Name______________________
Day_______________________
General Science--Final Exam
1. What is table salt (chemical formula NaCl) ? Choose one of the following:
It is an element ___
It is a compound ___
It is a mixture ___
It is none of these ___
2. How many protons does an atom of arsenic have in its nucleus? __________________
3a. Name a noble gas: _____________________
b. What makes a noble gas "noble"?
4. Pretty much every atom (with the exceptions of helium and hydrogen) want to have 8 electrons in their outer-most shell. This is known as the rule of octets. ___ T ___ F
5. Why is hydrogen bonding so important to us? Give two examples.
6. If something tastes bitter, is it more likely to be ___ acidic or ___ basic/alkaline?
7. At what pH is something neutral (neither acid or basic)? _____________
8. I have pH meter and two cups of liquid. The liquid in the green cup has a pH of 3. The liquid in the pink cup has a pH of 11. Which cup contains a basic solution?
___ the pink cup ___ the green cup ___ neither cup ___ it is impossible to tell
9. How many carbons atoms does a molecule of hexane contain? _________
10. What type of alcohol do people normally drink?
Methyl alcohol ___
Ethyl alcohol ___
Propyl alcohol ___
Butyl alcohol ___
Amyl alcohol ___
11. Which probably contains more unsaturated chemical bonds per pound of material:
___ a can of Crisco ___ a bottle of Wesson oil?
12. If you fill up the gas tank of an average car with pure heptane, would the car run well?
___ yes ___no
13. If you make beer or wine at home, what is the maximum alcohol content that you are likely to reach?
14. What is the main difference between brandy and whisky?
15. You find vodka on sale. It is 140 proof. What percent of the vodka is alcohol?
16. In a cell, why is the genetic material (DNA) so important?
17. Briefly, what does it mean if a person is a "carrier" of a genetic mutation or disease?
18. In our bodies, what do the white blood cells do?
19. What do the red blood cells do?
20. In our body, what do platelets do?
21. Why does blood in the veins tend to seem darker or more bluish than blood in the arteries?
22. What is the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure?
23. Why is it bad if arteries "harden"? Give two reasons.
24. Nerve cells vary the intensity of a sensation by varying the intensity of their firing, not by changing the rate of their firing.
___ True ___ False
25. The gap between nerve cells is bridged through chemical, not electrical, means.
___ True ___ False
26. Why and how do caffeine and nicotine make most humans feel more awake and alert?
27. Which light receptor cells in our eyes allow us to see black and white images in dim light?
___ trapezoids ___ cones ___ rods ___ interceptors ___ none of these
28. The semicircular canals are the structures in our ears where sound is actually detected.
___ True ___ False
What are the four main flavors that we can taste with our tongue?
What is the taste that the Chinese count as a major flavor that Americans do not?
Our sense of taste can be affected by things like head injuries, smoking, or drugs.
___ True ___ False
Briefly, what does estrogen do within the human body? What does testosterone do?
Give two examples of older "fad" foods that are now commonly eaten in the American diet:
What vitamin helps blood clotting? Why do we not normally need supplements for this one?
What disease do we get from not getting enough vitamin C? What are the symptoms?
Generally speaking, cow milk is better for small children than human milk.
___ True ___ False
Many races of humans are at least slightly lactose intolerant.
___ True ___ False
Why do we pasteurize milk?
What is Lactobacillus or lactase added to some milk?
What is the difference between "regular" meat and variety meat?
Why do chicken and fish usually go bad faster than beef?
What is the biological difference between red meat and white meat?
When cooking meat, what changes from pink to brown, allowing us to tell how
well-done the meat is?
What is "dark cutting" meat? Why should it be avoided?
Evil space aliens abduct you and take you to their labs. They tell you that they are studying human metabolism, and that you must choose between two plates of food. One is labeled “CONTAINS CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS TOXIN” and the other is labeled “CONTAINS CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM TOXIN.” Assuming that the plates are correctly labeled, which plate should you choose, if you want to survive?
The Clostridium perfringens plate ___
The Clostridium botulinum plate ___
What is trichinosis? What are the symptoms? Where can we catch it, and how can we avoid it?
Why do we avoid eating sprouting potatoes and/or raw tomato greens?
Botanically speaking, what is a “fruit”?
Where to we find lignin? Is it good for us to eat?
What the FDA’s “GRAS” list? At the food products on it guaranteed to be safe?
What are sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate used for?
What is the difference between a monocot and a dicot? What are some general rules for telling them apart?
Where do we commonly find anthocyanins? What color do they tend to be?
NOTE: For the short essays, you can write on the back of the page if necessary.
Short Essay: 4 points. Who discovered the antibiotic Penicillin? Who made it into a useful commercial product? Approximately what decade (i.e., 1910's, or 1920's, etc.) did the drug become commonly available? Why was the discovery and development of this drug important?
Short Essay: 4 points. Consider this statement: "When taking vitamin pills and mineral supplements, it is usually a good idea to take a lot of them in order to make sure that you are healthy and have lots of energy." Is this statement true or false? Why is it true or false? Give examples.
Short Essay: 4 points. Name two serious scientific and/or ethical problems with human cloning that we discussed in class. Why are these problems important?
Short Essay: 4 points. A friend is experimenting with new types of foods. They offer a plate of toasted apple seeds. Should eat them? Why or why not?
Short Essay: 4 points. Are food additives a new thing, or have they been used for a long time? Why do people tend to think that they are good or bad? Give some examples of good and bad uses of additives.