How to grade essays Use a highlighter to mark all the statements that are in your essay that are on the rubric (give yourself points according to the guidelines of the rubric) Use a red pen to write in the concepts you missed in the section of the essay where that concept should have been covered. At the top of the page, put the score you received and circle it in pen. Voila! Done!

Essay Prompt #1 AP BIO QUESTION 1996 The unique properties (characteristics) of water make life possible on Earth. Select three properties of water and for each property, identify and define the property and explain it in terms of the physical/chemical nature of water. for each property, describe one example of how the property affects the functioning of living organisms.

Key for Essay #1 -Prop. of water Note: you will need to print this slide out to see the words better.

Essay Prompt #1 AP BIO QUESTION 1991:   Carbon is a very important element in living systems.   a. Describe the various characteristics of the carbon atom that makes possible the building of a variety of biological molecules. b. Explain how reactions involving carbon-containing compounds can contribute to the greenhouse effect. c. The following structures are examples of two different categories of biological compounds. Describe how each category of compounds is important to the structure and function of living systems. 4

KEY TO ESSAY #1 STANDARDS: A. CHARACTERISTICS OF CARBON ATOMS: (Max of 4 points) __Ready availability, abundance __Atom small in size, outer (valence) electrons close to nucleus, so forms stable (strong) bonds __4 electrons in a valence-capacity of 8, forms 4 bonds to 4 other atoms __Forms covalent bonds __Can bond to other carbon atoms, no upper limit to size of carbon compounds __Bond angles form tetrahedron, resulting in 3-D structures, chains, rings, not just planar __Can form multiple C-C, C=C, C=C bonds __Can form isomers, different structures - same number and kind of atoms __Functional groups/combine with a variety of other elements __BONUS POINT: if get 3 above - Uniqueness, only Carbon has all of these characteristics 5

ESSAY Prompt #2 CELL QUESTION 1992: A laboratory assistant prepared solutions of 0.8 M, 0.6 M, 0.4 M, and 0.2 M sucrose, but forgot to label them. After realizing the error, the assistant randomly labeled the flasks containing these four unknown solutions as flask A, flask B, flask C, and flask D. Design an experiment, based on the principles of diffusion and osmosis, that the assistant could use to determine which of the flasks contains each of the four unknown solutions. Include in your answer a description of how you would set up and perform the experiment; the results you would expect from your experiment; and an explanation of those results based on the principles involved. (Be sure to clearly state the principles addressed in your discussion.)

ESSAY Prompt #3 Enzymes are important biological molecules. They are one of the primary means of regulating chemical processes within cells. Describe how enzymes affect chemical reactions. Describe environmental factors that affect enzyme action. Describe how enzymes are important for the process of DNA replication. (see chapter 16) **NOTE: Be sure to include the structure and what enzymes are composed in your answer.

Other Information about Enzymes Enzyme question QUESTION I-2000 1. The effects of pH and temperature were studied for an enzyme-catalyzed reaction. The following results were obtained. a) How do (1) temperature and (2) pH affect the activity of this enzyme? In your answer, include a discussion of the relationship between the structure and the function of this enzyme, as well as a discussion of how structure and function of enzymes are affected by temperature and pH. b) Describe a controlled experiment that could have produced the data shown for either temperature or pH. Be sure to state the hypothesis that was tested here.

Essay Prompt #4 AP BIO CELL RESPIRATION 1977 Explain how the molecular reactions of cellular respiration transform the chemical bond energy of Krebs Cycle substrates into the more readily available bond energy of ATP. Include in your discussion the structure of the mitochondrion and show how it is important to the reactions of the Krebs Cycle and the Electron Transport Chain.

Essay Prompt #5 Ap Bio question 1995: Energy transfer occurs in all cellular activities. For 3 of the following 5 processes involving energy transfer, explain how each functions in the cell and give an example. Explain how ATP is involved in each example you choose. Cellular movement Active transport Synthesis of molecules Chemiosmosis Fermentation

EssayPrompt #6 Discuss the process of cell division in animals. Include a description of mitosis and cytokinesis, and of the other phases of the cell cycle. Do not include meiosis. Be sure to be detailed in your response 11

Essay Prompt #7 The Cell Cycle functions in regulating information flow through organisms. Discuss how alleles are distributed by the process of meiosis to the gametes. Explain how the cell cycle is controlled. Explain how these controls prevent errors in inheritance. Note: It is important t answer all three parts (a-c) and to include all of the key proteins and concepts discussed in class. ie. Cyclin, MPF, three checkpoints, p53 genes, tumor suprerssor genes, etc.

Essay Prompt #8 Read the following question and on a separate sheet op paper give your answer in an ESSAY FORM. Outline alone is not acceptable. Labeled diagrams may be used to supplement discussion, but in no case will a diagram alone suffice. It is important that your read each question completely before you begin to write. In Fruit flies, the phenotype for eye color is determined by a certain locus. E indicates the dominant allele and e indicates the recessive allele. The cross between a male wild-type fruit fly and female white-eyed fly produced the following offspring: Wild-type Wild-type White-eyed White eyed Brown eyed Male Female Male Female Female F1 0 45 55 0 1 The wild-type and white-eyed individuals from F1 generation were then crossed to produce the following offspring: Wild-type Wild-type White-eyed White eyed Brown eyed Male Female Male Female Female F2 23 31 22 24 1 1. Determine the genotype of the original parents (P generation) and explain your reasoning. You may use Punnett squares to enhance your description, but the results from the Punnett squares must be discussed in your answer. 2. Use a Chi-squared test on the F2 generation data to analyze your prediction of the parental genotypes. Show all your work and explain the importance of your final answer. BE sure to write the Chi-Square formula next to your work. The brown-eyed female in the F1 generation resulted from a mutational change. Explain what a mutation is, and discuss two types of mutations that might have produced the brown-eyed female in the F1 generation. **Note: Your response to these three questions will be a major part ofyour grade for this lab. Therefore, be thorough and complete in your response

Essay Prompt #9 Describe the chemical nature of genes. (a) Discuss the replication process of DNA naming all of the steps and key enzymes involved. (b) Name TWO types of gene mutations that occur during replication.

Essay Prompt #10 Describe the different types of mutations and the process of how genes are expressed (transcription & translation) in a eukaryotic cell. Be sure to include a discussion of how point mutations affect proper protein synthesis at the level of translation. You must mention all the key structures, molecules, and enzymes involved (ex. mRNA, tRNA, snRNA, RNA polymerase, aminoacyl-tRNA synthestase, ribosome & sites, TATA box, etc) NOTE: Labeled drawings & diagrams may be useful in your response but you must draw them don’t cut & paste images in.