Biology 101 Learning Outcomes

Yekaterina Merkulova 2-24-14

SUNY/NYAS Mentoring Program LIFE SCIENCES Student Pre-Assessment Spring Semester 2014

Initials Birth Date Today’s Date SUNY Site: (Circle one)

Downstate IT CNSE ESF Oswego Stony Brook

School or Other Class Location

INSTRUCTIONS: THIS IS NOT A TEST. This is an assessment to find out what you know about life sciences. It will not have anything to do with your grade in school. Please circle the answer that you think is correct.

1. What is the BEST definition of a hypothesis? a. A hypothesis is an investigator’s idea that tries to explain the observations. b. A hypothesis is a fact that explains the observations. c. A hypothesis is a question that is answered by the observations. d. A hypothesis is an idea that always ends up being correct.

2. What do a white blood cell and a liver cell have in common? a. Both cells have the same shape, because they perform the same function. b. Both cells use mitochondria to generate energy for their functions. c. Both cells cannot function without each other. d. Both cells do not have a nucleus.

3. What would happen if ethanol was added to fruit BEFORE soap in the DNA extraction experiment? a. The DNA can still be extracted, because the order of steps does not matter. b. The cell membrane will dissolve, because ethanol and soap have the same effect on the cell membrane. c. DNA will not be extracted, because first you need to dissolve the membrane with soap followed by the extraction of DNA with ethanol. d. The cell membrane will not dissolve, but DNA will still be able to be taken out of the cell by addition of ethanol.

4. What happens to an enzyme at the end of a chemical reaction? a. The enzyme returns to the state it was before the start of the reaction. b. The enzyme is always degraded, because it is no longer needed. c. The enzyme is excreted by the kidneys. d. The enzyme is forever changed and now does something different.

5. Which of the following statements about an earthworm and a human is true? Yekaterina Merkulova 2-24-14

a. Both the earthworm and the human have teeth to help break food down into smaller pieces. b. The earthworm’s esophagus has calcium carbonate secretions that help in digestions of food, while the human’s esophagus does not have these secretions. c. The earthworm and the human make bile to help in digestion of fats. d. In the earthworm, food proceeds through the digestive system passively, while in the human, muscles are used to help propel food down the digestive system.

6. The patient has blood type A. What does this mean? a. The patient’s red blood cells will be broken down, or lysed, if she is transfused with blood type B. b. If a patient needs a blood transfusion, she may receive blood type A or O. c. The patient has antibodies in her blood that target the A antigen. d. The patient may not receive blood type AB during a blood transfusion, because antibodies in the AB blood will interact with the patient’s blood.

7. Complete the following sentence: Specific antibodies are used to detect: a. Viruses b. Different types of red blood cells c. Carbon monoxide in the air d. A and B

8. What types of movements can a chicken do with its lower legs? a. It can move its lower leg in all directions, because its knee joint is like a human’s shoulder joint. b. It can move its lower leg forwards, backwards and slightly rotate it, because its knee joint is similar to a human’s knee joint. c. It cannot really move its lower leg independently, because its lower and upper leg are fused together at the knee joint. d. It can move the lower leg sideways, but not forward and backward, because the ligaments in the joint only allow for sideways movements.

9. Which of the following is a statement of an ethical principle? a. Drinking age in United States is 21. b. People should strive not to harm anyone with what they do. c. Hamburgers are better than cheeseburgers. d. San Francisco is a city in the state of California.

10. Which of the following are ways by which infectious diseases can be spread? a. By mixing blood b. By breathing in air c. By eating d. All of the above