Carbohydrates, Photosynthesis, & Respiration Test Review Guide
Name: _______________________________
Use the following guide to review for the test. Use your note templates as you go. These questions represent a good
overview of the test. Pay attention to related details in the notes and you answer the questions.
Intro to Organic Chemistry and Carbohydrates (N.T. pgs. 41-43)
1. What is the difference between organic molecules and inorganic molecules? Provide an example of the two
types.
Organic molecules contain carbon (such as glucose – C6H12O6) and inorganic molecules usually do not (such as
water – H2O, or salt NaCl). Carbon is an important molecule for living things – it helps make up carbohydrates,
lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
2. Describe the processes for building up & breaking down carbohydrates
a. Dehydration Synthesis
Description (describe what needs to happen in order to join the monosaccharides together):
Building bigger molecules: to build up bigger carbohydrates, water must be taken out. An OH (oxygen
and hydrogen) from one monosaccharide and a H (hydrogen) is taken from the other monosaccharide to
create a bridge between them that binds them together (the oxygen left over binds the two glucose
molecule together to make sucrose in the above example).
b. Hydrolysis
Description (describe what needs to happen in order to break the monosaccharides apart):
Breaking down bigger molecules into smaller molecules: To break down big molecules into their
smaller parts, water must be added in so the molecules split apart.
3. Compare and contrast the three different classes of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrate
Monosaccharide
Definition
Simple/single sugars
Disaccharide
Two monosaccharides joined
together
Polysaccharide
Long chains of
monosaccharides
Example/sketch
Glucose
*You only need to be able to recognize the structure of glucose. The others are there for visuals and just need to
understand the idea that monosaccharides are made up of 1 simple sugar, disaccharides are made up of 2
monosaccharides, and polysaccharides are made up of many monosaccharides.
4. What would the chemical formula be for a polysaccharide made with 5 glucose molecules? SHOW YOUR WORK.
C6H12O6
X
If you added 5 glucose (C6H12O6) units together is would be C30H60O30. But in between
5
each glucose unit you would need to take away a water molecule (dehydration
C30H60O30
synthesis), therefore you would need to take away H8O4 (which represents 4 H2O
-
molecules – one from each bridge).
H8O4
C30H52O26
5. Fill out the following table for the structural and storage carbohydrates found in plants and animals.
Carbohydrate
Storage
Structural
Plants
Name: Starch
Animals
Name: Glycogen
Where it’s found: don’t need to know for
test – commonly stored in potatoes,
wheat, rice
Where it’s found: don’t need to know for test –
commonly stored in muscle and liver cells
Name: Cellulose
Name: Chitin
Where it’s found: Plant cell walls
Where it’s found: Insect exoskeletons, fungi cell
walls
Photosynthesis (N.T. pgs. 44-45)
6. Label and describe what happens in the structures shown in the
figure.
 Thylakoid: Stage 1 of photosynthesis (light dependent
reaction), light energy is absorbed and ATP is made
Thylakoid

Stroma: Stage 2 of photosynthesis (light
independent reaction), where glucose is made
Stroma
7. What is the balanced equation for photosynthesis? (Think about what the plant requires, and what it produces
in this process)
6 H2O + 6 CO2 + Energy (light)
C6H12O6 + 6 O2
8. Describe the location, what goes in/is needed, and the products for the two stages of photosynthesis.
Stage 1:
Stage 2:
Light Dependent Reaction
Light Independent Reaction
(a.k.a. Calvin Cycle)
Within thylakoid: light energy is
Within stroma: carbon
absorbed by chlorophyll
dioxide and ATP from 1st
pigments, water is broken down,
stage is used to make
ATP is made to use in 2nd stage
glucose
of photosynthesis, oxygen is let
off as a byproduct
9. The following three things play important roles within photosynthesis – explain that role that each plays; (1)
chlorophyll, (2) ATP (adenosine triphosphate), and (3) stomata.
Chlorophyll: green pigment found within thylakoids in chloroplast. Absorbs all visible light except for green
wavelength.
ATP (adenosine triphosphate): cellular energy produced during the light dependent reaction. Used to help make
glucose in the 2nd stage of photosynthesis (it is also what is made during cellular respiration).
Stomata: pores located on the underside of leaves. Allows for gases to move in and out of the leaf (can also let
water escape from the leaf).
Respiration (N.T. pgs. 46-47)
10. Write the balanced chemical equation for cellular respiration. What is the purpose of this process?
C6H12O6 + 6 O2
TO BREAK DOWN GLUCOSE
AND MAKE ATP! (ATP = energy
that the cell can use!)
6 H2O + 6 CO2 + ATP
11. Identify and describe the three steps of respiration. In your description, include where it occurs, what is broken
down, and what is produced. (Add to the picture in which steps CO2 and H2O are let off as waste products)
a. Glycolysis: glucose is broken down into two pyruvic
acid molecules. Some ATP is produced. (*lysis
means to split…thus glyco-lysis is the splitting of
glucose!)
b.
Krebs Cycle: Pyruvic acid is broken down, CO2 is
created as a byproduct. Some ATP is produced.
c.
Electron Transport Chain (ETC): Happens in the
presence of O2, hydrogen released from products
from steps 1 and 2 and water is made as a
byproduct. LOTS of ATP is produced.
H2O
CO2
12. What is the difference between aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration? Which of the three steps above
of respiration requires oxygen?
Aerobic respiration occurs in the presence of oxygen and produces much more ATP. Anaerobic respiration
happens in the absence of oxygen and does not make as much ATP.
13. Fill in the table to compare and contrast photosynthesis and cellular respiration:
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Purpose of process
To make glucose
To break down glucose to make ATP
(energy that can be used by cells to
perform necessary processes)
Organisms that
complete process
Autotrophs:
PLANTS, some bacteria, algae
All living things
Organelle in which
process occurs
Chloroplast
Mitochondria
Reactants
Part of process
(stage or step)
reactant involved in
Location of
stage/step
CO2
H2O
O2
C6H12O6
Light independent
reaction (Calvin
Cycle)
Light dependent
reaction
Electron Transport
Chain
(Step 3)
Glycolysis
(Step 1 - breaks
down glucose)
Stroma
Thylakoid (needs
chlorophyll to
absorb light energy)
Inner mitochondrial
membrane*
Cytoplasm*
*don’t need to know for
test
*don’t need to know for
test
Products
O2
C6H12O6
CO2
H2O
ATP produced at every step
Part of process
(stage or step)
product produced
Light dependent
reaction
Light independent
reaction (Calvin
Cycle)
Krebs Cycle
(Step 2)
Electron Transport
Chain
(Step 3)
Location of
stage/step
Thylakoid
Stroma
Mitochondrial
matrix*
Inner mitochondrial
membrane*
*don’t need to know for
test
*These pictures will be
valuable for you to
understand. They help you
realize where each reactant
is being used and at which
part produces the products.
*don’t need to know for
test