BIOLOGY- 1 Semester Final Exam STUDY GUIDE ANSWER KEY

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1. List the 7 characteristics of all living things.

A. All living things are organized
B.All living things reproduce
C.All living things respond to their environment
D.All living things are made up of cells
E.All living things change during their lifetimes
F.All living things adapt and evolve
G.All living things use energy

2. List the 6 steps of the Scientific Method IN ORDER.

A.Define the problem
B.Form a hypothesis
C.Perform an experiment
D.Collect and analyze data
E.Draw a conclusion
F.Report findings

3. Explain the difference between the Independent and Dependent Variable in an experiment.
The independent variable is what is being changed. It is affecting the outcome of the
experiment. The dependent variable is the condition that results from changes in the
independent variable. It is what you are measuring in the experiment.

4. Explain the difference between a constant and a control in an experiment.

The control is the group that you compare the experimental group to .You are not
changing the conditions for the control group. The constants are variable that are kept
the same throughout the experiment.

5. List 5 levels of organization in living things beginning with the cell.

A.Cell
B.Tissue
C.Organ
D.Organ System
E.Organism

6. Give an example of a stimulus and a response to that stimulus in a living thing of your
choice.
A stimulus would be cold weather and the response would be a black bear hibernating or
a tree losing their leaves.

7. What kinds of things to biologists study? Be specific.

Biologists study the interactions of life.

8. How can one tell if two organisms are of the same SPECIES?
Two organisms of the same species can produce offspring, their offspring are fertile,
and they look and act similar.

9. What is the difference between a THEORY and a SCIENTIFIC LAW?

 A scientific law is always true; a theory may be found to be incorrect with further
experimentation.

10. What is DATA?

Data is information obtained from experiments. This can be in numerical form as well as
verbal form.

11. Explain the difference between Quantitative and Descriptive (Qualitative) DATA.
Quantitative data is numerical values or measurements. Descriptive data is written
description of what the scientist has observed (not numerical)

12. Give an example of Quantitative AND Qualitative DATA.

Quantitative data would be the height of a plant and qualitative data would be a
description of animal behavior.

13. Write a sentence that relates ETHICS and TECHNOLOGY. Use BOTH words in the
sentence.
There may be ethical issues regarding the technology of genetic engineering.
Ethics-the study of what is right and wrong
Technology-the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes

14. Write a valid and testable if, then hypothesis for the problem Does exposure to the sun
cause skin cancer?
If I increase sun exposure a group of people receives, then the frequency of skin
cancer will be higher.

15. How can one tell if an experiment and its experimental data are VALID?
An experiment and its experimental data are valid when the hypothesis is supported by
data from additional experiments.

16. Give an example of a scientific THEORY and a SCIENTIFIC LAW.

An example of a scientific law is Newtons third law of motion, states that for every action
there is an equal and opposite reaction. An example of a theory is cell theory.

17. What is the difference between GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT?

Growth is the increase in the amount of living material and the formation of new
structures. Development is all of the changes that take place during the organisms life.

18. How could you prove that something is an ORGANISM ? For example, how could you
prove that a SPONGE is an organism?
Organisms have an orderly structure, produce offspring, grow and develop, and adapt
to changes in the environment.

19. List the 3 properties of water as discussed in Unit 2?

A.Water is a POLAR molecule
B.Water resists temperature changes
C.Water expands when it freezes

20. Why are the properties of water important to organisms?

 These properties are important because it allows most life processes to occur, serves
as a means of material transportation in organisms, and it makes up 70-95% of most
organisms.

21. For each of the properties of water listed in Question 19, give an example of how it affects
an organism?
A. Plants get water because the from the ground to the tops of plants because of
capillary action. Capillary action is caused by polarity.

B. Organisms are made mostly of water. Body temperatures do not change

rapidly because water resists temperature change.

C.Ice gets into rocks and freezes, causing the rocks to expand which leads to the
formation of soil.

22. Define the following terms.

A. Diffusion- The random movement of particles from an area of higher
concentration to lower concentration, eventually resulting in even distribution.

B. Concentration Gradient- the process of particles moving through a solution

from an area of higher number of particles to an area of lower number of particles. The areas
are typically separated by a membrane.

C. Dynamic Equilibrium- Result of diffusion where there is continuous movement

of particles but not overall change in concentration

23. Using all 3 terms from Question 22, write a sentence describing what would happen if you
put a drop of food coloring in a beaker of water.
If I put a drop of food coloring in a beaker of water the color would diffuse in the water.
The color would move with the concentration gradient, meaning the color would spread
from areas of high concentrations to low concentrations. Once the color is spread
equally throughout the water, it is in dynamic equilibrium.

24. Complete the table below.

Carbohydrates Lipids Proteins Nucleic Acids

Building Carbon, hydrogen, and Glycerol Large and Carbon, hydrogen,

blocks oxygen (2 hydrogen and + complex nitrogen, and
one oxygen atom for 3 Fatty Acids polymer phosphorus atoms
every carbon atom) made up of arranged in three
amino acids groups:a base, a simple
sugar, and a phosphate
group
Example Beef fat enzymes DNA, RNA
Monosaccharides and
disaccharide:
Fructose, glucose,
sucrose

Function Store and release energy Energy Help carry Stores cellular
storage, out chemical information in the form
insulation, and reactions of a code
protective
coatings.

25. Give 3 similarities and 3 differences between PROKARYOTIC and EUKARYOTIC cells.
Similarities Differences
- Make up life -Pro-no internal membrane bound organelles
-contains dna -Pro- only unicellular organisms
-contains ribosomes -Pro=bacteria Eu=all other organisms

26. What is meant by SELECTIVE PERMEABILITY?

The membrane maintains homeostasis by allowing some molecules into the cell while
keeping others out.

27. Complete the table below.

Organelle Function

Nucleus Control Center, contains instructions for producing proteins

Cell membrane Controls what enters and leaves the cell, provides protection

Mitochondria Power House, provides all of the energy that the cell uses
 Lysosome Garbage man, gets rid of waste products

Endoplasmic Reticulum Workspace for making proteins and is a pathway for their transport

Golgi Apparatus Packages the proteins and transports within or out of the cell

Ribosomes Makes proteins

Vacuoles Storage center of the cell

Cytoskeleton Provides shape, structure, and support for the cell.

Vesicles Transports materials within or outside of the cell

28. Define the following 3 terms.

A. Hypotonic solution- Concentration of dissolved substances is lower in the

solution outside the cell than the concentration inside the cell. Therefore there is more water
outside the cell than inside.

B. Hypertonic solution- Concentration of dissolved substances outside the cell is

higher than concentration inside the cell.

C. Isotonic solution- Concentration of dissolved substance in the solution is the

same as the concentration of dissolved substances inside the cell.
29. Does water move INTO or OUT OF a cell placed in the following?
A. Hypotonic solution- into

B. Hypertonic solution- out of

C. Isotonic solution- both

30. What happens to the shape of an ANIMAL cell placed in the following?
A. Hypotonic solution- swell, may swell until they burst

B. Hypertonic solution- shrivel up

C. Isotonic solution- retain normal shape

31. What happens to the shape of a PLANT cell placed in the following?
A. Hypotonic solution- swell beyond their normal size

B. Hypertonic solution- membrane shrinks away from cell wall

C. Isotonic solution- retains normal shape

32. Describe and give an example of the three types of symbiotic relationships.
a) Commensalism- one species benefit, the other is neutral. ex) sea anemone and clownfish
b) Parasitism- one species benefits, the other is harmed/hurt ex)
c) Mutualism- both species benefits ex) cleaning birds and rhinos

34. Contrast density-dependent and density-independent factors and give an example of each.
The effect of density-dependent factors increase as population size increases. ex)disease,
parasitism, competition. Density-independent factors have the same effect no matter the size.
ex) natural disasters