Honors Biology Final Exam
DNA, Protein Synthesis, & Gene Expression
Text Chapter 9
Text Chapter 10-11
Genetic Engineering
Text Chapter 12
Evolution
Text Chapters 13-15, 19
Biological Diversity
Classification
Microbial world
Fungi & Plants
Animals
Text Chapter 15 (end)
Text Chapter 16
Text Chapter 17
Text Chapters 18 & select topics from lab
dissections (including body system evolution )
Disease & Immunity
Text Chapter 16, Ch 24
Revisit Ecology Concepts
You have 10 essays to help you prepare for the final. All have been covered, one way or another, in our studies this year. You will have a short list on exam day from which you will choose your final essays.
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To ensure an effective review, know what questions YOU want to ask.
For review purposes, your old exams can be reviewed. Use the CD-rom for vocabulary, Chapter packets, worksheets, notes, Workbook and Reviewing the Chapter questions.
Exam Day:
Bring a #2 pencil and a pen for essays to the exam. You will complete your essay questions first IN PEN, then take the multiple choice portion. Bring study or reading material in case you finish early. You will not be allowed to talk at any time during the test while any single test is still out, nor leave for the bathroom or leave early.
**On final exam day, please be prepared to return uncovered, cleaned out text books and the CD in the back cover. Your report card will NOT be released without these materials. You will be fined for lost or damaged books. The book number signed out is the book you are responsible for .
For your benefit, the essay questions follow this overview. You should prepare for these essays ahead of time.
I will gladly review your essay question answers with you prior to exam day.

Honors Biology Essay Questions
1. “What would Darwin Say” – Charles Darwin had a strong Christian upbringing, and a superior scientific mind – how do you think he came to terms with both as he worked through his theory of evolution by natural selection – what challenged his faith, what supported the science? What would Darwin say about Genetic Engineering– how would he be challenged again ? (Evolution)
2. The Nature Conservancy buys property to set aside as “preserves” for endangered plant species, just as the World Wildlife Federation does for animals. Discuss the benefits and limitations of preserving plant species this way, and offer some other ideas for conserving the genetic diversity of plants. (Ch 17)
3. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists malaria and AIDS as the top 2 diseases to come to grips with in the 21 st century. Why do these two diseases, above all others, pose such a worldwide health issue? Do you think we can ever be rid of both in your lifetime? Should we try? Consider all factors about how these diseases work in relation to evolution, genetics, knowledge and attitude toward immunity and controls. (Ch 16, Ch 11, 12, evolution)
4. Is it valid to say that Phylum Chordata, Class Mammalia has achieved the highest of all life functions? Is man truly superior to all other organisms? Justify based on what you know about evolutionary advances and the role of organisms within their environment. (Evolution, Ecology,
Ch 16, 18)
5. In the Hollywood movie “War of the Worlds”, an alien invader to planet Earch is destroyed by a single microbial infection. Is it plausible that this super alien that was destroying all human kind could be destroyed by a bacteria that doesn’t harm us? Thinking like a scientist, what is the role of genetics, immunity and microbial actions that could make this Hollywood movie a reality.
(Ch 9-11, 13, 14, 16)
6. Discuss both the unity of life on earth and its incredible diversity. Do you think humans would think differently about conservation if they recognized that the life they have is dependent upon the shared genomes and derived characteristics of the life that came before them? How is
“interconnectiveness” addressed in common morphology, common ancestors and common needs of life through symbiotic relationships . (all)
7. As a Crime Scene Investigator, you are called upon to identify some “life” left at a crime scene. Describe the criteria you will use to distinguish whether the sample is plant, animal, bacteria, protista or fungi? What “accessory clues” might also help you identify the type of organism you are examining? (Ch 15 – classification, and all kingdom chapters)
8. Can and should man manipulate the future of our own evolution ? Discuss the role that genetic engineering can play in this scenario, as well as your views as to how far humans can progress and what limitations, both biological and ethical, might come into play? (Ch 10, 11, 12)
9. Discuss how homology and analogy in the animal and plant world, and in fact all kingdoms, account for similarities in defense and all life functions, including dormancy. Use specific examples of how these “structure-function” relationships allow for survival in their environment.
(all Kingdoms of life)
10. Scientists have been able to directly manipulate genes through genetic engineering, creating some truly unique combination of traits. How do you think this gene manipulation will affect future classification schemes – how will we know an apple is really a member of the plant kingdom, and not something else? (genetic engineering, classification, evolution)