Conestoga High School

Conestoga High School Biology Keystone Exam

Test Date: Monday, May 20th 7:45am-11:03am (195 minutes) End of 1st period through 5th period

The Keystone Exams are aligned to the Pennsylvania Keystone Course Standards, Curriculum Frameworks and Assessment Anchors/ Eligible Content. All were developed by Pennsylvania educators. The Pennsylvania Keystone Course Standards, Curriculum Frameworks, and Assessment Anchors/ Eligible Content are available on the Standards Aligned System (SAS) website at www.pdesas.org.

Format: Module I: Cells and Cell Processes 32 Multiple Choice, 8 Constructed Response

Module II: Continuity and the Unity of Life 32 Multiple Choice, 8 Constructed Response MODULE 1: CELLS AND CELL PROCESSES

Basic Biologic Principles  Explain the characteristics common to all organisms o Describe the characteristics of life shared by all prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms  Describe relationships between structure and function at biological levels of organization o Compare cellular structures and their functions in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells o Describe and interpret relationships between structure and function at various levels of biological organization (i.e., organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and multicellular organisms)

Chemical Basis for Life  Describe how the unique properties of water support life on earth o Describe the unique properties of water and how these properties support life on Earth (e.g., freezing point, high specific heat, cohesion)  Describe and interpret relationships between structure and function at various levels of biochemical organization (atoms, molecules, and macromolecules) o Explain how carbon is uniquely suited to form biological macromolecules o Describe how biological macromolecules form from monomers o Compare the structure and function of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids in organisms  Explain how enzymes regulate biochemical reactions within a cell o Describe the role of an enzyme as a catalyst in regulating a specific biochemical reaction o Explain how factors such as pH, temperature, and concentration levels can affect enzyme function

Bioenergetics  Identify and describe the cell structures involved in processing energy o Describe the fundamental roles of plastids (e.g., chloroplasts) and mitochondria in energy transformations  Identify and describe how organisms obtain and transform energy for their life processes o Compare the basic transformation of energy during photosynthesis and cellular respiration o Describe the role of ATP in biochemical reactions

Homeostasis & Transport  Identify and describe the cell structures involved in transport of materials into, out of, and throughout the cell o Describe how the structure of the plasma membrane allows it to function as a regulatory structure and/or protective barrier for a cell o Compare the mechanisms that transport materials across the plasma membrane (i.e., passive transport – diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion; and active transport – pumps, endocytosis, exocytosis) o Describe how membrane-bound cellular organelles (e.g., endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus) facilitate the transport of materials within a cell  Explain mechanisms that permit organisms to maintain biological balance between their internal and external environments o Explain how organisms maintain homeostasis (e.g. thermoregulation, water regulation, oxygen regulation) MODULE 2: CONTINUITY AND UNITY OF LIFE

Cell Growth and Reproduction  Describe the three stages of the cell cycle: interphase, nuclear division, cytokinesis o Describe the events that occur during the cell cycle: interphase, nuclear division, cytokinesis o Compare the processes and outcomes of mitotic and meiotic nuclear divisions  Explain how genetic information is inherited o Describe how the process of DNA replication results in the transmission and/or conservation of genetic information o Explain the functional relationships between DNA, genes, alleles, and chromosomes and their roles in inheritance Genetics  Compare Mendelian and non-Mendelian patterns of inheritance o Describe and/or predict observed patterns of inheritance (i.e., dominant, recessive, co-dominance, incomplete dominance, sex-linked, polygenic, and multiple alleles) o Describe processes that can alter composition or number of chromosomes (i.e., crossing-over, nondisjunction, duplication, translocation, deletion, insertion, and inversion)  Explain the process of protein synthesis (transcription, translation, protein modification) o Describe how the processes of transcription and translation are similar in all organisms o Describe the role of ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and the nucleus in the production of proteins  Explain how genetic information is expressed o Describe how genetic mutations alter the DNA sequence and may or may not affect phenotype (e.g., silent, nonsense, frame-shift)  Apply scientific thinking, processes, tools, and technologies in the study of genetics o Explain how genetic engineering has impacted the field of medicine, forensics, and agriculture (e.g., selective breeding, gene splicing, cloning, genetically modified organisms, gene therapy) Theory of Evolution  Explain the mechanisms of evolution o Explain how natural selection can impact allele frequencies of a population o Describe the factors that can contribute to the development of new species (e.g., isolating mechanisms, genetic drift, founder effect, migration) o Explain how genetic mutations may result in genotypic and phenotypic variations within a population  Analyze the sources of evidence for biological evolution o Interpret evidence supporting the theory of evolution (i.e., fossil, anatomical, physiological, embryological, biochemical, and universal genetic code)  Apply scientific thinking, processes, tools, and technologies in the study of the theory of evolution o Distinguish between scientific terms: hypothesis, inference, law, theory, principle, fact, and observation Ecology  Describe ecological levels of organization in the biosphere o Describe the levels of ecological organization (i.e., organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, and biosphere) o Describe characteristic biotic and abiotic components of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems  Describe interactions and relationships in an ecosystem o Describe how energy flows through an ecosystem (e.g., food chains, food webs, energy pyramids) o Describe biotic interactions in an ecosystem (e.g., competition, predation, symbiosis) o Describe how matter recycles through an ecosystem (i.e., water cycle, carbon cycle, oxygen cycle, and nitrogen cycle) o Describe how ecosystems change in response to natural and human disturbances (e.g. climate changes, introduction of nonnative species, pollution, fires) o Describe the effects of limiting factors on population dynamics and potential species extinction GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF 3-POINT SCORING GUIDELINES FOR BIOLOGY RUBRIC

3 POINTS  The response demonstrates a thorough understanding of the scientific content, concepts, and/or procedures required by the task(s).  The response provides a clear, complete, and correct response as required by the task(s). The response may contain a minor blemish or omission in work or explanation that does not detract from demonstrating a thorough understanding.

2 POINTS  The response demonstrates a partial understanding of the scientific content, concepts, and/or procedures required by the task(s).  The response is somewhat correct with partial understanding of the required scientific content, concepts, and/or procedures demonstrated and/or explained. The response may contain some work that is incomplete or unclear.

1 POINT  The response demonstrates a minimal understanding of the scientific content, concepts, and/or procedures required by the task(s).  The response is somewhat correct with minimal understanding of the required scientific content, concepts, and/or procedures demonstrated and/or explained. The response may contain some work that is incomplete or unclear.

0 POINTS  The response provides insufficient evidence to demonstrate any understanding of the scientific content, concepts, and/or procedures required by the task(s).  The response may show only information copied or rephrased from the question or insufficient correct information to receive a score of 1.