Download Flow of Matter_04_Sample Quiz Questions_Key

Name: _____________________KEY_________________
Date: __________________
Am I Really What I Eat?
______________________________________________________________________________
Using your model of how matter flows from our food cells to our own cells, answer the following questions:
Breakout session #2
Question #1:
 Athletes preparing for a competition will often “carbo load” or eat a meal high in carbohydrates the night
before. If glycogen is an important source of energy in our muscles, explain in words and well-labeled
diagrams below how matter is transformed from a potato to our muscle cells to generate this macromolecule.
1) Make sure you include the following words in your explanation: Check off each term as you use it





potato cells
amyloplasts
starch
polymer
digestion





hydrolysis
covalent bonds
monosaccharides
monomers
absorption
 animal cells
 dehydration reaction
 glycogen
2) Make sure you also include at least one observation from our Cell Diversity Lab (Lab 02) as evidence to
support your explanation.
[Draw a picture of a potato cell as we saw under the microscope in our Cell Diversity Lab; Label the cell wall
and the amyloplasts containing starch.]
Amyloplasts
filled with
starch stained
Potato
with Lugol’s
Under the
microscope
Cell wall
Potato cell
Starch is a carbohydrate and is a long polymer of many monomers called monosaccharides linked together by
covalent bonds. During digestion inside our bodies the covalent bonds that hold the monosaccharides together
in the starch polymer are broken down during a chemical reaction called hydrolysis. This allows the
monosaccharide monomers to be absorbed in our intestines and delivered to our cells (as humans we are made
of animal cells) through our circulation. Inside the animal cells of our body the monosaccharides are used as
building blocks in a series of chemical reactions called dehydration reactions that link the monosaccharides into
long branched chains called glycogen.
REVISIONS:
Breakout session #3
Question #2:
 Vegetarians can get the protein that their body needs by making sure they eat enough foods that are high in
protein, like beans, nuts, and whole grains. As you did in Question #1, explain in words and well-labeled
diagrams below how a plant’s proteins are transformed from its cells (use a typical plant cell in your answer)
into human proteins in your cells (use a typical animal cell).
1) Make sure you include the following words in your explanation: Check off each term as you use it
 plant cell
 example of a cellular structure in a plant cell
where you would find protein
 polymer
 digestion
 stomach acid
 hydrogen bonds
 hydrolysis
 covalent bonds





amino acids
monomers
absorption
animal cell
the cellular structure that is responsible for
protein synthesis
 dehydration reaction
 protein
Beans, nuts, and whole grains are products from plants that consist of plant cells. Inside the plant cells are
many cellular structures that contain protein, such as [see a list of some examples below that you could pick for
your answer:
Ribosomes – made of protein and RNA!
Mitochondria – contain enzymes made of protein that harvest energy from our food
Cell membranes (the plasma membrane and any organelle that is surrounded by a membrane) – contain proteins
embedded in the membrane that allow the membrane to regulate traffic in and out of the cell or organelle
Nucleus – in addition to containing DNA, the nucleus contains many proteins that help regulate gene expression
Cytoskeleton – made of many proteins linked together
Central vacuole – stores proteins (and other nutrients) in seed cells
Add your favorite cellular structure here – it probably has some protein in it!]
A protein is a polymer of many monomers called amino acids that are linked together by covalent bonds. The
structure of a protein is held together by hydrogen bonds between the amino acids in the polymer (remember
primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary protein structure). During digestion, our stomach acid (pH 2)
disrupts these hydrogen bonds causing the protein to denature (unfold and lose its structure). This allows
enzymes in our digestive tract to break the covalent bonds between the amino acids in a chemical reaction
called hydrolysis. The amino acids, now as monomers, are absorbed in the small intestine and transported
through our circulation to the cells in our body (since we are human, we are made of animal cells). Once inside
the animal cells the amino acids can be used by our ribosomes, which are the sites of protein synthesis, to link
them together by a chemical reaction called a dehydration reaction back into specific human proteins.
REVISIONS: