FIN CERT COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
GRADED A+
◍ cancer.
Answer: disorder in which some of the body's cells lose the ability to control
growth
◍ spontaneous generation.
Answer: Hypothesis stating that life could arise from nonliving matter.
◍ 2 forms of energy.
Answer: 1. kinetic2. potential
◍ which type of selection drives light-colored skin traits?.
Answer: positive selection
◍ allosteric enzyme.
Answer: enzyme whos activity is affected by binding a molecule at a site
other than the active site
◍ 2 ways crossing over can occur.
Answer: 1. between genes --> both recombinant & nonrecombinant for A &
B genes2. not between genes --> nonrecombinant for A & B genes
◍ Genetics.
Answer: The study of genes and heredity
◍ adaptive radiation.
Answer: period of rapid evolutionary diversification
◍ Multipotent.
Answer: cell with limited potential to develop into many types of
differentiated cells
,◍ balancing selection.
Answer: maintaining two or more alleles of a given gene in a population
◍ Symbiosis.
Answer: A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one
of the species.
◍ Anaerobic.
Answer: Process that does not require oxygen
◍ Gamete.
Answer: specialized cell involved in sexual reproduction
◍ structure of ATP.
Answer: adenine, ribose, 3 phosphate groups
◍ Ecosystem.
Answer: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical
environment.
◍ controlled experiment.
Answer: An experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time.
◍ peripatric speciation.
Answer: specific kind of allopatric speciation (dispersal)- when a few
individuals from a mainland population disperse to a new location remote
from the original population & evolve separately
◍ What is an emergent property?.
Answer: Characteristics of a system that emerge only when components
combine, not present in the individual components.
◍ addition rule.
Answer: probability of either two mutually exclusive outcomes occurring is
given by the sum of their individual probabilities("either/or")
◍ cladistics.
Answer: A phylogenetic classification system that uses shared derived
, characters and ancestry as the sole criterion for grouping taxa.
◍ 4 stages of cellular respiration.
Answer: 1. glycolysis2. pyruvate oxidation3. Krebs cycle (citric acid
cycle)4. oxidative phosphorylation (ETC)
◍ 3 branches of the phylogenetic tree.
Answer: 1. bacteria2. archaea3. eukaryotes
◍ hetero-.
Answer: different, other
◍ thylakoid membrane.
Answer: contains light collecting pigments (chlorophyll)
◍ gam-, game-.
Answer: united, sexual
◍ characters.
Answer: anatomical, physiological, or molecular features that make up
organisms
◍ 1st law of thermodynamics (cell energy).
Answer: energy is constant(total energy before = total energy after)- changes
from one form to another
◍ division.
Answer: taxonomic term used instead of phylum to group related classes of
plants and bacteria
◍ Rule of Dominance.
Answer: When an organism inherits 2 different alleles for a gene, one allele
is dominant while the other allele is recessive
◍ cilia.
Answer: Hairlike projections that extend from the plasma membrane and are
used for locomotion
◍ desert.
, Answer: An extremely dry area with little water and few plants
◍ What is the total point value for the course?.
Answer: 750 points
◍ Anton van Leeuwenhoek.
Answer: made first simple microscope
◍ Biogenesis.
Answer: The principle that all living things come from other living things
◍ Co-evolution.
Answer: Process by which two species evolve in response to changes in
each other
◍ mutant.
Answer: an individual w/ an unusual phenotype due to a mutation
◍ Isotonic.
Answer: when the concentration of two solutions is the same
◍ gene flow.
Answer: movement of alleles from one population to another
◍ are organic molecules rich sources of chemical energy?.
Answer: yes(ex. carbon-carbon bonds, carbon-hydrogen bonds)
◍ homologous.
Answer: term used to refer to chromosomes that each have a corresponding
chromosome from the opposite-sex parent
◍ polyphyletic.
Answer: does NOT include common ancestor
◍ Archabacteria.
Answer: single celled, ancient bacteria (prokaryotes) with cell walls; live
only in extreme environments
◍ Qualitative Data.
Answer: Descriptive information gathered using the senses
2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
GRADED A+
◍ cancer.
Answer: disorder in which some of the body's cells lose the ability to control
growth
◍ spontaneous generation.
Answer: Hypothesis stating that life could arise from nonliving matter.
◍ 2 forms of energy.
Answer: 1. kinetic2. potential
◍ which type of selection drives light-colored skin traits?.
Answer: positive selection
◍ allosteric enzyme.
Answer: enzyme whos activity is affected by binding a molecule at a site
other than the active site
◍ 2 ways crossing over can occur.
Answer: 1. between genes --> both recombinant & nonrecombinant for A &
B genes2. not between genes --> nonrecombinant for A & B genes
◍ Genetics.
Answer: The study of genes and heredity
◍ adaptive radiation.
Answer: period of rapid evolutionary diversification
◍ Multipotent.
Answer: cell with limited potential to develop into many types of
differentiated cells
,◍ balancing selection.
Answer: maintaining two or more alleles of a given gene in a population
◍ Symbiosis.
Answer: A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one
of the species.
◍ Anaerobic.
Answer: Process that does not require oxygen
◍ Gamete.
Answer: specialized cell involved in sexual reproduction
◍ structure of ATP.
Answer: adenine, ribose, 3 phosphate groups
◍ Ecosystem.
Answer: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical
environment.
◍ controlled experiment.
Answer: An experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time.
◍ peripatric speciation.
Answer: specific kind of allopatric speciation (dispersal)- when a few
individuals from a mainland population disperse to a new location remote
from the original population & evolve separately
◍ What is an emergent property?.
Answer: Characteristics of a system that emerge only when components
combine, not present in the individual components.
◍ addition rule.
Answer: probability of either two mutually exclusive outcomes occurring is
given by the sum of their individual probabilities("either/or")
◍ cladistics.
Answer: A phylogenetic classification system that uses shared derived
, characters and ancestry as the sole criterion for grouping taxa.
◍ 4 stages of cellular respiration.
Answer: 1. glycolysis2. pyruvate oxidation3. Krebs cycle (citric acid
cycle)4. oxidative phosphorylation (ETC)
◍ 3 branches of the phylogenetic tree.
Answer: 1. bacteria2. archaea3. eukaryotes
◍ hetero-.
Answer: different, other
◍ thylakoid membrane.
Answer: contains light collecting pigments (chlorophyll)
◍ gam-, game-.
Answer: united, sexual
◍ characters.
Answer: anatomical, physiological, or molecular features that make up
organisms
◍ 1st law of thermodynamics (cell energy).
Answer: energy is constant(total energy before = total energy after)- changes
from one form to another
◍ division.
Answer: taxonomic term used instead of phylum to group related classes of
plants and bacteria
◍ Rule of Dominance.
Answer: When an organism inherits 2 different alleles for a gene, one allele
is dominant while the other allele is recessive
◍ cilia.
Answer: Hairlike projections that extend from the plasma membrane and are
used for locomotion
◍ desert.
, Answer: An extremely dry area with little water and few plants
◍ What is the total point value for the course?.
Answer: 750 points
◍ Anton van Leeuwenhoek.
Answer: made first simple microscope
◍ Biogenesis.
Answer: The principle that all living things come from other living things
◍ Co-evolution.
Answer: Process by which two species evolve in response to changes in
each other
◍ mutant.
Answer: an individual w/ an unusual phenotype due to a mutation
◍ Isotonic.
Answer: when the concentration of two solutions is the same
◍ gene flow.
Answer: movement of alleles from one population to another
◍ are organic molecules rich sources of chemical energy?.
Answer: yes(ex. carbon-carbon bonds, carbon-hydrogen bonds)
◍ homologous.
Answer: term used to refer to chromosomes that each have a corresponding
chromosome from the opposite-sex parent
◍ polyphyletic.
Answer: does NOT include common ancestor
◍ Archabacteria.
Answer: single celled, ancient bacteria (prokaryotes) with cell walls; live
only in extreme environments
◍ Qualitative Data.
Answer: Descriptive information gathered using the senses
