AP Biology Fall Final Exam Review
1. What are the major components of RNA vs. DNA?
2. What types of molecules have polar covalent bonds?
3. Explain the process of water traveling from the roots of the
plant through the vascular tissue.
4. How many bonds can Carbon form, what kinds of bonds
does it tend to form, what structures can those bonds form?
5. Define the following terms Lipids, Peptide bonds, alpha
helix, unsaturated fatty acids, cellulose
6. Explain the process of dehydration synthesis.
7. Explain the process of hydrolysis.
8. An organic compound that is composed of carbon,
hydrogen, and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ratio is known as?
9. Which of the macromolecules could be structural parts of
the cell, enzymes, or involved in cell movement or
communication?
10. Which macromolecule is the main component of all cell
membranes?
11. What are the emergent properties of water?
12. If a pH of a solution is decreased from 7 to 6, what does that
mean in terms of H+ and OH- concentrations?
13. What are the major components of an amino acid? Draw
one.
14. What are the four levels of protein structure? Describe
their differences.
15. Define the following terms: Peroxisomes, Golgi Apparatus,
Lysosome, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Mitochondria.
16. Why does a denatured protein no longer function
normally?
17. What parts of a polypeptide participate in the bonds that
hold together secondary structure? Tertiary Structure?
18. Define the following terms/explain: Allosteric
Interactions,Feedback Inhibition,Competitive Inhibitor,
NonCompetitive Inhibitor
19. Review hypo and hypertonic. What way will water move
into a cell based on what environment it is in? Why?
20. Compare and contrast eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.
What features are unique to each?
21. Cell signaling pathways are very similar in prokaryotes and
throughout eukaryotes. What does this suggest?
22. Cell signaling through hormones differs based on whether
the hormone is a peptide hormone (protein base) or a
steroid (lipid base). Which type of hormone do you think
can penetrate the cell membrane directly? Remember, like
dissolves like.
23. Hormones can even be gaseous, such as with ethylene.
Ethylene is a gaseous hormone used by plants to progress
in the ripening process. If you put bananas or apples in a
closed bag, they will ripen faster because the ethylene gas
is trapped and causes the fruit’s cells to make all the
changes involved with ripening: Chlorophyll is broken
down, causing color changes; starches are converted into
sugars, making the fruit sweet and less mealy; acids are
broken down, causing it to taste less sour; and pectin is
broken down, making it softer.
24. The picture below shows a special kind of cell
communication – synaptic signaling between neurons.
What is the role of the cell body, dendrites, axon, and what
happens in the synapse? What is the sequence of signal
transmission? Where does it start, where does it go?
25. How is a message sent from one neuron to the next if there
are gaps between them (synapses)?
26. Label the diagrams below:
29. Use the diagram to label and identify the two broad stages
of photosynthesis.
Identify: K, Na, plasma membrane, cytosol. Would this axon
be in the midst of an action potential or at rest? How do
you know?
27. How do you think a cell performing cellular respiration rids
itself of the resulting CO2?
28. What role does oxygen play in cell respiration? What will
be greater in cells with plenty of oxygen? What does this
have to do with ETC and oxidative phosphorylation?
30. Why are leaves green?
31. What happens to chlorophyll when it is hit by light? How
does this relate to potential energy?
32. Compare AND contrast chemiosmosis in mitochondria and
chloroplasts.
33. Explain the purpose of the Light Dependent reaction and
the Calvin cycle. Why are the two processes
interdependent?
34. Describe each step listed below:
a. Carbon fixation
b. Reduction
c. Regeneration
35. What is the enzyme that starts the Calvin cycle and how
does it work?
36. Why is photorespiration such a “waste”?
37. What strategies do C4 and CAM plants have to deal with
photorespiration?
38. Use the following terms correctly in a sentence: redox
reactions, oxidation, reduction, reducing agent and
oxidizing agent.
39. Why is being “reduced” equivalent to having a greater
potential energy?
40. In cellular respiration, what is being oxidized and what is
being reduced?
41. Explain the use of coenzymes NAD+ and FAD+
42. Why is having an electron transport chain an advantage to
living systems?
43. What are the three stages of aerobic cellular respiration?
44. What is substrate-level phosphorylation?
45. Describe the transition reaction converting pyruvate to
acetyl coA.
46. Regarding the Kreb’ cycle, where does the C “go” that is
removed?
47. What is happening when NAD+  NADH + H+?
48. What is oxidative phosphorylation and where does it occur
during respiration?
49. What is chemiosmosis and apply it to the diagram below.
Helpful hints:
formula to calculate surface area of a sphere is 4ᴨr2
pH is on a –log scale, so the more the H+ ions, the lower the
pH (acid). The difference in H+ ions between pH 1 and pH
3 is 100x