Prelim Biochem Exam Reviewer

Biochem Quiz 1
o For acid rainwater, the pH is higher than 7.

ANSWER: False, because the acid rainwater has 4.0 pH value.

o Statements Analysis: Statement 1: Cell membrane of the eukaryotic cells is composed of
double layer of steroids, with several types of proteins embedded in the lipid matrix.
Statement 2: Some of the proteins transport specific substances across membrane barrier and
the transport can take place in one direction.
ANSWER:
o In osmosis, water molecule enters the aquaporin found in plasma membrane.

ANSWER: True
o Other term for cell eating is phagocytosis

ANSWER: True, Phagocytosis, or “cell eating”, is the process by which a cell engulfs a particle and
digests it. The word phagocytosis comes from the Greek phago-, meaning “devouring”, and -cyte,
meaning “cell”.
o Nucleus directs all cellular activities.

ANSWER: True, the nucleus directs all cellular activities by controlling the synthesis of proteins. The
nucleus contains encoded instructions for the synthesis of proteins in a helical molecule called
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
o A ____ is formed when a ____ is dissolved in a ____.

ANSWER: solution: homogenous mixture of two or more substances; solute: substance that is being
dissolved; solvent; substance in which the solute is dissolved
o The suicide bag of the cell is known as golgi apparatus

ANSWER: False, lysosomes are known as the suicidal bag of the cell because it is capable of
destroying its own cell in which it is present. It contains many hydrolytic enzymes which are
responsible for the destruction process.
o Statements Analysis: Statement 1: When human blood falls below pH 7.35, the
condition is called alkalosis. Statement 2: If the blood pH rises above 7.45, the
condition is known as acidosis.
ANSWER: Both statements are wrong, Acidosis occurs when blood pH falls below 7.35. It can be due
to increased acid or decreased base. If the pH rises above 7.45, it is known as alkalosis.
o The process by which cells release large materials is called endocytosis.
ANSWER: False, exocytosis is the reverse of endocytosis. Quatities of material are expelled from the
cell without ever passing through the membrane as individual molecules.

o Without ____, living organisms would often experience major changes in pH in

their cells.
ANSWER: Buffer is a solution that can resist pH change upon the addition of an acidic or basic
components.
o The water strider is able to stand on water because of the ____ of water.

ANSWER: Surface tension, afundamental property of the surface of liquid. Surface tension is
responsible for the curvature of the surfaces of air and liquids.
o Protein synthesis occurs in smooth endoplasmic recticulum

ANSWER: False, ribosomes are the sites in a cell in which protein synthesis takes place.
o Statements Analysis: Statement 1: Buffer solution tends to resist change in pH
when small or moderate amount of a strong acid or strong base is added.
Statement 2: A buffer solution consists of a mixture of a weak acid and its
conjugate base.
ANSWER: Both statements are correct
o Diffusion is the movement of a substance from an area of high concentration to an
area of low concentration.
ANSWER: True
o Heat of vaporization refers to the heat energy required to raise 1 g of water by 1°C

ANSWER: False, small calorie (calorie) raise 1 g of water by 1°C.

o The smallest living unit of structure and function of all organisms is the cell.

ANSWER: True
o It is a branch of science in which you study the chemical and physical processes
that occur in an organism.
ANSWER: Biochemistry
o Cell transport which does not require energy is called as passive cell transport.

ANSWER: True
o Glycerol is a protein.

ANSWER: False, glycerol is fatty acid and is not contained in carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic
acids.
o The powerhouse of the cell is known as mitochondrion.
ANSWER: True
o Statements Analysis: Statement 1: In a prokaryotic cell, the cytosol is frequently
has a slightly granular appearance because of the presence of vacuole. Statement
2: In addition to the cell membrane and external to it, a prokaryotic bacterial cell
has a cell wall which is mostly of polysaccharide material, a feature it shares with
prokaryotic plant cell.
ANSWER:
o The water lattice forms as a result of ____ between water molecules.

ANSWER: hydrogen bonds

o Go food items are also called as energy giving foods.

ANSWER: True
o As discussed in class, Biochemistry is useful in_____________.

ANSWER: Food Science and Industries, Health and Medicine, and Research and Laboratories
o Statements Analysis: Statement 1: Hydrogen bonding is of electrostatic origin and
can be considered a special case of dipole-dipole interaction. Statement 2: When
hydrogen is covalently bonded to a very electronegative atom such as oxygen or
nitrogen, it has a complete positive charge due a polar bond, a situation that does
not occur when hydrogen is covalently bonded to carbon.
ANSWER: Statement 1 is correct (Because the electronegativity difference between hydrogen and
these highly electronegative atoms is relatively large, the N−H, O−H, and F−H bonds are very polar
covalent bonds.) while statement 2 is wrong (An electronegative atom such as fluorine, oxygen, or
nitrogen is a hydrogen bond acceptor, regardless of whether it is bonded to a hydrogen atom or not.
Greater electronegativity of the hydrogen bond acceptor will create a stronger hydrogen bond.)
o Analyze this chemical reaction: 6 CO2 + 6 H2O (there is an arrow here) C6H12O6 +
6 O2 which of the following is FALSE?
ANSWER: False is molecular carbon is a reactant. While true are: Water is a reactant, C6H12O6 is a
product and CO2 is a reactant.
o Four elements make up more than 96% of the mass of most living organisms.
Which of the following is NOT one of those four elements?
ANSWER: sodium while carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen make up 96% of the mass of most living
organisms.
o Which is not a base?

ANSWER: Vinegar, is mildly acidic with a pH of 2–3. Apple cider vinegar is slightly more alkaline than
pure vinegar because it contains more alkaline nutrients. While Human blood, Seawater, and soap
are bases as they are proton acceptors.
o Ribosome synthesis occurs in nucleolus.
ANSWER: True
o It deals with structure and function of macromolecules that essential for life like
proteins and nucleic acid.
ANSWER: Molecular Biology

BIOCHEM Quiz 2
o This is the process used to make soaps from lipids.

ANSWER: saponification
o Table sugar is also called as________________.

ANSWER: sucrose
o Analysis the following statements. Statement 1: Celluloses are found in certain
bacteria, including the bacteria that inhabit the digestive tracts of insects, such as
termites, and grazing animals, such as cattle and horses. Statement 2: The damage
done by termites to the wooden part of the buildings arises from the ability to use
cellulose in wood as a nutrient- owing to the presence of suitable bacteria in their
digestive tracts.
ANSWER: Both statements are correct
o The rate of reaction for organic compounds is slow and complex while fast and
simple for inorganic compounds
ANSWER: True
o Analysis the following statements. Statement 1: Glycogen granules are observed in
well-fed liver and muscle cells, but they are seen in some other cell types such as
brain and heart cells under normal conditions. Statement 2: Some athletes,
particularly long distance runners, try to split their glycogen reserves before a race
by eating large amounts of carbohydrates.
ANSWER:
o When two monosaccharide units are joined via the oxygen atom then that linkage
is called a sulfuric linkage.
ANSWER: False, the linkage which joins two monosaccharide units through oxygen atom is called
glycosidic linkage. While Sulfur linkages are formed between the chain with strengths comparable to
those linking the carbon atoms to the polyisoprene chains in the starting material.
o It is the name applied to milk sugar

ANSWER: NONE OF THE ABOVE (ans. LACTOSE)

o Maltose contains three molecules of galactose.
ANSWER: False, maltose consists of two molecules of glucose that are linked by an α-(1,4') glycosidic
bond.
o _______________contain the group –CΞN and are made by a substitution reaction
of an alkyl halide with CN- (cyanide).
ANSWER: NITRILES

o Aldehydes and ketones both contain the carbonyl group, C=O.

ANSWER: true
o Alcohols have high melting and boiling points since they can form hydrogen bonds
between their molecules.
ANSWER: True
o Alkanes are hydrocarbons that contain only single bonds and are referred to as
saturated hydrocarbons.
ANSWER: True
o Ethanal (acetaldehyde) is a narcotic product of ethanol metabolism and is used to
make perfumes, flavors, and plastics.
ANSWER: Ethers are used in foods as flavorings and in perfumes as fragrances. Acetaldehyde is
primarily used to produce other chemicals, including acetic acid and disinfectants, drugs and
perfumes.
o Which of the following is/are polysaccharides?

ANSWER: ALL OF THE ABOVE (Cellulose, Chitin, Glycogen)

o Covalent bonding is usually common among organic compounds while ionic
bonding is usually common among inorganic compounds
ANSWER: True
o Analysis the following statements. Statement 1: When the carbonyl group of a
sugar is reduced to a hydroxyl group, the resulting compound is one of the
polyhydroxy alcohols known as alditols. Statement 2: Two compounds of this kind,
xylitol and sorbitol, derivatives of sugar xylulose and sorbose respectively, have
commercial importance as sweeteners in sugarless chewing gum and candy.
ANSWER: Both statements are correct
o Ester groups occur commonly in _______ which are formed by the esterification of
fatty acids.
ANSWER: None of these, the answer is most naturally occurring fats and oils are the fatty acid esters
of glycerol.
 o Analysis the following statements. Statement 1: Fiber is principally made of
carbohydrates, may have some protein components, and is moderately to fully
soluble. Statement 2: We have known for a long time that fiber stimulates
peristaltic action and thus helps move the digested food through the intestines,
decreasing the transmit time through the gut.
ANSWER:
o It is the sweetest among the sugars

ANSWER: Fructose

o Polysaccharides refers to short carbohydrate chains of around 3 – 10

monosaccharides usually found in legumes and human milk.
ANSWER: False, Polysaccharides refers to long chains of monosaccharides linked by glyosidic bond.
o It is also known as “dextrose”

ANSWER: Glucose.
o Analysis the following statements. Statement 1: Pectin is extracted from plants
because it has commercial importance in the food-processing industry as a gelling
agent in yogurt, fruit reserves, jams, and jellies. Statement 2: The major
nonpolysaccharide component in plant cell cytoskeleton, especially in woody plants
is lignin, which is a polymer of coniferyl alcohol.
ANSWER: Statement 1 is correct while statement 2 is wrong (as Lignin is a complex and
heterogeneous polymer that is predominantly present in the walls of secondary thickened cells1.)
o An alkyne is a hydrocarbon that contains at least one CΞC triple bond.

ANSWER: True
o It is an amide which is used as active ingredient in nonaspirin pain relievers and
used to make dyes and photographic chemicals.
ANSWER: Acetaminophen.
o Starch is a highly branched chains of glucose units which is considered as animal
storage form of carbohydrate.
ANSWER: False, animals store carbohydrates in glycogen.
o If the OH on the bottom chiral center points to the right, it is referred to as L-

ANSWER: False, it is D-.

o Stereoisomers are isomeric molecules that possess same constitution and
molecular formula, but they vary in four-dimensional orientations of their atoms in
the space.
ANSWER: False, a different three-dimensional spatial arrangement of the atoms.
 o Alkenes are unsaturated and have the general formula CnH2n.

ANSWER: True, as they contain a C=C double bond, which means that they have two fewer
hydrogen atoms than the corresponding alkane.
o Alkanes are hydrocarbons that contain only single bonds and are referred to as
saturated hydrocarbons.
ANSWER: True

o Which of the following is/are properties of an organic compounds?

ANSWER: Generally weak, Often flammable, and Non-conductor

Biochem Quiz 3
o Fill in the blanks. Glucose is ____________to give_____________. The
phosphorylation of glucose is an____________ reaction.
ANSWER: phosphorylated, glucose-6-phosphate, endergonic
o Fill in the blanks. Phosphorylation of _______________ to give ____________
(________ is the source of the phosphate group) is step 3 in glycolysis.
ANSWER: fructose-6-phosphate, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate , ATP
o Fill in the blanks. Transfer of a ___________group from _____________ to
__________(phosphorylation of ADP to ATP) to give 3-phosphoglycerate is step 7
in glycolysis.
ANSWER: phosphate, 1,3-bisphosglycerate, ADP
o Fill in the blanks. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate is split into _________three-carbon
fragments. The cleavage reaction here is the reverse of an aldol _____________;
the enzyme that catalyzes is called _____________.
ANSWER: two, condensation, aldolase
o Fill in the blanks. The 2-phosphoglycerate molecule loses one molecule of
_________, producing phosphoenolpyruvate. This reaction does not involve
_____________transfer; it is a dehydration reaction.
ANSWER: water, 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate, electron
o Fill in the blanks. Binding of __________ and epinephrine to their
____________leads to cascade that inhibits glycogen _____________.
ANSWER: glucagon, receptors, synthesis
o Fill in the blanks. Glycogen stores in muscle and _______ tissue are depleted
within 12-18 hours from fasting or in even less time from heavy work or strenuous
physical activity. Without _______________, the brain, which is dependent on
 glucose as a ________ would have problems functioning if food intake were
restricted for even one day.
ANSWER: liver, gluconeogenesis, electron
o Fill in the blanks. In the ______cycle, glucose is metabolized to _________ and
then to ________in muscle, the lactate is released into the blood and carried to the
liver.
ANSWER: cori, pyruvate, lactate

o Fill in the blanks. Pyruvate produced by glycolysis is transformed by

____________into the __________ in the presence of ____________.
ANSWER: oxidative decarboxylation, acetyl-CoA , coenzyme A
o Fill in the blanks. The citric acid cycle takes place in the __________of the
_________, so the ____________must pass through the transporter into this
organelle.
ANSWER: matrix, mitochondria, pyruvate
o Fill in the blanks. Citrate __________to ___________, which then undergoes to
alpha-ketoglutarate, a _________ carbon compound.
ANSWER: isomerizes, isocitrate, five
o Fill in the blanks. ____________ is converted to _________, which is then
oxidized to oxaloacetate while another ____________ is produced.
ANSWER: fumarate, malate, NADPH
o Fill in the blanks. The reactions of the citric acid cycle include __________other
oxidative decarboxylations, which transform the ____-carbon compound into
____-carbon compound succinate.
ANSWER: no correct answer
o Fill in the blanks. Complex ____ involves the ____cycle and shuttles electrons to
cytochrome ______.
ANSWER: none of these
o Fill in the blanks. Complex ____accomplishes the reoxidation of _______ and
sends electrons to coenzyme _____.
ANSWER: II, NADH, Q
o The metabolism of fats requires carbohydrates and its incomplete metabolism
produces aldehydes.
ANSWER: False, lipid metabolism is associated with carbohydrate metabolism, as products of glucose
(such as acetyl CoA) can be converted into lipids. Incomplete fat oxidation results in metabolic
byproducts such as acylcarnitines and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which accumulate in the
mitochondria. While aldehydes are formed by the oxidation of alcohols.
o Bacteria that produce cavity causing acid have the capacity to metabolize sugar
alcohols.
ANSWER: False
o Aspartame is an artificial sugar which is 200x sweeter than sugar, yields 4 kcal per
gram and made of two amino acids aspartic acid and alanine.
ANSWER: false, made of two amino acids aspartic acid and phenalanine.
o The examples of soluble fiber gums, pectins, celluloses, mucilages, and some
hemicelluloses.
ANSWER: False
o Functional fibers are isolated and digestible carbohydrates that have beneficial
physiological effects in humans.
ANSWER: False, nondigestible forms of carbohydrate
o Free sugars are composed of intrinsic sugars and concentrated sugars coming from
honey, syrups, and juices.
ANSWER: False, intrinsic sugars are defined by the WHO as the sugars incorporated in the structure
of intact fruit and vegetables.
o Sugar alcohols include sorbitol, cytosol, mannitol, and xylitol.

ANSWER: False, no cytosol.

o It is the sweetest among the artificial sugars.

ANSWER: Sucralose, no energy and trade name is splenda. It is 600x sweeter than table sugar.
o The function/s of the insoluble fibers include/s___________________.

ANSWER: delay transit through the digestive tract, increase glucose absorption, and decrease fecal
weight and soften stool to ease passage.
o Excessive amounts of fiber may lead to:

ANSWER: displacement of other foods in the diet, intestinal discomfort, and interference with the
absorption of other nutrients.
o During the citric acid cycle, each acetyl group entering the cycle yields:

ANSWER: 1 ATP, 3 NADH, and 1 FADH2

o Why must the transfer of electrons from glucose to oxygen during aerobic
respiration take place in a series of steps?
ANSWER: The energy of the electrons can be used to make ATP.
 o In glycolysis, a six-carbon glucose molecule is converted into two three-carbon
molecules of
ANSWER: Pyruvate
o During aerobic respiration, what molecule is degraded for the formation of acetyl
coenzyme A?
ANSWER: pyruvate
o Glycolysis, Krebs Cycle and electron transport chain occurs in
__________________, ____________________, and ___________________;
respectively.
ANSWER: cytosol, mitochondrial matrix, mitochondrial inter membrane space
o In glycolysis, ATPs production occurs in____________.

ANSWER: 7 and 9
o The final step in carbohydrate digestion takes on the outer membranes of intestinal
mucosal cells
ANSWER: True
o Enzyme salivary “alpha-amylase” catalyzes the hydrolysis of alpha-glycosidic
linkages of starch and glycogen to produce smaller polysaccharides and
disaccharide maltose.
ANSWER: TRUE
o The glucose 6 phosphate is isomerized to Fructose -6-Phosphate through the aid of
the enzyme: Phosphoglucoisomerase
ANSWER: True
o Both production of second “energy-rich” compound and hydration reaction occurs
in step 9 of glycolysis.
ANSWER: True
o Muscle fatigue associated with strenuous physical activity is attributed to
increased build-up of citrate.
ANSWER: False, If citrate builds up, this is a sign that glycolysis can slow down, because the citric
acid cycle is backed up and doesn't need more fuel.
o Ethanol fermentation involves two reactions such as pyruvate decarboxylation by pyruvate
decarboxylase and acetaldehyde reduction to methanol by alcohol dehydrogenase.

ANSWER: False, In a fermentation process sugar (glucose, fructose or other monosaccharides) is converted to ethanol by
microbes (mostly varieties of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae), which are inoculated to the feedstock. The
monosachharides originate either directly from disaccharides, which are broken up via invertase enzymes, or from starch
which is hydrolysed with amylase enzymes. In addition to ethanol, water and carbon dioxide are prdouced also.

o Electrons are transferred to O2 and O2 is oxidized to H2O during electron transport chain.
ANSWER: False, the electrons passing through the electron transport chain gradually lose energy, High-energy electrons
donated to the chain by either NADH or FADH2 complete the chain, as low-energy electrons reduce oxygen molecules
and form water.

o During aerobic condition, 1 molecule of glucose yields 32 ATPs in animal cells and 34 ATPs in plant
cells.

ANSWER: False, 1 molecule of glucose yields 36 ATPs in animal cells and 38 ATPs in plant cells.

o In Step 7 of glycolysis, the diphosphate from step 6 is converted back to monophosphate species.
Thus is facilitated by enzyme phosphoglycerokinase.

ANSWER: True