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Warren Hills Regional High School
Honors/Pre-AP Biology
Summer Assignment 2012-2013
Welcome to Honors Biology! Honors Biology is a Pre-AP [Advanced Placement] course.
Designed to be the precursor to AP Biology, the equivalent of a college introductory
biology course, this course will prepare students for the critical thinking and problem
solving skills required in higher-level high school and college courses.
Your summer assignment is as follows:
Biology is like learning a new language. There are HUNDREDS of new vocabulary words
that you will encounter throughout the year. Below is a list of prefixes and suffixes that
are commonly used in Biology. Defining and knowing these terms prior to beginning the
class will help you understand the new “language” of biology.
Over the summer you will:
1. Define the meanings of the prefixes and suffixes, starting on the next page.
Dictionary.com is a great resource. [Note: each prefix/suffix should only be a
word or two long --NOT a complete/formal definition].
2. Create the word that fits the provided definitions.
3. Write the definition that correlates to the provided term.
Do NOT look up the formal definition. Your definitions should be based upon the
prefix/suffix meanings. You may have to make connections to what you know
and think about some of your homemade definitions  Again, no credit will be
given to those answers “looked up”!
This assignment is due on the first day of class and it will be graded.
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Name: _______________________________
Learning biological terminology may seem overwhelming at first, but in actuality, it is quite easy if you know
your “basics”! Most words associated with biology are really just a combination of prefixes, root words and
suffixes. In this activity, you will go on a ‘scavenger hunt’ to find the meaning of some common
prefixes/suffixes associated with zoology. You will then answer questions pertaining to you newfound
language!
Part I: Go on a scavenger hunt and find the meanings of these common zoology prefixes/roots/suffixes!
Fill in the table as you discover your new language!!! The table is located on the next page!
Part II: Determine the meaning of the following scientific words (Use your completed table to create
definitions- DO NOT look the words up in the dictionary ).
1. biology: _________________________________________________________________________
2. endothermic: _____________________________________________________________________
3. morphology: ______________________________________________________________________
4. histology: ________________________________________________________________________
5. pseudopod: ______________________________________________________________________
6. anthozoa: ________________________________________________________________________
7. heterotrophic: ____________________________________________________________________
8. hematoma: _______________________________________________________________________
9. polychaete: ______________________________________________________________________
10. autotrophic: _____________________________________________________________________
11. erythrocyte: _____________________________________________________________________
12. cytology: _______________________________________________________________________
13. mesoderm: ______________________________________________________________________
14. heterotrophic: ___________________________________________________________________
15. carnivore: _______________________________________________________________________
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Prefixes/Suffixes
Zoo-/zoa-
Definition
Prefixes/Suffixes
-ology
Definition
Prefixes/Suffixes
Exo-
Chondro-
Auto-
-karyote
Chaeta
Cardio-
spir
Carn-
Endo-
Phago-
Chromo-
Eu-
Epi-
Echino-
Gastro-
Proto-
Ornith-
Histo-
Oligo(s)
Erythr-
Homo- or homeo-
Hydro-
Inter-
Hyper-
Pro-
Ichth(y)-
Hypo-
Hetero-
Ovo-
Lipo-
Scypha
Gnath-
Macro-
Antho-
Bi- or di-
Meso-
-tic
Herpe(t)-
Micro-
phoros
-pod or -ped
Morpho-
-tropho
Cyto-
Myo-
Omni-
Nephr-
Neuro-
Poly-
Ab-
Platy-
-philic
Cephal-
Pseudo-
Multi-
Amphi-
Pulmo-
-oma
Alb-
Rhino-
-phobic
A-
some
-derm
Arthro-
Therm-
Ost-
Corp-
Uni-
-vore
Definition
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Part III and IV. Words in context and matching. You may have to think about these!!!
16. An animal with jointed appendages would be called a(n): __________________________________
17. A fish belonging to class chondroichthyes has a body made of ______________________________
18. A sea star is a ‘spiny skinned’ animal so its proper name would be ______________________________
19. An earthworm belongs to class oligochaeta, which means “__________________________________”
20. Mammals have pulmonary respiration. Therefore, they breathe through ________________________
21. Amphibians can live in/on both __________________________ and __________________________
22. Agnatha is a group of fish lacking __________________________________
23. Clams, mussels and other bivalves have how many shells? __________________________________
24. Phagocyt…does what to viruses and bacteria: __________________________________
25. All animals have a true nucleus, therefore they are properly known as __________________________
26. The study of birds is known as: __________________________________
27. Prophase is __________________________________ phase of mitosis.
28. We will be covering cytology in this course. What will we be studying? _________________________
29. The very “first animals” on earth are known as: __________________________________
30. Arthropods wear their ‘skeleton’ on the outside of their body. Therefore, they have what is known as
a(n) __________________________________
31. Snails, slugs and other ‘stomach-footed’ animals belong to class _______________________________
_____
32. Spiracles
a. not living/ against life
_____
33. Homeostasis
b. dependence on external heat to maintain body temperature
_____
34. Nephridia
c. brain cells
_____
35. Myosin
d. mature egg cell
_____
36. Chromosomes
e. “cup animals” such as jellyfish
_____
37. Omnivore
f. fear of water (term that describes ‘tails’ of cell membrane)
_____
38. Neurons
g. excretory structure for waste removal and/or osmoregulation
_____
39. Ectothermic
h. opening for gas exchange
_____
40. Bilateral symmetry
i. protein found in muscles
_____
41. Ovum
j. “colored bodies” that hold genetic information
_____
42. Abiotic
k. same and stable internal body conditions
_____
43. Scyphozoa
l. phylum of flatworms
_____
44. Hydrophobic
m. one that eats plants and animals
_____
45. Platyhelminthes
n. splitting the body into 2 identical halves (mirror images)
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Part V. Rewrite these sentences/paragraphs in your own words to the best of your ability.
46. In our biochemistry unit, we will be studying MACROMOLECULES like carbohydrates, LIPIDS, nucleic
acids and proteins. We will study how macromolecules are built through the process of DEHYDRATION
SYNTHESIS and broken down through HYDROLYSIS.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
47. In our HOMEOSTASIS & transport unit, we will learn how water moves when placed into a HYPERTONIC
environment, ISOTONIC environment and HYPOTONIC environment.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
48. In our worm unit, we will study various phyla, inclusive of PLATYHELMINTHES, ANNELIDA and
NEMATODA. Specifically to the annelid unit, we will learn about POLYCHAETE worms as well as
OLIGOCHAETE worms in addition to several others including hirudenia.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
49. In our unit on viruses, we will learn about RHINOVIRUSES and their LYTIC reproductive mode. Also, we
will discuss those reproducing LYSOGENICALLY.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
50. In our ZOOLOGICAL studies, we will study ORNITHOLOGY and ICHTHYOLOGY as well as
HERPETOLOGY. We may encounter organisms belonging to classes AGNATHA, HYDROZOA, and SCYPHZOA
among several others.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
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