Module1 DBA Questions

Question 1—When you pour water into a narrow 25-mL graduated cylinder, a meniscus forms at the top of the water column. Use the structure of the water molecule, and the attractive forces in and between these molecules, to explain this observation.

Question 2—How does structure relate to the function of macromolecules? Describe the structure and function of carbohydrates.

Question 3—Describe the structure and function of carbohydrates.

Question 4—Describe the structure and function of proteins.

Question 5—Describe the structure and function of lipids.

Module 2 DBA Questions

Question 1—Each organelle in a eukaryotic cell has a unique structure and function that is important to the cell. What are the structural and functional distinctions between the rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum?

Question 2—Compare and contrast the structures of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Question 3—Describe the fluid mosaic model of cell membranes.

Question 4—How do the specific structures of the cell membrane determine what gets into the cell and what does not?

Question 5—What is the significance of diffusion and osmosis in the transport of materials across a cell membrane? Include a discussion of water potential in your answer.

Module 3 DBA Questions

Question 1—How is the basic functioning of enzymes affected by its shape, active sites and interaction with specific molecules and the environment?

Question 2—Describe the overall process of cellular respiration, and explain the role of NADH in this process.

Question 3—What are the reactant molecules in photosynthesis, and how do they reach the chloroplasts in leaves?

Question 4—Describe and compare the roles of CO2 and H2O in photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

Question 5—A certain poison inhibits an enzyme involved in the Calvin cycle, preventing a cell from completing the Calvin cycle. Explain what effect, if any, this would have on the cell’s ability to complete the light reactions of photosynthesis. (Hint, if needed: Think about any molecules or ions that cycle back and forth between the light reactions and Calvin cycle)

Module 4 DBA Questions

Question 1—Describe at least one way cells communicate with each other via chemical messengers.

Question 2—What is the overall purpose of mitosis, and in what types of organisms does mitosis occur?

Question 3—What type of cell division occurs in bacteria? Describe it

Question 4—Describe what occurs in each of the stages of mitosis.

Module 5 DBA Questions

Question 1—What is the overall purpose of meiosis, and in what types of cells does it occur?

Question 2—Summarize Mendel’s law of independent assortment. What aspect of meiosis accounts for this law?

Question 3—Describe how you would solve the following problem: 

What is the probability that two individuals of the genotype AaBb and aaBb will have any offspring with the genotype aabb?

Question 4—How does the environment play a role in gene expression? Give two examples in which this might occur. 

Module 6 DBA Questions

Question 1—Describe the process of gene expression, from gene to protein, and how a gene affects the phenotype expressed by an organism. 

Question 2—If 20% of the DNA in a guinea pig cell is adenine, what percentage is cytosine? Explain your answer in terms of base pairing. 

Question 3—What are the differences between the 5’ and 3’ ends of a DNA strand, and what is the significance of these differences for DNA replication?

Module 7 DBA Questions

Question 1—What are some examples of conserved core processes, and what do they tell us about the ancestry of life on Earth?

Question 2—Describe one scientific hypothesis for the origin of life on Earth. What evidence is used to support this hypothesis?

Question 3—What is a phylogenetic tree, and how is it used to depict evolutionary history? 

Question 4—Explain why genetic variation within a population is essential for evolution.

Question 5—How would the appearance of free oxygen in the atmosphere affect the types of cells present on the early Earth? 

Question 6—In a population of grasshoppers, some individuals are brown and others are green. Presently, both phenotypes are equally fit. What could happen to change the relative fitness of the two phenotypes in the population? For example, what could cause brown individuals to show increased fitness relative to green individuals?

Question 7—Assume a population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for a given genetic trait. Explain how you would determine what proportion of individuals in the population is heterozygous for the gene if the frequency of the recessive allele is 2%.

Module 8 DBA Questions

Question 1—What are some abiotic and biotic factors that could affect the stability of a population? 

Question 2—What are pheromones, and what purpose do they serve? 

Question 3—Compare the reproductive strategies of r-selected and K-selected species.

Question 4—Describe two models used to predict population growth and explain what each of them tells us about population.

Question 5—Explain how the distribution of ecosystems changes over time by identifying large-scale events that have resulted in these changes in the past.

Question 6—Discuss how consequences of human actions affect biodiversity at local and global levels. Give some specific examples of human impact on these ecosystems and how these impacts affect biodiversity.