SFSU BIO 230 EXAM 4 2026/2027 | UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF
BIOLOGY |100+ MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
Glucose regulation: The regulation of glucose concentrations in the blood, blood
sugar concentration, is a homeostatic process that's essential for maintaining
cellular respiration and health in general. Two basic processes regulate the level of
glucose in your blood. One removes glucose from your blood, lowering your blood
sugar levels. The other releases glucose into your blood, increasing your blood
sugar levels. When two processes operate together efficiently, they ensure that
your blood sugar levels remain within a relatively narrow range around a set point
of about 90 mg/dL of glucose. - ANSWER-Insulin signaling is essential to the
process that removes glucose from your blood. Pancreatic b cells release insulin as
glucose levels start to rise. Insulin then stimulates cells to insert glucose
transporters, GLUT4 transporters, into their cell membranes. The operation of
these transporters pulls glucose from the blood into the cells and stores much of it
in the form of glycogen, lowering blood sugar levels in the process. When glucose
levels are too low, pancreatic a cells release glucagon. This hormone stimulates
cells, especially liver cells, to covert the glycogen back into glucose and release to
release that glucose into the circulatory system, increasing blood sugar levels. For
the test, you should be able to do the following
• Explain the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
• Predict when insulin and glucagon will be released
• Predict the effects that insulin and glucagon will have on blood sugar levels
• Explain how and why diabetes, either Type 1 or Type 2, disrupts the homeostatic
regulation of blood sugar levels
• Explain how high blood sugar levels my impact your health using hemoglobin
A1C as an example - ANSWER-1. Explain the difference between Type 1 and
Type 2 diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body doesn't produce
insulin, while Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, where the
body's cells don't respond effectively to insulin.
1
,2. Predict when insulin and glucagon will be released:
- Insulin is released when blood glucose levels rise, typically after a meal, whereas
glucagon is released when glucose levels are low, usually between meals or during
fasting.
3. Predict the effects that insulin and glucagon will have on blood sugar levels:
- Insulin lowers blood sugar levels by facilitating the uptake of glucose into cells,
while glucagon raises blood sugar levels by promoting the conversion of glycogen
into glucose and releasing it into the bloodstream.
4. Explain how and why diabetes, either Type 1 or Type 2, disrupts the
homeostatic regulation of blood sugar levels:
- In Type 1 diabetes, the absence of insulin leads to uncontrolled high blood sugar,
while in Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance impairs the normal regulation of
glucose levels, resulting in elevated blood sugar.
5. Explain how high blood sugar levels may impact your health using hemoglobin
A1C as an example:
- Prolonged high blood sugar levels, as reflected by elevated hemoglobin A1C
levels, can lead to complications such as cardiovascular disease, kidney damage,
and nerve damage, highlighting the importance of maintaining glucose
homeostasis for overall health.
Regulation of blood gasses, oxygen and carbon dioxide: The regulation of blood
gasses is essential for maintaining sufficient oxygen levels in the blood to support
cellular respiration. Gas exchange between atmospheric air and the blood occurs in
the alveoli of the lungs. Oxygen diffuses down its concentration gradient from the
alveoli into the blood by first dissolving in the fluid coating the inside of the
alveoli. It then diffuses across the alveolar walls, the capillary walls and finally
binds to hemoglobin in red blood cells. It then circulates through the body and
2
, once again diffuses down its concentration in respiring tissues (tissues that are
consuming oxygen). - ANSWER-Carbon dioxide takes exactly the opposite path. It
is at its highest concentration in respiring tissues. It diffuses down its concentration
gradient from respiring tissues to the blood and then from the blood into the
atmospheric air contained in the alveoli. One thing to note about its transport in the
blood is that most carbon dioxide is transported as bicarbonate ion. Water reacts
with CO2 to form carbonic acid, H2CO3. One proton (H+) then dissociates from
the carbonic acid to form H+ and bicarbonate ion HCO3-. This reaction is
catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase. The rate at which you inhale is determined by
sensory cells in various tissues of your body, including the brain and certain
arteries, that monitor the pH of the blood plasma. As the pH of your blood
decreases, the rate at which you breathe increases, or least the urge to breathe
increases. For the test, you should be able to do the following:
• Predict how changes in the pH of the blood will affect the urge to breathe or the
rate of breathing
• Explain the relationship between the pH of your blood and the concentration of
CO2 in the blood
• Predict how changes in the concentration of carbon dioxide affect the pH of the
blood
• Explain how oxygen entering the body is used by cellular respiration and what
molecule it is incorporated into during respiration
• Explain how the CO2 you breathe out is generated during cellular respiration -
ANSWER-
From Test #3...
Thinking in Terms of Mass, Thinking in Terms of Energy: Can energy or mass be
destroyed? - ANSWER-energy cannot be created or destroyed but only
converted/transformed from one form to another.
Can see energy be converted to mass? Mass to energy? - ANSWER-1)Yes, during
photosynthesis (makes glucose)2)Yes, through cellular respiration
3
BIOLOGY |100+ MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
Glucose regulation: The regulation of glucose concentrations in the blood, blood
sugar concentration, is a homeostatic process that's essential for maintaining
cellular respiration and health in general. Two basic processes regulate the level of
glucose in your blood. One removes glucose from your blood, lowering your blood
sugar levels. The other releases glucose into your blood, increasing your blood
sugar levels. When two processes operate together efficiently, they ensure that
your blood sugar levels remain within a relatively narrow range around a set point
of about 90 mg/dL of glucose. - ANSWER-Insulin signaling is essential to the
process that removes glucose from your blood. Pancreatic b cells release insulin as
glucose levels start to rise. Insulin then stimulates cells to insert glucose
transporters, GLUT4 transporters, into their cell membranes. The operation of
these transporters pulls glucose from the blood into the cells and stores much of it
in the form of glycogen, lowering blood sugar levels in the process. When glucose
levels are too low, pancreatic a cells release glucagon. This hormone stimulates
cells, especially liver cells, to covert the glycogen back into glucose and release to
release that glucose into the circulatory system, increasing blood sugar levels. For
the test, you should be able to do the following
• Explain the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
• Predict when insulin and glucagon will be released
• Predict the effects that insulin and glucagon will have on blood sugar levels
• Explain how and why diabetes, either Type 1 or Type 2, disrupts the homeostatic
regulation of blood sugar levels
• Explain how high blood sugar levels my impact your health using hemoglobin
A1C as an example - ANSWER-1. Explain the difference between Type 1 and
Type 2 diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body doesn't produce
insulin, while Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, where the
body's cells don't respond effectively to insulin.
1
,2. Predict when insulin and glucagon will be released:
- Insulin is released when blood glucose levels rise, typically after a meal, whereas
glucagon is released when glucose levels are low, usually between meals or during
fasting.
3. Predict the effects that insulin and glucagon will have on blood sugar levels:
- Insulin lowers blood sugar levels by facilitating the uptake of glucose into cells,
while glucagon raises blood sugar levels by promoting the conversion of glycogen
into glucose and releasing it into the bloodstream.
4. Explain how and why diabetes, either Type 1 or Type 2, disrupts the
homeostatic regulation of blood sugar levels:
- In Type 1 diabetes, the absence of insulin leads to uncontrolled high blood sugar,
while in Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance impairs the normal regulation of
glucose levels, resulting in elevated blood sugar.
5. Explain how high blood sugar levels may impact your health using hemoglobin
A1C as an example:
- Prolonged high blood sugar levels, as reflected by elevated hemoglobin A1C
levels, can lead to complications such as cardiovascular disease, kidney damage,
and nerve damage, highlighting the importance of maintaining glucose
homeostasis for overall health.
Regulation of blood gasses, oxygen and carbon dioxide: The regulation of blood
gasses is essential for maintaining sufficient oxygen levels in the blood to support
cellular respiration. Gas exchange between atmospheric air and the blood occurs in
the alveoli of the lungs. Oxygen diffuses down its concentration gradient from the
alveoli into the blood by first dissolving in the fluid coating the inside of the
alveoli. It then diffuses across the alveolar walls, the capillary walls and finally
binds to hemoglobin in red blood cells. It then circulates through the body and
2
, once again diffuses down its concentration in respiring tissues (tissues that are
consuming oxygen). - ANSWER-Carbon dioxide takes exactly the opposite path. It
is at its highest concentration in respiring tissues. It diffuses down its concentration
gradient from respiring tissues to the blood and then from the blood into the
atmospheric air contained in the alveoli. One thing to note about its transport in the
blood is that most carbon dioxide is transported as bicarbonate ion. Water reacts
with CO2 to form carbonic acid, H2CO3. One proton (H+) then dissociates from
the carbonic acid to form H+ and bicarbonate ion HCO3-. This reaction is
catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase. The rate at which you inhale is determined by
sensory cells in various tissues of your body, including the brain and certain
arteries, that monitor the pH of the blood plasma. As the pH of your blood
decreases, the rate at which you breathe increases, or least the urge to breathe
increases. For the test, you should be able to do the following:
• Predict how changes in the pH of the blood will affect the urge to breathe or the
rate of breathing
• Explain the relationship between the pH of your blood and the concentration of
CO2 in the blood
• Predict how changes in the concentration of carbon dioxide affect the pH of the
blood
• Explain how oxygen entering the body is used by cellular respiration and what
molecule it is incorporated into during respiration
• Explain how the CO2 you breathe out is generated during cellular respiration -
ANSWER-
From Test #3...
Thinking in Terms of Mass, Thinking in Terms of Energy: Can energy or mass be
destroyed? - ANSWER-energy cannot be created or destroyed but only
converted/transformed from one form to another.
Can see energy be converted to mass? Mass to energy? - ANSWER-1)Yes, during
photosynthesis (makes glucose)2)Yes, through cellular respiration
3
