Name__________________________
Mol. Biol. Chapter 4 Worksheet
1. At the beginning of the 19th century,
it was thought that the substances that
made up living things were special and
could not be synthesized by ordinary
chemical methods. This now-discarded
theory was called the theory of _____.
(Concept 4.1)
A. special creation
B. spontaneous generation
C. vitalism
D. materialism
E. mechanism
2. The first organic molecule to be
synthesized from inorganic substances
was _____. (Concept 4.1)
A. urea
B. acetic acid
C. ammonium cyanate
D. insulin
E. DNA
3. Stanley Miller's experiments were
significant because he demonstrated that
_____. (Concept 4.1)
A. the behavior of any molecule
containing a carbon atom was
fundamentally the same
B. under certain circumstances the
theory of vitalism was valid
C. a variety of simple organic
compounds could be
spontaneously synthesized from
components in Earth's primitive
atmosphere
D. lightning discharges could
produce the molecules previously
presumed to have originated in
volcanic outgassings
E. urea could be synthesized from
entirely naturally occurring salts
4. Which is an organic molecule? (Concept 4.2)
A. Ne
B. O2
C. CH4
D. NaCl
E. H2O
5. What is the three-dimensional shape created
by hybrid orbitals that are formed when a
carbon atom is covalently bonded with four
other atoms? (Concept 4.2)
A. a flat sheet with carbon in the center
B. a triangle with carbon in the center
C. a cube with carbon in the center
D. a tetrahedron with carbon in the center
E. All of the above are possible.
6. A straight-chain carbon compound
constructed from _____ must contain at least
one carbon-carbon double bond. (Concept 4.2)
A. 6 hydrogen, 2 carbon
B. 6 hydrogen, 3 carbon
C. 6 hydrogen, 2 carbon, 1 oxygen
D. 8 hydrogen, 3 carbon, 3 oxygen
E. 14 hydrogen, 6 carbon
7. Carbon atoms are the most versatile building
blocks of the molecules used by living
organisms because _____. (Concept 4.2)
A. carbon is the central atom of carbon
dioxide, a necessary molecule for
photosynthesis
B. carbon is the central atom in urea, a
molecule used by many living organisms
to transport wastes from the body
C. each carbon atom acts as an intersection
point from which a molecule can branch
off in up to four directions
D. carbon can combine with hydrogen to
form hydrocarbons
E. all of the above
8. The carbon atom is tetravalent; this
means that _____. (Concept 4.2)
A. carbon readily forms ionic bonds
B. carbon's first electron shell holds
4 electrons
C. a carbon atom can complete its
valence shell by forming four
covalent bonds
D. the bond angle between each
bond is 90o, forming an
arrangement like the points on a
compass
E. carbon has a total of 4 electrons
9. Which of the following functional
groups is present in all amino acids?
(Concept 4.3)
A. -SH
B. -COH
C. -OH
D. -NH2
E. -OPO3-2
10. Glucose and hexanoic acid each
contain six carbon atoms, but they have
completely different properties. Glucose
is a nutrient found in food; hexanoic acid
is poisonous. Their differences must be
due to different _____. (Concept 4.3)
A. monomers
B. macromolecules
C. isomers
D. quaternary structures
E. functional groups
11.
Which one of the following
groups would not be capable of
hydrogen bonding with an oxygen atom
on another functional group? (Concept
4.3)
A. amino
B. hydroxyl
C. carboxylic acid
D. sulfhydryl
E. none of the above
12. Although the structures of the
functional groups that are most
important to life vary, they share one
thing in common: They _____. (Concept
4.3)
A. all contain oxygen
B. all have at least one double bond
C. always cause the carbon to which they
are attached to become an asymmetric
carbon, thus they convert the molecule
into an enantiomer
D. all are hydrophilic and increase the
organic compound's water solubility
E. force straight chains of carbons into
closed rings of carbon
13.
Ethanol, propanol, and methanol
are three simple alcohols. They can be
grouped together because they _____.
(Concept 4.3)
A. all share the same functional group: a
hydroxyl
B. are soluble in water
C. are hydrophobic
D. all contain a carbonyl group
E. increase the acidity of solutions
14.
Which of the following
functional groups is associated with a
release of energy that cells can harvest to
perform many functions? (Concept 4.3)
A. amino
B. phosphate
C. sulfhydryl
D. hydroxyl
E. carboxyl