AP BIOLOGY-EXAM REVIEW-Chapter 2-5 Chemistry of Life (2), Water and Life(3), Carbon and the Molecular Diversity
of Life(4), The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules(5).
1. Sketch a few molecules of water, indicate their polarity, and where H bonds form.
2. Why is H bonding so important to water’s properties?
3. Distinguish between hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules.
4. List the “special” properties of water and give an example of why the property may be important to living things.
5. What are the major groups of organic compounds studied in biology?
6. What characteristics of phospholipids make them perfectly suited for membranes? What do you think might
happen if phospholipids did not form a bilayer? How might they arrange themselves in an aqueous
environment?
7. Discuss how a protein's three-dimensional structure makes it perfect for acting as a carrier and receptor
molecule. Why are proteins uniquely suited for this function, whereas other macromolecules are not?
8.
Use the base-pairing rules for DNA and RNA to label the complementary strand of RNA (right) to the single
strand of DNA (left) shown following, where C = cytosine, G = guanine, A = adenine, T = thymine, and U = uracil.
Identify the parts of DNA and RNA and distinguish between the two structures.
9. Describe the four levels of protein structure. Explain denaturation.
10. How do enzymes work? Describe enzyme/substrate interactions.
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7.
The Cell-A Tour of the Cell(6), Membrane Structure and Function(7),
Compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Explain the significance of organelles. What are the costs and benefits of having large compartmentalized cells?
What is the primary function of a cell membrane? What characteristics of membranes allow them to contribute
to metabolic activity?
The organelles that contain their own DNA are all enclosed in double membranes. Relate this observation to the
endosymbiotic theory.
Explain the fluid mosaic model.
The cell membrane is selectively permeable. Explain what that means. Which molecules easily cross the
membrane? How are molecules transported that do not easily cross the membrane?
Define the following :
a. Diffusion
b. Facilitated Diffusion
c. Osmosis
d. Hypotonic
e. Hypertonic
f. Isotonic
8. What is happening in the diagram below?
9.
What do animal & plant cells do when placed in solutions that
are:
a. Hypotonic
b. Hypertonic
c. Isotonic
An Introduction to Metabolism (8)