Midterm Study
Guide - KEY
Biology CPA
Scientific Method/Intro to Biology
What are the characteristics of living things?
Have Cells/Contain DNA
Respond to Stimuli
Ability to Reproduce
Grow & Develop
Maintain Homeostasis
Metabolism
Evolve
What is the organization of living things, beginning with cells?
Cells  Tissue  Organ  Organ System  Organism
What are the steps of the scientific method?
Problem/Question
Observations
Form a hypothesis
Test hypothesis/Design an Experiment
Results/Data Analysis
Conclusion
How do you calculate the power of magnification?
Multiply the ocular (10x) lens by the objective lens (4x, 10x, or
40x).
What are the differences between a compound light microscope
and an electron microscope?
Light Microscope
Electron Microscope
Light beams through a specimen
Electrons through a specimen
Always 2D
Can be 3D
Simple
Complex
SpongeBob notices that his pal Gary is suffering from slimotosis, which
occurs when the shell develops a nasty slime and gives off a horrible
odor. His friend Patrick tells him that rubbing seaweed on the shell is
the perfect cure, while Sandy says that drinking Dr. Kelp will be a better
cure. Sponge Bob decides to test this cure by rubbing Gary with
seaweed for 1 week and having him drink Dr. Kelp. After a week of
treatment, the slime is gone and Gary’s shell smells better.
What is the independent variable of this experiment?
The seaweed rubbing and Dr. Kelp.
What is the dependent variable of this experiment?
Amount of slime on shell and odor.
How might a control been included in this experiment?
If SpongeBob had a snail with no treatment and did the testing with only 1 variable.
How do you properly focus a slide specimen using a compound light
microscope, beginning at scanning and moving up in magnification?
Start in scanning power (4X) and use coarse adjustment
Switch to low power (10X) and use fine adjustment knob
Switch to high power (40X) and use fine adjustment knob
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
A food chain is a simple series of organisms each dependent on
the next as a source of food.
A food web is a more complex series of interconnected
organisms using multiple types of food sources.
Energy is transferred between trophic levels, what is the
relationship between the two?
As trophic levels increase (producers, herbivores..) the amount
of energy attained from the food source decreases to 10% of the
previous level’s energy.
What is the ultimate source of energy?
The sun.
What is the difference between an organism’s habitat and niche?
An organisms habitat is the area where the organism lives and
its niche is the role that the organism plays in its environment.
How are nutrients put back into the Earth and allow the food
web to be considered a cycle of life?
Nutrients are put back into the Earth by the decomposers by
breaking down all dead organisms and replace the soil with the
nutrients
Nutrients are also replaced by the nutrient cycles (water, carbon
and nitrogen)
Create a food chain starting with producers with the following
organisms: rabbit, grass, bacteria, eagle
Grass  rabbit  eagle  bacteria
Macromolecules
Macromolecule
Monomer/Polymer
Elements
Examples
Protein
Amino Acid/
Polypeptide
C, H, O, N
Meats
Lipids
X
C, H
Oils
Carbohydrates
Monosaccharide/
Polysaccharide
C, H, O
Bread
Nucleic Acids
Nucleotide/
DNA or RNA
C, H, O, N, P
DNA
What reagents are used to test for each of the macromolecules?
Lipids
Paper  Positive result: Transparent, Negative result: Opaque
Carbohydrates
Benedict’s solution  Positive result: Green/Orange, Negative result: Blue
Proteins
Biuret  Positive result: Purple, Negative result: Blue
Starch
Iodine  Positive result: Black, Negative result: Red/orange
What is the function of an enzyme?
Enzymes can speed up a reaction. Enzymes can start a reaction
(catalyze). Enzymes can lower the activation energy.
In the picture below, which reaction most likely involves an
enzyme?
Reaction 3
Cell Structure and Function
How is surface area relevant to cell size?
As the cell grows in size the volume increases and so does the
surface area, but at a slower rate. Cells need to be small.
What are the differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
Prokaryotes
Smaller
Bacteria/Archaea
Unicellular
No membrane bound nucleus (nucleoid)
Eukaryotes
Larger
Plants/Animals
Multicellular
Membrane bound nucleus
What are the differences between plant and animal cells?
Plant
Nucleus is off centered
Chloroplasts
Cell wall
Central vacuole
Animal
Nucleus in center
Centrioles
Lysosomes
Cellular Transport
What is the difference between a hypertonic, hypotonic, and an
isotonic solution?
Hypertonic  higher concentration outside the cell
Isotonic  same concentration outside and inside the cell
Hypotonic  lower concentration outside the cell
What happens to a plant cell when placed in a hypertonic
solution? Hypotonic solution?
Hypertonic  central vacuole will release excess water and cell membrane
may peel from the cell wall to shrink (turgor pressure is LOW in the vacuole)
Hypotonic  central vacuole will take in excess water until the cell
membrane pushes onto the cell wall and causing the cell to bulge (turgor
pressure is HIGH in the vacuole)
What happens to an animal cell when placed in a hypertonic
solution? Hypotonic solution?
Hypertonic  cell will shrink
Hypotonic  cell will swell (possibly burst)
What is selective permeability and how is the plasma membrane
selectively permeable?
Selectively permeable means the cell membrane has the ability
to choose what is allowed to enter and leave the cell. Our
plasma membrane will only allow certain solutions and molecule
into the cell using specific types of cellular transport.
What is the role of chlorophyll in photosynthesis?
Chlorophyll absorbs the light energy from the sun and transfers it
to chemical energy during the photosystem reactions.
Why do we see the color green when light is absorbed by
chlorophyll?
Chlorophyll absorbs all colors from light except for green. Green is
reflected therefore that is the color you see.
Where in the cell do each of the reactions of photosynthesis take
place?
Light reactions  thylakoid membrane of chloroplast
Calvin cycle  stroma of the chloroplast
What are the factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis, and
how do they affect them?
Temperature  Increases the rate to a certain point then
decreases if too hot
CO2 concentration & Light intensity  Increases the rate to a
certain point, then stays the same
Cellular Respiration
How are photosynthesis and cellular respiration a circular
process?
The products of one reaction are the starting reactants of the
other. They compliment each other.
What is the correct sequence of events in cellular respiration?
Glycolysis  Kreb’s Cycle  Electron Transport Chain
What are the two types of fermentation? What are their
products?
Lactic acid fermentation (product: lactic acid)
Alcoholic fermentation (product: alcohol)
What process produces the most amount of ATP?
The electron transport chain
Cell Growth & Development
How does DNA become more compact?
Chromatin wraps itself to form chromosomes.
What is the difference between a diploid and a haploid cell?
A diploid cell has two copies of each chromosome in each
cell
A haploid cell only have half the amount of chromosomes
in each cell
If the diploid number of a gorilla is 48, then what is the haploid
number of its gametes?
𝟒𝟖
𝟐
= 24
List the stages of the cell cycle in order?
INTERPHASE (G1  S  G2)  MITOSIS (prophase,
metaphase, anaphase, telophase)  CYTOKINESIS
Describe cytokinesis in plant cells?
Plant cells will form a cell plate in between the two
daughter cells allowing them to separate into two new cells,
then it will fuse to become a new cell wall.