General AP Biology Giant Master Review (Ai Help)

What is a negative control?

A condition expected not to produce the response, helping reveal contamination, background signal, or other unintended effects.

What is a positive control?

A condition expected to produce a known response, demonstrating that the experimental system can detect that response.

What is biology?

The scientific study of life and living systems.

What is causation?

A relationship in which changing one factor produces a change in another.

What is confidence interval?

A range constructed by a statistical method that reflects uncertainty around an estimated parameter.

What is confounding variable?

An uncontrolled factor that changes with the independent variable and could provide an alternative explanation for the result.

What is control group?

A comparison group that does not receive the experimental treatment or receives the baseline condition.

What is correlation?

A statistical association between variables; it does not by itself establish causation.

What is dependent variable?

The measured response variable.

What is experimental group?

A group exposed to the experimental treatment or condition.

What is hypothesis?

A testable, falsifiable proposed explanation for an observation.

What is independent variable?

The variable deliberately manipulated by a researcher.

What is law?

A concise description of a consistent natural relationship or pattern; unlike a theory, it does not necessarily explain why the pattern occurs.

What is mean?

The arithmetic average of a set of values.

What is median?

The middle value when observations are ordered.

What is mode?

The most frequently occurring value.

What is null hypothesis?

A statement predicting no effect or no difference under the conditions tested.

What is peer review?

Evaluation of scientific work by qualified experts before publication.

What is placebo?

An inactive treatment used to control for expectation effects.

What is prediction?

A specific expected outcome derived from a hypothesis.

What is random assignment?

Assigning subjects to groups by chance to reduce systematic differences between groups.

What is random sampling?

Selecting individuals from a population by chance to improve representativeness.

What is replicate?

An independent experimental unit or repeated measurement used to assess variability.

What is sample size?

The number of observations or experimental units included in a study.

What is standard deviation?

A measure of how spread out observations are around their mean.

What is statistical significance?

Evidence that an observed result would be relatively unlikely under the specified null model, given the chosen threshold.

What is the difference between accuracy and precision?

Accuracy is closeness to the true value; precision is reproducibility or consistency among measurements.

What is theory?

A broad, well-supported explanatory framework that integrates evidence from many observations and experiments.

What makes a scientific hypothesis useful?

It makes testable predictions and can potentially be falsified by evidence.

Why are repeated trials important?

They help estimate natural variability, improve confidence in a pattern, and reduce the influence of random error.

Why does correlation not prove causation?

Two variables can covary because of reverse causation, confounding variables, coincidence, or a third factor affecting both.

Why is a control important in an experiment?

It provides a baseline for judging whether the treatment is responsible for an observed difference.

What biological concept is described by: “A bond formed by sharing electron pairs between atoms”?

ovalent bond

What biological concept is described by: “A coupled oxidation-reduction reaction involving electron transfer”?

edox reaction

What biological concept is described by: “A covalent bond in which electrons are shared relatively equally”?

onpolar covalent bond

What biological concept is described by: “A covalent bond in which electrons are shared unequally, producing partial charges”?

olar covalent bond

What biological concept is described by: “A dynamic state in which opposing reaction rates are equal and concentrations remain relatively stable”?

hemical equilibrium

What biological concept is described by: “A logarithmic measure related to hydrogen-ion concentration; lower ph means greater acidity”?

H

What biological concept is described by: “A negatively charged ion”?

nion

What biological concept is described by: “A positively charged ion”?

ation

What biological concept is described by: “A reaction that breaks a bond using water”?

ydrolysis

What biological concept is described by: “A reaction that forms a bond while removing a molecule of water”?

ehydration synthesis

What biological concept is described by: “A substance composed of atoms with the same number of protons”?

lement

What biological concept is described by: “A substance that decreases hydrogen-ion concentration or accepts a proton”?

ase

What biological concept is described by: “A substance that increases hydrogen-ion concentration in aqueous solution or donates a proton”?

cid

What biological concept is described by: “A system that resists large changes in ph when acid or base is added”?

uffer

What biological concept is described by: “A weak attraction involving a partially positive hydrogen and an electronegative atom such as oxygen or nitrogen”?

ydrogen bond

What biological concept is described by: “A weak attraction produced by transient or induced charge differences”?

an der Waals interaction

What biological concept is described by: “An atom of an element with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons”?

sotope

What biological concept is described by: “An atom or molecule with a net electrical charge”?

on

What biological concept is described by: “Carbon forms four covalent bonds and can build stable chains, rings, and diverse three-dimensional structures”?

he biological importance of carbon

What biological concept is described by: “Electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions”?

onic interaction

What biological concept is described by: “Gain of electrons or decrease in oxidation state”?

eduction

What biological concept is described by: “Having affinity for water”?

ydrophilic

What biological concept is described by: “Having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions”?

mphipathic

What biological concept is described by: “Loss of electrons or increase in oxidation state”?

xidation

What biological concept is described by: “Tending to avoid or not interact favorably with water”?

ydrophobic

What biological concept is described by: “The energy barrier that must be overcome for a chemical reaction to proceed”?

ctivation energy

What biological concept is described by: “The smallest unit of an element that retains that element's chemical properties”?

tom

What biological concept is described by: “The tendency of an atom to attract shared electrons”?

lectronegativity

What biological concept is described by: “Two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds”?

olecule

What is acid?

A substance that increases hydrogen-ion concentration in aqueous solution or donates a proton.

What is activation energy?

The energy barrier that must be overcome for a chemical reaction to proceed.

What is amphipathic?

Having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions.

What is anion?

A negatively charged ion.

What is atom?

The smallest unit of an element that retains that element's chemical properties.

What is base?

A substance that decreases hydrogen-ion concentration or accepts a proton.

What is buffer?

A system that resists large changes in ph when acid or base is added.

What is cation?

A positively charged ion.

What is chemical equilibrium?

A dynamic state in which opposing reaction rates are equal and concentrations remain relatively stable.

What is covalent bond?

A bond formed by sharing electron pairs between atoms.

What is dehydration synthesis?

A reaction that forms a bond while removing a molecule of water.

What is electronegativity?

The tendency of an atom to attract shared electrons.

What is element?

A substance composed of atoms with the same number of protons.

What is hydrogen bond?

A weak attraction involving a partially positive hydrogen and an electronegative atom such as oxygen or nitrogen.

What is hydrolysis?

A reaction that breaks a bond using water.

What is hydrophilic?

Having affinity for water.

What is hydrophobic?

Tending to avoid or not interact favorably with water.

What is ion?

An atom or molecule with a net electrical charge.

What is ionic interaction?

Electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions.

What is isotope?

An atom of an element with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

What is molecule?

Two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.

What is nonpolar covalent bond?

A covalent bond in which electrons are shared relatively equally.

What is oxidation?

Loss of electrons or increase in oxidation state.

What is pH?

A logarithmic measure related to hydrogen-ion concentration; lower ph means greater acidity.

What is polar covalent bond?

A covalent bond in which electrons are shared unequally, producing partial charges.

What is redox reaction?

A coupled oxidation-reduction reaction involving electron transfer.

What is reduction?

Gain of electrons or decrease in oxidation state.

What is the biological importance of carbon?

Carbon forms four covalent bonds and can build stable chains, rings, and diverse three-dimensional structures.

What is van der Waals interaction?

A weak attraction produced by transient or induced charge differences.

Why does ice float?

Hydrogen bonds hold water molecules in a relatively open crystal lattice, making solid water less dense than liquid water.

Why does water have a high specific heat?

Hydrogen bonding allows water to absorb substantial energy with relatively modest temperature change.

Why is water an excellent solvent for many biological substances?

Its polarity allows it to interact with and surround many ions and polar molecules.

Why is water polar?

Oxygen attracts shared electrons more strongly than hydrogen, creating partial negative and positive regions.

How do saturated and unsaturated fatty acids differ?

Saturated fatty acids lack carbon-carbon double bonds; unsaturated fatty acids contain one or more double bonds.

What are the four major classes of biological macromolecules?

Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

What biological concept is described by: “A biological catalyst that lowers activation energy without being consumed”?

nzyme

What biological concept is described by: “A dna sequence that contributes to a functional product or functional rna”?

ene

What biological concept is described by: “A glycerol molecule esterified to three fatty acids; a major energy-storage lipid”?

riglyceride

What biological concept is described by: “A highly branched glucose-storage polysaccharide in animals and fungi”?

lycogen