©THESTAR 2024/2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1:27PM. A+
Bio 1500 Final Exam Study Guide Questions
And Answers |Latest 2025 | Guaranteed Pass
Think of the concept of deep time. How would you describe the distribution of events over
time? Are they evenly distributed? If not, how then? - Answer✔There is an uneven distribution
of life formation on Earth if you look at it from a yearly scale. From the formation of the Earth
to the introduction of algae, everything was pretty evenly spaced; however, following the ice
age, there is an exponential growth of life forms within a very short period of time
According to scientific evidence, approximately how long ago did Earth form? - Answer✔4.6
billion years ago
For how long did Dinosaurs roam on Earth? - Answer✔approximately 165 million years
There are limits the usefulness of diffusion in biological processes. What limitations can you
think of? - Answer✔Diffusion, though typically consistent, has patterns that don't follow
specific rules. For example, in the pattern of high concentrations moving to low concentrations,
not every particle will use that specific method. Additionally, the limits of space and time occur
as it will take a much more significant amount of time for diffusion to occur in spaces that are
over what is normally seen in a typical rate.
How does random movement of individual particles result in predictable movement form high
to low concentrations? Explain in 3-4 sentences. Come up with your own words: don't copy
your notes. - Answer✔Although an individual particle does not follow a specific movement, the
likelihood that some or most particles will end up crossing from high to low concentrations
during their diffusion allows us to recognize an overall pattern. If you watch a specific particle, it
is likely, but not guaranteed, that it will move from high to low.
Why is it important, in this context, to distinguish between Oxygen and O2? - Answer✔Oxygen
and dioxygen differ in their chemical bonds but also have differences when it comes to the
impact which they hold. Oxygen forms dioxygen which makes up the air we breathe.
When did O2 first appear in the atmosphere, both in years, and after which event? -
Answer✔O2 first appeared 3000 mya following the development of the first land masses
appeared on Earth.
Explain why oxygen levels stayed constant for over one billion years at a relatively low level. -
Answer✔Oxygen levels stayed consistent before the development of eukaryotes, starting with
1|Page
, ©THESTAR 2024/2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1:27PM. A+
cyanobacteria. Later, algae chloroplasts developed which began the process of photosynthesis
that impacted the earth's oxygen levels.
What does this sentence mean: "60% of Earth's minerals are biogenic (i.e. generated by life)"? -
Answer✔It means that they formed after O2 appeared in the atmosphere and ocean. Life on
Earth caused a dramatic change in oxygen levels as a result of photosynthesis, meaning that any
mineral formed with oxygen was due to the rise in plant life.
Aside from insect size, what other variables did Clapham and Karr measure? - Answer✔They
measured the size of insect predators, such as birds during these time periods. They used this
data to introduce the idea that insect size was more closely related to predatorial size rather
than high oxygen levels, due to the fact that insect sizes were shrinking during some of the
highest rises in oxygen.
Suppose you discovered a new form of energy. How would you decide whether it should be
categorized as kinetic vs potential energy? - Answer✔Kinetic energy is the energy of
movement. If the form includes any sort of heat, light, or electricity, then it can be classified as
kinetic.
Potential energy is energy that is stored. This includes chemical energy, which is a bond of 4
hydrogen and 1 carbon atom. If this is the chemical makeup, then the energy is potential.
Describe the relationship between the wavelength of energy and the amount of energy it
carries. - Answer✔Shorter wavelengths are an increase in energy as they have more "bags" of
energy photons. Longer wavelengths are a decrease in energy, there is a longer space between
peaks meaning that there are less "bags" crossing a spectrum in the same amount of time that
a shorter wavelength would.
Describe the three things that can happen to light when it strikes a surface. - Answer✔Light can
be reflected, transmitted, or absorbed.
Given what you learned about light and chlorophyll this week, why do most plants appear
green to us? - Answer✔We perceive plants as green because chlorophyll is absorbing violet,
red, and blue light while reflecting the wavelengths that we see as green light.
What wavelengths (=colors) of light do most plants use as their primary source of energy in
photosynthesis? - Answer✔Plants use the wavelengths of violet, red, and blue as their source of
energy in photosynthesis.
Describe what happens in the light-dependent reactions. - Answer✔ATP is synthesized, NADPH
is generated, and water is split apart in the process to release oxygen as a byproduct.
Describe what happens in the light-independent reactions. - Answer✔The E from ATP and
NADPH are used to build glucose, this is commonly referred to as the Calvin Cycle.
Why do plants perform photosynthesis? - Answer✔Plants perform photosynthesis to make
other molecules in the plant. The glucose produced by photosynthesis aids in building cellulose
2|Page
, ©THESTAR 2024/2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1:27PM. A+
which makes up the cell wall. It also makes ATP out of it as needed which is used for all
chemical reactions out of the cell.
Review the definitions for Gene and Allele. What is the difference between them, what is their
relationship? - Answer✔a gene is a segment of dna while an allele is a different form of that
gene
Explain why we have two copies of each gene in our cells. - Answer✔we have two copies of
each gene in our cells because a dna strand has two strands and 2 chromosomes
Given that we have two copies of each gene, do we also have two different alleles for each
gene? How else would you word the relationship between the two? - Answer✔because there is
two copies of each gene we can have at most two different possible alleles as these alleles are
components of genes
Many lessons about genes imply that for each gene, two alleles exist in the population. Is that
so? If not, how would you describe this relationship? [Note, this question is about populations,
not individuals as the previous one was] - Answer✔there is not necessarily two alleles for each
gene but alleles differ from person to person meaning that although one individual can have a
maximum of two, there are infinitely many different base pairs because two alleles between
dna and individuals will not be the same.
What are the four "steps" (or postulates) of natural selection? Describe them, using a
(hypothetical) example. - Answer✔1. there is a variety of dolphins. some are pink and some are
blue
2. the offspring are a mix up of pink and blue, and there is a pretty even distribution of the two
colors
3. for some reason, the sharks do not like the color pink and tend to either eat or seriously
injure the dolphins who are pink.
4. as a result, there will one day only be blue dolphins since the pink dolphins have specifically
been targeted, making them unable to reproduce.
Think about the definitions of fitness and adaptation. How do these evolutionary definitions
differ from the everyday use of these words? How can this be misleading? - Answer✔fitness
regards a living thing's ability to survive and reproduce in an environment adaptation whereas
to us fitness means the general health of a person. adaptation is the trait that increases fitness
and is produced by natural selection, it is not a sensory adaptation like we as humans have
where our pupils become smaller in bright light.
Think of the definition of fitness - how could you measure the fitness of an individual? -
Answer✔you could measure the fitness of an individual by determining how well they are able
to survive and adapt in a new environment, somewhat like the show survivor
Using the definition of Evolution: How would you define or describe what a "mechanism of
evolution" is? - Answer✔a mechanism of evolution is something that facilitates evolution but is
3|Page
Bio 1500 Final Exam Study Guide Questions
And Answers |Latest 2025 | Guaranteed Pass
Think of the concept of deep time. How would you describe the distribution of events over
time? Are they evenly distributed? If not, how then? - Answer✔There is an uneven distribution
of life formation on Earth if you look at it from a yearly scale. From the formation of the Earth
to the introduction of algae, everything was pretty evenly spaced; however, following the ice
age, there is an exponential growth of life forms within a very short period of time
According to scientific evidence, approximately how long ago did Earth form? - Answer✔4.6
billion years ago
For how long did Dinosaurs roam on Earth? - Answer✔approximately 165 million years
There are limits the usefulness of diffusion in biological processes. What limitations can you
think of? - Answer✔Diffusion, though typically consistent, has patterns that don't follow
specific rules. For example, in the pattern of high concentrations moving to low concentrations,
not every particle will use that specific method. Additionally, the limits of space and time occur
as it will take a much more significant amount of time for diffusion to occur in spaces that are
over what is normally seen in a typical rate.
How does random movement of individual particles result in predictable movement form high
to low concentrations? Explain in 3-4 sentences. Come up with your own words: don't copy
your notes. - Answer✔Although an individual particle does not follow a specific movement, the
likelihood that some or most particles will end up crossing from high to low concentrations
during their diffusion allows us to recognize an overall pattern. If you watch a specific particle, it
is likely, but not guaranteed, that it will move from high to low.
Why is it important, in this context, to distinguish between Oxygen and O2? - Answer✔Oxygen
and dioxygen differ in their chemical bonds but also have differences when it comes to the
impact which they hold. Oxygen forms dioxygen which makes up the air we breathe.
When did O2 first appear in the atmosphere, both in years, and after which event? -
Answer✔O2 first appeared 3000 mya following the development of the first land masses
appeared on Earth.
Explain why oxygen levels stayed constant for over one billion years at a relatively low level. -
Answer✔Oxygen levels stayed consistent before the development of eukaryotes, starting with
1|Page
, ©THESTAR 2024/2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1:27PM. A+
cyanobacteria. Later, algae chloroplasts developed which began the process of photosynthesis
that impacted the earth's oxygen levels.
What does this sentence mean: "60% of Earth's minerals are biogenic (i.e. generated by life)"? -
Answer✔It means that they formed after O2 appeared in the atmosphere and ocean. Life on
Earth caused a dramatic change in oxygen levels as a result of photosynthesis, meaning that any
mineral formed with oxygen was due to the rise in plant life.
Aside from insect size, what other variables did Clapham and Karr measure? - Answer✔They
measured the size of insect predators, such as birds during these time periods. They used this
data to introduce the idea that insect size was more closely related to predatorial size rather
than high oxygen levels, due to the fact that insect sizes were shrinking during some of the
highest rises in oxygen.
Suppose you discovered a new form of energy. How would you decide whether it should be
categorized as kinetic vs potential energy? - Answer✔Kinetic energy is the energy of
movement. If the form includes any sort of heat, light, or electricity, then it can be classified as
kinetic.
Potential energy is energy that is stored. This includes chemical energy, which is a bond of 4
hydrogen and 1 carbon atom. If this is the chemical makeup, then the energy is potential.
Describe the relationship between the wavelength of energy and the amount of energy it
carries. - Answer✔Shorter wavelengths are an increase in energy as they have more "bags" of
energy photons. Longer wavelengths are a decrease in energy, there is a longer space between
peaks meaning that there are less "bags" crossing a spectrum in the same amount of time that
a shorter wavelength would.
Describe the three things that can happen to light when it strikes a surface. - Answer✔Light can
be reflected, transmitted, or absorbed.
Given what you learned about light and chlorophyll this week, why do most plants appear
green to us? - Answer✔We perceive plants as green because chlorophyll is absorbing violet,
red, and blue light while reflecting the wavelengths that we see as green light.
What wavelengths (=colors) of light do most plants use as their primary source of energy in
photosynthesis? - Answer✔Plants use the wavelengths of violet, red, and blue as their source of
energy in photosynthesis.
Describe what happens in the light-dependent reactions. - Answer✔ATP is synthesized, NADPH
is generated, and water is split apart in the process to release oxygen as a byproduct.
Describe what happens in the light-independent reactions. - Answer✔The E from ATP and
NADPH are used to build glucose, this is commonly referred to as the Calvin Cycle.
Why do plants perform photosynthesis? - Answer✔Plants perform photosynthesis to make
other molecules in the plant. The glucose produced by photosynthesis aids in building cellulose
2|Page
, ©THESTAR 2024/2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1:27PM. A+
which makes up the cell wall. It also makes ATP out of it as needed which is used for all
chemical reactions out of the cell.
Review the definitions for Gene and Allele. What is the difference between them, what is their
relationship? - Answer✔a gene is a segment of dna while an allele is a different form of that
gene
Explain why we have two copies of each gene in our cells. - Answer✔we have two copies of
each gene in our cells because a dna strand has two strands and 2 chromosomes
Given that we have two copies of each gene, do we also have two different alleles for each
gene? How else would you word the relationship between the two? - Answer✔because there is
two copies of each gene we can have at most two different possible alleles as these alleles are
components of genes
Many lessons about genes imply that for each gene, two alleles exist in the population. Is that
so? If not, how would you describe this relationship? [Note, this question is about populations,
not individuals as the previous one was] - Answer✔there is not necessarily two alleles for each
gene but alleles differ from person to person meaning that although one individual can have a
maximum of two, there are infinitely many different base pairs because two alleles between
dna and individuals will not be the same.
What are the four "steps" (or postulates) of natural selection? Describe them, using a
(hypothetical) example. - Answer✔1. there is a variety of dolphins. some are pink and some are
blue
2. the offspring are a mix up of pink and blue, and there is a pretty even distribution of the two
colors
3. for some reason, the sharks do not like the color pink and tend to either eat or seriously
injure the dolphins who are pink.
4. as a result, there will one day only be blue dolphins since the pink dolphins have specifically
been targeted, making them unable to reproduce.
Think about the definitions of fitness and adaptation. How do these evolutionary definitions
differ from the everyday use of these words? How can this be misleading? - Answer✔fitness
regards a living thing's ability to survive and reproduce in an environment adaptation whereas
to us fitness means the general health of a person. adaptation is the trait that increases fitness
and is produced by natural selection, it is not a sensory adaptation like we as humans have
where our pupils become smaller in bright light.
Think of the definition of fitness - how could you measure the fitness of an individual? -
Answer✔you could measure the fitness of an individual by determining how well they are able
to survive and adapt in a new environment, somewhat like the show survivor
Using the definition of Evolution: How would you define or describe what a "mechanism of
evolution" is? - Answer✔a mechanism of evolution is something that facilitates evolution but is
3|Page
