BI 171 - First Exam - 2000

NOTE - the numbers link to related information in the book.  Not all information on old exams is in the new book (so some numbers have no link), and if something looks unfamiliar, you can check to see if it's from a chapter you're supposed to be studying for your current exam.


Multiple Choice.

Place the letter of the choice that best answers the question on the line to the left.

Two Points Each. NOTE: "e" answers are never the correct answer.

 

_______ 1. When comparing a solution of pH 13 to one of pH 11, the pH 11 solution is
                        a. Twice as basic 
                        b. Twice as acidic 
                        c. 100 times more basic
                        d. 100 times less basic 
                        e. Not as tasty

_______ 2. Which type of molecular bond has the smallest role in living systems?
                    a. Ionic         b. Polar         c. Covalent        d. Hydrogen         e. Super Glue

_______ 3. Hypotheses can be tested by
                        a. Repeating the initial observation many times
                        b. Deducing their implications
                        c. Confirming a hypothetical prediction
                        d. Finding a logical link to an existing theory
                        e. Making sure that they rhyme

_______ 4. In general, the theory of evolution by natural selection
                        a. Starts with individuals but works in populations
                        b. Proposes a process independent of the ecosystem
                        c. Starts with populations but works on individuals
                        d. All of the above
                        e. Was confusing enough before this question was written.

_______5. Which of these would include predators and prey but not snowfall?
                    a. Species         b. Ecosystem         c. Population
                    d. Community             e. Nature walks in summer camp

_______6. When scientific method is said to be systematic, that means it is
                        a. Periodically reviewed by governing bodies 
                        b. Always moving forward
                        c. Run by standard rules 
                        d. Linked to logic
                        e. Stuck with an a tic in its systems, which can be really painful

_______7. Row 3 of the Periodic Table reads, from left to right, Sodium, Magnesium, 
                    Aluminum, Silicon, Phosphorus, Sulfur, Chlorine, and Argon. In what form is
                     Magnesium most likely to exist in Nature?
                        a. Uncharged                 b. A +2 ion             c. A -2 ion
                        d. There's no way to tell                 e. A big rock

_______8. A human eye and a video camera could be said to be
                        a. Analogous only             b. Analogous and homologous
                        c. Homologous only          d. Neither analogous nor homologous
                                    e. A strange thing to compare in any case

_______9. In evolution, new traits are most likely to be
                        a. Produced by mutations                     b. Advantageous    
                        c. Modifications on existing traits          d. Totally heritable
                                                e. Preferred by consumers

_______10. Carrying capacity always acts as a limiting factor, or brake, on
                        a. Fitness             b. Population growth            c. Evolution 
                        d. Adaptation        e. I know, I know! ...How much can be carried, right -?

_______11. The idea, drawn from fossils a couple of centuries ago, that many types of
                        animals had gone extinct, most challenged what assumption drawn from 
                        the Bible?
                            a. No evolution had occurred          b. Creation of perfect types
                            c. A young Earth                             d. Human dominion over Nature
                                e. That snakes couldn't be trusted with women (or vice versa)

_______12. In a population, what is the order from largest to smallest?
                        a. Gene pool --> genome --> gene 
                        b. Genome -> gene pool -> gene
                        c. Gene -> gene pool -> genome 
                        d. Genome -> gene -> gene pool
                        e. Who am I, Goldilocks??

_______13. A small population is more affected than a large population by
                        a. Chance             b. Ecosystem factors             c. Competition
                        d. Reductionism             e. Nasty jokes

_______14. Which term most closely connects to the mistake of expecting all dogs to 
                        be like one particular dog?
                            a. Lack of control                 b. Anecdotal evidence
                            c. Indirect observation          d. Emergent properties
                                                e. Poochie problems

_______15. Liquid water is most dense
                             a. At its freezing point, 0oC             b. At its boiling point, 100oC
                            c. It's always equally dense              d. At 4oC
                                    e. In the brains of exam-taking biology students

_______16. Industrial espionage often involves reverse engineering, taking a stolen 
                        device apart and, by analyzing each piece, figuring out what the 
                        device does. This is like the scientific process of
                            a. Experimentation             b. Uniformitarianism
                            c. Homologous traits          d. Reductionism
                            e. Hitting things with a hammer and giggling uncontrollably

_______17. Carbon dating uses
                        a. Radioactive isotopes to determine the ancientness of biological materials
                        b. The bonding properties of carbon to determine an organism's age
                        c. The breakdown ratio of water and DNA
                        d. Rates of electron loss to neutron number
                        e. One of the Internet's weirdest chatrooms

_______18. In the process of evolution by natural selection,  the role of the environment
                          is to
                            a. Stimulate the mutation of certain genes
                            b. Increase the reproductive rate of certain members of a population
                            c. Create particular adaptations needed at that time
                            d. Enable the population to evolve toward a predetermined goal
                            e. Get in the way as much as possible

 

 

Short Answer.  

Pick NINE questions to answer in the spaces provided.
NOTE: if you answer MORE than nine, only the first nine will be corrected.

Four Points each. Partial credit is possible.


1. What are two ways that two species can occupy essentially the same niche in the same area?







2. Which Kingdoms (out of the book's five) include groups that are photosynthetic?






3. What are four key, essentially separate subfields of biology that are seeing great status and funding?



4. In general, what sort of traits do you believe are most significant to an organism's evolutionary success (there's more than one answer to this), and give a brief reason why you think that sort of trait is the most significant.








5. Briefly explain what a hydration shell is.





6. What are the two most important features of an experiment as far as reproducibility is concerned?




7. Briefly explain the nature of the double bond in O2.
8. Briefly define an ecological niche.






9. What are two totally different ways that traits can be "handed down" to offspring?







10. Give a brief example of artificial selection.






11. Briefly explain what is meant by:
EMERGENT PROPERTIES




12. What is the latest, currently-accepted definition of a species?







13. What is the primary weakness, evolutionarily, of sexual reproduction?







14. In what way were Darwin's evolutionary principles uniformitarian?






15. In an ecosystem, what is an invasion?




Long Answer.  

Select and answer completely any four of the following questions.
Note: if you answer more than four, only the first four will be corrected.

Seven Points Each. Partial credit is possible.


1. Pick three people responsible for three different important biological ideas. Give the person's name in the first column and the basics of the idea in the second. When two or more people are linked to the same idea, you only have to name one of them, but don't use the idea more than once.








2. Name three different properties of water and for each, briefly explain a role that property plays in biological systems (this could be an example).








3. The theory of evolution by natural selection is based upon several principles, easily-acceptable features of Nature that lead to the theory itself. What are four such principles?










4. What are the four major themes of Biology, according to the book and notes?










5. Answer the following using the box below from Column 7 of the Periodic Table of Elements.
For the most common isotope...

18.99840

F

Fluorine

9


HOW MANY...

Protons?________ Neutrons?________


Electrons?_________


Valence Electrons?_____________  

6. Name four conditions under which an allele's / gene's proportion in a population will not vary over time.





7. Fill in the following for asexual reproduction:
Basic

Definition:

  
Evolutionary

Strength:

  
Longterm

(evolutionary)

Strategy for Success:

  

LINK TO ANSWER KEY

BONUS QUESTIONS ON BACK.

BONUS QUESTIONS. Answer as many or as few as you wish. You can't lose points on the rest of the exam by getting these wrong. Partial credit is possible.

A current sociological trend, postmodernism, sees science from what perspective? Four Points.





Which key biology subfields consist largely of advanced math? Three Points each.






How a) is vestigial commonly defined (Two Points), but b) what does it often turn out to be? (Three Points)






If the species of Galapagos Island iguanas began as "castaways," what aspects of the initial journey might have "preselected" individuals for their island existence? Three Points each.







What features of viruses "break the rules" and make them difficult to consider as living? Three Points each.





What is it exactly about the different types of radioactivity that makes one type more or less dangerous than another? Four Points.





Water is commonly used in hydraulic systems because it is essentially incompressible. Why would this be true? Four Points.








Briefly, what was the handout on "the Mark of Cain" about? Five Points.



Copyright 2002, Michael McDarby.

BI 171

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