Name____________________
Miss Badean
AP Biology Unit #1 Practice Exam
Part I. Multiple Choice
_____1. The hydrogen bond between two
water molecules arises because water is
a. polar.
b. nonpolar.
c. a liquid.
d. a small molecule.
_____2. Cellulose and starch are composed
of the same monomers but have structural
and functional differences. Which of the
following is the characteristic that accounts
for those differences?
a. The length of each molecule
b. Different numbers of glucose monomers
c. Different arrangement of bonds holding
them together
d. A linear shape in one versus a ring shape in
the other
_____3. What is the major distinction
between a prokaryotic and a eukaryotic cell?
a. A prokaryotic cell does not have a nucleus,
whereas a eukaryotic cell does.
b. A prokaryotic cell does not have DNA,
whereas a eukaryotic cell does.
c. A prokaryotic cell is smaller than a
eukaryotic cell.
d. Prokaryotic cells have not prospered,
whereas eukaryotic cells are evolutionary
“successes.”
_____4. Which of the following is
responsible for making every amino acid
unique?
a. Amino group
b. Hydrogen
c. Carboxyl group
d. “R” group
Date________
AP Biology
_____5. The two strands of a DNA molecule
are held together by an attractive force
between the nitrogenous bases of
complementary strands. Single-stranded
RNA can fold on itself, creating three-
dimensional structures such as tRNA. The
DNA strands and tRNA folds are stabilized
by _______ bonds.
a. hydrogen
b. ionic
c. phosphodiester
d. peptide
_____6. Which of the following does not
represent a correct monomer/polymer
pairing?
a. Monosaccharide/polysaccharide
b. Amino acid/protein
c. Triglyceride/cellulose
d. Nucleotide/nucleic acid
_____7. The central dogma of molecular
biology states that
a. the genetic code is ambiguous.
b. the information flow between DNA, RNA,
and a protein is reversible.
c. the information flow in a cell is from DNA
to RNA to protein.
d. the information flow in a cell is from
protein to RNA to DNA.
_____8. How does the surface area-to-
volume ratio of a 1-mm cube compare to the
surface area-to-volume ratio of a 3-mm cube?
a. The 3-mm cube has a higher ratio.
b. The ratio increases as the cube becomes
larger.
c. Increasing the volume increases the ratio.
d. The ratio decreases as the cube becomes
larger.
_____9. Membrane bound-organelles have
been an important components in the
evolution of complex, multicellular
organisms. Which of the following best
summarizes as advantage of eukaryotic cells
having internal membranes?
a. Eukaryotic cells are able to reproduce
faster because of the presence of organelles
b. Some organelles, such as mitochondria and
chloroplasts, are similar to prokaryotic cells
in structure.
c. Organelles isolate specific reactions,
increasing metabolic efficiency.
Compartmentalization leads to a higher
mutation rate in DNA, which leads to more
new species.
_____10. The LDL receptor is an integral
protein that crosses the plasma membrane,
with portions of the protein extending both
outside and into the interior of the cell. The
amino acid side chains (R groups) in the
region of the protein that crosses the
membrane are most likely
_____12. When a severely dehydrated
patient is brought to the hospital, an IV of
normal saline is started immediately.
Distilled water is not used because
a. it would cause water to leave the cells of the
patient and the cells would collapse.
b. nutrients are provided by the saline.
c. it would cause the patient’s blood cells to
swell and eventually burst.
d. normal saline is more economical.
13-14. The graph below shows the
relationship between glucose concentration
outside a cell and the rate of glucose diffusion
across a cell membrane that has carrier
proteins to facilitate diffusion.

a. charged.
b. hydrophilic.
c. hydrophobic.
d. carbohydrates.

_____11. When a mouse cell and a human

cell are fused, the membrane proteins of the _____13. Which of the following represents
two cells become uniformly distributed over saturation of the carrier proteins?
the surface of the hybrid cell. This occurs
because a. A
b. B
a. many proteins can move around within the c. C
bilayer. d. D
b. all proteins are anchored within the
membrane.
c. proteins are asymmetrically distributed _____14. According to the graph, as the
within the membrane. number of glucose molecules increases, the
d. all proteins in the plasma membrane are rate of diffusion
peripheral.
a. increases indefinitely.
b. decreases.
c. increases until a plateau is reached.
d. remains the same.
15.

16.
17. 20.

21.

_____18. If ATP breakdown (hydrolysis) is inhibited,

which of the following types of movement across
cell membranes is also inhibited?

a. Movement of oxygen into a cell

b. Movement of water through aquaporins
c. Passage of a solute against its concentration gradient
d. Facilitated diffusion of a permeable substance

_______ 19. Many mammals control their body

temperature by sweating. Which property of water is
most directly responsible for the ability of sweat
to lower body temperature?

a. Water’s change in density when it condenses

b. Water’s ability to dissolve molecules in the air
c. The release of heat by the formation of hydrogen bonds
d. The absorption of heat by the breaking of hydrogen bonds
22.

23. When planting crops, farmers rotate the types of plants that are planted for harvest in order to prevent the
soil from being leached of essential minerals. If a farmer plants a crop that leaches the soil of phosphorus, which
of the following biomolecules will subsequent plants be unable to synthesize?
(A) cellulose
(B) phospholipids
(C) proteins
(D) fatty acids

24. Identical heat lamps are arranged to shine on identical containers of water and methanol (wood alcohol), so
that each liquid absorbs the same amount of energy minute by minute. The covalent bonds of methanol
molecules are nonpolar, so there are no hydrogen bonds among methanol molecules. Which of the following
graphs correctly describes what will happen to the temperatures of the water and the methanol?

a b. c.
 Questions 25-28

25. 27.

26.
28.
Part II. Calculations and Short Answers. Answer ALL Questions.

1a. A student is performing an osmosis lab using potato cores. The student records the initial mass
of the potato cores to be 6.5g. The student then places the potato cores in a 1.0M sucrose solution.
The next morning, the student removes the potato cores from the solution and records the final
mass to be 4.0g. Calculate percent change in mass for the potato cores.

1b. In terms of water potential, describe what happened to the potato cores when they were placed
in the sucrose solution.

1c. Calculate the solute potential of the 1.0M sucrose solution. Assume the temperature is 23
degrees Celsius. (2)

2. Differentiate between the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures as they relate
to proteins. If a protein is immersed in an unfavorable pH solution, predict which level of
structure is most likely to disassociate first, and why? How could this change affect protein
function?

3. If a protein is assembled by a ribosome on the endoplasmic reticulum, describe the pathway the
protein will take in order to be secreted from the cell. Which type of transport will be utilized to
allow the protein to be secreted (released) from the cell?

4. Compare and contrast a condensation and hydrolysis reaction. Provide an example of each.

5. Name two of the major components of cell membranes. Briefly describe the function of 2 of
these components.

6. Identify one type of cellular transport and describe it in terms of the following:

-energy requirement?
-membrane protein requirement?
-direction of movement along/against a concentration gradient?
-an example of a molecule moved?

7. Identify four organelles that should be present in a eukaryotic organism and describe the
function of each organelle.