Deck 2: The Chemistry of Living Things

Question 1

Water is an excellent solvent for biological systems because

A) it can maintain a relatively unstable temperature for chemical reactions to occur.
B) compounds with ionic bonds as well as those with polar covalent bonds readily dissolve in water.
C) it is semisolid at body temperature, preventing it from flowing freely through the human body.
D) it can rearrange its bonds, forming covalent bonds with other molecules once dissolved.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

________ is the capacity to do work, the capacity to cause some change in matter.

A) Energy
B) Atom
C) Matter
D) Molecule

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Molecules such as water are referred to as ________ because they are electrically neutral overall but still have partially charged regions.

A) electrolytes
B) polar molecules
C) ions
D) covalently charged
E) isotopes

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Each of the following statements is TRUE regarding hydrogen bonds EXCEPT which one?

A) Hydrogen bonds hold the two strands of DNA together.
B) Hydrogen bonds are responsible for the attraction of Na⁺ to Cl⁻.
C) Hydrogen bonds are responsible for some aspects of the three-dimensional structure of proteins.
D) Hydrogen bonds form between different water molecules.

Question 5

Which one of the following statements CORRECTLY describes the relationship between an atom and an element?

A) An element is the fundamental unit of an atom.
B) An element is composed of atoms that are joined together by ionic and covalent bonds.
C) An atom is composed of different elements that are joined together by ionic and covalent bonds.
D) An atom is the smallest unit of an element that demonstrates all of the properties of that element.

Question 6

Which one of the following characteristics applies to both living organisms and nonliving things?

A) composed of matter
B) capable of reproduction
C) capable of storing energy for later use
D) capable of growth
E) composed of cells

Question 7

Ions in body fluids of a human are referred to as

A) electrolytes
B) osmolytes
C) isotopes
D) atoms

Question 8

A solution has been prepared by mixing glucose in water. Which one of the following statements CORRECTLY describes this solution?

A) Both water and glucose are solutes.
B) Both water and glucose are solvents.
C) Water is the solute, and glucose is the solvent.
D) Water is the solvent, and glucose is the solute.

Question 9

A solution with a pH of 6 has ________ times as many hydrogen ions as a solution with a pH of 8.

A) 1,000
B) 10
C) 100
D) 10,000
E) 100,000

Question 10

Which one of the following is TRUE regarding electrons, shells, and energy?

A) Electrons are located in shells around the nucleus.
B) Electrons are attracted to each other because they have the same charge.
C) In order for an electron to move closer to the nucleus, it must absorb energy.
D) The innermost electron shell has the most potential energy.
E) As an electron moves to a shell further from the nucleus, it loses energy.

Question 11

Chlorine has an atomic number of 17 and an atomic mass of 35. Therefore, chlorine has ________ electrons and ________ neutrons.

A) 17, 18
B) 18, 17
C) 17, 35
D) 35, 17
E) 18, 18

Question 12

________ bonds hold the hydrogens to the oxygen within a water molecule, and ________ bonds attract one water molecule to other water molecules.

A) Ionic, hydrogen
B) Hydrogen, ionic
C) Hydrogen, covalent
D) Covalent, hydrogen
E) Ionic, covalent

Question 13

Isotopes of an element have the same ________, but different ________.

A) number of electron shells, numbers of protons
B) atomic number, atomic masses
C) number of neutrons, numbers of protons
D) atomic mass, atomic numbers
E) name, chemical symbols

Question 14

Radioisotopes have a number of uses in science and medicine. These uses include which one of the following?

A) repairing damaged heart tissue
B) dating fossils and treating cancer
C) providing the power supply in heart pacemakers
D) treating asthma and regulating nerve transmission
E) curing diabetes

Question 15

Which one of the following is a molecule?

A) NaCl
B) O
C) C
D) Lead
E) N

Question 16

Which one of the following statements is TRUE regarding the structure of the atom?

A) The nucleus is composed of equal numbers of positively charged particles and negatively charged particles.
B) All electrons are located at the same distance from the nucleus.
C) In small elements, such as carbon, electrons have a positive charge; in larger elements, such as barium, electrons have a negative charge.
D) Most of the mass of an atom is due to its protons and neutrons.
E) Neutrons carry a negative charge.

Question 17

The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom can best be determined by

A) atomic mass
B) the subscript number following the chemical symbol
C) atomic number
D) the charge of the atom
E) the chemical symbol

Question 18

Which one of the following is TRUE regarding water?

A) Each molecule of water consists of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen covalently bonded to each other.
B) The oxygen side of the water molecule is partially positive.
C) Water is a type of ion.
D) Electrons are shared equally between the atoms of water.
E) Water molecules are attracted to each other by ionic bonds.

Question 19

A mad scientist has ripped apart an atom and collected all the subatomic particles located in the nucleus of the atom. Which one of the following has he collected?

A) electrons
B) protons
C) protons and neutrons
D) electrons and protons
E) neutrons and electrons

Question 20

Which one of the following is the study of matter and the energy that causes matter to combine, break apart, and recombine in everything living and nonliving?

A) biology
B) geology
C) chemistry
D) physics

Question 21

Sucrose is an oligosaccharide made up of which one of the following sugars?

A) glucose and glucose
B) deoxyribose and ribose
C) starch and glycogen
D) maltose and glucose
E) glucose and fructose

Question 22

Which one of the following is TRUE regarding enzymes?

A) Enzyme function is not affected by changes in temperature or pH.
B) Enzymes slow the rate of chemical reactions in living systems.
C) Enzymes are consumed in a chemical reaction, so an organism must constantly replace these enzymes.
D) Each enzyme catalyzes one specific reaction or group of reactions.
E) Enzymes convert products into reactants.

Question 23

Each of the following statements about carbon is TRUE EXCEPT which one?

A) All organic molecules contain carbon.
B) Carbon atoms form four covalent bonds.
C) Carbon atoms form diverse molecules that may be linear, branched, or circular.
D) Carbon can form strong hydrogen bonds with other elements.
E) Carbon can form bonds with hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, as well as another carbon atom.

Question 24

Which one of the following forms a bilayer structure that is found in cell membranes?

A) triglycerides
B) amino acids
C) cholesterol
D) phospholipids
E) saturated fats

Question 25

Body fluids in humans have a high buffering capacity because of

A) the presence of the bicarbonate/carbonic acid buffer system
B) the natural result of water as a solvent
C) hydrogen bonding between water molecules in biological fluids
D) shifts in blood pH that are required to maintain homeostasis

Question 26

Which one of the following molecules is stored in adipose tissue and serves as an important source of energy for the human body?

A) glucose
B) steroids
C) glycogen
D) triglycerides
E) phospholipids

Question 27

Alpha helices and beta sheets are characteristic of protein

A) primary structure
B) secondary structure
C) tertiary structure
D) quaternary structure
E) enzymatic structure

Question 28

Which one of the following is a lipid?

A) cholesterol
B) alanine
C) maltose
D) glycogen
E) cellulose

Question 29

Pancreatic cells make insulin, which is a type of protein. These cells use ________ in order to synthesize insulin by the process of ________.

A) oligosaccharides, hydrolysis
B) nucleotides, condensation
C) amino acids, dehydration synthesis
D) fatty acids and glycerol, hydrolysis
E) monosaccharides, dehydration synthesis

Question 30

Which one of the following is needed to synthesize a new strand of DNA?

A) lipids
B) glucose
C) amino acids
D) nucleotides
E) ribose

Question 31

A student measuring the pH of the water in a fish tank found it to have a pH of 8. Which one of the following statements is TRUE regarding that solution?

A) The water is alkaline.
B) The water does not contain hydrogen ions.
C) The water contains equal numbers of hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions.
D) The water is highly acidic.
E) The water is more alkaline than a solution with a pH of 10.

Question 32

Carbohydrates have which one of the following characteristics?

A) They are composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen.
B) They release energy when their peptide bonds are broken.
C) They are indigestible by most organisms.
D) They contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a ratio of 1-2-1.
E) They are able to store and transmit genetic information.

Question 33

Lipids are important to biological systems because

A) they are solid at body temperature so they stabilize membranes
B) some lipid types are potentially large sources of energy to perform cellular work
C) most help to buffer aqueous solutions in the body
D) all lipids are very soluble in water
E) they are able to store and transmit genetic information

Question 34

Each amino acid is composed of a central carbon that forms covalent bonds with four other atoms/molecules. These atoms/molecules include each of the following EXCEPT which one?

A) an R group
B) an A group
C) an amino group
D) a hydrogen atom
E) a carboxyl group

Question 35

Which one of the following is TRUE regarding macromolecules?

A) Cells cannot use macromolecules to signal other cells.
B) An example of a macromolecule is H₂O.
C) Cells produce macromolecules by the process of hydrolysis.
D) Macromolecules are broken down by hydration synthesis.
E) Cells use certain macromolecules to store energy.

Question 36

Which one of the following is an oligosaccharide?

A) glucose
B) DNA
C) maltose
D) starch
E) ribose

Question 37

Which one of the following is a function of a protein?

A) stores genetic material and enables its transmission to the next generation
B) acts as a catalyst, speeding up chemical reactions
C) is a major subunit of cellulose
D) is a primary structural component of a cell membrane
E) provides energy for a muscle contraction

Question 38

The most important physical characteristic of lipids with regard to living organisms is that they

A) are hydrophobic
B) are very large and therefore difficult to store
C) dissolve easily in water
D) are typically a form of waste product that is difficult to eliminate
E) are denser than water

Question 39

Which one of the following statements accurately describes hydrolysis reactions in biological systems?

A) Hydrolysis reactions enable the breakdown of food molecules during digestion.
B) Hydrolysis reactions enable small molecules to be joined to form larger molecules.
C) Hydrolysis reactions generally require substantial input of energy.
D) Hydrolysis reactions are spontaneous and don't require catalysis by enzymes.
E) Hydrolysis reactions generally occur for the purpose of energy storage.

Question 40

Which one of the following is a very important source of energy for nearly all cells?

A) cellulose
B) deoxyribose
C) starch
D) glucose
E) ribose

Question 41

Which one of the following occurs when a phosphate is removed from an ATP molecule?

A) Energy is added to the ATP molecule to form ADP.
B) Oxygen produced in the reaction causes the molecule to explode.
C) Energy is released for cell work.
D) Chemical reactions stop in a cell due to lack of an energy source.
E) Fat is converted to protein.

Question 42

DNA differs from RNA in that DNA

A) is single stranded
B) contains deoxyribose
C) is made up of nucleotides
D) contains cytosine
E) contains phosphates

Question 43

A student has isolated a large compound (macromolecule) from cells. Chemical analysis of the compound shows that it is made up of the following elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. To which group of macromolecules does this compound most likely belong?

A) carbohydrate
B) protein
C) nucleic acid
D) lipid
E) aqueous

Question 44

A research student is analyzing the nucleic acid of a virus. He finds that the nucleic acid contains thymine. From this it can be concluded that the nucleic acid

A) contains uracil
B) contains ribose
C) is actually a protein
D) contains glucose
E) is a strand of DNA

Question 45

During intense exercise, you produce a lot of heat energy, yet your body temperature rises only in small increments. This temperature stability is because water in body fluids releases the heat very quickly.

Question 46

Electrons are smaller than protons, are negatively charged, and orbit the nucleus.

Question 47

The difference between water molecules in liquid water and water molecules in ice is in the number of covalent bonds that form.

Question 48

Which one of the following is TRUE regarding nucleotides?

A) There are three different DNA nucleotides.
B) DNA nucleotides are assembled into RNA by the process of dehydration synthesis.
C) DNA nucleotides contain deoxyribose; RNA nucleotides contain sucrose.
D) Nucleotides are bonded together by covalent bonds between the sugars and the phosphates.
E) A DNA nucleotide could be made up of ribose, a phosphate, and cytosine.

Question 49

When water is released from a dam, potential energy is converted to chemical energy.

Question 50

Potential energy is energy that has not been used yet, but has the potential to do work.

Question 51

Because carbon requires four additional electrons to fill its outermost shell, it has a natural tendency to form four covalent bonds with other atoms, making it an ideal element for forming structures in living cells.

Question 52

The figure above shows a triglyceride that contains unsaturated fatty acids.

Question 53

The more buffers present in a body fluid, the more likely that the blood pH will change after absorbing nutrients during digestion.

Question 54

All matter is made up of atoms.

Question 55

One of the most important buffer pairs in blood is carbonic acid and bicarbonate because they regulate the pH of blood by absorbing and releasing hydrogen ions as needed.

Question 56

Atoms with either more or fewer neutrons than the usual number for an element are referred to as isotopes.

Question 57

A student has isolated a large compound (macromolecule) from cells. Chemical analysis of the compound shows that it is made up of the following elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. To which group of macromolecules does this compound most likely belong?

A) carbohydrate
B) protein
C) nucleic acid
D) lipid
E) aqueous

Question 58

If the number of protons in an atom equals the number of electrons in the atom, the atom is an ion.

Question 59

Proteins that function as a catalyst

A) slow down the speed at which chemical reactions occur, but do not alter the final products formed
B) facilitate chemical reactions by altering the final products formed
C) maintain primary structure
D) can participate only in reactions that synthesize new products
E) are referred to as enzymes

Question 60

The type of bond indicated by the dotted lines in the figure above is a hydrogen bond.

Question 61

Use the letters from the figure below to answer the following questions.

The subatomic particles ________ and ________ have approximately the same mass.

Question 62

Molecules that are polar and attracted to water are ________; molecules that are nonpolar and therefore not attracted to water are ________.

Question 63

The label ________ points to a neutron.

Question 64

If your blood pH is lowered significantly, many proteins will not be able to fold correctly. The result will be decreased enzyme function throughout the body.

Question 65

Protons and neutrons are located in the ________ of an atom.

Question 66

An electrically charged molecule or atom is a(n) ________.

Question 67

Isotopes that give off energy and emit particles are known as ________.

Question 68

Isotopes of this element would differ in the number of ________.

Question 69

Molecules that give up or donate hydrogen ions are ________.

Question 70

All things on Earth are made up of ________, which is defined as anything that has mass and occupies space.

Question 71

The number of subatomic particles ________ is the atomic number of that atom.

Question 72

Water held behind a dam has a large amount of ________ energy.

Question 73

In the atom, electrons are located in clouds, with negative charges around the nucleus; these are called ________.

Question 74

In order for this atom to be electrically neutral, the number of subatomic particles labeled "A" in the figure would have to equal the number of ________.

Question 75

In order for this atom to develop a positive charge, it would have to lose ________.

Question 76

The pure form of matter that cannot be broken down into a simpler form is a(n) ________.

Question 77

Evaporation of water from the skin results in a(n) ________ in body temperature.

Question 78

The figure above shows a triglyceride that is liquid at room temperature.

Question 79

Plants produce a polysaccharide made of glucose known as ________, which is virtually indigestible by most animals.

Question 80

The universal energy source for cells is a nucleotide known as ________.