Posts Tagged: bio/chem exam

What chemical processes in the small intestine occur or do not occur in a lactose intolerant person that cause diarrhea?

From the LASSI, I learned that I need to improve my strategies for time management and for anxiety. I believe that these two aspects of my study do have a strong relation to each other. Poor time management may lead to high levels of anxiety which could lead to me being unproductive, which further interferes with my time management. In order to improve myself, I believed that I needed to address both learning strategies I struggled with. In order to help with time management, I’m trying harder to look ahead on deadlines and class schedules so I can set a more rigid schedule to adhere to. To help with anxiety, I try to incorporate small chunks of break time into my schedule during which I stretch, walk around, do some breathing exercise, or brew some relaxing tea. Also to help both my anxiety and time management, I try to incorporate some extra time into my schedules which can leave me some time to work on things in case emergencies appear which can interfere with my planned schedule. I plan to test out these modified habits for a few weeks to see how well they work and make further modifications where needed.

After taking exam 1, its very easy to see that the questions on the exams require a lot of critical thinking and are much more abstract than a multiple choice and fill in the blank sort of layout. A lot of what we’ve learned and are going to be tested on for exam 2 actually require this critical thinking to simply grasp concepts. Everything we covered in Chemistry seemed to be tied to Biology and vice versa. One concept that encompasses the synthesis of Biology and Chemistry is intermolecular forces and bonding theories within our cells. One question I can predict being on Exam 2 is one in regards to emulsions. Emulsions are the combination of two substances that usually cannot be combined. A question in regards to emulsions could sound something like:

How do our cells achieve emulsion and what forces are responsible for allowing two immiscible substances to be mixed? Which macromolecule is needed in our cells to make this possible? Draw a picture illustrating an emulsion.

We’ve been talking a lot about how the body can move and break down macromolecules and how this relates to chemistry. A good question to ask would be:

A woman damages her gallbladder after surviving a car accident. A week after treatment she notices her stool is foamy, she is losing weight, and general discomfort after meals. What treatment would you suggest for her illness?

A person that is lactose intolerant lacks the enzyme lactase rendering him unable to digest lactose in milk, evaluate what happens when a lactose intolerant individual ingest dairy products. Compare the process to one in a lactose persistent individual. Refer to Chemistry when necessary.

In preparation for the first exam I went with to study groups with my classmates consistently. Almost everyday for a week we, meaning Amanda, Catherine, Jonathan, and sometimes Shannon and Daniel, studied together. At one time, the study group went from around 7 in the morning on a Saturday to around 8 at night. We covered quite a bit and continued to memorize equations and practice mathematical concepts… of which few were on the test.

Hi guys, preparing for test is very stressful. Very time consuming and I have no clue on where to start. So basically, I print out every files and worksheet from PCC Canvas, from there I start by doing them one by one. Without a doubt, there are tons of stuffs that I don’t know but luckily i have a friend named Stephanie who is really good at it to help me out… Thank god. Doing works like this really bite you in the bum and taking a break is very important for me. I see taking a break as a reward system thingie for myself after studying for some time, but sometimes I take this reward for granted and forgot that i have to study, hahaha. The point is, you doesn’t have to keep stressing out yourself with your study, but you can refresh your mind with a little break and that way studying can be FUN!!!

When I was preparing for the exam, I was rather motivated as it was the 1st exam of the semester and I was hoping to ace it! I studied pretty hard for both subjects. For Biology, I tried answering all the questions that was posted on canvas and memorized them. For some questions, I didn’t even really understand the content Therefore, during the test, it was hard for me to answer some Biology questions as I couldn’t understand it. As for Chemistry, I studied the quizzes and the notes thoroughly. However, I was surprised to see that the Chemistry questions were rather different than what was given on the quizzes. Sadly, I found it quite a challenge too. So overall, I think I did really badly. Hope to do better in the next few exams! =(

I actually tried to read the chemistry book to study, and less review on the notes that I took. That was a terrible idea, I simply stared at the pages without actually absorbing anything. I did not organize my study time well. What I should have done was take read in small increments while looking at my notes, and redoing corresponding problems given on that section.

I also learned to self-study before attending a study group, to take in the extensive information first then filter it for greater understanding and making larger connections.
It helps to form a study group because other members may ask questions that you would otherwise don’t know that you don’t know. Study sessions are always fun! But they need to be focused for it to be a good one because they can get very sidetracked…

Nothing in the test surprised me, everything was covered which makes me even more guilty because the bad grades that I receive will be fully on me, and my lack of focused studying. The questions asked on the test were the same but disguised in a different costume, so i had to be very familiar with it to complete the question. For the next test I have to be smarter about studying, about learning important materials and predict the types of questions that will be asked. Looking at everyday things through chemistry/ biology can be helpful too, it might lead to more questions but it reminds you of what you already learned. Although it was not a great first exam, it is good to make mistakes early on, then you know what you have to do, and ace all the rest of your exams 😀