Biology 120 Exam 1 Study Guide
DO NOT underestimate the difficulty of this test or how much you need to study. If you
have questions ask me please. Also I am still looking for more websites so I will repost this
later with that information. Good luck!!
Chapter 1
1. Know Life’s Level of Organization-atom-molecule-cell-tissue etc…and their definitions.
Know the hierarchy ie. Communities include populations
Tissues include molecules, cells, atoms etc.
2. Understand what makes something living.
3. Know definitions of consumers, producers, and decomposers
4. Photosynthesis- process that converts solar energy to chemical energy used by producers
(plants, bacteria etc)
5. Know the hierarchy of classification (DKPCOFGS). What are the 3 domains?
Be able to tie in the different kingdoms with being producers, consumers, and decomposers
and if they are multicellular, single celled, eukaryotic, prokaryotic,
6. Know what a scientific name is and how it is written.
Evolution
Know definition of mutation
AdaptationWhen does a trait become adaptive?
What is natural selection and what does it act on (individuals, species, populations,
communities)?
Experiments
What is the difference between the experimental group and the control group?
What is a variable?
Make sure you understand and know the scientific method:
Know the order
If given an example of an experiment know how to identify what part of the scientific
method each step is representing.
HomeostasisAtoms
Know the subatomic particles of an atom: proton, neutron, electron and their charges.
An atom has a nucleus, what does this nucleus contain and what orbits around it?
On the periodic table be able to find the atomic number and know what this represents
Knowing all of the above you should be able to determine how many electrons there are if you
know the protons (atomic number) and be able to figure out how the electrons fit in the
different shells (how many on each level-just like the problems we were doing in class).
Also given a picture you should be able to tell if the atom is an ion (charged) or not.
Also if you know how many electrons are in the outer shell you should be able to determine how
many bonds the atom will form and with what other atoms it would bond (like the example
of S in class)
Make sure you remember that the electrons orbiting the nucleus have different energy levels
depending on what shell they are in (closer to nucleus versus farther away)
Understand how hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions (know those definitions of course)
apply to ions, polar, and nonpolar molecules
Know the three different kinds of bonds (ionic, covalent (polar and nonpolar), and hydrogen) and
classic examples of molecules (also don’t forget double bonds, triple bonds..)
What is a solvent vs. solute
Hydrolysis vs. condensation- which breaks bonds and which forms them, and when is water
formed (a product) and when is it added/taken up
Properties of water molecules.
Basics of acids and bases
Carbohydrates-what is the function in our body
Monosaccharide-give examples
Oligosaccharide- how long, give examples
Polysachharide- know the 3 examples and their functions and if they are found in plants or
animals
What are the monomers?
Cellulose, glycogen, starch,- what are these and are they in animals or plants?
Lipids-what is the function in our body
-Fats-know structure
a. saturated- know what this means. Is it liquid or solid? How is it shaped?
b. unsaturated- know what this means and how you change this to be unsaturated-what is the
name of this process? Is it a liquid or solid? What does that have to do with the shape?
-Phospholipids-absolutely know where phospholipids are found and that they have hydrophobic
and hydrophilic parts
-Sterols-know structure and that they are part of cell membrane and also have hydrophilic and
hydrophobic parts. Cholesterol is a famous example-know it
-waxes-firm and waterproof long chain of fatty acid tails
Protein-know all the different functions in organisms
Monomer- is an amino acid
Long chain of amino acids are polypeptides joined by a ______________ bond.
Be sure to understand the difference between the primary structure, secondary structure, tertiary
structure, and quaternary structure.
What does denaturing the protein do to the protein (are bonds broken? Does the shape change?
Does the function change? Etc)
Nucleic Acids
Monomer=nucleotides (adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine-DNA) (same except uracil instead
of thymine-in RNA)
Nucleotides consist of 3 parts:___________ _________________ _______________
Cells
Know the cell theory
Know the differences between a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell.
What is the function of the inner membranes that surround the organelles (don’t forget about the
nuclear membrane)?
Be able to ID the organelles and also know their functions
What kinds of things do organelles do?
Know the pathways inside the organelle. Different molecules are made and exported. What path
do they follow inside the cell? If something were to come into the cell what path might it
follow?
What is the cytoskeleton? What does it do and where in the cell is it found? Know the different
kinds of cytoskeletal material, the proteins they are made of and how to ID them.
How are plant cells joined? How are animal cells joined?
Cell membraneWhat is it made of?
It is a very active part of the cell. What in the membrane makes it so active?
What affects diffusion across a selectively permeable membrane? Using this information you
should be able to predict under what conditions diffusion would be slow and when it would
be fast.
Know definition of concentration gradient. What does it mean to go against it?
What kind of molecules will diffuse without “help”
Know the basic chemistry of why some molecules can pass through the membrane and others
need help. (large, small, polar, ions, etc)
Cell membrane proteins- how do they fit into the membrane and what do they do?
Know the difference between (which require energy, proteins, etc.):
Passive transport-(includes facilitated diffusion and simple diffusion)
Active transport
Cotransport
Endocytosis
Exocytosis
Osmosis
Where does the Na/K pump fit in?
What is hypotonic vs. hypertonic vs. isotonic?
Know how to figure out where water or solutes will move? Like we talked about in class.
Sample Questions
1. Which group includes all of the other groups?
a. domain
b. order
c. family
d. genus
e. species
2. The subatomic particle(s) with a negative charge is(are)
a. the neutron.
b. the proton.
c. the electron.
d. both the neutron and proton.
e. both the proton and electron.
3. Magnesium has 12 protons. How many electrons are in its third energy level?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
2
4
6
8
10
4. What kind of reaction produces large molecules by linking small molecules?
a. oxidation
b. reduction
c. condensation
d. hydrolysis
e. decarboxylation
5. The final by-products of many condensation reactions are
a. carbon dioxide molecules.
b.
c.
d.
e.
hydrogen ions.
hydroxyl ions.
oxygen gas and hydrogen gas.
water molecules.
6. __________ are the main components of cell membranes.
a. Triglycerides
b. Phospholipids
c. Unsaturated fats
d. Steroids
e. Fatty acids
7. Amino acids are linked by what kind of bonds to form the primary structure of a protein?
a. disulfide
b. hydrogen
c. ionic
d. peptide
e. none of these
8. A hydrolysis reaction results in
a. formation of a macromolecule.
b. bond breakage of a macromolecule.
c. lipid molecule creation.
d. nucleic acids being made.
e. most macromolecules.
9. Four of the five substances listed below are polysaccharides. Select the exception.
a. chitin
b. cellulose
c. collagen
d. starch
e. glycogen
10. Which of the following is(are) property(ies) of life?
a. metabolism
b. controlled responses to the environment
c. reproduction
d. growth
e. all of these
11. Where in cells are proteins manufactured?
a. Golgi bodies
b. vesicles
c. rough endoplasmic reticula
d. lysosomes
e. smooth endoplasmic reticula
12. Only plant cells possess
a. a central vacuole.
b. chromoplasts.
c. amyloplasts.
d. chloroplasts.
e. all of these
13. Unsaturated tails of lipids
a. are hydrophilic.
b. are unstable and tend to break apart.
c. have kinks in them and lessen the interaction between adjacent fat molecules.
d. will break whenever exposed to phosphate ions.
e. have all of these attributes.
14. If a plant cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, the
a. entire cell will not swell or shrink.
b. entire cell will shrink.
c. turgor pressure will increase.
d. cell wall prevents the cell from exploding.
e. turgor pressure will increase, but the cell wall prevents the cell from exploding
Answers to practice questions:
1. a
2. c
3. a
4. c
5. e
6. b
7. d
8. b
9. c
10. e
11. c
12. e
13. c
14. e
More Websites for chemistry and macromolecules (caution some of these are really easy so don’t
assume that my test will be):
Websites:
classzone.com
Cellsalive.com
http://www.thebiologyspace.info/APBiology/Quizzes/ChemQuiz.htm (this is slightly above our
level, but has good questions and lets you quiz yourself.
http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/biocoach/bioprop/intro.html (try the self quiz
on the left there is a link)
http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_goodenough_boh_2/24/6205/1588596.cw/index.html
good practice for atoms!
http://www.glencoe.com/qe/science.php?qi=1987
easy but still good to practice.
http://www.nburlington.com/ourpages/users/alanoue/Bio_handouts.htm
There are several links on this website- try the chemistry of life practice test.
http://www.nburlington.com/ourpages/users/alanoue/Bio_handouts.htm
http://www.nburlington.com/ourpages/users/alanoue/Bio_handouts.htm
There are many more websites. Just google “chemistry of life” or whatever it is you want to
focus on.