Module 01 — Foundations of Biology · quiz worth 100 pts
The exam is not a new topic. It is 01.01 + 01.02 + 01.03 in one sitting. If a question feels “from nowhere,” it is almost always one of those three.
Match the stem to a bucket before you look at the choices.
Words like hypothesis, variable, control, theory, law, reliable, opinion. No molecule pictures.
A picture, a monomer, C H O N P, enzyme, activation energy, denature, photosynthesis sugar.
Atmosphere, oxygen, Miller-Urey, meteorites, RNA, prokaryote, organic vs inorganic.
Miller-Urey did not prove RNA is a catalyst. A theory is not a macromolecule. Salt-and-freezing is method, not origin of life.
Got it now? Scroll back up and re-read the section — it should land differently.
Read the stem first. Then pick a row. Do not mix the three lessons together in one answer.
| If the stem is about… | Go to | The usual trap | The move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Testable question, IV/DV, control, theory vs law | 01.01 Exploring Life | Calling a theory a guess, or saying theories become laws. | Opinion → not science. You change it → IV. You measure it → DV. Theory explains; law describes. |
| Picture of a molecule, monomer, enzyme graph, denature | 01.02 Chemistry of Life | Calling lipids polymers. Mixing N (protein) with P (nucleic acid). | Name the building block (hexagon / tails / amino acid / nucleotide), then the macromolecule. Enzymes lower activation energy. |
| Early atmosphere, Miller-Urey, RNA World, first cells | 01.03 Earth's Early Atmosphere | RNA World only as “shared genetic code” — missing RNA as a catalyst. | Little oxygen, inorganics present. Organics from synthesis or meteorites. First cells = prokaryotes. RNA World has two costumes. |
Lookalike choices: oxygen vs carbon dioxide, increase vs decrease — read every word.
Hexagon or C₆H₁₂O₆ → carbohydrate. Tails → lipid. Folded chain / N → protein. Phosphate + base → nucleic acid.
“Only proteins catalyze” is wrong because of RNA World (Cech), not Miller-Urey.
Theory ≠ law. Theories never become laws.
Lesson 01.05 + how quizzes ask
You already sat two quizzes in this module. They did not look the same. 01.02 was seven items with molecule pictures and a written enzyme/fever item (you scored 22/22). 01.03 was five text questions, 4 points each, no pictures (16/20 — the miss was RNA as a catalyst). The module exam is allowed to use both of those styles plus 01.01 method questions. Your instructor’s DBA list is the official topic list — it matches the three lessons, not honors 01.02A (skip carbon-formula honors unless you are in honors).
Lesson 01.01
Full walkthrough: 01.01 Exploring Life. For the exam you need: science vs opinion, peer-reviewed vs a paid commercial, independent / dependent / controlled variables / control group, why changing two things at once is invalid, x-axis = IV, and theory explains / law describes.
Lesson 01.02
Full walkthrough + shape drill: 01.02 Chemistry of Life. Carbohydrates = hexagons / C,H,O / energy. Lipids = tails / not polymers / store energy. Proteins = amino acids / N / enzymes. Nucleic acids = nucleotides / P / genetic info. Enzymes lower activation energy and speed reactions; heat past about 50 °C denatures them (shape breaks, they stop).
Lesson 01.03
Full walkthrough: 01.03 Earth's Early Atmosphere. Early air: little/no oxygen, mostly CO₂, water vapor, nitrogen, lots of UV. First organics: made here from inorganics (Oparin/Haldane, then Miller-Urey flask) or arrived on meteorites. First cells: prokaryotes, anaerobic. RNA World: RNA can store code and catalyze. You already got “shared genetic code → self-replicating RNA.” The miss was “proteins are not the only catalysts → RNA World.”
Same chapter, two quiz outfits. That is the easy miss.
Self-replicating RNA can pass information along. You already got this right on 01.03.
People thought only protein enzymes sped reactions. RNA can catalyze too. That is RNA World, not Miller-Urey.
Miller-Urey = flask amino acids. Oparin/Haldane = it could happen in that air. Endosymbiosis = mitochondria, later.
Got it now? Scroll back up and re-read the section — it should land differently.
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