WGU C190 INTRO TO BIOLOGY EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Abiotic - Correct Answers -Non-living, may be within or made by a living organism.
Biotic - Correct Answers -Living. Matter is considered ______ if it was ever alive at
some point in time
Atom - Correct Answers -Smallest level. The basic unit of matter. Consists of a dense
nucleus surrounded by electrons.
Molecule - Correct Answers -Second level. A chemical structure consisting of at least
two atoms held together by a chemical bond.
Macromolecule - Correct Answers -Third level. Biologically important molecules that are
technically polymers. Example: DNA.
energy pyramid - Correct Answers -A diagram that shows the amount of energy that
moves from one feeding level to another in a food web
biochemical cycle - Correct Answers -the circulation of substances through living
organisms from or to the environment.
Eutrophication - Correct Answers -rapid algal growth caused by an excess of nitrates
(NO3)- and phosphates (PO4)3- in water
Physical Disturbance - Correct Answers -anything that changes the physical structure of
the habitat (fire, waves, tree-fall, plowing)
Cell - Correct Answers -Fourth level. The fundamental unit of life. Essentially a tiny
droplet of water and other molecules enclosed by a fluid "skin" or membrane. The
smallest and simplest entity that possesses all the characteristics of life.
Organelle - Correct Answers -Fifth level. Compartments inside the cell that contain
specific groups of macromolecules and carry out specific cellular functions. One of
these organelles is the nucleus; it encloses the DNA within the cell.
Microorganism - Correct Answers -Sixth level. Single-celled life form. Consists of just
one cell and include unicellular organisms such as bacteria and protists.
,Tissue - Correct Answers -Seventh level. Formed when similar cells work together to
fulfill the same detailed function.
Organ - Correct Answers -Eighth level. Collections of tissues that work together to carry
out a common general function. Present not only in higher level animals but also in
plants.
Organ System - Correct Answers -Ninth level. Consists of functionally related organs.
Mammals have many.
Organism - Correct Answers -Tenth Level. Individual living entities that survive and
reproduce as a unit. For example, each tree in a forest.
Population - Correct Answers -Eleventh level. Consists of all the individuals of a species
living within a specific area.
Community - Correct Answers -Twelfth level. Populations can interact with each other in
positive and negative ways, and together they form this.
Ecosystem - Correct Answers -Thirteenth level. Consists of all the living things in a
particular area together with the abiotic, or nonliving, parts of that environment.
Biosphere - Correct Answers -Fourteenth level. The highest level of organization in
living systems. The collection of all ecosystems on Earth. Includes all habitable zones
on the planet, including land, soil, and rocks to a great depth in the Earth's crust; water
and ice; and the atmosphere to a great height.
Emergent Properties - Correct Answers -Characteristics of a system that are not
present in any of its component parts.
Biology - Correct Answers -The scientific study of life and is the branch of science that
studies living organisms and the way organisms interact with their environments.
Homeostasis - Correct Answers -The ability or tendency of organisms and cells to
maintain stable internal conditions.
Nutrient - Correct Answers -Any matter an organism needs but cannot make for itself.
Energy - Correct Answers -The capacity to do work or to make a change in the location,
temperature, or structure of matter. Does not have mass and it does not take up space,
but it can be measured in terms of what it does.
Growth - Correct Answers -An increase in size.
, Development - Correct Answers -Structure and function change in an orderly way as an
organism passes through its life cycle. An individual's pattern of _______ is partly
determined by genetic instructions.
Reproduction - Correct Answers -Occurs when an individual organism passes on its
genetic information to a newly independent organism, or offspring.
Evolution - Correct Answers -A scientific theory that explains how and why life changes
over time. Provides the explanation for why all living organisms share profound
similarities, and yet, the life forms on our planet are so incredibly diverse.
Natural Selection - Correct Answers -Individuals are always a bit different from their
parents and from each other, partly because of changes to their genes. These
differences may be helpful or harmful to the individuals that inherit them. In nature,
individuals often have very low odds of surviving to reproduce. Individuals with slightly
harmful or even average characteristics might be less likely to make it, and those with
traits that fit in very well with the local habitat will have the greatest chance to survive
and reproduce. This sorting process goes on generation after generation.
Atomic Mass - Correct Answers -The sum of the number of protons and the number of
neutrons. The mass of an atom.
Atomic Number - Correct Answers -The number of protons in an atom, displayed for
each atom in the periodic table.
Chemical Bonds - Correct Answers -Attractions between atoms that hold atoms and
molecules together.
Covalent Bonds - Correct Answers -Strongest chemical bond. Occurs between atoms of
in the same molecule. Electron pairs are shared, creating a strong bond between
atoms.
electron - Correct Answers -Subatomic particle, located in shells on the outside of the
nucleus, has a negative charge and almost no mass.
electronegativity - Correct Answers -A measure of the tendency of an atom to attract a
bonding pair of electrons. How strongly does an atoms attract bonding electrons to
itself?
element - Correct Answers -Atoms with unique properties, designated by the atomic
number.
hydrogen bond - Correct Answers -Weak chemical bond. Occurs between atoms in
different molecules or parts of molecules. Weak electrostatic attraction between areas
of molecules with opposite partial charges.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Abiotic - Correct Answers -Non-living, may be within or made by a living organism.
Biotic - Correct Answers -Living. Matter is considered ______ if it was ever alive at
some point in time
Atom - Correct Answers -Smallest level. The basic unit of matter. Consists of a dense
nucleus surrounded by electrons.
Molecule - Correct Answers -Second level. A chemical structure consisting of at least
two atoms held together by a chemical bond.
Macromolecule - Correct Answers -Third level. Biologically important molecules that are
technically polymers. Example: DNA.
energy pyramid - Correct Answers -A diagram that shows the amount of energy that
moves from one feeding level to another in a food web
biochemical cycle - Correct Answers -the circulation of substances through living
organisms from or to the environment.
Eutrophication - Correct Answers -rapid algal growth caused by an excess of nitrates
(NO3)- and phosphates (PO4)3- in water
Physical Disturbance - Correct Answers -anything that changes the physical structure of
the habitat (fire, waves, tree-fall, plowing)
Cell - Correct Answers -Fourth level. The fundamental unit of life. Essentially a tiny
droplet of water and other molecules enclosed by a fluid "skin" or membrane. The
smallest and simplest entity that possesses all the characteristics of life.
Organelle - Correct Answers -Fifth level. Compartments inside the cell that contain
specific groups of macromolecules and carry out specific cellular functions. One of
these organelles is the nucleus; it encloses the DNA within the cell.
Microorganism - Correct Answers -Sixth level. Single-celled life form. Consists of just
one cell and include unicellular organisms such as bacteria and protists.
,Tissue - Correct Answers -Seventh level. Formed when similar cells work together to
fulfill the same detailed function.
Organ - Correct Answers -Eighth level. Collections of tissues that work together to carry
out a common general function. Present not only in higher level animals but also in
plants.
Organ System - Correct Answers -Ninth level. Consists of functionally related organs.
Mammals have many.
Organism - Correct Answers -Tenth Level. Individual living entities that survive and
reproduce as a unit. For example, each tree in a forest.
Population - Correct Answers -Eleventh level. Consists of all the individuals of a species
living within a specific area.
Community - Correct Answers -Twelfth level. Populations can interact with each other in
positive and negative ways, and together they form this.
Ecosystem - Correct Answers -Thirteenth level. Consists of all the living things in a
particular area together with the abiotic, or nonliving, parts of that environment.
Biosphere - Correct Answers -Fourteenth level. The highest level of organization in
living systems. The collection of all ecosystems on Earth. Includes all habitable zones
on the planet, including land, soil, and rocks to a great depth in the Earth's crust; water
and ice; and the atmosphere to a great height.
Emergent Properties - Correct Answers -Characteristics of a system that are not
present in any of its component parts.
Biology - Correct Answers -The scientific study of life and is the branch of science that
studies living organisms and the way organisms interact with their environments.
Homeostasis - Correct Answers -The ability or tendency of organisms and cells to
maintain stable internal conditions.
Nutrient - Correct Answers -Any matter an organism needs but cannot make for itself.
Energy - Correct Answers -The capacity to do work or to make a change in the location,
temperature, or structure of matter. Does not have mass and it does not take up space,
but it can be measured in terms of what it does.
Growth - Correct Answers -An increase in size.
, Development - Correct Answers -Structure and function change in an orderly way as an
organism passes through its life cycle. An individual's pattern of _______ is partly
determined by genetic instructions.
Reproduction - Correct Answers -Occurs when an individual organism passes on its
genetic information to a newly independent organism, or offspring.
Evolution - Correct Answers -A scientific theory that explains how and why life changes
over time. Provides the explanation for why all living organisms share profound
similarities, and yet, the life forms on our planet are so incredibly diverse.
Natural Selection - Correct Answers -Individuals are always a bit different from their
parents and from each other, partly because of changes to their genes. These
differences may be helpful or harmful to the individuals that inherit them. In nature,
individuals often have very low odds of surviving to reproduce. Individuals with slightly
harmful or even average characteristics might be less likely to make it, and those with
traits that fit in very well with the local habitat will have the greatest chance to survive
and reproduce. This sorting process goes on generation after generation.
Atomic Mass - Correct Answers -The sum of the number of protons and the number of
neutrons. The mass of an atom.
Atomic Number - Correct Answers -The number of protons in an atom, displayed for
each atom in the periodic table.
Chemical Bonds - Correct Answers -Attractions between atoms that hold atoms and
molecules together.
Covalent Bonds - Correct Answers -Strongest chemical bond. Occurs between atoms of
in the same molecule. Electron pairs are shared, creating a strong bond between
atoms.
electron - Correct Answers -Subatomic particle, located in shells on the outside of the
nucleus, has a negative charge and almost no mass.
electronegativity - Correct Answers -A measure of the tendency of an atom to attract a
bonding pair of electrons. How strongly does an atoms attract bonding electrons to
itself?
element - Correct Answers -Atoms with unique properties, designated by the atomic
number.
hydrogen bond - Correct Answers -Weak chemical bond. Occurs between atoms in
different molecules or parts of molecules. Weak electrostatic attraction between areas
of molecules with opposite partial charges.
