Practical I (Units 1-6) Review
General Tips
 Studying consistently over a period of days is much more effective than pulling an all-nighter
before the practical.
 The Biology lab manual website has links to images, and videos to review.
 You will not be asked to “run” experiments. You should be able to interpret results (graphs),
identify lab equipment, and understand scientific concepts covered in lab.
 Microscopes to study from are available in the library “science area.” You can check out
slides from the library front desk.
 The Unit 1 metric conversion chart will NOT be provided on the practical. You must
memorize this.
Unit 1: Measurement & Lab Equipment
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Describe the base units of the metric system.
Explain what metric unit is used to measure volume, length, mass, and temperature.
Know how to convert between metric units with the same base (move the decimal).
Know the metric prefixes, their abbreviations, and how much of the base unit they represent.
Convert between different metric base units (1g=1ml=1cc) of water at standard conditions.
Describe how to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius and how to convert from Celsius to
Fahrenheit.
7. Identify all lab equipment used in Unit 1.
8. Draw/Define meniscus.
9. Know which lab items are most accurate when measuring volume (2).
10. Know how to appropriately measure the mass using both the electronic balance and the
triple beam balance.
11. Understand if something should be measured in grams or kg.
12. Know how to appropriately measure length using rulers and meter sticks.
13. Predict if an item would be appropriately measured in mm, cm, m, or km.
14. Distinguish between weight and mass.
15. Write numbers in scientific notation.
16. Take a number in scientific notation and write in long form.
17. Calculate the mean, median and range of a set of numbers.
18. Know the definition of deviation, variance, and standard deviation.
Unit 2: Spectrophotometry
1. Describe why a pencil looks yellow.
2. Correlate colors of visible spectrum with their corresponding wavelengths or range of
wavelengths.
3. Identify components of a spectrophotometer.
4. Know how to calibrate the spectrophotometer to 0% and 100% transmission.
5. What is the purpose of a blank tube?
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6. Describe the inverse relationship between transmittance and absorbance.
7. What does it mean when there is nothing in the spectrophotometer and you are setting 0%
transmission (think about absorbance)?
8. What does it mean when there is only the blank tube in the spectrophotometer and you are
setting 100% transmission (think about absorbance)?
9. Define serial dilution and know how to create a serial dilution.
10. If given the starting concentration of a serial dilution, understand how to determine the
concentration of each subsequent dilution.
11. Describe the relationship between protein concentration and absorbance.
12. Know how to construct a standard curve.
13. Understand how to use a standard curve to find the concentration of an unknown protein
solution (Fig 3.1).
14. Know the flow of the scientific method (Sup Fig 1).
15. Define independent and dependent variable.
16. Identify the independent and dependent variable in scientific protocols.
17. Define hypothesis.
Unit 3: Acids, Bases, pH
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2.
3.
4.
Describe the relationship between H+ concentration and pH.
Explain what an acid or a base does to the H+ concentration of a solution.
Describe what it means that pH is a based on a log scale.
If the concentration of the H+ ions is 10-5 what is the concentration of the OH- ions and what
is the pH of the solution?
5. List the advantages and disadvantages to using anthocyanins, pH paper, and pH meters to
determine pH.
6. Define anthocyanin.
7. Describe what must be done first before using anthocyanins to determine pH.
8. Identify the relative colors of acids/bases/neutral substances when using cabbage
anthocyanins.
9. Describe what numerical values correspond to acidic, neutral, and basic solutions.
10. State how to use anthocyanins to determine pH.
11. Describe what must be done first before using a pH meter to determine pH.
12. Define alkalized.
13. Determine how alkalized a solution is based on pH values.
14. Know the definition of buffer, and buffering capacity.
15. Describe the difference between solutions with low buffering capacity and high buffering
capacity.
16. Identify solutions as buffers based on data (graph).
17. Know how to read/interpret the buffer graph generated in experiment 3.4.
Unit 4: Macromolecules
1. Identify visually positive and negative results for the four detection tests (know colors).
2. List the positive and negative controls for each experiment.
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3. Know which detection reagent tests for which macromolecule.
4. Differentiate between testing for reducing sugars (carbohydrates) and starches
(carbohydrates).
5. Provide examples of reducing sugars.
6. Compare and contrast the 4 test reagent protocols.
7. List the names of the four detection reagents.
8. Describe Sudan IV solubility in water.
9. Define emulsifier.
10. What is the effect of an emulsifier on a lipid/water solution?
11. Describe what Benedict’s and Biuret’s solution have in common.
12. A Biuret test on soda turns tan/light orange. Explain these results.
Unit 5: Microscopy and Cytology
1. Understand orientation of slides under the microscope.
2. Describe how to determine what is on the upper surface of the slide v. the bottom layer of
the slide.
3. Identify and know the function of microscope parts.
4. Know how to use/focus the microscope.
5. Describe how to observe a specimen with the light microscope. What is the sequence of
objective lens that one uses? What /when do you use the different adjustment knobs?
6. Visually identify plant v. animal cells from the specimens viewed in class.
7. Describe the relationship between magnification and field of view.
8. Describe the relationship between magnification and resolution.
9. Describe the relationship between magnification and depth of focus.
10. Define magnification, resolution, field of view, and depth of focus.
11. Know what structures could and couldn’t be visualized in the Elodea, onion, and cheek cells.
12. Know what stains were used for each slide created in class.
13. Identify the following structures in an Elodea cell and know their functions
a. Cell wall/plasma membrane
b. Cytoplasm/vacuole
c. Chloroplast
d. CAN’T visualize (nucleus, nucleoli)
14. Identify the following structures in an onion cell and know their functions
a. Cell wall/plasma membrane
b. Cytoplasm/vacuole
c. Nucleus
d. Nucleoli
e. NOT THERE – chloroplasts –not found in non-green plant tissue
15. Identify the following structures in a cheek cell and know their functions
a. Plasma membrane
b. Cytoplasm
c. Nucleus
d. HARD TO VISUALIZE (nucleolus)
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e. NOT THERE- cell wall, vacuole, chloroplast – these structures aren’t found in animal
cells
16. Differentiate between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells
17. Differentiate between plant and animal cells
18. List the part(s) of the microscope that we be used to change the amount of light (contrast) of
the specimen.
19. Draw what the letters FGZ look like when viewed in the microscope.
Unit 6: Prokaryotes
1. Differentiate between bacteria based on morphology (cocci, bacilli, spirilla, staphylo, strepto)
2. Explain the structural and cellular differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.
3. Know the gram staining procedure and the reason for the addition of each stain.
4. Know how to use the oil immersion lens
5. Differentiate between gram + and gram – cells by comparing their cell wall composition.
6. Identify gram+ versus gram – cells visually
7. Describe what regions of the body are most likely sterile, as well as how bacterial infections
can spread or be treated.
8. Know Koch’s postulates.
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