HONORS BIOLOGY MIDTERM EXAM STUDY GUIDE
2015 -2016
Use the following practice questions to help you prepare for our midterm exam. These questions
DO NOT cover ALL of the content that you may be expected to know for the midterm; rather they
represent a series of the types of questions you might be expected to answer.
As always, use your UNIT STUDY GUIDES, ONLINE REVIEW GAMES, and your BIOLOGY JOURNAL to
review the full range of information and skills that you may be expected to display on the midterm.
YOU SHOULD REVIEW ALL EXPERIMENTS WE HAVE PERFORMED AS DESCRIBED IN YOUR
JOURNAL; INCLUDING THE DIFFUSION AND OSMOSIS LABS; THE ENZYME LAB; AND THE YEAST
FERMENTATION LAB.
BE PREPARED TO ANALYZE A DESCRIBED EXPERIMENT, INCLUDING AN ANALYSIS OF THE
VALIDITY OF A GIVEN PROCEDURE AND INTERPRETATION OF ANY DATA (claims with evidence).
Global Interdependence:
1. DRAW the CARBON CYCLE.
a) How does carbon enter a deer’s body?
b) Identify two ways this element can leave the deer’s body
c) How have humans altered the cycling of carbon?
d) How has that alteration impacted our environment?
e) What can we do to minimize the impact of human activities on the cycling a carbon?
2. DRAW the NITROGEN CYCLE.
a) Nitrogen is required for the synthesis of which organic compounds?
b) Explain how atmospheric nitrogen makes its way into a mammal. Identify the chemical forms of nitrogen
involved, the reactions that convert nitrogen from one chemical form to another, and any microorganisms
required for each chemical conversion.
c) Explain how the nitrogen in organisms is converted back into atmospheric nitrogen.
d) Why do farmers frequently include legumes as part of a crop rotation?
e) Why do farmers frequently use commercial fertilizers to increase the yield of their crops?
3. Define and explain the terms eutrophication and hypoxia. Include dead zone in your answer.
4. Describe the negative impacts the use of fertilizers can have on our environment and explain WHY.
5. DDT is an insecticide that often washes into rivers due to runoff. In a water environment with plankton, which
are consumed by small fish, which are consumed by Tuna, which species would be the most harmful to humans?
Why? What is this phenomenon called?
6. What is a “Brownfield Site”? What are some contaminants frequently found at such sites?
7. Describe the Greenhouse Effect. Explain current understandings of the causes and effects of the Greenhouse
Effect and Global Warming.
8. Describe the human activities that may be contributing to changes in atmospheric CO2 levels. Describe the
effect that increasing CO2 levels may have on the environment.
9. Describe and explain changes that could be made to make the Greenwich High School campus more
environmentally friendly.
10. What is biodiversity and why is it important?
Biochemistry:
11. DRAW the structure of ATP.
a) Identify its three major structural components (phosphate, sugar, and nitrogen base).
b) Identify where on the ATP molecule the energy is stored.
c) Explain how the conversion of ATP to ADP supplies an organism with energy.
d) Where is ATP produced? Which type(s) of cells make ATP?
12. Describe and compare the following types of bonds: covalent bonds, ionic bonds, and hydrogen bonds. Provide
an example of each.
13. Explain WHY carbon atoms form a maximum of 4 covalent bonds.
14. IDENTIFY the four major classes of organic compounds. Provide examples of each, describe their major
functions, identify the monomers and polymers of each class, and draw the structural formulas of specific
examples of molecules belonging to each class.
15. Be able to identify the structural formulas of ATP, monosaccharides, disaccharides, amino acids, polypeptides,
glycerol, fatty acids, and triglycerides.
16. Describe a dehydration synthesis reaction. Provide a specific example.
17. Describe a hydrolysis reaction. Provide a specific example.
18. Describe the function of enzymes. In your answer define and explain the terms substrate, active site, and
activation energy. Explain WHY enzymes are so specific in their functions.
19. Describe what is meant by saying an enzyme is “denatured.” Describe how it affects an enzyme’s function and
WHY.
20. Describe TWO environmental factors that can impact an enzyme’s function and explain WHY they have this
affect.
21. Describe the impacts of enzyme and substrate concentration on the relative rate of enzyme activity.
22. Explain why some people are “lactose intolerant.”
23. Describe how pH is measure of the acidity of an environment. Which pH values are acidic? Which are basic?
Describe the relationship between pH and hydrogen ion (H+) concentration.
The Cell:
24. Describe and compare eukaryotes versus prokaryotes, including similarities and differences.
25. Describe and compare animal cells, plant cells, and bacterial cells, including similarities and differences.
26. Describe the following cellular structures, including the cell types that contain them and their function. Be able
to identify each on a diagram of a cell. Which structures/features do ALL cells have?
a) Plasma/cell membrane (including characteristics of phospholipids)
b) Nucleus
c) Ribosome
d) Endoplasmic Reticulum (Rough and Smooth)
e) Mitochondria
f) Chloroplast
g) Lysosome
h) Vacuole
27. Describe WHY cell membranes are called “semi-permeable”. Explain WHY this characteristic is important to the
function of a cell.
28. Define and describe diffusion.
29. Describe two factors that can determine whether a molecule can passively diffuse through a given semipermeable membrane.
30. Define and describe osmosis.
31. Describe what is meant by the terms hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic. Predict the effect on a cell of being
placed in each of those types of solutions, including an explanation of how the water will move and WHY.
32. Describe and compare passive transport versus active transport. Provide a specific example of each.
33. Describe and compare simple diffusion versus facilitated diffusion. Provide a specific example of each.
Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis:
34. Write the complete balanced chemical equation for cellular respiration.
35. List the three steps of cellular respiration and identify where each step occurs.
36. Describe and explain glycolysis, including where it occurs, reactants and products, and energy inputs and
outputs.
37. Describe and explain pyruvate oxidation, including where it occurs, reactants and products, and energy inputs
and outputs.
38. Describe and explain the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle), including where it occurs, reactants and products, and
energy inputs and outputs.
39. Describe and explain the electron transport chain, including where it occurs, reactants and products, and energy
inputs and outputs.
a) Explain the role of NADH and FADH2 in the electron transport chain. What are they carrying? From where to
where?
b) Explain the role of hydrogen ions (H+) in the electron transport chain.
c) Explain the role of ATP synthase in the electron transport chain.
40. Identify the ATP yield for each step of aerobic cellular respiration and the approximate total ATP yield from one
molecule of glucose.
41. Explain the role of oxygen in aerobic cellular respiration. At which step is it required and why? Explain why
oxygen is called the “final electron acceptor” of cellular respiration. Where does the oxygen come from?
42. Explain why cellular respiration produces carbon dioxide gas? At which steps is it produced? How much is made
at each step? Why? Where does it go?
43. Write the complete balanced chemical equation for photosynthesis.
44. Define what a pigment is. Identify pigments that are important for photosynthesis. Explain why a pigment
appears to be a given color with reference to light absorption versus reflection.
45. How does the color of light impact the rate of photosynthesis?
46. List the two phases of photosynthesis and identify where each occurs.
47. Describe and explain the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis, including where they occur and all inputs
and outputs.
a) Describe and explain the role of Photosystems II and I in the light-dependent reactions, including the role of
chlorophyll and other pigments, the electron transport chain, and the movement of electrons.
b) Explain the role of water in the light-dependent reactions.
c) Explain why oxygen gas is produced by the light-independent reactions. In other words, where does the
oxygen produced in photosynthesis come from?
d) Explain the role of ADP, ATP, NADP+, and NADPH in the light-dependent reactions.
48. Describe and explain the light-independent reactions (Calvin cycle) of photosynthesis, including where they
occur and all inputs and outputs.
a) Explain the role of carbon dioxide in the light-independent reactions (Calvin cycle).
b) Explain the role of ADP, ATP, NADP+, and NADPH in the light-independent reactions (Calvin cycle).
c) Explain how the light-independent reactions (Calvin cycle) lead to the production of glucose.