C190 BIOLOGY WGU EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
Abiotic ......ANSWER........Non-living, may be within or made by a
living organism.
Biotic ......ANSWER........Living. Matter is considered ______ if it
was ever alive at some point in time
Atom ......ANSWER........Smallest level. The basic unit of matter.
Consists of a dense nucleus surrounded by electrons.
Molecule ......ANSWER........Second level. A chemical structure
consisting of at least two atoms held together by a chemical
bond.
Macromolecule ......ANSWER........Third level. Biologically
important molecules that are technically polymers. Example:
DNA.
Cell ......ANSWER........Fourth level. The fundamental unit of life.
Essentially a tiny droplet of water and other molecules enclosed
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by a fluid "skin" or membrane. The smallest and simplest entity
that possesses all the characteristics of life.
Organelle ......ANSWER........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 ......ANSWER........Sixth level. Single-celled life
form. Consists of just one cell and include unicellular organisms
such as bacteria and protists.
Tissue ......ANSWER........Seventh level. Formed when similar cells
work together to fulfill the same detailed function.
Organ ......ANSWER........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 ......ANSWER........Ninth level. Consists of
functionally related organs. Mammals have many.
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Organism ......ANSWER........Tenth Level. Individual living entities
that survive and reproduce as a unit. For example, each tree in
a forest.
Population ......ANSWER........Eleventh level. Consists of all the
individuals of a species living within a specific area.
Community ......ANSWER........Twelfth level. Populations can
interact with each other in positive and negative ways, and
together they form this.
Ecosystem ......ANSWER........Thirteenth level. Consists of all the
living things in a particular area together with the abiotic, or
nonliving, parts of that environment.
Biosphere ......ANSWER........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.
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Emergent Properties ......ANSWER........Characteristics of a system
that are not present in any of its component parts.
Biology ......ANSWER........The scientific study of life and is the
branch of science that studies living organisms and the way
organisms interact with their environments.
Homeostasis ......ANSWER........The ability or tendency of
organisms and cells to maintain stable internal conditions.
Nutrient ......ANSWER........Any matter an organism needs but
cannot make for itself.
Energy ......ANSWER........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 ......ANSWER........An increase in size.
Development ......ANSWER........Structure and function change in
an orderly way as an organism passes through its life cycle. An