BI 171 - First Exam 1999

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.

_______ 2. A molecule of 2000 atomic mass units can also be said to
                            have a mass of
                        a. 2000 grams                 b. 2000 kilodaltons 
                    c. 2000 nanograms           d. 2000 daltons 
                            e. Not a whole heckuva lot

_______ 3. Galactose can reasonably be expected to be a
                        a. Protein         b. Carbohydrate         c. Ion
                        d. Homologous entity     e. Pretty boring dinner companion

_______ 4. Most insect mouthparts are constructed with the same 
                        basic plan as their legs.  These structures would be, 
                        based on this description, 
                        a. Analogous and homologous 
                    b. Analogous but not homologous
                        c. Analogous only 
                    d. Homologous but not analogous
                        e. This is too early in an exam to be this dizzy already

_______5. Molecules show chirality when they are
                        a. Mirror images 
                    b. Different but similar molecular formulas
                        c. Able to interact 
                    d. Similar in form but using different types of bonds
                        e. Tickled just above the double bond

_______6. Mucopolysaccharides are like polysaccharides but also have
                        a. Side-branch chains              b. Bonded salts 
                    c. Sulfate and amino groups    d. Oxygen bridges 
                                        e. A "muco"

_______7. Delocalized bonds are generally found in
                        a. Ionic molecules             b. Ring-shaped molecules 
                    c. Proteins                             d. Isotopes 
                        e. Some of the weirder investment schemes

_______8. An atom from column 2 of the periodic table will tend to
                        a. Form 2 covalent bonds               b. Exist as a -2 ion
                        c. Exist as a +2 ion                         d. All of these
                        e. Give you recurring nightmares as an exam question

_______9. A base, by definition,
                        a. Adds H+ to a solution, lowering pH
                        b. Removes H+ from a solution, lowering pH
                        c. Adds H+ to a solution, raising pH
                        d. Removes H+ from a solution, raising pH
                        e. Wait! I know this! ...How come none of the answers 
                                refer to baseball -?

_______10. A genome is a
                        a. Variation of a gene 
                    b. Collection of all the genes in a species
                        c. A specific type of mutation 
                    d. Collection of all the genes in a population
                        e. Gnome trapped in a bottle, or what you ask when 
                            you call Gene's house

_______11. Pure chance happenings will have a larger effect on
                        a. A small group              b. An isolated group 
                    c. A control group            d. A large group 
                        e. Whatever you least want screwed up

_______12. The "local" collection of living things is a(n)
                        a. Community         b. Ecosystem         c. Population
                        d. Species         e. Good place to avoid on cheap beer night

_______13. Dehydration synthesis could be used to
                        a. Build polysaccharides 
                    b. Break down polysaccharides
                        c. Increase acidity 
                    d. Decrease acidity
                        e. Do very many important biology-type things

_______14. Genes respond to
                        a. Preprogrammed signals              b. Environmental inputs
                        c. Moment-to-moment needs         d. All of these
                        e. Those godawful "Buddy Lee" commercials

_______15. Plant starch and plant fiber are similar molecules but differ in
                        a. Types of bond linkages         b. Amounts of Nitrogen
                        c. Amino acid order                  d. Amounts of Sulfur
                                                e. Yummy goodness

_______16. Hydrogen bonds can vary in strength depending upon the
                        a. Charges of the ions involved
                        b. Number of Hydrogens present
                        c. Strength of the partial charges
                        d. Number of electrons shared
                        e. Willingness of the Hydrogens to making a longterm
                                        commitment

_______17. The idea of uniformitarianism was very important to the
                    formation of early evolutionary theory because it
                    demonstrated that
                            a. Over the lifetime of the Earth, nothing could change
                            b. Only catastrophes could bring about the events seen 
                                in the fossil record
                            c. Dramatic changes could result from slow processes
                            d. Populations had several natural control mechanisms
                            e. Everyone in a school could dress alike

_______18. Based upon the information in the periodic table box below,
                    an uncharged Phosphorus atom typically has
                            a. 15 protons & 15 neutrons 
                       b. 16 protons & 15 neutrons
                            c. 15 protons & 16 neutrons d. 30 protons and 30 neutrons
                            e. A couple of numbers near it that must mean something

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. Avogadro's Number is 6 X 10²³. What is it a measure of?

3. Briefly explain what it means for a molecule to be unsaturated.

4. Define the concept of punctuated evolution.

5. How, exactly, does a solution of pH 3 compare to one of pH 6?

6. What are two requirements of hypotheses that make them part of the scientific method?
7. Briefly explain why biologically-active molecules rarely if ever involve ionic bonds.

8. Give a brief, general example of how a niche can be taken over.

9. Name or describe two distinct principal features of the process known as the scientific method.
10. What are two ways that different isotopes of the same element differ?
11. What aspect of Biblical "absolutes" was challenged by the discovery of fossil dinosaurs?

12. Give a situation (there are two main ones) where evolutionary rates would be quite fast.

13. What are two common features of viruses that make them difficult to consider "alive?"

14. Define emergent properties.

15. What are two current subfields of biology that are experiencing growth in profile and funding?
16. Briefly define science as reductionism.

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. For the book's 5-Kingdom system, give the name of each and a list of one or more features that, taken together, makes that Kingdom largely distinct from the others.

2. Name 3 properties of water related to its bipolarity and for each, explain how the bipolarity produces that particular property.

3. Fill in the following for asexual reproduction:

5. Give the names and atomic orientation, with bonds, of 5 different organic molecule functional groups.

4. The Hardy-Weinberg Principle says, in effect, that no evolution occurs if certain things are true about a population's gene pool. What are 5 of those things?

7. Give three "rules of the world," that people would accept as givens, that set up the added rules of Darwin's and Wallace's theory of evolution by natural selection.

LINK TO ANSWER KEY

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.

At most universities, which course is most likely to "weed out" the many premed students? Two Points.

What is wrong with the Victorian idea of evolution as progressive, leading to "better" forms? Three Points.

What might the "real" definition of vestigial be? Three Points.

Why can't Carbon dating be used on dinosaur fossils? Three Points.

What is it about high-fiber food that makes it an effective stool softener? Address molecule-level issues, for Three Points.

What side effect related to turnover makes temperate-climate lakes different from tropical lakes? Three Points.

What chemistry discovery "clinched" the idea that a mushroom was not really related to a rose? Three Points.

Copyright 2002, Michael McDarby.