Biology I Honors Midterm Review

In preparation for the midterm, please complete this review, study all of your notes, labs and worksheets
from the first semester. The online textbook is also a good source of review. Please see your teacher to
review any concepts you have questions on. It’s important to understand the information and the review
sheet and in your notes since the midterm will include application and analysis questions. Responses must
be handwritten to receive credit.

Unit 1 – Scientific Method

1. What is the scientific term for a living thing?
2. Identify and define the 5 characteristics of life discussed in the notes.
3. What is the difference between a hypothesis, theory and a law? Can a theory be modified?
4. What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative data?
5. Draw a line graph and label the independent and dependent axis. What is the difference between them?
6. List the steps of the scientific method.
7. If a hypothesis is disproven, was the experiment a failure?
8. What would be an example of a control group in an experiment where plants are placed under different
colored lights?
9. What is the difference between magnification and resolution on a microscope?
10. Label the attached diagram of a microscope and give a brief function of each structure.
11. What type of microscope requires a vacuum and gives a 3D image? What type of microscope requires a
vacuum and gives a 2D image?
12. What type of microscope would be good for looking at living cells? What type of microscope would be
good for looking at a whole living leaf?

Unit 2-Chemistry
1. Draw a diagram of an atom and label its part and charges.
2. What are two uses of radioactive isotopes?
3. What is a compound and what is one example?
4. What is the difference between an ionic, covalent and hydrogen bond?
5. What causes the polarity of water?
6. Why is water’s high specific heat important to life?
7. Why do farmers spray their crops with water before a freeze?
8. What is the difference between adhesion, cohesion and surface tension? Which would be used in a
xylem? Which would enable an insect to sit on water?
9. What is the difference between a solute and a solvent? Give an example of each.
10. Draw a pH scale and label where you would find an acid, base and neutral. Give one example of a
substance for each.
11. For the following equation, label the reactants, products and yield sign. O2 + 2H2 → 2H2O
12. What is an enzyme? Draw and label a picture of an enzyme acting upon a substrate.
13. What does optimal pH or temperature mean for an enzyme? What happens to the enzyme and reaction
rate when the optimal pH or temperature is lost?
14. Label the attached diagrams with what type of macromolecule it is. Then identify which stores genetic
information, which acts as an enzyme, which stores energy in the form of a sugar and which stores
energy/makes up structure/is hydrophobic. Give an example of each.
15. What is the difference between a saturated and unsaturated fat?
16. Contrast endothermic and exothermic reactions.
17. What is a catalyst?
18. What is denaturation of an enzyme? What are two factors which cause denaturation?
Unit 3- Cells
1. What is the cell theory and what does it say? What part of the cell theory would spontaneous generation
break?
2. Make a Venn diagram showing similarities and differences between plant and animal cells.
3. Make a Venn diagram showing similarities and differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
4. Label the attached diagram of the cell membrane. Explain how selectively permeable relates to the cell
membrane. What part is polar? Nonpolar?
5. Label the attached plant and animal cell diagrams with the name of the structure and a brief function.
6. Contrast the work of Hooke, Brown, Schleiden, Schwaan and Virchow.
7. What is the best size for a cell and why?
8. Which two organelles have their own DNA and ribosomes?
9. Explain the fluid mosaic model.
10. Fill in the following chart.
Process Definition Passive (no energy) or With the concentration
active (uses ATP energy) gradient/against the
gradient
Diffusion

Osmosis

Facilitated Diffusion

Active Transport

11. What is equilibrium?

12. Draw a cell in a hypertonic, hypotonic and isotonic solution. Identify what happens to a plant and
animal cell in each solution and draw arrows to show the direction of movement.

Unit 4- Cell Division

1. Contrast the terms chromatin, chromosomes, chromatid and centromere. Draw a picture labeling each.
2. Contrast the terms haploid and diploid and give an example of each.
3. What are homologous chromosomes?
4. What are the parts of the cell cycle?
5. Identify and explain the parts of interphase.
6. Label the attached diagram of mitosis with the name of the phase and structures indicated.
7. Contrast cytokinesis of a plant and animal cell.
8. What is one external and one internal factor which affects the cell cycle?
9. What is apoptosis?
10. How does cancer relate to the cell cycle? Explain the two types of tumors.
11. What are two carcinogens?
12. What is asexual reproduction? How do bacteria undergo binary fission?
13. What is the difference between autosomes and sex chromosomes?
14. Fill in the chart below contrasting mitosis and meiosis.
 Process # cells at Haploid or # cells at end Haploid or # DNA Purpose
start Diploid at Diploid at replications
start end
Mitosis

Meiosis

15. During which stage of meiosis to tetrads form?

16. During which stage of meiosis does crossing over occur?
17. During which stage of meiosis does the law of segregation occur? Law of independent assortment?
18. Which stage of meiosis most closely resembles anaphase of mitosis?
19. During which two stages of meiosis, does genetic change occur?
20. What is genetic engineering? What is one pro and one con of genetic engineering?
21. How many eggs are formed at the end of meiosis? Sperm cells?
22. Identify the steps of genetic engineering using bacteria.

Unit 5- DNA Replication, Protein Synthesis and Mutations

1. What does heritable mean?
2. Why is the genetic code said to be “universal”?
3. What is the flow of information according to the central dogma?
4. What is the complementary DNA strand to 3’ATCCGTA5’?
5. What is the mRNA, tRNA and amino acid sequence if the DNA strand is 3’ATCCGTAAC5’?
6. Where does transcription take place? Translation?
7. Which enzyme uncoils the DNA?
8. During DNA replication, which enzyme brings in the complementary nucleotides?
9. Fill in the chart below.
DNA RNA
Shape

Bases

Sugar

Function

10. Why is the semiconservative model beneficial in preventing mutations?

11. What is the difference between introns and exons?
12. How many codons are in ACTCCGTACATA?
13. If a C is added to the beginning of the code in #12, this would result in what type of mutation?
14. If the first A in the code of #12 is replaced with a C, this would result in what type of mutation?
15. What mutation occurs when bases move to a different chromosome?
Unit 6- Inheritance
1. Why do plants prefer cross pollination over self-pollination?
2. What are alleles?
3. What’s the difference between a hybrid and purebred?
4. How many traits of pea plants did Mendel study? What did he call the genes for the traits?
5. A dog which is heterozygous for long hair is crossed with a dog which is homozygous recessive for long
hair. (long is dominant over short)
 a. What are the genotypes of the parents?
b. Make the Punnett square
c. What is the genotypic ratio?
d. What is the phenotypic ratio?
6. What is the Mendelian ratio of crossing two plants which are heterozygous for two traits?
7. What is it called when neither trait is completely dominant? What is an example?
8. If a plant demonstrates incomplete dominance and pink is the heterozygote, how many pink plants
would result from a cross of two pink plants.
9. Blood type AB is an example of what type of inheritance?
10. Which parent does a son inherit a sex-linked trait from?
11. What did Mendel determine the genotypic ratio was when two plants heterozygous for two traits were
crossed?
12. What kind of mutations can be seen on a karyotype?
13. What symbol is used for a carrier male on a pedigree chart? Afflicted female?
14. Would a mutation in a liver cell be passed on to offspring? Why or why not?

Unit 7- Plant Structure

1. Label the attached diagram of a flower with name and function.
2. Label the attached diagram of a leaf with name and function.
3. What is the opening between two guard cells? What moves in and out of this structure?
4. What factors increase the rate of transpiration?
5. What pigment absorbs light energy and reflects green wavelengths?
6. What role do the properties of water play in the movement of water through the xylem?
7. Is ATP energy required to move water through the xylem of a plant?
8. What moves sugar through a plant?
9. What is the function of the fruit?
10. What do fertilized ovules of a plant develop into?
11. Contrast the function of dermal, ground and vascular tissue. Label the attached picture showing where
each is located in a stem.
12. What process occurs in the apical meristem of a plant?
Unit 2 #14
Unit 3 #4

Unit 3 #5
Plant Cell
Animal Cell

Unit 4 #6
Unit 7 #1 and 12

Unit 7 # 2