MCAS Biology Review

    "The Big Picture" Biology Reveiw .

    • "The Big Picture" Questions on Cells .
    • "The Big Picture" Questions on Genetics .
    • "The Big Picture" Questions on Evolution .
    • "The Big Picture" Questions on Ecology .


  Previous MCAS Biology Tests:

   Learn how to "Interpret Graphs."

  Review Information for Core Standards in Massachusetts Biology Curriculum 
  Frameworks:

The Chemistry
of Life
Structure and 
Function of Cells
Genetics
Anatomy and Physiology
Evolution and 
Biodiversity
Ecology
1.  The Chemistry of Life

    1.1   Recognize that biological organisms are composed primarily of very few elements.  The six      most common are C, H, N, O, P, and S.

1.2   Describe the basic molecular structures and primary functions of the four major                 categories of organic molecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids).
1.3   Explain the role of enzymes as catalysts that lower the activation energy of                          biochemical reactions. Identify factors, such as pH and temperature, that have an                effect on enzymes.
2.  Structure and Function of Cells

    2.1  Relate cell parts/organelles (plasma membrane, nuclear envelope, nucleus, nucleolus,               cytoplasm, mitochondrion, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosome, ribosome,             vacuole, cell wall, chloroplast, cytoskeleton, centriole, cilium, flagellum, pseudopod) to their     functions. Explain the role of cell membranes as a highly selective barrier (diffusion,               osmosis, facilitated diffusion, active transport).

2.2   Compare and contrast, at the cellular level, the general structures and degrees of               complexity of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. 2.3   Use cellular evidence (e.g., cell structure, cell number, cell reproduction) and modes           of nutrition to describe the six kingdoms (Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Protista, Fungi,         Plantae, Animalia). 2.4   Identify the reactants, products, and basic purposes of photosynthesis and cellular             respiration. Explain the interrelated nature of photosynthesis and cellular respiration           in the cells of photosynthetic organisms. 2.5  Explain the important role that ATP serves in metabolism.2.6  Describe the cell cycle and the process of mitosis.  Explain the role of mitosis in the            formation of new cells, and its importance in maintaining chromosome number during            asexual reproduction. 2.7  Describe how the process of meiosis results in the formation of haploid cells.  Explain          the importance of this process in sexual reproduction, and how gametes form diploid            zygotes in the process of fertilization.
2.8  Compare and contrast a virus and a cell in terms of genetic material and reproduction.
 3.  Genetics

3.1  Describe the basic structure (double helix, sugar/phosphate backbone, linked by                complementary nucleotide pairs) of DNA, and describe its function in genetic                        inheritance.

3.4  Describe the basic process of DNA replication and how it relates to the transmission          and conservation of the genetic code. Explain the basic processes of transcription and          translation, and how they result in the expression of genes. Distinguish among the end          products of replication, transcription, and translation.

3.5  Explain how mutations in the DNA sequence of a gene may or may not result in                      phenotypic change in an organism. Explain how mutations in gametes may result in                  phenotypic changes in offspring.  3.6   Distinguish among observed inheritance patterns caused by several types of genetic           traits (dominant, recessive, codominant, sex-linked, polygenic, incomplete dominance,           multiple alleles). 3.6   Describe how Mendel’s laws of segregation and independent assortment can be                   observed through patterns of inheritance (e.g., dihybrid crosses). 3.7   Use a Punnett Square to determine the probabilities for genotype and phenotype                 combinations in monohybrid crosses. 4.  Anatomy and Physiology 

    4.1   Explain generally how the digestive system (mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small and    large intestines, rectum) converts macromolecules from food into smaller molecules that        can be used by cells for energy and for repair and growth.

    4.2   Explain how the circulatory system (heart, arteries, veins, capillaries, red blood cells)             transports nutrients and oxygen to cells and removes cell wastes. Describe how the                 kidneys and the liver are closely associated with the circulatory system as they perform         the excretory function of removing waste from the blood. Recognize that kidneys remove       nitrogenous wastes, and the liver removes many toxic compounds from blood.

    4.3   Explain how the respiratory system (nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, lungs, alveoli) provides     exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

    4.4   Explain how the nervous system (brain, spinal cord, sensory neurons, motor neurons)                 mediates communication among different parts of the body and mediates the body’s                 interactions with the environment. Identify the basic unit of the nervous system, the               neuron, and explain generally how it works.

    4.5   Explain how the muscular/skeletal system (skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscles, bones,         cartilage, ligaments, tendons) works with other systems to support the body and allow for       movement. Recognize that bones produce blood cells.

    4.6   Recognize that the sexual reproductive system allows organisms to produce offspring that     receive half of their genetic information from their mother and half from their father, and     that sexually produced offspring resemble, but are not identical to, either of their                 parents.

    4.7   Recognize that communication among cells is required for coordination of body functions.         The nerves communicate with electrochemical signals, hormones circulate through the               blood, and some cells produce signals to communicate only with nearby cells.

    4.8   Recognize that the body’s systems interact to maintain homeostasis. Describe the basic           function of a physiological feedback loop.

5.  Evolution and Biodiversity

5.1  Explain how evolution is demonstrated by evidence from the fossil record, comparative       anatomy, genetics, molecular biology, and examples of natural selection.

5.2  Describe species as reproductively distinct groups of organisms. Recognize that                  species are further classified into a hierarchical taxonomic system (kingdom, phylum,          class, order, family, genus, species) based on morphological, behavioral, and molecular          similarities. Describe the role that geographic isolation can play in speciation.
5.3   Explain how evolution through natural selection can result in changes in biodiversity               through the increase or decrease of genetic diversity within a population.
 6.  Ecology   Ecology overview: http://sps.k12.ar.us/massengale/ecology_notes_bi.htm

6.1  Explain how birth, death, immigration, and emigration influence population size.

6.2  Analyze changes in population size and biodiversity (speciation and extinction) that               result from the following: natural causes, changes in climate, human activity, and the             introduction of invasive, non-native species.

6.3   Use a food web to identify and distinguish producers, consumers, and decomposers,             and explain the transfer of energy through trophic levels. Describe how relationships           among organisms (predation, parasitism, competition, commensalism, mutualism) add to         the complexity of biological communities. 6.4  Explain how water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle between abiotic resources and organic          matter in an ecosystem, and how oxygen cycles through photosynthesis and respiration.