Biology A Trimester Review
Items to Review:
All Chapters/sections covered
Concept Check questions
Handouts
Labs and projects
Notes
Online activities
Chapter 2: Scientific Method
1. Describe the steps of the scientific method.
2. What is a hypothesis?
3. What is a control or control group?
4. What is an independent variable? Dependent variable?
Chapter 4: Chemistry of Life
1. What are the three particles that make up an atom? Location? Charge?
2. What is an ion? Give an example of an ion.
3. Water breaks down into what two ions?
4. What is a hydrogen bond? Are electrons transferred or shared?
5. List and explain water’s 5 life-supporting properties.
6. What does the pH scale measure? What is the range of pH measurements?
7. What is an acid? What is a base? List some examples.
8. What is a neutral substance? Give examples of neutral substances.
9. What is a buffer? Why are buffers important in the body?
Chapter 5: Molecules of life
1. What characteristic of carbon makes it an important biological element?
2. Explain the difference between organic and inorganic molecules.
3. Define the words hydrophobic and hydrophilic.
4. Explain the relationship between monomers and polymers.
5. Describe the processes of dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis.
6. What three macromolecules were studied in this chapter? Their functions?
7. Identify their important monomers and polymers.
8. Identify the three main types of polysaccharides, their characteristics, where they
come from and what they are used for.
9. What makes a fat saturated or unsaturated?
10. How many water molecules are produced in the production of a triglyceride?
11. What makes one amino acid different from another?
12. What do we call a long chain of amino acids linked together (other than a
protein)?
13. What is denaturation? What happens to the function of the protein?
14. What is an enzyme? What is another name for an enzyme?
15. Describe how an enzyme works using the terms: substrate, active site, enzyme,
activation energy and products.
Chapter 6.1, 6.4-6.6: Cells
1. Review parts of a microscope.
2. Be able to identify, describe and give examples of the 5 characteristics of life.
3. Compare and contrast the two major classes of cells. Make sure you can identify
three characteristics of each class. Refer to Figures 6.4-6.6 to help.
4. Compare and contrast animal and plant cells in terms of organelles and structures
that are specific to each type and their function.
Chapters 6.2-6.3, 32.1-32.2, and 28.1-28.2: Molecular Movement, Excretory System,
Nervous System
1. What is the basic unit of a plasma membrane? What properties allow this unit to
form membranes?
2. Describe the four main functions of specific proteins embedded in the cell
membrane.
3. What are two differences between passive transport and active transport?
4. Compare and contrast diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion and active transport
in terms of:
a. Direction(s) particles move
b. Necessary components (semi-permeable membrane, proteins, etc)
c. Energy
5. Describe how particles move at equilibrium.
6. Define hypertonic, hypotonic and isotonic solutions.
7. Be able to explain how water or solutes would move if a cell were placed into any
of the above (hypertonic, hypotonic and isotonic) environments.
8. Be able to explain how large molecules are brought into a cell and removed using
the process of endo- and exo- cytosis.
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What is negative feedback?
Be able to identify the organs/structures of the excretory system.
What is a nephron? Its function?
Describe the 4 steps of blood processing/urine production.
What is kidney dialysis?
Identify and describe the two subsystems of the nervous system.
What are the three functions of the nervous system?
Be able to label a basic motor neuron. Include dendrites, cell body, nucleus, axon, knobs,
myelin sheath, and nodes.
17. What is the difference between a synapse and a synaptic cleft?
18. Describe how nerves signals cross the synaptic cleft using chemical cues.
Chapter 7 (and 29.1-29.2) Cellular Respiration and Digestion
1. What is cellular respiration?
2. What is the ultimate energy source produced at the end of cellular respiration?
3. Compare and contrast the reactants and products of photosynthesis and cellular
respiration (know equations).
4. What is a calorie? A kilocalorie?
5. What units make up an ATP molecule? Where is energy stored?
6. Identify the three main stages of cellular respiration, their location, reactants and
products, ATP produced, and net gain of ATP.
7. What happens to all the hydrogen during cellular respiration?
8. What happens to the carbon atoms during cellular respiration?
9. Describe what happens to the hydrogen (proton and electron) when they are
delivered to the electron transport chain.
10. Besides ATP, what does the cell produce at the end of cellular respiration?
11. Under what conditions would an animal cell undergo fermentation?
12. Compare and contrast alcoholic fermentation and lactic acid fermentation.
13. Know the major organs of the digestive system and their function.
14. What are the two types of digestion?
15. What substances are secreted into the small intestine?
16. What gets absorbed by the small intestine? Large intestines?
Chapter 30: Cardiovascular System and Respiratory System
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What are the three main divisions of the circulatory systems and their components?
Compare and contrast the structure and function of the three types of blood vessels.
What are the two systems of the circulatory system and how are they distinguished?
How do we measure blood pressure?
Be able to label all parts of the heart and the flow of blood.
Describe the composition and role of blood.
Be able to label a diagram of the respiratory system and explain the functions of parts.
Explain the changes in the body corresponding to inhalation and exhalation.
Chapter 8 (and 21.1-21.2): Photosynthesis
1. Describe the overall purpose of photosynthesis? Equation?
2. Identify the following parts of a leaf and explain their function: epidermis,
mesophyll, leaf veins, air spaces, stomata, and guard cells
3. What organelle do all eukaryotic autotrophs have? Why?
4. Describe the electromagnetic spectrum in terms of energy, wavelength and color.
5. Describe the role of pigments. Location. Color.
6. Explain the location, reactants and products, and purpose of the two stages of
photosynthesis.
7. photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
8. Describe, in general terms, the carbon cycle. Make sure to include the terms
inorganic and organic compounds.
9. What is the greenhouse effect?
Chapter 9 (9.1-9.4) Cell Cycle and Divisions
1. Explain the purpose of mitosis.
2. Explain the difference among chromatin, chromosomes, and chromatids.
3. What are the two phases of the cell cycle?
4. Describe the events that take place during G1, S, G2.
5. Describe the events taking place during mitosis and cyokinesis.
6. Compare the daughter cells at the end of mitosis to each other and the parent cell.
7. How is cytokinesis in plants different from that in animal cells?
8. Compare benign tumors to malignant tumors in terms of cell type, danger,
mobility, and treatments.