Bio Honors Final Exam MegaSet for 2025-26

Producers

An organism that makes organic food molecules from carbon dioxide , water and other inorganic raw materials

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants transform light energy to chemical energy stored in the bonds of sugars made from carbon dioxide and water

Autotrophs

An organism that makes its own food from inorganic ingredients, thereby sustaining itself without eating other organisms or their molecules

Consumers

An organism that obtains its food by eating plants or animals

Cellular Respiration

The aerobic harvesting of chemical energy from organic fuel molecules

Heterotrophs

An organism that cannot make it's own organic food molecules and must obtain them by consuming other organisms or their organic products

Aerobic

Requiring molecular oxygen

Glycolysis

A molecule of glucose is split into two molecules of a compound called pyruvic acid

Sequence of 3 steps of cellular respiration

1. glycolysis 2. krebs cycle 3. electron transport chain

ATP

Adenosine Triphosphate- The chemical currency of cells that is used to fuel cellular processes requiring energy

Components of ATP

adenine, ribose, 3 phosphates

Cycling of ATP & ADP

The conversion of ATP to ADP + P releases energy to do work.

To build ADP + P into ATP, ATP synthase adds a new P to ADP, resulting in "recharged" ATP.

Chemical equation of cellular respiration

C6H12O6 + 6O2 > 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP

Molecule that determines whether cells carry out cellular respiration or fermentation

O2

Location of aerobic respiration

Mitochondrion

Fermentation

The anaerobic harvest of food by some cells

Two types of fermentation and their products

Alcoholic fermentation makes Ethanol and CO2

Lactic acid fermentation makes Lactic Acid

Examples of lactic acid fermented products

Yogurt, pickled vegetables, olives

Examples of alcoholic fermented products

Beer, wine, risen bread

Location of glycolysis and fermentation

cytoplasm

Anaerobic

Lacking or not requiring molecular oxygen

Pyruvate

End product of glycolysis, key in respiration.

NADH

Electron carrier storing energy from glycolysis.

FADH2

Electron carrier storing energy from Krebs cycle.

Why is oxygen essential for cellular respiration?

Because it is the final electron acceptor, it binds with H, makes water and helps to maintain the proton gradient.

H+ gradient

Maintains proton concentration which powers ATP synthase enzyme, creating ATP from ADP.

Both DNA and RNA are types of...

Nucleic acids

A botanist is extracting DNA from an apple tree. Where in the cells should she look?

In the nucleus

The DNA double helix strand is anti-parallel. This means that...

Both strands go in different directions

Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine and Thymine are...

Nitrogenous bases

After examining the DNA of different organisms, what did Chargaff conclude about the four bases?

A=T and C=G

If the percentage of Adenine in a DNA sample is 40%, what is the percentage of Guanine?

10

Which of the following features of DNA is most important in determining traits of an organism?

The sequence of nitrogenous bases

DNA molecules consist of...

One old strand and one new strand

Which of the following events occurs directly after a DNA molecule is unzipped?

Free-floating nucleotides pair up with exposed bases.

What do the dotted lines represent between nitrogen bases ?

Hydrogen bonds

If the percentage of Cytosine in a DNA sample is 30%, what is the percentage of Thymine?

20

Which of the following steps in DNA replication comes FIRST?

DNA unwinds

What enzyme connects the new nucleotides together and proofreads them?

DNA Polymerase

Why is DNA replication called "semi-conservative"?

DNA consists of one old strand and one new strand

What enzyme unwinds or unzips the DNA strands?

Helicase

DNA is replicated in which phase of the Cell Cycle?

S (Synthesis)

The "sides" of a DNA ladder are made up of what?

Deoxyribose sugars and phosphate groups

DNA Polymerase is an enzyme that...

binds free-floating nucleotides to the DNA template strand

The "rungs" of a DNA ladder are made up of what?

Nitrogen-containing bases

Which of the following is the complementary strand to this DNA sequence: GATCTG

CTAGAC

Which of the following is the complementary strand to this DNA sequence: TCAGAC

AGTCTG

What type of bonds connect the bases to each other?

Hydrogen bonds

Ribose

A five-carbon sugar present in RNA

Uracil (U)

base found in RNA; pairs with Adenine; substitute for Thymine in DNA

RNA

A single-stranded nucleic acid that passes along genetic messages

mRNA (messenger RNA)

The form of RNA which is created as a blueprint from DNA in the nucleaus; carries instructions to cytoplasm and then ribosome for making a protein

tRNA (transfer RNA)

type of RNA molecule that transfers amino acids to ribosomes during protein synthesis

rRNA (ribosomal RNA)

type of RNA that makes up the major part of ribosomes

Transcription

synthesis of an RNA molecule from a DNA template

Translation

Process by which mRNA is decoded and a protein is produced

Codon

A specific sequence of three adjacent bases on a strand of DNA or RNA that provides genetic code information for a particular amino acid

Anticodon

group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary to an mRNA codon

Mutagens

A chemical or physical agent that interacts with DNA and causes a mutation.

point mutation

gene mutation in which a single base pair in DNA has been changed

substitution mutation

One base is replaced by another.

deletion mutation

a mutation in which one or more pairs of nucleotides are removed from a gene

insertion mutation

a mutation in which one or more nucleotides are added to a gene

frameshift mutation

mutation that shifts the "reading" frame of the genetic message by inserting or deleting a nucleotide

silent mutation

alters a base but does not change the amino acid

RNA (full name)

ribonucleic acid

RNA polymerase

enzyme that links together the growing chain of RNA nucleotides during transcription using a DNA strand as a template

Scientists who found the shape of DNA

Watson and Crick

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid, "Blue print" of the cell, contains genetic info

Shape of DNA

double helix

the sugar found in DNA

deoxyribose sugar

DNA nucleotide parts

5 carbon sugar, phosphate, nitrogen base

nitrogen bases in DNA

Adenine pairs with Thymine, Guanine pairs with Cytosine

Purines - Adenine and Guanine

Pyrimidines - Thymine and Cytosine

adenine pairs with...

thymine

cytosine pairs with...

guanine

DNA replication

process of making a copy of DNA, occurs before cell division

scientists who took X-ray photo of DNA

Wilkins and Franklin

DNA helicase

replication enzyme that unwinds the helix by breaking the hydrogen bonds

end product of DNA replication

2 identical DNA molecules

DNA polymerase

replication enzyme that adds nucleotides in a 5' to 3' direction

Where does DNA replication take place

Nucleus of eukaryotic cells; cytoplasm in prokaryotic cells

where is DNA found

Nucleus of eukaryotic cells; cytoplasm in prokaryotic cells

nucleotide

Steps of DNA replication

1. DNA unwinds and unzips

2.New nucleotides are added

3.2 identical DNA molecules result

What holds base pairs together?

Hydrogen bonds

Which of the following is the complementary strand to this DNA sequence: GAT CTG

CTA GAC

Which of the following is the complementary strand to this DNA sequence: TCA GAC

AGT CTG

Watson and Crick built models of DNA and compared it to a spiral staircase. This illustrates that DNA is...

A double helix

Chargaff's Rule states that DNA contains equal amounts of _____ and _____, as well as _____ and _____.

A, T; C, G

Prokaryotic cells differ from eukaryotic cells in that...

They don't have a nucleus to hold their DNA

Where is DNA stored in a eukaryotic cell?

nucleus

A nucleotide consists of what three parts?

A phosphate group, five carbon sugar, and nitrogenous base

Anaphase

Prophase

Metaphase

Mitosis

Telophase

Cell Cycle

The series of organized events that cells go through as they grow and divide, consisting of interphase and mitotic (M) phase

Interphase

The primary growth phase of the cell cycle, consisting of G₁ (growth), S (DNA synthesis), and G₂ (growth) phases

G₀ Phase

A non-dividing state that cells can enter during interphase when they exit the cell cycle