Biology for Non-Majors Exam Review
Course
Introduction
Biology for Non-Majors introduces the fundamental concepts of biology in a way that is accessible to students without extensive science backgrounds. The course covers basic cellular structure and function, genetics, evolution, ecology, and an overview of plant and animal systems. Emphasis is placed on how biological principles apply to everyday life, contemporary issues such as health and the environment, and the development of scientific literacy. Through lectures, discussions, and labs, students gain a foundational understanding of life sciences that equips them to make informed decisions about biological topics in their personal and civic lives.
Recommended Textbook
Biology The Core 2nd Edition by Eric J. Simon
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Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Science of Life
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Sample Questions
Q1) How is life defined?
A) The only requirement for life is the ability to reproduce.
B) Life is defined through a set of shared characteristics that all living things display.
C) A living thing must be able to move.
D) Life is determined by neural activity.
Answer: B
Q2) If you give 100 sick people tablets similar to Echinacea but with no herb,what kind of control would this be?
A) A positive control
B) A negative control
C) A blind control
D) A double-blind control
Answer: B
Q3) Based on the table above,which cookies were the moistest?
A) Cookies with the most fat
B) Cookies with intermediate amount of fat
C) Cookies with the least fat
D) All cookies had the same moisture
Answer: C
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Chemistry of Life
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Sample Questions
Q1) The building of a large organic molecule from small subunits involves multiple
A) hydrolysis reactions
B) osmotic reactions
C) dehydration synthesis reactions
D) hydrosynthetic reactions
Answer: C
Q2) Identify the part of the atom that most determines the chemical properties of the atom.
A) The number of shells
B) The number of protons
C) The number of neutrons
D) The number of electrons
Answer: D
Q3) Enzymes are a type of ________.
A) carbohydrate
B) protein
C) lipid
D) monomer
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: The Cell: The Fundamental Unit of Life
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the role of the histone proteins of the chromatin?
A) They contain the instructions to build a protein.
B) They act as a spool around which the DNA is wrapped.
C) They help assemble ribosomes.
D) They maintain the nuclear membrane.
Answer: B
Q2) How many layers of phospholipids make up the plasma membrane?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
Answer: B
Q3) Which of the following is an accurate description of the plasma membrane?
A) Two layers of phospholipids with a number of proteins embedded within
B) One layer of phospholipids with a number of proteins embedded within
C) Two layers of proteins with a few phospholipids embedded within
D) One layer of proteins with a few phospholipids embedded within
Answer: A
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5
Chapter 4: Energy and Life
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which stage of photosynthesis,if any,can function in the dark?
A) Stage 1 (the light reactions)
B) Stage 2 (the Calvin cycle)
C) Both Stage 1 and Stage 2
D) Neither Stage 1 nor Stage 2
Q2) Explain how molecules other than glucose can be used as energy sources.
A) They can't; cellular respiration is limited to glucose.
B) They have their own unique metabolic pathways.
C) They are modified first and then enter the same metabolic pathway as glucose.
D) Fats, proteins, and other carbohydrates are similar enough to glucose that they utilize the same metabolic pathway without any modifications.
Q3) The purpose of the Calvin cycle is to produce ________.
A) O
B) ATP
C) CO
D) Sugar
Q4) Explain why mitochondria are often called "the powerhouse of the cell."
Q5) Why can't an aerobic bacterium produce as much energy as an animal cell can produce from a gram of sugar?
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Chapter 5: Chromosomes and Inheritance
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Sample Questions
Q1) What produces four daughter cells?
A) Meiosis
B) Mitosis
C) Both of these
D) Neither of these
Q2) How many chromosomes would a typical human cell have after mitosis but before cytokinesis?
A) 0
B) 23
C) 46
D) 92
Q3) Assuming complete dominance,what is the expected ratio of phenotypes of the offspring following the cross of two heterozygotes?
A) 4:1
B) 1:1
C) 3:1
D) 1:2:1
Q4) Would a human clone have a bellybutton?
A) Yes
B) No
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Dna: the Molecule of Life
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Sample Questions
Q1) How does a cell typically know when to divide?
A) Cells have an internal clock and divide only when they reach a certain age.
B) Tumor suppressor genes code for growth factor proteins that initiate cell division.
C) Proto-oncogenes code for growth factor proteins that initiate cell division.
D) Oncogenes code for growth factor proteins that initiate cell division.
Q2) Three of the following statements are correct.Identify the statement that is not correct regarding genetically modified organisms.
A) There are no risks associated with GM crops.
B) GM crops have been produced with increased nutrition.
C) GM crops have been produced that are disease resistant.
D) GM animals are not in our food supply.
Q3) Are there ways to prevent cancer?
A) No, cancer cannot be prevented; it can only be treated.
B) No, cancer cannot be prevented or treated.
C) Yes, there are many ways cancer can be prevented, including through a healthy diet and exercise.
D) Yes, cancer can be prevented, but only with intense exercise.
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Page 8
Chapter 7: Darwinian Evolution
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Sample Questions
Q1) The slow drifting of sections of the earth's crust,sometimes separating,other times colliding,is known as ________.
A) continental convergence
B) continental divergence
C) crust dynamics
D) plate tectonics
Q2) What is the original source of variation that natural selection can act upon?
A) Mutation
B) Gene flow
C) Genetic drift
D) All of the above
Q3) In many ways,a mule is a superior animal to the horse or donkey.Mules are often stronger and can jump higher than either of their parents.Why,then,are mules considered to be a "weak hybrid"?
A) They are sterile.
B) They do not live as long as horses and donkeys.
C) Their offspring are progressively weaker than the parents.
D) They are more prone to disease than are horses and donkeys.
Q4) What is the fundamental difference between the processes of microevolution and macroevolution?
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Chapter 8: Biodiversity 1: Microscopic Organisms
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are plasmids?
A) Small, circular DNA molecules that contain just a few genes and that can be passed on to other bacteria
B) Small, circular RNA molecules that contain just a few genes and that can be passed on to other bacteria
C) Small, circular DNA molecules that contain just a few genes but that cannot be passed on to other bacteria
D) Small, circular RNA molecules that contain many genes but that cannot be passed on to other bacteria
Q2) Which began first?
A) Multicellular life in the ocean
B) Multicellular life in fresh water
C) Plants colonizing the land
D) Animals colonizing the land
Q3) Which organisms contain the smallest,least complex cell types?
A) Animal cells
B) Bacteria cells
C) Plant cells
D) Fungal cells
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Chapter 9: Biodiversity 2: Fungi and Plants
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Q1) Which of the following is a unique characteristic of bryophytes not seen in the other plant groups?
A) They exhibit alternation of generations.
B) They produce flowers.
C) The gametophyte is larger than the sporophyte.
D) They produce diploid spores.
Q2) Most of our food crops come from angiosperms.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Ferns often have small bumps called sori arranged in rows on their undersides.What are these structures?
A) Spore capsules
B) Seed capsules
C) Nodules containing symbiotic bacteria
D) Parasites
Q4) Where do plants typically store their starches and sugars for later use?
A) In the leaves
B) In the stems
C) In the flowers
D) In the roots
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Chapter 10: Biodiversity 3: Animals
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which phylum of worms includes the leeches?
A) Flatworms
B) Annelids
C) Roundworms
D) None of the above
Q2) Which type of worm lacks a complete digestive tract?
A) Flatworms
B) Annelids
C) Roundworms
D) All of the above
Q3) Sponges are found ________.
A) only in seawater
B) mostly in seawater
C) only in fresh water
D) mostly in fresh water
Q4) Serial repetition of segments is a defining characteristic of which worm phylum?
A) Flatworms
B) Annelids
C) Roundworms
D) Segmentation is not a defining characteristic of any of the worm phyla.
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Chapter 11: Human Body Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the role of the two antagonistic hormones involved in the feedback loop that maintains the level of glucose in the blood.Which organs are involved,and what type of feedback is this?
Q2) The spinal cord is part of the ________ nervous system.
A) somatic
B) peripheral
C) autonomic
D) central
Q3) What type of disorder is AIDS?
A) Autoimmune disease
B) Allergic reaction
C) Immune rejection
D) Immunodeficiency
Q4) What are hormones?
A) They are carbohydrates on the surface of red blood cells that affect targeted cells throughout the body.
B) They are chemicals transported in the blood and affect all cells similarly.
C) They are chemicals transported in the blood and affect targeted cells throughout the body.
D) They are chemicals that affect cells right next to where they are produced.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Ecology
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Sample Questions
Q1) A biome characterized by warm,fairly dry climate that primarily contains grasses with scattered,isolated trees is a ________.
A) savanna
B) chaparral
C) tundra
D) temperate grasslands
Q2) Ecology is best defined as the study of ________.
A) the relationships between parasites and their hosts
B) the interactions between living organisms and their environments
C) plant succession
D) interactions between predator and prey populations
Q3) There have been several mass extinctions in the planet's history,such as the extinction of the dinosaurs,but the current mass extinction is different.Greater numbers of species are now going extinct faster than ever before.Also unique to the current mass extinction is the cause.What is causing the current mass extinction?
A) Man's direct activities
B) Climate change
C) Rising sea levels
D) Solar flares
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