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MassachusettsBiology

Module 1: Chemistry of life and cells

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does the selectively permeable cell membrane control what enters and leaves a cell, and when is energy needed to move a substance?

Explain the structure of the cell membrane and how diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion, and active transport move substances across it, including the role of the concentration gradient and ATP (MA STE HS-LS1-4 supporting).
A standard-level answer on the cell membrane and transport for the Massachusetts High School Biology MCAS: the phospholipid bilayer, passive transport (diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion), active transport, and predicting water movement with tonicity.
12 min answer →

How is a cell organized into organelles, and how does the structure of each organelle suit the job it does?

Describe the structures and functions of the major organelles in plant and animal cells, distinguish prokaryotic from eukaryotic cells, and relate cell structure to function (MA STE HS-LS1).
A standard-level answer on cell structure and function for the Massachusetts High School Biology MCAS: the major organelles and their jobs, plant versus animal cells, prokaryotes versus eukaryotes, and how structure suits function under HS-LS1.
12 min answer →

How are the four classes of biological molecule built from monomers, and how does the structure of each one suit its function in living systems?

Explain how carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids are constructed from smaller subunits, and relate the structure of each macromolecule to its function (MA STE HS-LS1, structure and function).
A standard-level answer on the chemistry of life for the Massachusetts High School Biology MCAS: the four classes of biological molecule, how monomers join into polymers, and how the structure of each one relates to its function under HS-LS1.
12 min answer →

How do enzymes speed up the chemical reactions of life, and what conditions change how well they work?

Explain how enzymes lower activation energy and catalyze specific reactions, and analyze how temperature, pH, and substrate concentration affect enzyme activity (MA STE HS-LS1, structure and function).
A standard-level answer on enzymes for the Massachusetts High School Biology MCAS: how enzymes lower activation energy, the active site and specificity, and how temperature, pH, and substrate concentration change enzyme activity, with graph reading.
12 min answer →

How are living things organized from molecules up to organisms, and why does specialization at each level matter?

Describe the hierarchy of biological organization from molecules to organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and organisms, and explain how specialization and cell differentiation support complex life (MA STE HS-LS1-1, HS-LS1-2).
A standard-level answer on biological organization for the Massachusetts High School Biology MCAS: the hierarchy from molecules to organisms, the cell as the basic unit of life, and how cell differentiation and specialization support complex organisms under HS-LS1.
11 min answer →

Why are water and carbon so central to life, and how do their properties make the chemistry of cells possible?

Explain the properties of water (polarity, cohesion, solvent ability, heat capacity) and the bonding properties of carbon that make it the backbone of biological molecules (MA STE HS-LS1-6 supporting).
A standard-level answer on water and carbon for the Massachusetts High School Biology MCAS: why water's polarity makes it the solvent of life, cohesion and heat capacity, and why carbon's four bonds make it the backbone of biological molecules under HS-LS1.
11 min answer →