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General Biology I: 1,390 Free Flashcards

A complete first-semester college biology course for science majors, built from OpenStax Biology 2e chapters 1 through 17, the C-ID BIOL 135S transfer descriptor and AP Biology units 1 to 6. It starts with how biologists test ideas and the chemistry life runs on, then builds the cell piece by piece: macromolecules, cell structure, membranes and transport, and the enzymes and energy rules behind metabolism. Cellular respiration and photosynthesis come next, then cell signaling, the cell cycle and meiosis. The last third is genetics: Mendel and probability, linkage and pedigrees, DNA replication, gene expression and its regulation, and biotechnology. Punnett squares, probability, map distances, chi-square, pH and magnification problems are worked calculations, each recomputed by script before publishing.

1,390cards
16units
86chapters
200sources cited

What's inside

Unit 1 The Science of Biology

4 chapters · 45 cards

Unit 2 Chemistry for Biology

6 chapters · 92 cards

Unit 3 Biological Macromolecules

5 chapters · 86 cards

Unit 4 Cell Structure

7 chapters · 133 cards

Unit 5 Membranes and Transport

5 chapters · 87 cards

Unit 6 Energy, Metabolism and Enzymes

6 chapters · 86 cards

Unit 7 Cellular Respiration

6 chapters · 129 cards

Unit 8 Photosynthesis

5 chapters · 88 cards

Unit 9 Cell Communication

4 chapters · 45 cards

Unit 10 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis

6 chapters · 90 cards

Unit 11 Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction

4 chapters · 65 cards

Unit 12 Mendelian Genetics

6 chapters · 89 cards

Unit 13 Chromosomes and Inheritance

4 chapters · 66 cards

Unit 14 DNA Structure and Replication

6 chapters · 87 cards

Unit 15 Gene Expression

7 chapters · 136 cards

Unit 16 Biotechnology and Genomics

5 chapters · 66 cards

Try a few real cards

Copied straight from the course. In the app, each wrong option also gets its own explanation.

Card 1While the ETC is running, how does the intermembrane space compare with the matrix?

  1. Higher pH than the matrix
  2. Lower H+ concentration than the matrix
  3. Lower pH than the matrix
  4. The same pH as the matrix
Show answer

Lower pH than the matrix. H+ is pumped out of the matrix into the intermembrane space, so that space has more H+ and a lower pH.

Card 2A round-seeded plant of unknown genotype is crossed with rr, and about half the offspring are wrinkled. What was the unknown genotype?

  1. RR, homozygous dominant
  2. rr, homozygous recessive
  3. Rr, heterozygous
  4. Either RR or Rr, equally likely
Show answer

Rr, heterozygous. Only a heterozygous Rr parent gives a 1:1 round:wrinkled ratio in a test cross.

Card 3Why is the trp operon called a repressible operon?

  1. It is off by default and turns on when tryptophan appears
  2. It is on by default and shuts off when tryptophan is plentiful
  3. It is controlled only by CAP and cAMP levels
  4. It is never transcribed when glucose is present
Show answer

It is on by default and shuts off when tryptophan is plentiful. E. coli always needs some tryptophan, so the trp operon is normally on; excess tryptophan activates the repressor and turns it off.

Questions

Is the General Biology I course really free?

Yes. Create a free Encodr account and all 16 units and 1,390 cards are yours to study, with spaced repetition scheduling your reviews.

What does the course cover?

OpenStax Biology 2e chapters 1 through 17: the chemistry of life, macromolecules, cell structure, membranes, metabolism and enzymes, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, cell communication, the cell cycle, meiosis, Mendelian and chromosomal genetics, DNA replication, gene expression and regulation, and biotechnology.

Is this the same as AP Biology?

It lines up with AP Biology units 1 to 6, which are designed to match a first college semester. The cards were checked against the AP Biology Course and Exam Description, so AP students can use it too.

How much math is in this course?

The genetics units carry most of it: Punnett squares, the product and sum rules, test crosses, map distances from recombination frequency and chi-square (for courses that use it). pH, magnification and PCR copy-number problems appear too. Every numeric card states its rounding rule and was independently recomputed before publishing.

What comes after General Biology I?

General Biology II covers evolution, diversity, physiology and ecology. The two semesters do not depend on each other, so you can take them in either order.

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