BIO 230 FINAL EVALUATION EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+ 2025/2026
What is meant by food in this statement? "Plants get their food from the soil." Why
would a biologist disagree with this statement? - ✔✔glucose/carbohydrates
What experiment did van Helmont do to test the role of soil in plant growth? What
question was he trying to answer? - ✔✔What was responsible for the increase in mass?
What evidence did Van Helmont collect? - ✔✔-He weighed it before and after: dry mass
(took out soil & water)
-Plants DO NOT gain mass by taking in soil
What did he conclude from his experiment and evidence? - ✔✔That water was solely
responsible for the gain in mass
Do you agree with his conclusion that the mass of the tree came from the water? Why
or why not? - ✔✔no
What do you conclude from his experiment and evidence? - ✔✔photosynthesis
What role does soil play in plant growth? - ✔✔-Stability ; physical anchoring and support
-Minerals
What are examples of minerals and their importance to a living thing like a plant? -
✔✔Nitrogen (in amino acids & proteins), potassium (water balance), calcium (enzyme
function), magnesium (in chlorophyll), phosphorus (in ATP, DNA, RNA, phospholipids),
sulfur (in protein)
Where does the mass of an enormous tree come from? Soil? Air? Water? Sunlight? -
✔✔Carbon dioxide
Could you provide evidence as to why one of these is the origin of plant mass and the
others are not? What would that evidence be? - ✔✔-Soil provides very little mass
-Sunlight does not add any mass
What is the purpose of cellular respiration? - ✔✔produce ATP
To transform energy from the chemical bonds of food into the energy in the chemical
bonds of the small molecule ATP.
What substances are involved? - ✔✔Glucose and oxygen
What organisms do this? - ✔✔Plants, animals, humans (any living thing)
, When do cellular respiration do it? - ✔✔all the time
Where in a cell does respiration take place? - ✔✔cytoplasm and mitochondria
What happens when an organism stops respiring? - ✔✔it dies
What is the relationship between photosynthesis and respiration in plants? - ✔✔-
Photosynthesis: water, light and carbon dioxide to produce glucose(energy) & oxygen
-Respiration: glucose and oxygen to produce CO2 and water
What is dry biomass? - ✔✔The mass of an organism minus the water present.
The dry matter of a sample or of an object when completely dried (lacks or excluding
water
What prediction did you make for the radish experiment originally? - ✔✔B>C>A
Having seen the experimental evidence, how did your explanation change? - ✔✔B>A>C
In which of the three conditions would you say photosynthesis was happening? Why? -
✔✔only B
In which of the three conditions would you say cellular respiration was happening?
Why? - ✔✔All of them
Why is light not sufficient to support photosynthesis in condition A? - ✔✔No water
Where do the building blocks to build leaves come from in condition C? - ✔✔Water;
allows plant to germinate but plant uses all energy to find sunlight
Why does condition C have less dry biomass than condition A? - ✔✔Similar to dish B,
the radish seeds were able to absorb the moisture and germinate, converting
carbohydrates into carbon dioxide and water. Because the growth doesn't undergo
photosynthesis, it has no way to replace the carbohydrates. As a result, the mass
should decrease. Because dish C decreases in mass and dish A's mass stays the
same, it has the least amount of dry mass
What are the four processes of aerobic cellular respiration (remember Get That Cell
Energy)? - ✔✔G.T.C.E
Glycolysis
Transition Reaction
Citric Acid/Krebs Cycle
Electron Transport Chain
In which process(es) is carbon dioxide released? - ✔✔Cellular respiration
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+ 2025/2026
What is meant by food in this statement? "Plants get their food from the soil." Why
would a biologist disagree with this statement? - ✔✔glucose/carbohydrates
What experiment did van Helmont do to test the role of soil in plant growth? What
question was he trying to answer? - ✔✔What was responsible for the increase in mass?
What evidence did Van Helmont collect? - ✔✔-He weighed it before and after: dry mass
(took out soil & water)
-Plants DO NOT gain mass by taking in soil
What did he conclude from his experiment and evidence? - ✔✔That water was solely
responsible for the gain in mass
Do you agree with his conclusion that the mass of the tree came from the water? Why
or why not? - ✔✔no
What do you conclude from his experiment and evidence? - ✔✔photosynthesis
What role does soil play in plant growth? - ✔✔-Stability ; physical anchoring and support
-Minerals
What are examples of minerals and their importance to a living thing like a plant? -
✔✔Nitrogen (in amino acids & proteins), potassium (water balance), calcium (enzyme
function), magnesium (in chlorophyll), phosphorus (in ATP, DNA, RNA, phospholipids),
sulfur (in protein)
Where does the mass of an enormous tree come from? Soil? Air? Water? Sunlight? -
✔✔Carbon dioxide
Could you provide evidence as to why one of these is the origin of plant mass and the
others are not? What would that evidence be? - ✔✔-Soil provides very little mass
-Sunlight does not add any mass
What is the purpose of cellular respiration? - ✔✔produce ATP
To transform energy from the chemical bonds of food into the energy in the chemical
bonds of the small molecule ATP.
What substances are involved? - ✔✔Glucose and oxygen
What organisms do this? - ✔✔Plants, animals, humans (any living thing)
, When do cellular respiration do it? - ✔✔all the time
Where in a cell does respiration take place? - ✔✔cytoplasm and mitochondria
What happens when an organism stops respiring? - ✔✔it dies
What is the relationship between photosynthesis and respiration in plants? - ✔✔-
Photosynthesis: water, light and carbon dioxide to produce glucose(energy) & oxygen
-Respiration: glucose and oxygen to produce CO2 and water
What is dry biomass? - ✔✔The mass of an organism minus the water present.
The dry matter of a sample or of an object when completely dried (lacks or excluding
water
What prediction did you make for the radish experiment originally? - ✔✔B>C>A
Having seen the experimental evidence, how did your explanation change? - ✔✔B>A>C
In which of the three conditions would you say photosynthesis was happening? Why? -
✔✔only B
In which of the three conditions would you say cellular respiration was happening?
Why? - ✔✔All of them
Why is light not sufficient to support photosynthesis in condition A? - ✔✔No water
Where do the building blocks to build leaves come from in condition C? - ✔✔Water;
allows plant to germinate but plant uses all energy to find sunlight
Why does condition C have less dry biomass than condition A? - ✔✔Similar to dish B,
the radish seeds were able to absorb the moisture and germinate, converting
carbohydrates into carbon dioxide and water. Because the growth doesn't undergo
photosynthesis, it has no way to replace the carbohydrates. As a result, the mass
should decrease. Because dish C decreases in mass and dish A's mass stays the
same, it has the least amount of dry mass
What are the four processes of aerobic cellular respiration (remember Get That Cell
Energy)? - ✔✔G.T.C.E
Glycolysis
Transition Reaction
Citric Acid/Krebs Cycle
Electron Transport Chain
In which process(es) is carbon dioxide released? - ✔✔Cellular respiration
