Principles of Biology : End of Semester Quiz Study Guide


We will take our End of Semster Quiz on Monday, Dec. 15. It is worth 50 points. About 25 points will cover genetics and DNA (Chapters 13-16) and about 25 points will be from material before this section. I would think studying the quiz guides and your quizzes would be the best way to get started preparing for this quiz. I do not plan to use exactly the same questions from quizzes on this quiz, but I tried to ask the important stuff then and that is my aim now as well.

Reading: Chapters 1 - 17 in the text.

Questions for this quiz stricken from the last study guide:
1) What is an exon? an intron?
2) What is the "spliceosome?" What is its function?
3) How do new genes come about? Give an example?
4) What is the role of mutation in evolution?
 and now new questions:
5) What is main difference in control strategies between prokaryotes and (especially) mulitcellular eukaryotes.
6) What is the lac operon and how does it work? (see Figure 16.4 page 309)
7) What are some of the mechanisms whereby eukaryotes can control gene expression? (see figure 16.18 page 320)
8) What is recombinant DNA?
9) What are restriction endonucleases?
10) What role does gel electrophoresis play in biotechnology?
11) What is a clone? What is "molecular cloning" or "gene cloning?"
12) What is a vector? What is the difference between plasmid vectors and phage vectors?
13) How, in general terms, are these vectors used in genetic engineering?
14) What is "reverse transcriptase?" In what organisms was it first found? What does it do to the Central Dogma?
15) How can genetic engineering be used to create vaccines?
16) What is "golden rice?" How does it differ from regular rice?
17) What is "biopharming?" Give an example.
18) What are the concerns about genetically modified crops and animals?
19) How do these concerns relate to the overall evolution of humans as organisms on the planet?

December 8, 2008 : 9:00 a.m.