General notes for the exam and this study guide:
1. Anything in the reading is fair game for the exam even if not included in this study guide. So unless I have told
you specifically that you can ignore something, please study everything in the book. However, I will of course
draw the majority of my questions from topics I either stressed in lecture or in this study guide even if I include
some questions from outside of these sources. So you should be strategic: make sure you know the material I
stressed during lecture and here in the study guide first, then if you feel you understand that well enough, then
turn to textbook to try to identify other potentially important topics left out.
2. For the key terms in these chapters
a) The most important terms to know are in bold, then the next important are those in normal text (non-bolded),
and the least important are in grey text.
b) The crossed out terms are those that were bold in the book but that I don’t expect you to memorize for the
exam.
c) Terms that are not bolded/highlighted in the book but which I think are important are shown in italics.
3. For multiple choice questions on the exam, read the questions and ALL of the answers very carefully before
choosing an answer. Most questions will be multiple choice. Too often students will select the first one that
sounds correct but if they had read all of the answer choices, they would realize why their first choice was not
really correct.
4. Remember, many of my questions will approach the concepts in these chapters from a different perspective than
the way you have learned them. If you truly understand the concept, this should not be too difficult, but if you just
memorized an association between related terms or concepts, you will likely get confused and you will be more
likely to choose an incorrect answer.
5. If I think of any other tips I will post them, but I want to get this out to you ASAP.
Chapter 1 - Introduction: Biology Today
Key Terms
biology
biosphere
controlled experiment
discovery science
eukaryotic cell
ecosystem
genes
genome
hypothesis
hypothesis-driven
science
life
natural selection
prokaryotic cell
science
scientific method
theory
Biology and Society: Biology All Around Us
6. Describe three examples of how biology is woven into the fabric of society.
The Scope of Life
7. Read but don’t memorize the seven properties or processes we associate with life. Understand at least 3 of those
well enough to explain to a friend how they are associated with life.
8. List in order of increasing complexity and give an example of each level of biological organization, starting with atoms
and ending biosphere.
a) The only one not covered either in this chapter (book or lecture), or other chapters covered since, is communities.
(1) The difference between communities and populations is that populations are composed of a single species living
in a particular area and communities are composed of many different species living in a particular area
(2) The difference between communities and ecosystems is that an ecosystem includes nonliving components that
life interacts with.
9. Describe the two main dynamic processes in an ecosystem. Within the ecosystem where can energy become
trapped (even if only temporarily)?
a) Describe the categories of organisms that are required for the “circle of life,” what they do, and a specific
example of each
10. What is the smallest structure that can still be considered alive.
11. Compare the structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
12. List each of the biological domains and which type of cells is associated with each one.
13. List and give one example of a specific organism for each of the subdivisions of domain eukarya (3 kingdoms and
another group with multiple kingdoms).
a) For the example for the group with multiple kingdoms, use one of the organisms we observed in lab.
14. Understand what is meant by “unity in the diversity of life”
a) What are properties that unite all living things?
b) What are properties that unite us with an amoeba but differentiate us from bacteria?
c) What are properties that unite us with plants but differentiate us from amoebas?
d) What are properties that unite us with all animals but differentiate us from plants?
Evolution: Biology’s Unifying Theme
15. Understand how to interpret a “tree of life” as in fig 1.10.
a) Name all of the closest relatives to the sun bear.
b) Name which bear or bears is the most distantly related to the sun bear
16. Be able to write down the name of the famous scientist and the book that he published that had the most
significant impact on our modern understanding of evolution.
17. What phrase from Darwin’s writings illustrate the duality of life’s unity and diversity?
18. Describe the two observations that led Darwin to his inescapable conclusion. State this conclusion.
19. Compare artificial and natural selection, noting similarities and differences. Give an example of each that was
mentioned in lecture and/or the book.
20. Describe how broccoli arose from the wild mustard plant, be as specific as possible. Note that this requires you to
“fill in the gaps” between what was covered in the book and lecture.
The Process of Science
21. Compare discovery science and hypothesis-driven science. Provide examples of each
regarding the study of trans fats in the human diet.
22. Distinguish between a hypothesis and a theory. Explain why natural selection qualifies as a scientific theory.
23. Distinguish science from other styles of inquiry.
24. Explain why being wrongly imprisoned for 25 years makes the man in fig 1.18 so happy. ;-) …this will not be on
the exam!
Evolution Connection: Evolution in Our Everyday Lives
25. Describe the relationship between the emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria and natural selection. How is
this different than what Lamark (from chapter 13) would say?
Chapter 2 - Essential Chemistry for Biology
Key Terms
acid
aqueous solution
atom
atomic number
base
buffers
chemical bonds
chemical reactions
cohesion
compounds
covalent bond
electron
elements
evaporative cooling
heat
hydrogen bonds
ions
ionic bond
isotopes
mass
mass number
matter
molecule
neutron
nucleus
pH scale
polar molecule
products
proton
radioactive isotope
reactants
solute
solution
solvent
temperature
trace elements
Biology and Society: More Precious than Gold
1. Explain why water is precious to life.
Some Basic Chemistry
2. Distinguish between matter, chemical elements, and compounds. Give examples of each.
3. Describe the relative size, location, and electrical charge of protons, neutrons, and electrons within an atom. Explain
how the atomic number and mass number are determined.
4. A neutral\balanced carbon atom has 6 protons, 6 neutrons and 6 electrons, what could you do to the atom to
create:
a) A different element
b) A different isotope
c) An ion of the same element
5. Explain how the location of electrons determines the chemical properties of an atom.
6. Distinguish between ionic, covalent, and hydrogen chemical bonds.
7. Water is a polar molecule, what does this mean? What is it about the molecule that creates the polarity?
Water and Life
8. Describe the four life-supporting properties of water.
9. Distinguish between the chemical properties of acids, bases, and neutral solutions.
Evolution Connection: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life
10. Explain why the search for extraterrestrial life centers on the search for water.
Chapter 3: The Molecules of Life
Key Terms
amino acid
atherosclerosis
carbohydrates
cellulose
dehydration reaction
denaturation
disaccharide
DNA
double helix
fat
functional groups
gene
glycogen
hydrocarbons
hydrogenation
hydrolysis
hydrophilic
hydrophobic
isomers
lipids
macromolecules
monomers
monosaccharides
nucleic acids
nucleotides
organic compounds
peptide bond
polymers
polypeptide
polysaccharides
primary structure
protein
RNA
saturated
secondary structure
starch
steroids
sugar-phosphate
backbone
trans fat
triglyceride
unsaturated
Biology and Society: Got Lactose?
1. Describe the causes and consequences of lactose intolerance.
Organic Compounds
2. Describe the special bonding properties of carbon that allow it to form an endless variety of organic molecules.
Large Biological Molecules
3. Briefly describe and give examples of the following: monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides in
living organisms.
4. Lipids and carbohydrates have vastly different chemical properties, most carbohydrates tend to be ____________
whereas lipids are ______________.
5. Describe the structure of proteins. Distinguish between the primary structure and the final three-dimensional
shape.
6. Describe and compare the structures of DNA and RNA.
a) There is something missing in DNA that is present in RNA, on what part of the nucleotide is this missing?
7. What is a gene?
Evolution Connection: Evolution and Lactose Intolerance in Humans
8. Don’t worry about the top box on pg 51: “Lactose Intolerance THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE”
9. Explain why lactose intolerance has evolved differently in humans spread throughout
the world.
Chapter 4 - A Tour of the Cell
Key Terms
cell junctions
cell theory
central vacuole
chloroplasts
chromatin
chromosomes
cilia
cristae
cytoplasm
cytoskeleton
cytosol
electron microscope
(EM)
endomembrane system
endoplasmic reticulum
(ER)
eukaryotic cells
extracellular matrix
flagella
fluid mosaic
Golgi apparatus
grana
light microscope (LM)
lysosome
magnification
matrix
microtubules
mitochondria
nuclear envelope
nucleoid
nucleolus
nucleus
organelles
phospholipids
phospholipid bilayer
plasma membrane
prokaryotic cells
resolving power
ribosomes
rough ER
scanning electron
microscope (SEM)
smooth ER
stroma
transmission electron
microscope (TEM)
transport vesicles
vacuoles
Biology and Society: Antibiotics: Drugs that Target Bacterial Cells
1. Explain how antibiotics specifically target bacteria while minimally harming the
human host.
The Microscopic World of Cells
2. Compare the following pairs of terms, noting the most significant differences: light microscopes versus electron
microscopes, magnification versus resolution, prokaryotic cells versus eukaryotic cells, plant cells versus animal
cells.
Membrane Structure
3. Describe the structure of the plasma membrane and other membranes of the cell.
4. What is on the surface of most animals cells that connect cells together into tissues?
The Nucleus and Ribosomes: Genetic Control of the Cell
5. I didn’t go over this in class, but know that the genetic information in DNA is copied into mRNA which leaves
the nucleus. Ribosomes “read” the genetic information in the mRNA and translate the nucleic acid code into an
amino acid sequence which folds in a specific way to produce a functional protein (see pg 63).
The Endomembrane System: Manufacturing and Distributing Cellular Products
6. The endoplasmic reticulum occurs in two forms, what are these forms?
a) In terms of how the two appear, what makes one form different than the other? Be specific.
b) Which form is important for producing proteins that are secreted?
7. Which part of the endomembrane system serves as the “shipping and receiving” center?
Chloroplasts and Mitochondria: Energy Conversion
8. The figure in the chapter summary on pg 72 is good, know the concepts underlying this figure
9. Don’t worry about the terms stroma, grana, cristae, and matrix (mitochondrial) you’ll have to wait until next week
for those ;)
10. Compare the structure and function of chloroplasts and mitochondria. Describe the adaptive advantages of
extensive folds in the grana of chloroplasts and the inner membrane of mitochondria.
The Cytoskeleton: Cell Shape and Movement
11. Don’t worry about the definitions of, or the differences between, the different types of filaments (microtubules,
intermediate filaments, and microfilimants) but DO KNOW the names of each and that each are part of the
cytoskeleton
12. Describe the functions of the cytoskeleton.
13. Don’t worry about the similarities and differences between cilia and flagella, just know they are long thin
structures that extend out from the cell membrane and move/wiggle.
Evolution Connection: The Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance
14. Explain how and why antibiotic-resistant bacteria have evolved.
Chapter 13 - How Populations Evolve
Key Terms
evolution
evolutionary adaptation
fossils
natural selection
population
Charles Darwin and The Origin of Species
1. Compare the ideas of Aristotle, Lamarck, and Darwin on the ability of species to change.
2. Explain how Darwin’s voyages on the Beagle influenced the development of his thoughts on evolution.
3. Explain how Lyell’s ideas impacted Darwin’s thinking.
4. Describe Darwin’s two main points in The Origin of Species.
Natural Selection
5. Describe Darwin’s two main observations that led to the concept of natural selection.
6. Explain how natural selection is more a process of editing than a creative mechanism.
Chapter 21 - How Populations Evolve
Key Terms
connective tissue
epithelial tissue
muscle tissue
nervous tissue
organ
organ systems
tissue
General
1. Don’t worry about the specific details of each of the figures on p 468-463 but still look over them.
The Structural Organization of Animals
2. Understand what is meant by form fits function and the analogy with the screwdriver and hammer. Understand
why this is an important concept in biology.
3. Define a tissue and describe the four main categories of animal tissues, noting examples of each.
4. Be able to define and differentiate between organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems and organisms. Also
be able to give an example of each (refer to earlier chapters for more)