Advanced Placement Biology –Final Exam
Study Guide
Chapters 12, 16, 17 (DNA Structure/Function, Cell Cycle, Mitosis,
Synthesis)
Protein
 Asexual reproduction (bacteria)
 Mitosis (what happens during each stage – prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase,
cytokinesis)
 Cell cycle (what happens during each phase – G1, S, G2, M and how long each takes)
 DNA structure and function (nucleotides, 3’, 5’, base pairing, hydrogen bonds, sugar
phosphate backbone, nitrogen bases, purines, pyrimidines)
 DNA replication (steps and enzymes involved)
 Protein synthesis (differences between DNA and RNA, types of RNA, transcription,
translation (molecules and locations involved, and the steps for each)
 RNA processing in nucleus after transcription
 Mutations and their influence on the final outcome of the protein
Chapter 18 (Gene Expression)
Chapters 27, 19, 20 (Bacteria, Viruses, DNA Technology)







 Structure of viruses and bacteria
 Lysogenic and lytic phases of viral infection
Bacterial plasmids – structure and useage
Methods of genetic variation in bacteria which reproduce asexually (transformation,
tranduction, conjugation, transposons)
Control of gene expression – structure of operon with promoter, operator, and gene with
termination sequence and how operons are controlled for anabolism and catabolism)
Control of eukaryotic gene expression (DNA packaging, gene amplification, transcription
contol via enhancers, control at each step of protein production: RNA processing, ½ life
of transcript, getting into ribosome, posttranslation modification
Difference bacterial and eukaryotic gene expression – bacterial genes in a single
metabolic pathway all lined up behind one promoter vs. eukaryotic genes being all spread
out with same enhancers
DNA technology (what each of the following is and how they are used in recombinant
DNA technology) – restriction enzymes, vectors (plasmids, viruses, YAC’s),
transformation, transduction
Know the following techniques ( how to do them and what they are used for) – gene
cloning, creating cDNA libraries, transforming bacteria, sequencing, PCR, RFLP
analysis, Southern and northern blotting and probes
Chapters 13, 14, 15 (Meiosis and Genetics)
 Meiosis and genetic variation (crossing over, independent assortment, and random
fertilization)
 Phases of meiosis and the outcome of each
 Compare and contrast meiosis and mitosis
 Karyotypes (definition, how do get them, uses)
 Life cycles of plants, animals, fungi
 Medelian genetics (law of segregation, genetics problems - gametes, dominant,
recessive, genotype, phenotype, and probability)
 Incomplete dominance, multiple alleles, pleiotropy, epistasis, polygenic, multifactorial,
sex-linked
 Pedigrees (using them to tell genotypes)
 Recombination frequencies of linked genes
 Chromosome mapping (order of genes on chromosomes based on crossing over
frequencies)
 Aneuploidy and polyploidy
 Non-disjunction (what it is, the outcome, how it happens)
 Imprinting
Chapters 22-25 (Evolution)
 Necessity of steps in order to create living systems from non-living material (synthesis of
organic building blocks, assembly into macromolecules, forming of cells, production of
genetic material)
 Darwin – descent with modification, natural selection mechanism – explains unity and
diversity
 Know evidence for evolution (biogeography. Fossils, homologous structures, DNA and
protein comparisions)
 Population genetics and Hardy-Weinberg equations
 When Hardy-Weinberg doesn’t hold up (non-random mating, genetic drift, gene flow,
small populations, mutations, natural selection
 Why is diversity preserved in the face of natural selection (diploidy, diversifying
selection, advantage of heterozygotes, neutral mutations)
 Kinds of natural selection (stabilizing, directional, diversifying, sexual)
 Speciation (same mechanism – causes – geographic or reproductive isolation followed by
natural selection) – know adaptive radiation
 Definition of species and the general classification system (each Kingdom – Animal,
Plant, Fungi, Monera, Protista and major characteristics of each)
 Classification system – general to specific (KPCOFGS)
 Theory of Punctuated Equilibrium for evolution
 Know what a fossil is and incompleteness of fossil record and generally how to date them
 Mechanisms of macroevolution (preadaptation, changes in developmental genes,
incomplete fossil record so really same mechanism as micorevolution, mass extinction
followed by adaptive radiation, species selection
 Systematics (classification based on evolutionary relationships) – protein, DNA, and
structural relationships to show descent with modification
Note: bonus questions on plants