairs of features was important in
constructing the phylogenetic tree shown
below. Use specific examples from the tree
in your discussion. Chordata Arthropoda
Annelida Echinodermata Mollusca
Nematoda Rotifera Platyhelminthes
Cnidaria Porifera
Essay Questions:
• 1991: Discuss how each of the
following has contributed to the
evolutionary success of the
organisms in which they are
found. a. Seeds b. Mammalian
placenta c. Diploidy
Essay Questions:
• 1992: Evolution is one of the unifying
concepts of modern biology. Explain
the mechanisms that lead to
evolutionary change. Describe how
scientists use each of the following
as evidence for evolution: 1)
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics 2)
Comparative biochemistry 3) The
fossil record
Essay Questions:
• 1994: Genetic variation is the raw
material for evolution. a. Explain
three cellular and/or molecular
mechanisms that introduce variation
into the gene pool of a plant or
animal population. b. Explain the
evolutionary mechanisms that can
change the composition of the gene
pool.
The Website to Go To:
• http://apbio.biosci.uga.edu/exam
/Essays/html/index.html#subject
• Or just Google:
• University of Georgia AP Biology
Essay Questions and it’s the first
one.