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MCAT Biology Questions & Answers | 100%
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Focused
The chemical reaction that breaks down all the major macro-
molecules - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Hydrolysis
What is the strongest type of INTER-molecular bonds? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔Hydrogen bonds are the strongest intermolecular bonds....
diople-dipole bonds are weaker. . . Vander wall bonds are the weakest.
Why is water a liquid at high temperatures? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔Hydrogen bonding bonds the water molocules closer
together.
What is an ampipathic molecule? give an Example. - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔A molecule with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions.
Example: PhoshpoLipid (Phospho=philic,lipid= phobic)
What is a lipid? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔A lipid is a biological molecule
with low solubility in water.
Lipid means fat. Liposuction is fat removal.
Peptides are NOT lipids.
What are the 6 major groups of lipids? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔1) fatty
acids...
the next 3 have a 3 carbon back bone:
2) Tri-glyceride
3) Phospholipids
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4) Glycolipids
5) Steroids
6) Terpenes - A large class of organic compounds. examples: smelly
pine oils, beer hops aroma and vitamin A.
What is the structure of a Tri-glyceride? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔triglicerides are esters. Composed from 3 carbon glycerol
backbone and 3 fatty acid chains dangling. Each carbon chain is
attached by an ester bond.
What happens if you add water to an ester group in a Tri-glyceride?
How is this reaction rate increased? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Water
cleaves the ester bond into an alcohol and a carboxylic/ fatty acid.
LIPASES speed are the enzyme that speed this reaction.
in terms of water solubility, What is important to know about the
longer the carbon chain in a Tri-glyceride when broken down? -
CORRECT ANSWER✔✔longer carbon chains are less water soluble.
In longer chains the polar carboxylic acid are less significant.
How soluble is a Shorter chain fatty acids? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔Shorter chain fatty acids are slightly water soluble.
explain what is so special about Saturated Fatty Acids........Also,
explain the melting point. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔saturated fatty acids
have only single, alkane bonds along the carbon chain. They have a
straighter chain and have more van der wall forces, and therefor a
higher melting point.
explain what is so special about Unsaturated Fatty Acid.... Also,
explain the melting point. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Unsaturated fatty
acids have at least one double bond. They are not saturated with
Hydrogen. they have a LOWER melting point.
At room temperatures unsaturated fatty acids may be oily, like Healthy
peanut butter.
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explain the phospho-lipids structure. Where are phoshpo lipids
common? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Phospholipids are also built on a 3
Carbon backbone.
One of the carbon has a Phosphate PO4 group. the other 2 carbons
have carbon chains attached by a ester bond.
This is the lollypop of the cell membrane. Esters have 2 oxygens.
What regions are poplar nonpolar in a membrane? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔1)the phosphates are Polar, water lovin, hydro philic
regions that face the outside.
2) Nonpolar, hydro phobic carbon chain regions face the inside.
Explain glycolipids structure. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔glycolipids have 3
carbon backbone with
2 Carbon chains attached by an ester group.
THe third carbon has a carbohydrate
What do steroids look like? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Slightly
amphipathic 4 ring structures
lipids are insoluble. So how do they move through the blood? -
CORRECT ANSWER✔✔They are usually carried by lipoproteins, like
HDL or LDL.
What are the major classes of lipoproteins? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔1)
Chylomicrons which are the largest
2) VLDLs these are low denstiy, but large.
3) LDLs
4) HDLs. these high density lipids are the smallest, and called good
proteins.
What are proteins made up of? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔one or more
chains of amino acids, perhaps in a crazy ass arrangement.
describe amino acid structure. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Amino acids
have 4 parts attached to the alpha carbon.
1. the amino group, which is NH2
2. the R group, which is one of 20 choices
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3. the Carboxylic acid or C O O
the last thing attached to the Carbon is the Hydrogen.
What are the basic amino acids? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Hal
Histidine
Arginine
Lysine
What are the acidic amino acids? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Aspartic acid
and Glutamic acid
What are the nonpolar amino acids? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Poor LTMG
Is Venezuelan At Parties
1) Phenylalanine
2) Leucine
3) Tryptophan
4) Methionine
5) Glycine
6) Isoleucine
7) Valine
8) Alanine
9) Proline
What is the primary structure of a protein? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔Sequence of amino acids and
Location of disulfide bonds between cistine residues
What is the secondary structure of a protein? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔1)
Twisting of the alpha helix
2) Beta sheets
What is the tertiary structure of a protein? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔3D
structure including bending
What is the quaternary structure of a protein? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔Multiple proteins in formation
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A+
MCAT Biology Questions & Answers | 100%
Latest Update 2026 | Verified & Exam-
Focused
The chemical reaction that breaks down all the major macro-
molecules - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Hydrolysis
What is the strongest type of INTER-molecular bonds? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔Hydrogen bonds are the strongest intermolecular bonds....
diople-dipole bonds are weaker. . . Vander wall bonds are the weakest.
Why is water a liquid at high temperatures? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔Hydrogen bonding bonds the water molocules closer
together.
What is an ampipathic molecule? give an Example. - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔A molecule with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions.
Example: PhoshpoLipid (Phospho=philic,lipid= phobic)
What is a lipid? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔A lipid is a biological molecule
with low solubility in water.
Lipid means fat. Liposuction is fat removal.
Peptides are NOT lipids.
What are the 6 major groups of lipids? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔1) fatty
acids...
the next 3 have a 3 carbon back bone:
2) Tri-glyceride
3) Phospholipids
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4) Glycolipids
5) Steroids
6) Terpenes - A large class of organic compounds. examples: smelly
pine oils, beer hops aroma and vitamin A.
What is the structure of a Tri-glyceride? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔triglicerides are esters. Composed from 3 carbon glycerol
backbone and 3 fatty acid chains dangling. Each carbon chain is
attached by an ester bond.
What happens if you add water to an ester group in a Tri-glyceride?
How is this reaction rate increased? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Water
cleaves the ester bond into an alcohol and a carboxylic/ fatty acid.
LIPASES speed are the enzyme that speed this reaction.
in terms of water solubility, What is important to know about the
longer the carbon chain in a Tri-glyceride when broken down? -
CORRECT ANSWER✔✔longer carbon chains are less water soluble.
In longer chains the polar carboxylic acid are less significant.
How soluble is a Shorter chain fatty acids? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔Shorter chain fatty acids are slightly water soluble.
explain what is so special about Saturated Fatty Acids........Also,
explain the melting point. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔saturated fatty acids
have only single, alkane bonds along the carbon chain. They have a
straighter chain and have more van der wall forces, and therefor a
higher melting point.
explain what is so special about Unsaturated Fatty Acid.... Also,
explain the melting point. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Unsaturated fatty
acids have at least one double bond. They are not saturated with
Hydrogen. they have a LOWER melting point.
At room temperatures unsaturated fatty acids may be oily, like Healthy
peanut butter.
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,https://www.stuvia.com/user/Edufiles
explain the phospho-lipids structure. Where are phoshpo lipids
common? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Phospholipids are also built on a 3
Carbon backbone.
One of the carbon has a Phosphate PO4 group. the other 2 carbons
have carbon chains attached by a ester bond.
This is the lollypop of the cell membrane. Esters have 2 oxygens.
What regions are poplar nonpolar in a membrane? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔1)the phosphates are Polar, water lovin, hydro philic
regions that face the outside.
2) Nonpolar, hydro phobic carbon chain regions face the inside.
Explain glycolipids structure. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔glycolipids have 3
carbon backbone with
2 Carbon chains attached by an ester group.
THe third carbon has a carbohydrate
What do steroids look like? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Slightly
amphipathic 4 ring structures
lipids are insoluble. So how do they move through the blood? -
CORRECT ANSWER✔✔They are usually carried by lipoproteins, like
HDL or LDL.
What are the major classes of lipoproteins? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔1)
Chylomicrons which are the largest
2) VLDLs these are low denstiy, but large.
3) LDLs
4) HDLs. these high density lipids are the smallest, and called good
proteins.
What are proteins made up of? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔one or more
chains of amino acids, perhaps in a crazy ass arrangement.
describe amino acid structure. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Amino acids
have 4 parts attached to the alpha carbon.
1. the amino group, which is NH2
2. the R group, which is one of 20 choices
https://www.stuvia.com/user/Edufiles
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3. the Carboxylic acid or C O O
the last thing attached to the Carbon is the Hydrogen.
What are the basic amino acids? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Hal
Histidine
Arginine
Lysine
What are the acidic amino acids? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Aspartic acid
and Glutamic acid
What are the nonpolar amino acids? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Poor LTMG
Is Venezuelan At Parties
1) Phenylalanine
2) Leucine
3) Tryptophan
4) Methionine
5) Glycine
6) Isoleucine
7) Valine
8) Alanine
9) Proline
What is the primary structure of a protein? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔Sequence of amino acids and
Location of disulfide bonds between cistine residues
What is the secondary structure of a protein? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔1)
Twisting of the alpha helix
2) Beta sheets
What is the tertiary structure of a protein? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔3D
structure including bending
What is the quaternary structure of a protein? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔Multiple proteins in formation
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