UA BSC 108 FINAL EXAM CORE QUESTIONS WITH
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+2025/2026
✔✔List all products in the Calvin cycle. - ✔✔"6 Turns of the Calvin Cycle→ 1 C₆H₁₂O₆
6CO₂ → 1 C₆H₁₂O₆
18 ATP + 12 NADPH → 1 C₆H₁₂O₆
Left over ATP is used elsewhere by the cell. "
✔✔Give two examples of plants that use C4 photosynthesis. - ✔✔"1) Corn
2) Sugarcane"
✔✔What environmental factor is C4 photosynthesis an adaptation for? - ✔✔High levels
of CO2 and drought environments
Contrast carbon fixation in C4 and CAM plants. C4 plants initially attach CO2toPEP to
form the four-carbon compound OAA using the enzyme PEP carboxylase. This takes
place in the loosely packed cells called mesophyll cells. OAA is then pumped to another
set of cells, the bundle sheath cells, which surround the leaf vein. There, it releases the
CO2for use by Rubisco. By concentrating CO2in the bundle sheath cells, C4plants
promote the efficient operation of the Calvin-Benson cycle and minimize
photorespiration. CAM plants also initially attach CO2to PEP and form OAA. However,
instead of fixing carbon during the day and pumping the OAA to other cells, CAM plants
fix carbon at night and store the OAA in large vacuoles within the cell. This allows them
to have their stomates open in the cool of the evening, avoiding water loss, and to use
the CO2 for the Calvin-Benson cycle during the day, when it can be driven by the sun's
energy.
✔✔1. How does asexual reproduction differ from sexual reproduction? - ✔✔Asexual
Reproduction involves one parent and produces offspring that are genetically identical
to each other and to the parent. Sexual Reproduction involves two parents and
produces offspring that are genetically unique.
✔✔2. What are the two main phases of the eukaryotic cell cycle? - ✔✔"a. Interphase
b. Mitotic phase"
✔✔3. During which phase of the cell cycle does DNA duplicate? - ✔✔interphase-
chromosome duplication
✔✔4. What is the function of mitosis? - ✔✔in mitosis the nucleus and its contents, most
importantly, the divided chromosomes, divide and are evenly distributed, forming two
daughter, nuclei
✔✔5. Summarize the events of Prophase: - ✔✔"a. During prophase, changes occur in
both nucleus and cytoplasm. In the nucleus, the chromatin fibers coil, so that the
chromosomes become thick enough to be seen individually with a light microscope.
Each chromosome exists as two identical sister chromatids joined together at the
, narrow "waist" of the centromere. In the cytoplasm, the mitotic spindle begins to form.
Late in prophase, the nuclear envelope breaks into pieces. The spindle tracks attach to
the centromeres of the chromosomes and move the chromosomes toward the center of
the cell.
c. Anaphase: Anaphase begins suddenly when the sister chromatids of each
chromosome separate. Each is now considered a full-fledged (daughter) chromosome.
The chromosomes move toward opposite poles of the cell as the spindle tracks shorten.
Simultaneously, the tracks not attached to chromosomes lengthen, pushing the poles
farther apart and elonging the cell
d. Telophase: telophase begins when the two groups of chromosomes have reached
opposite ends of the cell. Telophase is the reverse of prophase: Nuclear envelopes
form, the chromosomes uncoil, and the spindle disappears. Mitosis, the division of one
nucleus into two genetically identical daughter nuclei, is now finished. Cytokinesis, the
division of the cytoplasm, usually occurs with telophase. In animals, a cleavage furrow
pinches the cell in two, producing two daughter cells
✔✔6. Describe the cell cycle control system. - ✔✔specialized proteins integrate
information from the environment and from other body cells and send "stop" and "go-
ahead" signals at certain key points during the cell cycle.
✔✔7. How do cancer cells differ from normal cells? - ✔✔Cancer cells are cells that do
not respond normally to the cell cycle control system, they divide excessively and may
invade other tissues of the body
✔✔8. What are homologous chromosomes? - ✔✔Homologous chromosomes are made
up of chromosome pairs of approximately the same length, centromere position, and
staining pattern, for genes with the same corresponding loci.
✔✔9. How does a diploid cell differ from a haploid cell? - ✔✔haploid cells and diploid
cells differ in the number of chromosome sets found in the nucleus.
✔✔10. What is meiosis? - ✔✔a type of cell division that results in four daughter cells
each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cells
✔✔11. How does meiosis I differ from meiosis II? - ✔✔In meiosis II chromosomes are
further separated into sister chromatids. Meiosis I include crossing over or
recombination of genetic material between chromosome pairs, while meiosis II does not
✔✔12. List three ways in which meiosis differs from mitosis. - ✔✔Mitosis consists of one
stage whereas meiosis consists of two stages. Mitosis produces diploid cells (46
chromosomes) whereas meiosis produces haploid cells (23 chromosomes). Mitosis
produces two identical daughter cells whereas meiosis produces four genetically
different daughter cells.
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+2025/2026
✔✔List all products in the Calvin cycle. - ✔✔"6 Turns of the Calvin Cycle→ 1 C₆H₁₂O₆
6CO₂ → 1 C₆H₁₂O₆
18 ATP + 12 NADPH → 1 C₆H₁₂O₆
Left over ATP is used elsewhere by the cell. "
✔✔Give two examples of plants that use C4 photosynthesis. - ✔✔"1) Corn
2) Sugarcane"
✔✔What environmental factor is C4 photosynthesis an adaptation for? - ✔✔High levels
of CO2 and drought environments
Contrast carbon fixation in C4 and CAM plants. C4 plants initially attach CO2toPEP to
form the four-carbon compound OAA using the enzyme PEP carboxylase. This takes
place in the loosely packed cells called mesophyll cells. OAA is then pumped to another
set of cells, the bundle sheath cells, which surround the leaf vein. There, it releases the
CO2for use by Rubisco. By concentrating CO2in the bundle sheath cells, C4plants
promote the efficient operation of the Calvin-Benson cycle and minimize
photorespiration. CAM plants also initially attach CO2to PEP and form OAA. However,
instead of fixing carbon during the day and pumping the OAA to other cells, CAM plants
fix carbon at night and store the OAA in large vacuoles within the cell. This allows them
to have their stomates open in the cool of the evening, avoiding water loss, and to use
the CO2 for the Calvin-Benson cycle during the day, when it can be driven by the sun's
energy.
✔✔1. How does asexual reproduction differ from sexual reproduction? - ✔✔Asexual
Reproduction involves one parent and produces offspring that are genetically identical
to each other and to the parent. Sexual Reproduction involves two parents and
produces offspring that are genetically unique.
✔✔2. What are the two main phases of the eukaryotic cell cycle? - ✔✔"a. Interphase
b. Mitotic phase"
✔✔3. During which phase of the cell cycle does DNA duplicate? - ✔✔interphase-
chromosome duplication
✔✔4. What is the function of mitosis? - ✔✔in mitosis the nucleus and its contents, most
importantly, the divided chromosomes, divide and are evenly distributed, forming two
daughter, nuclei
✔✔5. Summarize the events of Prophase: - ✔✔"a. During prophase, changes occur in
both nucleus and cytoplasm. In the nucleus, the chromatin fibers coil, so that the
chromosomes become thick enough to be seen individually with a light microscope.
Each chromosome exists as two identical sister chromatids joined together at the
, narrow "waist" of the centromere. In the cytoplasm, the mitotic spindle begins to form.
Late in prophase, the nuclear envelope breaks into pieces. The spindle tracks attach to
the centromeres of the chromosomes and move the chromosomes toward the center of
the cell.
c. Anaphase: Anaphase begins suddenly when the sister chromatids of each
chromosome separate. Each is now considered a full-fledged (daughter) chromosome.
The chromosomes move toward opposite poles of the cell as the spindle tracks shorten.
Simultaneously, the tracks not attached to chromosomes lengthen, pushing the poles
farther apart and elonging the cell
d. Telophase: telophase begins when the two groups of chromosomes have reached
opposite ends of the cell. Telophase is the reverse of prophase: Nuclear envelopes
form, the chromosomes uncoil, and the spindle disappears. Mitosis, the division of one
nucleus into two genetically identical daughter nuclei, is now finished. Cytokinesis, the
division of the cytoplasm, usually occurs with telophase. In animals, a cleavage furrow
pinches the cell in two, producing two daughter cells
✔✔6. Describe the cell cycle control system. - ✔✔specialized proteins integrate
information from the environment and from other body cells and send "stop" and "go-
ahead" signals at certain key points during the cell cycle.
✔✔7. How do cancer cells differ from normal cells? - ✔✔Cancer cells are cells that do
not respond normally to the cell cycle control system, they divide excessively and may
invade other tissues of the body
✔✔8. What are homologous chromosomes? - ✔✔Homologous chromosomes are made
up of chromosome pairs of approximately the same length, centromere position, and
staining pattern, for genes with the same corresponding loci.
✔✔9. How does a diploid cell differ from a haploid cell? - ✔✔haploid cells and diploid
cells differ in the number of chromosome sets found in the nucleus.
✔✔10. What is meiosis? - ✔✔a type of cell division that results in four daughter cells
each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cells
✔✔11. How does meiosis I differ from meiosis II? - ✔✔In meiosis II chromosomes are
further separated into sister chromatids. Meiosis I include crossing over or
recombination of genetic material between chromosome pairs, while meiosis II does not
✔✔12. List three ways in which meiosis differs from mitosis. - ✔✔Mitosis consists of one
stage whereas meiosis consists of two stages. Mitosis produces diploid cells (46
chromosomes) whereas meiosis produces haploid cells (23 chromosomes). Mitosis
produces two identical daughter cells whereas meiosis produces four genetically
different daughter cells.
