C2005: Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology I &  F2401: Contemporary Biology I

Miscellaneous Questions About Exams in the Course

(2006-09-07) For our test, and for the future, should we memorize stuff like the alpha glucose-glucose disaccharidde is formed by linking the 1st and fourth carbons?
No. Look at the problems in the book and see what you have to know. We do expect you to be able to recognize or draw a alpha 1,4 bond between two sugars, once you are given the structures. But we don't expect you to memorize the structures.

(2006-09-07) Are we responsible for knowing the web-posted examples of prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
No. Do not memeorize. Except for the functional groups. You must be able to recognize them and know their properties (e.g., -COOH is an acid that will usually be charged negatively; an amide is highly polar, can form various kinds of hydrogen bonds (show how) but carries no net charge, etc. The same for all structures, you don't need to name the molecules but you need to describe and predict theri behavior in detail. These behaviors will be explained in class.

(2006-09-07) Are we responsible for knowing structures of all simple sugars?
You are not responsible for remembering the structure of any compound from its English name, nor are you required to produce the English name of a chemical compound from its structure. On the other hand, you have to know in detail the consequences of a structure that is presented to you, its likely properties and its behavior in various contexts (clearer after lecture 3)

(2005-12-19) I’ve gotten use to writing genotypes in the form of R+R+ and R-R- as opposed to AA and aa. Will this format be acceptable for the final exam?
This format is fine. However you have to be sure that if you use the +/- terminology you specify which allele is dominant. There are many different ways to write genotypes, and all are fine as long as it is clear to you and to the reader/listener what the symbols mean.

(2005-12-12) Is the final the same length as a normal exam? If so, do we get a full 3 hours?
Same length, more time.

(2005-12-4) To what degree does the final exam “refer” back to the whole semester? In short, How much time should one devote to reviewing old problem sets and exams?
Exam focuses on most recent material. Since course is cumulative by nature, this means you can't safely forget all the earlier material. However you won't be asked specifically about the earlier stuff.

(2005-10-26) In doing the problem sets and consulting the key, I noticed that in answers to many of the questions, the key states a number of possibilities for the same conditions given in a question. For our exams, should we also discuss all possibilities or give the most straightforward answer?
You should always pick the most obvious or clear case, if there is one. (We usually intend each question to have one simple answer, although we sometimes mess up.) If you then have time, you can discuss the other possibilities. If you consider all the possibilities equally likely, and don't indicate which are the most reasonable, you usually don't get full credit. The answer keys are deliberately very long and detailed, and you are not expected to consider every last fine point on an exam. However, you are expected to figure out the main point.

(2005-10-26) Can you explain way your lecture notes and the problem book often reference figures in Sadava (Purves) and Becker that don't correspond to the figures in my books? I bought the correct editions, but when, for example, I'm told to refer to figure 14.11 in Becker, that figure doesn't have anything to do with the process/phenomenon in question.
We have done our best to update all the references. However, sometimes we miss a fig. or two. Please let us know if you find a problem and we'll try to fix it. (We need specifics.) In the meantime, try to use the index to find the right figure. For both books, but esp. Becker, the figuress are usually similar but the chapter numbers in each edition are different -- you can usual tell from the numbers given in parenthesis (in the notes) which chapters in the old ed. compare to the equiv. chaps in the new edition.

(2005-09-13) I noticed that there is a lot of overlap between the content in the two textbooks. Are we expected to read from both books or does reading only one give the necessary information for the course?
You are only expected to read one, unless you like a lot of reading. The two books are at different levels, and some people prefer one or the other. The real reason we recommend two is that some subjects are not covered at all in Becker, and most students find a general bio book like Sadava (Purves) a useful reference (esp. in the 2nd term).