Download Semester Exam - Pearland ISD

2016 December Biology Benchmark (Semester Exam) PISD Review KEY
1. Draw a food chain and label the different trophic levels for a terrestrial food chain and repeat for an aquatic food
chain. Each should have at least 4 organisms in the chains. (Ch 2)
Answers will vary. Example:
2. What is the 10% rule in energy pyramids? (p 44)
10% of the energy found in each trophic level is passed on to the next. The other 90% is used up or burned off as heat.
3. Distinguish between abiotic and biotic factors. (p 35)
Abiotic factors are the non-living parts of an ecosystem that affect the living organisms whereas the biotic factors are
the living parts. For example, plants, animals, protists, etc., are biotic factors and an organism’s habitat and the
weather would be abiotic factors.
4. Explain how invasive/introduced species – both plants and animals- can alter an ecosystem. (p 128)
Invasive species can negatively impact ecosystems in a variety of ways. They can: displace native species, reduce native wildlife
habitat, reduce forest health and productivity, and alter ecosystem processes. Invasive species accomplish these things because
they tolerate a variety of habitat conditions, they grow and reproduce rapidly, they compete aggressively for resources (like food,
water, and nesting sites), and they lack natural enemies or pests in the new ecosystem.
5. Describe succession, including pioneer species and climax community. (p 62-64)
Succession is a series of predictable changes following a disturbance to ultimately reach a climax community. A
pioneer species is the first species to colonize an area. Lichen is a pioneer species that releases acids to break down
rocks which will eventually lead to the formation of soil. The climax community is the relatively stable community with
high species of diversity.
6. What would happen if predators are removed from an ecosystem? (Ch 2)
There would be an increase in the consumer levels of the energy pyramid which would decrease the amount of
producers.
7. Give an example of how plants and animals are adapted to the following environments: tundra, desert (p 68-70)
(Student answers should contain one of these adaptations per environment for each organism)
Tundra – (Animals) short and stocky arms and legs; thick, insulating cover of feathers or fur; color changing feathers or fur:
brown in summer, and white in winter; thick fat layer gained quickly during spring in order to have continual energy and warmth
during winter months. (Plants) cool growing temperature; small and low growing plants; dark and hairy.
Desert – (Animals) active morning and evening; completely nocturnal; seasonal migration or soaring to higher elevations; use of
shade and burrows or dens during the heat of the day; estivation dormancy during periods of heat and dryness; open-mouthed
breathing to exhaust body heat; lighter coloration, which reflects heat and acts as camouflage in desert surroundings. (Plants)
store large amounts of water; outside skin is pleated, so when more water is absorbed its outside can expend to make room;
shed their leaves during long bouts of dryness; knife-like leaves that prevent water loss by giving the sun a smaller area to
evaporate water; located many feet away from one another.
8. What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem? (p 42) To cycle the required elements back into the biosphere
Pearland ISD District Review KEY, December 2016, p. 1
9. Explain how trees AND a lack of trees affect the carbon cycle. (p 47)
Plants need carbon dioxide in order to make glucose therefore with trees the amount of carbon in the atmosphere
remains stable. If there is a lack trees then too much carbon dioxide will build up in the atmosphere and the
temperature on Earth will increase, this affects the homeostasis of the environment.
10. What organisms change nitrogen gas to nitrates in the nitrogen cycle AND why does this have to occur? (p 48)
Nitrogen fixing bacteria (Denitrifying bacteria). Nitrogen must cycle by transferring between the atmosphere and
living organisms. Nitrogen is a vital element in all living things.
11. Describe the following types of symbiosis. Give an example of each. (p 39-40)
Symbiotic Relationship
Description
Commensalism
Mutualism
Parasitism
One organism benefits from the
relationship & the other one is neither
helped nor harmed.
Example
Answers will vary.
Both organisms benefit from the
relationship.
Answers will vary.
One organism benefits while
causing harm to another organism
Answers will vary.
12. What are the levels of organization for ecosystem organisms? (p 36)
Organism  Population  Community  Ecosystem  Biosphere
13. An ocean food chain is shown in the diagram above. Which organism represents the trophic level containing
approximately 1% of the initial amount of solar energy acquired by the phytoplankton?
Sand eels
14. The diagram below represents a food web. Which organisms are
correctly paired with their nutritional role?
A hawk-decomposer; insect eating bird-parasite
 B mountain lion-predator; bark beetleherbivore
C mouse-autotroph; flower seed-heterotroph
D grasshopper-carnivore; grass-autotroph
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15. When locust populations grow too large for an area, the individual locusts are crowded and food becomes scarce. In
response to these conditions, some of the locusts leave the area and find a new habitat. Which of the following terms
applies to the response of the locusts that leave for the new habitat?
A Immigration
 C Emigration
B Mutualism
D Predation
16. Complete the table of the major cell organelles and their functions. (p 199)
Cell Structure
Function
Cell Types
(Animal or Plant)
Cell wall
For protection, support
Plant
Centrioles
Anchor and assemble microtubules
Animal
Chloroplast
Site of photosynthesis
Plant
Cilia
Motility
Both
Cytoskeleton
Structural support, cell movement
Both
Endoplasmic reticulum
Rough ER: protein synthesis; Smooth ER: lipid synthesis
Both
Flagella
Motility
Both
Golgi apparatus
Packages proteins for export
Both
Lysosome
Digests macromolecules and cell debris
Both
Mitochondrion
Carries out cell respiration, produces ATP
Both
Nucleus
Control center of cell, directs protein synthesis
Both
Plasma Membrane
Outer layer, regulates what passes in and out of the cell
Both
Ribosome
Site of protein synthesis
Both
Vacuole
Storage compartment for water, sugars, ions, and
pigment
Both
17. List the characteristics of living things. (p 7)
Grow and develop; made of cells; asexual/sexual reproduction; respond to environment; have genetic code (nucleic acids); change
over time
18. Describe the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and sketch a diagram of each. Label the cell
membrane, ribosome, and DNA in each cell. (p 185-186)
Prokaryote—no nucleus
Eukaryote—nucleus
19. Why do cells have specialized functions? To perform different tasks
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20. Compare and contrast animal and plant cells. Explain the difference between the functions cell walls and cell
membranes (p 192, 200)
Plant cells have a rigid cell wall and chloroplast. Cell walls provide support and structure to the plant. Animal cells
have centrioles. Animal cells have cell membranes only. Both cell walls and cell membranes regulate what passes
into and out of the cell and help the cell maintain homeostasis.
21. What is the function of the cell membrane? (p 187-190)
A cell membrane regulates what passes into and out of the cell and help the cell maintain homeostasis.
22. What is osmosis and describe hypotonic, hypertonic and isotonic? (p 203-205)
Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a barrier.
Hypotonic—cells get bigger (more water enters than exits due to more solute inside the cell)
Isotonic—no change in cell size (equal amount of water enters and exits the cell due to a balance of solute)
Hypertonic—cells get smaller (more water exits the cell due to more solute outside the cell)
23. List the 4 macromolecules, their functions and structure, and their monomers. (p 166-171)
Macromolecule
Function
Structure
Monomer
Carbohydrate
Main Energy Source
Monosaccharide (glucose)
Lipid
Protein
Nucleic Acid
Membrane Component
(provides insulation)
Body growth, Repair,
Reactions
Fatty acid
Genetic information
Nucleotide
Amino Acids
24. Explain the synthesis of macromolecules from their monomers. (p 161-171)
When monomers bond together to make macromolecules (polymer); water is removed (released). This process is also
called dehydration synthesis.
25. Define Homeostasis. (p 10)
A process by which organism maintain a stable internal environment (equilibrium)
26. Describe photosynthesis and cellular respiration and explain how they are connected. (Ch 8)
Photosynthesis is the process plants undergo in order to make glucose using the solar energy from the sun, CO2 in the atmosphere,
and water from the ground. This process is interconnected to cellular respiration which is the process that occurs in the
mitochondria by taking in a glucose molecule and O2 in order to make 36 units of ATP. Therefore photosynthesis and cellular
respiration form a dependent cycle because plants take in the CO2 that is released during cellular respiration and the mitochondria
use the O2 that is released from plants during photosynthesis.
27. What is produced in chloroplasts that the mitochondria use to make cellular energy? (Ch 8)
Glucose is produced in the chloroplasts of plants that will later be used to make ATP during cellular respiration in the
mitochondria.
28. Describe enzymes using the following terms: pH, substrate, activated complex, and the suffix used to identify
enzymes. (p 159-160)
The function of an enzyme is to lower the activation energy required for the chemical reaction to proceed therefore catalyzing
(speeding up) the chemical reaction. Enzymes have a 3-D shape which can be denatured (destroyed) if there are extreme changes
in the preferred pH or temperature. Also, the substrate and enzyme concentrations (how much substrate and enzymes are
available) determine how fast the reactions take place. All enzymes end in –ase.
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29. The table below provides information about the composition and function of four important molecules in living
organisms.
Molecule
1
2
3
4
Composition
Amino acids
Fatty acids
Monosaccharides
Nucleotides
Function
Reaction catalyst
Membrane component
Energy source
Genetic information
Which of the molecules in this table is a carbohydrate? Molecule
30. A single-celled organism that a student observed under a
microscope is shown.
Which of the following statements best describes this organism?
A The organism is eukaryotic because it has a plasma membrane.
B The organism is prokaryotic because it can reproduce asexually.
C The organism is prokaryotic because it can synthesize its own
food.
 D The organism is eukaryotic because it has membrane-bound organelles.
40. The following equation represents the process of photosynthesis in green plants.
What happens to most of the light energy during photosynthesis?
A It is transformed into heat energy.
 B It is transformed into chemical energy.
C It is changed into carbon dioxide.
D It is changed into oxygen.
50. The diagram shows a plant cell before and after it is placed in a solution. After the cell is
placed in the solution, it changes shape. Which table shows the initial concentration of
solute in the cell and in the solution that would cause the cell to change shape as shown in
the diagram?
Pearland ISD District Review KEY, December 2016, p. 5
51. Draw and label the 4 phases of mitosis in order in the boxes below. Include chromosomes, spindles, and centrioles.
(p 248-252)
52. Give an example of what could happen if there is a disruption in the cell cycle. (p 254-255)
Uncontrolled cell division (cancer)
53. What is meiosis and what is the result of meiosis? (p 271-276)
Meiosis is the reduction division in which the number of chromosomes are cut in half. It provides for genetic variation.
54. What is the law of independent assortment? Give an example. (p 280)
The alleles of two or more different gene pairs assort independently of each other during meiosis. Therefore a random
combination of the genes from each pair ends up in the gametes. For example, Ss and Yy assort independently. So when the S and
s alleles segregate from each other, each is just as likely to end up in the same gamete with the big Y as each is with the little y
allele.
55. What is codominance? Give an example. (p 302-303)
- Cases in which both alleles are expressed. Exp. White cow x Brown cow = Speckled (white and brown) cow OR an
individual can have type AB blood because both type A and type B are codominant.
56. If dominant parents produce recessive offspring, what can be said about the genotypes of the parents? (Ch 10.2)
Both parents are heterozygous, meaning they carry the recessive trait which has been passed on to their offspring.
57. Which best describes how meiosis contributes to genetic variation?
A increases the rate of reproduction with each generation
 B produces a new individual different from either parent
C decreases the risk of lethal mutations being transmitted
D forms new DNA that can resist environmental change
58. A single prokaryotic cell can divide several times in an hour. Few eukaryotic cells can divide as quickly. Which of the
following statements best explains this difference?
F Eukaryotic cells are smaller than prokaryotic cells.
G Eukaryotic cells have less DNA than prokaryotic cells
H Eukaryotic cells have more cell walls than prokaryotic cells.
 J Eukaryotic cells are more structurally complex than prokaryotic cells.
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59. The diagrams shown represent stages of a cellular process. Which is the correct sequence of these stages?
CBDA
60. Hawaiian happy face spiders from the island of Maui can have different markings, as shown. A single gene
determines the markings on the spiders. The pattern allele, P, is dominant to the plain allele, p. A plain spider
(homozygous recessive) is crossed with a patterned spider (homozygous dominant). What percentage of the offspring
are expected to be patterned instead of plain? (Hint: Draw a Punnett Square)
100%
61. Describe transcription and translation including where they occur. (p 337-338)
Transcription occurs inside the nucleus; part of the DNA sequence is copied into a complementary RNA (mRNA)
Translation occurs on the ribosome; the mRNA is decoded into a protein.
62. List the 3 parts of a nucleotide. (p 171)
5 carbon sugar; phosphate group; nitrogen base
63. What makes your DNA the same as all other organisms and what makes it different? (Ch 12)
Same: all organisms share the same 4 nitrogen bases (ATGC). The sequence of these bases make each unique
(different).
64. Describe mutations and their possible outcomes. (p 346)
A mutation is a mistake in the DNA sequence of chromosome. Mutations can be beneficial or harmful.
65. How are mutations passed on to offspring? (p 349)
A mutation that occurs in the gametes is passed to offspring.
66. A model of a DNA molecule is shown below.
The arrow indicates –
A the bond between adjacent phosphate and
deoxyribose molecules
B the junction of introns and exons in the
sense strand of DNA
 C the hydrogen bond between
complementary nucleotides
D the junction of a codon and a DNA triplet
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67. Which of the following polypeptides is coded for by the mRNA sequence listed below?
H
68. The diagram shows DNA fingerprints from a daughter horse, the mother horse, and four possible fathers. Which
horse is most likely the father? (Ch 13)
Horse 3
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