Biology exam study guide
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What are the goals of science?
What happens first in the scientific method?
The information collected in a science experiment is known as…
What is a hypothesis?
Define variable, independent variable, dependent variable, and constant.
When one discovers new information as a result of a study, what might a
scientist do with that information?
7) What is peer review?
8) Why is peer review of research important?
9) Is a theory changeable, and why?
10) Define theory, scientific law, bias, inference.
11) How does science help individuals in society?
12) List the characteristics of living things.
13) What is the purpose of cell specialization?
14) What are the basic units of length, mass, and volume?
15) Be able to perform metric conversions…
16) Why is the metric system so efficient and important in scientific
communication?
17) List three atomic sub-particles.
18) Define isotope.
19) What is the formula for water?
20) What are valence electrons?
21) Define the properties of water, including cohesion, adhesion, & heat
capacity.
22) Explain how the polar nature of water results in the properties of water.
23) Define solution versus suspension.
24) What is the pH of an acid and what is the pH of a base on the pH scale?
25) Define acid versus base.
26) What is the importance of carbon as the element that is the basis for all life?
27) List the four classes of biological molecules examples of each their
monomers and the structure of the monomers.
28) In a reaction, what are the reactants and what are the products?
29) What is activation energy?
30) What are enzymes and how do they affect activation energy?
31) How do enzymes function?
32) What factors affect the function of an enzyme?
33) Who discovered cells and how?
34) List the three parts of the cell theory.
35) Explain the difference between a scanning electron microscope and a
transmission electron microscope.
36) Define prokaryote and eukaryote, and differentiate between the two.
37) What characteristics would define a prokaryote?
38) What characteristics would define a eukaryote?
39) Which of the five kingdoms are prokaryotes?
40) What is the function of the nucleus, what is it structure, and what does it
contain?
41) Define the function of the following cell organelles: Golgi apparatus,
lysosome, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, chloroplasts, microtubules,
microfilaments, nucleolus, cytoplasm, ribosomes, large vacuole, cell
membrane, cell wall.
42) Which organelles are involved in energy conversion?
43) List the ways in which substances can cross the cell membrane and define
each.
44) What is osmosis?
45) Explain cytolysis and plasmolysis.
46) What is required for active transport?
47) List three kinds of active transport and explain them…
48) What is homeostasis?
49) What is the difference between a unicellular organism and a multicellular
organism?
50) List the different levels of organization in organism in order of size…
51) What are the three parts of an ATP molecule?
52) Why is ATP the energy currency of the cell?
53) Define autotroph and heterotroph and give examples of each.
54) What is photosynthesis?
55) Write the equation for photosynthesis, and all required elements.
56) How does the plant harvest light energy?
57) Why are plants green?
58) What does NADP do?
59) Explain the light dependent reactions.
60) Explain the light independent reactions, also known as the dark reactions.
61) What is another name for the light independent reactions?
62) What is the ultimate goal of photosynthesis?
63) What factors affect the rate of photosynthesis and how?
64) What is cellular respiration?
65) Write the equation for respiration, and all required elements.
66) What is the sequence of pathways in respiration?
67) About how much ATP is produced in cellular respiration?
68) How is ATP produced in cellular respiration?
69) What can stop cellular respiration, and in which pathway will it stop?
70) What is the ultimate goal of cellular respiration?
71) How does the cell get energy when no oxygen is available?
72) Defined aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
73) List the two types of anaerobic respiration, and give examples of each.
74) What is produced in each type of anaerobic respiration?
75) How does one get rid of lactic acid accumulation?