BIOLOGY

NMAT REVIEW

September 2018
• Robert Hooke – coined the term “cell”
• Anton Van Leeuwenhoek –”animalcules”
• 1839 –Theodor Schwann & Matthias Schleiden
• 1855 –Rudolf Virchow
 Cell Theory
Schwann and Schleiden
1. All living organisms are composed of one or
more cells.
2. The cell is the basic unit of structure and
organization in organisms.
Virchow

3. All cells arise from pre-existing cells.

 Cell Theory
1. All living 2. The cell is the basic 3. All cells arise
organisms are unit of structure and from pre-
composed of one organization in existing cells.
or more cells. organisms.
4. Hereditary 5. All cells have the 6. Energy flow
information is same chemical basic occurs within
passed from cell composition. cells.
to cell.
Cell Characteristics
• Cell/Plasma membrane
• Protoplasm/Cytoplasm
• Organelles
• Control center with DNA
• Types: Prokaryote & Eukaryote
Exclusive to Exclusive to Plant
Animal Cells Cells
Centrosome Cell Wall
(and centrioles)
Lysosome Chloroplast
(and other plastids)
Flagella/Cilia Large Central Vacuole
Plasmodesmata
Membrane-bound Organelles
• Nucleus
– Nuclear Membrane, Nucleoplasm, Nucleolus
• Mitochondria
• Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
• Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
• Golgi Apparatus
• Chloroplast
Cell
Mitosis
Meiosis
Meiosis
Meiosis
Meiosis
 1. Musca domestica

6 pairs of chromosomes = 12 chromosomes

Diploid = 12
Haploid = 6

Answer: D
Cell
 2. Archenteron

Archenteron, also known as primitive gut cavity,

eventually gives rise to the:
hollow core (lumen) of the alimentary canal

Answer: C
 3. Seed Embryo

• Seed contains the embryo

Embryo has the Gibberellin is Enzymes break
right conditions produced, down the
(adequate water, which triggers endosperm,
oxygen, synthesis of and starts
minerals) enzymes germination

Answer: C
4. Equilibrium in solutions

Equal distribution of molecules

Answer: C
 5. Double fertilization in flowering plants

• Endosperm
– Surrounds the
embryo
– Provides nutrition
in the form of
starch

Answer: D
6. Cell Transport
Passive and Active Transport
1. Passive –natural and unassisted (H-L)
– Simple Diffusion
– Facilitated Diffusion
2. Active –requires energy and
enzymes to go against concentration
gradient (L-H)
 6. Cell Transport

Facilitated Diffusion – from high to low concentration

Answer: B
 7. Meiosis

I. Two cell divisions take place. (for Meiosis only.

Mitosis has one cell division.)
II. DNA replicates during interphase (for both)
III. Haploid cells are produced from diploid (for Meiosis
only. Mitosis produces diploid from diploid.)
Answer: C (I and III)
 8. Contractile vacuole

• Normal cell: if water goes out, then outside

environment is hypertonic (leads to crenation)
• Contractile vacuole pumps excess water
– physiological function: prevent bursting
• Solution A & B hypoosmotic to the protozoan
Answer: C
 9. Cell signalling

• Autocrine-hormones bind to receptors on to the cell and

affects the cell that produces it.
• Paracrine-hormones are released from cells and bind to
receptor on nearby cells and affects their function.
• Endocrine-hormones are released from specialized cells and
carried in the bloodstream to act on target cells at some
distance from the site of release
Answer: Signalling that depends on secreted molecules
10. Crossing over

Answer: B
• Light Dependent Reaction
H2O + ADP + P + NADP+ → ATP + NADPH + O2
• Light Independent Reaction
CO2 + ATP + NADPH → C6H12O6 + ADP + P + NADP+
 Light Dependent Reaction

• Photosystems -large complexes of proteins and

pigments optimized to harvest light
• Electrons are removed from water and passed
through PSII and PSI before ending up in NADPH
• Light is absorbed twice to make ATP
• Plastoquinone- one of the electron acceptors
associated with PS II ; transfers electron to
• Cytochrome b6f complex –where photoexcited
electrons travel from PSII to PSI via ETC
 11. Photosynthesis

• Photosystem II comes before Photosystem I

• Water splitting happens in PSII Answer: B
• PSII produces ATP
• PSI produces ATP and NADPH
• Differences: Primary electron acceptor, Source of
electrons, Products, Pigments
 12. Plasma membrane

In eukaryotes prokaryotes, it contains the cytochrome

chain of oxidative phosphorylation.

Answer: C
 13. Cohesion-Tension in Xylem

• The theory describes the movement of water from

roots to the leaves of a plant thru osmosis.
• Water molecules are bonded (hydrogen bonding)
and get pulled up by tension, the force is exerted
because of the evaporation at the surface of the leaf.
Answer: A
14. Movement of chromosomes

Answer: C
 15. Meristems

• Meristematic –
undifferentiated
• 3 Tissue Types:
– Dermal
– Vascular
– Ground
Answer: B
• Parenchyma –bulk of ground tissue
– For food and water storage
– For photosynthesis, healing, and tissue generation
• Collenchyma –flexibility (bend without breaking)
– Provides extra mechanical and structural support
• Sclerenchyma –rigid support (dead cells)
 16. Photoperiodism

• Phytochromes: Pr and Pfr

• Photomorphogenesis –effect of light on plant
development (influenced most by red)
• Red light = Pr is converted to Pfr
• Far Red light = Pfr is converted to Pr
• Pfr is low and Pr is high = SDFP flower LDFP do not
• Pfr is high and Pr is low = LDFP flower SDFP do not
Answer: D
 17. Tropisms

• Heliotropism-sun
• Phototropism-light
• Thigmotropism-touch or contact with a solid
• Gravitropism/Geotropism-gravity
Answer: C
18. Photosystem I

Answer: A
19. Blood flow

Answer: C
 20. Hormones

• Prolactin - milk production

• Oxytocin - Love hormone; contraction & milk production
• LH - acts on corpus luteum to release progesterone
• FSH - regulates the development, growth, pubertal
maturation, and reproductive processes of the body.
Answer: B
21. Negative Feedback Loop

Answer: A
22. Parathyroid Glands
• Four tiny glands, located in the
neck that control the body's
calcium levels
• Each gland is about the size of a
grain of rice and produces a
hormone called
parathyroid hormone (PTH).
Answer: D
 23. Reaction to light

• Green light- least efficient wavelength in the visible

spectrum for photosynthesis
• Plants don't use green light for photosynthesis, they
reflect it
Answer: D
 24. Estrous vs Menstrual Cycle
Estrous
Most mammals
Endometrium is reabsorbed
Fertility on certain time periods
Receptive to sexual activity at
time of ovulation
Fertility IS synchronized with
sexual receptiveness
Answer: B
Menstrual
Humans and some primates
Endometrium is shed
Fertility on a cyclic basis
Receptive to sexual activity at
any point of the cycle
Fertility is NOT synchronized
with sexual receptiveness
25. Digestion

Mouth
Stomach
Small Intestine
Large Intestine
Answer: D
 Modified Epithelium in the Stomach

Cell Type Secretion

Mucin Neck/Foveolar Cells Mucin
Parietal Cells Hydrochloric Acid
Chief/Zymogenic Cells Pepsinogen (and Rennin, Lipase)
G Cells Gastrin
ECL (Entero-Chromaffin-Like) Cells Histamine
 26.

Answer: B
 27. Humoral Response

• Humoral response -antibody‐mediated response

• Cell-mediated – does not involve antibodies
 27. Humoral Response

1. Antigens bind to B cells.

2. Interleukins or helper T cells costimulate B cells. Both are
required to activate a B cell and initiate B cell proliferation.
3. B cells proliferate and produce plasma cells. The plasma cells
bear antibodies. The antibodies are released and circulate
through the body, binding to antigens.
4. B cells produce memory cells. Memory cells provide future
immunity.
• Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells
– Their main function is to process antigen material and present
it on the cell surface to the T cells of the immune system.
– They act as messengers between the innate and the adaptive
immune systems.

Answer: D
28. DNA replication

Answer: D
 29. (recall from 11)

• Plastoquinone- one of the electron acceptors

associated with PS II ; transfers electron to
• Cytochrome b6f complex –where photoexcited
electrons travel from PSII to PSI via ETC
Answer: D
 30. Hormones

• Acromegaly-too much growth hormone

– Bones increase in size
• Cretinism-untreated congenital thyroid deficiency
– severely stunted physical and mental growth
• Diabetes-insufficient production/use of insulin
• Hypopituitary Dwarfism-growth hormone deficiency
Answer: D
 31. Pancreatic Beta Cells

• Alpha cells make glucagon

• Beta cells make insulin
• Degeneration of the beta cells is the main
cause of type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes
mellitus.
Answer: C
 32. Oxygen Debt

• Build up of lactic acid = decrease in pH

• Acidity causes fatigue
Answer: B
When oxygen is insufficient, pyruvate is broken down
anaerobically, creating lactate in animals (including
humans) and ethanol in plants.
33. Sexual reproduction

Answer: B
 34. Action Potential

• Step 1 - Resting Potential. Sodium and

potassium channels are closed.
• Step 2 - Depolarization. Sodium channels
open in response to a stimulus.
• Step 3 - Repolarization. Na+ channels
close and K+ channels open.
• Step 4 - Resting Conditions Re-established.
Na+ and K+ channels are closed.
Answer: D
 35. Adipose tissues

• means of energy storage

• acts as an insulating layer, helping to reduce heat loss
through the skin.
• has a protective function, providing mechanical
protection (padding) and support around some of
the major organs, e.g. kidneys.
Answer: C
 36. Progesterone

As the egg migrates down the fallopian tube,

progesterone is released by a temporary gland formed
within the ovary after ovulation called the
corpus luteum
Answer: B
37. Reflex Action

Answer: B
38. Myelin Sheath

• Myelin-whitish
protein-lipid substance
• Non-mylated conduct
more slowly
Answer: D
 39. Punnett Square

r -fail to produce chlorophyll

R r RR- green
R RR Rr Rr- green
r Rr rr rr- white
Answer: C
 40. Hormones

• Pituitary gland has two parts

– Anterior – produces and secretes own hormones
– Posterior –does not produce its own hormones, but only stores
and releases the hormones created by the hypothalamus
• Hypothalamus
– Links endocrine and nervous system
– sends signals to the pituitary to release or
inhibit pituitary hormone production
Answer: B
 41.
Answer: D
 42. Fertilization

Answer: D
• Acrosome is an organelle that develops over the
anterior half of the head in the spermatozoa.
• It is a cap-like structure derived from the Golgi
apparatus.
• Acrosome formation is fully completed 5–10 years
after testicular maturation.
 43. Oxidative Phosphorylation

• fourth step in cellular respiration

• takes place in mitochondria, is the major source of
ATP in aerobic organisms
• Made up of two closely connected components: the
electron transport chain and chemiosmosis.
• In the electron transport chain, electrons are passed
from one molecule to another, and energy released in
these electron transfers is used to form an
electrochemical gradient.
• In chemiosmosis, the energy stored in the gradient is
used to make ATP.
• Oxygen sits at the end of ETC, where it accepts
electrons and picks up protons to form water.
Answer: B
What will happen if oxygen wasn’t there?
• If oxygen isn’t there to accept electrons the electron
transport chain will stop running, and ATP will no
longer be produced by chemiosmosis.
• Without enough ATP, cells can’t carry out the
reactions they need to function, and, after a long
enough period of time, may even die. 
 44.

a) formation of blastula
b) increase in cell number
c) development of the neural crest
d) increase in the amount of the genetic material
Answer: C
 45.

I. possess protein synthetic capability

II. possess genetic material
III. possess a lipid bilayer membrane
IV. possess characteristic ribosomes
Answer: D
46. ectoderm:endoderm

Answer: B
 47. Plant cell in hypertonic

• Hyper-cren/Hyper-shrink
• Plasmolysis - contraction of the protoplast of a plant
cell as a result of loss of water from the cell.
Answer: B
• Hemolysis - the rupture or destruction of red blood
cells.
 48. Retention of Larval Traits

• Metamorphosis -animal physically develops after birth or hatching

• Paedomorphosis -retention by an organism of juvenile or even larval
traits into later life
• Parthenogenesis -reproduction from an ovum without fertilization
• Hermaphrodism -congenital condition in which an organism
possesses the reproductive organs of both sexes.

Answer: B
49. Embryo Development

Answer: B
 50.

Answer: B
Plant Hormones
• Auxin
• Cytokinin
• Gibberelin
• Ethylene
Plant Hormones

A A

A S A