SCIENCE MIDTERM

Name: ___________________________________________ Date: ______

Vescio: Biology Period: ____

Midterm Review 2025 

Midterm Date: January 21st, 2025 (Tuesday) 

Midterm Time: 1:00pm-3:00pm

Major Topics: 

1. Lab Safety 

2. Scientific Method 

3. Experimental Design 

4. Characteristics of Living things 

5. Biochemistry (Carbs, Lipids, Proteins) 

6. Organic vs inorganic molecules 

7. Cellular Respiration 

8. Cell Organelles 

9. Diffusion/Active Transport/ Osmosis 

10. Feedback Loops/Maintaining Homeostasis 

11. Balancing Act (NYS Investigation 

12. Photosynthesis

Things you must be able to do: 

1. Interpret a data table 

2. Interpret a graph 

3. Make a model (with labels, arrows, and explanation) 

4. Make a human body model 

5. Read about a situation that you have never heard of before and apply concepts we have spoken about in class 

Unit 00 - Introduction to Biology

1. Scientific Method

   • Steps: Question, Hypothesis, Experiment, Observation, Conclusion

   • Importance of controlling variables and ensuring repeatability

2. Experimental Design

   • Independent vs. Dependent variables

   • Control group and experimental group

   • How to design a fair experiment

3. Characteristics of Living Things

   • Growth and development

   • Reproduction

   • Response to stimuli

   • Homeostasis

   • Energy use

   • Adaptation through evolution

4. Data Analysis

   • Importance of multiple data sets

   • Identifying trends

   • Interpreting experimental results

5. Graphing

   • Types of graphs: bar, line, and pie charts

   • How to interpret data from a graph

   • Proper labels (title, axes, units)

Unit 1 - Homeostasis and Feedback Mechanisms - The Marathon Runner

1. Biochemistry

   • Carbs: Energy source, glucose storage

   • Proteins: Amino acids, enzymes

   • Lipids: Fat storage, insulation

   • Nucleic Acids: DNA, RNA (how they relate to genetic information)

2. Cellular Respiration

   • Aerobic: Oxygen required, more ATP produced

   • Anaerobic: Lactic acid, muscle fatigue, less ATP produced

   • Did the runner run out of energy?: Exploring the balance between aerobic and anaerobic respiration during intense exercise

   • Blood oxygen levels: Graphing changes during exercise

   • Blood oxygen levels: Graphing changes during exercise

3. Comparing Gas Exchange

   • Respiration in humans vs. other organisms

   • Gas exchange in lungs, gills, and skin (across different organisms)

4. Yeast Investigation Lab

   • Cellular respiration in yeast: aerobic and anaerobic processes

   • Data interpretation: what happens when oxygen is limited?

5. Human Body Model - Inputs and Outputs

   • Interactions of the human systems: Nervous, Respiratory, Circulatory

   • The role of cells: mitochondria, cell membrane, and energy production

   • Mitochondria: Site of aerobic respiration

   • Cell Membrane: Structure and function (diffusion and osmosis)

Cells and Their Functions

1. Cell Theory

   • All living things are made of cells

   • Cells are the basic unit of life

   • All cells arise from pre-existing cells

2. Parts of the Cell

   • Nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, etc.

   • Functions of each part

   • Differences between plant and animal cells

   • Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic cells

3. Viruses

   • Are they alive? 

   • Characteristics of Living Things - what do all living things need to be considered “living”?

4. Diffusion and Osmosis

   • Diffusion: Movement of particles from high to low concentration

   • Osmosis: Diffusion of water across a membrane

   • Hypotonic, Isotonic, Hypertonic: Definitions and effects on cells

5. Osmoregulation

   • How organisms maintain water balance in different environments

   • Kidneys, brain (ADH) role in water balance in the human body

   • Example: Fish in fresh vs. saltwater environments

Feedback Loops

1. Negative Feedback Loops

   • Blood Glucose Regulation: Role of insulin and glucagon

   • Diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2

   • Osmoregulation: Regulation of water balance in cells and tissues

   • Thermoregulation: Maintaining body temperature (sweating, shivering)

2. Positive Feedback Loops

   • Definition and examples (less common than negative feedback)

Unit 2 - Photosynthesis and Its Relationship with Cellular Respiration

1. Photosynthesis

   • Process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy (glucose)

   • Equation: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + light energy → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂

   • Chloroplasts: The site of photosynthesis in plant cells

   • Chlorophyll: The pigment that absorbs light for photosynthesis

2. Factors that Affect Photosynthesis

   • Light Intensity: More light increases the rate of photosynthesis up to a point

   • Temperature: Photosynthesis occurs most efficiently at a specific temperature range

   • Carbon Dioxide: Higher CO₂ concentrations can increase the rate of photosynthesis

   • Water Availability: Lack of water slows down photosynthesis

3. Relationship between Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

   • Photosynthesis produces glucose and oxygen, which are used in cellular respiration to produce ATP (energy).

   • Cellular Respiration (which occurs in the mitochondria) converts glucose and oxygen into ATP, releasing carbon dioxide and water as byproducts.

   • Interconnected Systems: The products of photosynthesis (glucose and oxygen) are essential for cellular respiration, and the byproducts (CO₂ and H₂O) are used in photosynthesis.

   • Know BOTH equations!

Good luck studying

YOU GOT THIS!!