CHEM 365 Biochemistry
1. Which of the following statements is correct regarding a main function of carbohydrates?
[A] They function to transmit and express genetic information.
[B] Carbohydrates can act as enzymes and catalyze important biological reactions.
[C] They function directly in the transportation of gases.
[D] They provide the raw material for building other biological macromolecules.
2. What is the approximate estimate of how long ago our planet formed?
[A] ~4.6 billion years ago
[B] ~2007 years ago
[C] ~4.6 million years ago
[D] ~3.5 billion years ago
3. In 1953 Stanley Miller and Harold Urey performed a famous experiment in which they
subjected a mixture of H2O, CH4, NH3, and H2 to an electric discharge for about 1 week.
These chemicals are believed to make up the atmosphere of prebiotic earth. Which of the
following were NOT among the compounds found in the resulting solution?
[A] simple nucleic acids
[B] simple acids
[C] simple amino-acids
[D] acetic acid
4. It is the year 2050. You are a space explorer and you’re about to leave on a deep space mission
to another solar system. Your boss tells you that you may only bring relatively simple
molecules that will be used to synthesize all your food. You know, from taking Dr. Love’s
class, which atoms are essential for your life. Which of the following sets of molecules
would provide the most complete set of atoms essential for life on our planet?
[A] ATP, sodium chloride, NH4Cl
[B] glucose, potassium phosphate, sodium chloride
[C] methane, acetyl coenzyme A (CoA), sodium chloride
[D] glucose, potassium phosphate, sodium chloride
DETAILED ASSIGNMENT
