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Department
of Biology : Comprehensive
Examination
All biology majors must take and pass a written and an
oral comprehensive examination.
A. The Written Comprehensive
Biology majors will take the Major Field Test in Biology as
the Written Comprehensive Examination. The test will be administered
early in the Winter quarter of the senior year, and will be
graded on an Honors, Pass, or Fail basis.
B. The Oral Comprehensive
The oral comprehensive exam is required of all majors, and
will be taken during the latter part of Winter quarter. Oral
exams will typically begin with a discussion of the Senior Connections
Essay. During the exam biology faculty expect to have reasonably
well informed conversations with senior biology majors about
biological topics ranging from the molecular through the ecosystem
levels of organization.
Why does the major require an oral comprehensive exam?
Beyond the walls of academic institutions, knowledge is rarely
demonstrated through written exams. Success in the “real
world” is more often dependent on your ability to demonstrate
or relate knowledge through verbal communication. In recognition
of your upcoming graduation from Kalamazoo College, the department
wishes to emphasize the importance of the spoken word.
Oral comprehensive exams are not meant to be painful nor
stressful. Rather, through preparation for the exam we hope
you will continue to develop your ability to share your knowledge
of biological concepts with others. Having demonstrated this
fluency, you will successfully pass the oral comprehensive
exams, an accomplishment for which you should be very proud.
How should I prepare for the oral comprehensive exam?
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Review course material.
Typically, questions from the faculty will start with big
concepts and become more focused as you demonstrate understanding.
Therefore, your review of course material should aim to cover
both broad topics and detailed mechanisms. We may ask you
to look for relationships between topics, give examples, or
apply your knowledge to your experiences (striving for depth
throughout the conversation). Keep in mind that it is probably
a good idea not to infuse too many details immediately into
explanations of some biological phenomenon. Rather, you may
want begin with the "big picture" to provide the
context for a statement, and then work your way toward the
details, if necessary, to substantiate general principles
and to help get your point across.
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Practice! You will want
to spend significant preparation time actually explaining
concepts to others. As in everyday conversations, being conversant
includes listening carefully to what others say or ask, thinking
carefully about how your statements contribute to the conversation,
and then making sure that those listening understand what
you say. Talking about a subject is not the same as writing
about it! The more you practice talking about a concept, the
less likely you are to be flustered by the process and the
more able you are to think on your feet. Talk to your classmates,
family, friends, dog etc. Encourage them to question you repeatedly
until you are absolutely clear and confident in your explanations.
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Get comfortable with your limits!
While we expect you to be prepared, you will not know everything!
The examiners may continue to pursue a topic for several
minutes until you are unable to contribute any more to the
discussion. In this manner, we learn not only what you know
but also what you don’t know. This is important to
us as a department to see what areas may need more emphasis
in the coursework. Your inability to answer tough questions
does not mean you fail, nor does it mean you are stupid.
Sometimes the examiner will clarify the question or come
at the topic from another direction. Sometimes you may need
to admit that you don’t know the answer. This will
undoubtedly happen in real life and should not cause you
to become overly flustered.
With significant preparation the oral comprehensive
exams should be a rewarding part of your K College experience.
Sample Review Questions for Oral Comprehensive Examination
Use the following section as a study guide, along with a good
general biology textbook, as you review for the Oral Comprehensive
Examination in biology.
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Distinguish between a plant and an animal.
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Define an ecosystem.
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Discuss the flow of energy and nutrients through an
ecosystem.
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Give an example of a food chain.
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Describe, and distinguish between, mitosis and meiosis.
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Describe the structure and function of the typical organelles
found within a cell.
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Describe the flow of information within a cell.
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Describe the structure and function of the major classes
of biomolecules.
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Discuss why most animals require O2.
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Describe the process of photosynthesis.
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Describe the function of ATP.
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Describe the early stages and activities of a developing
animal and how they relate to later form and function.
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Describe the basic morphology and physiology of a plant.
How does this vary throughout the Plantae?
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Describe a physiological system (i.e. nervous, circulatory,
reproductive, excretory, etc.) and state how this system
varies throughout the Animalia.
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Define homeostasis and give a specific example. How
is this phenomenon related to the principle of allocation?
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Describe the process of evolution.
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Explain what is meant by adaptation. How does this differ
from acclimation? Can an organism adapt?
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Define succession and give an example.
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Distinguish between prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
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Describe the function of hormones in animals and plants.
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Define a gene.
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Describe basic patterns of Mendelian inheritance.
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Define "species" and discuss how a new species
might arise.
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Describe how materials are conducted throughout a plant.
Is this the same for all plants?
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What is meant by "alternation of generations"
with respect to plant life cycles? Apply the concept to
the major taxa within Plantae.
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Discuss one of the systems of classification of living
organisms, explaining the criteria used to distinguish between
the major groups.
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Characterize proteins with respect to structure and
function.
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Describe the flow of information within organisms.
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Describe theories for the evolution of eukaryotic organisms.
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In your opinion, what is the most important discovery
in biology. Please defend your statement.
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