Biological Science Revision Checklist
Chapter-by-chapter revision tracker for AP SSC Class 10 Biological Science (General Science Paper II). Check off each topic as you revise it before the BSE AP public exam.
Ch. 5 — Life Processes
High- Nutrition: autotrophic (photosynthesis — inputs, outputs, conditions) and heterotrophic (herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, saprotrophic, parasitic)
- Photosynthesis equation: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂; role of stomata, chlorophyll, sunlight
- Human digestive system: mouth → oesophagus → stomach → small intestine → large intestine — enzymes at each stage
- Respiration: aerobic (glucose → CO₂ + H₂O + 38 ATP) vs anaerobic (glucose → lactic acid / ethanol + CO₂)
- Human respiratory system: pathway of air; exchange of gases in alveoli (large surface area, moist, rich blood supply)
- Transportation in humans: heart (4 chambers, double circulation), blood vessels (artery, vein, capillary), blood composition
- Excretion: nephron structure and function; ultrafiltration → selective reabsorption → urine formation
- Transpiration in plants: loss of water through stomata; role in water transport up the stem
Ch. 6 — Control and Coordination
High- Nervous system: CNS (brain + spinal cord) and PNS; structure of neuron (dendrite, axon, synapse)
- Reflex arc: receptor → sensory nerve → spinal cord → motor nerve → effector; involuntary action
- Brain parts and functions: cerebrum (thinking), cerebellum (balance), medulla oblongata (involuntary actions)
- Plant movements: tropic (towards stimulus — phototropism, geotropism, hydrotropism, thigmotropism) and nastic movements
- Plant hormones: auxin (cell elongation, phototropism), gibberellin (stem elongation), cytokinin (cell division), abscisic acid (inhibits growth, closes stomata), ethylene (fruit ripening)
- Endocrine system: hormones are chemical messengers; difference between nervous (fast, electrical) and chemical (slow, hormonal) coordination
- Key hormones: insulin (blood glucose), thyroxine (metabolism), adrenaline (emergency response), growth hormone, testosterone, oestrogen
Ch. 7 — How Do Organisms Reproduce?
High- Asexual reproduction: fission (binary — Amoeba, multiple — Plasmodium), budding (Hydra, yeast), fragmentation (Spirogyra), regeneration (Planaria), vegetative propagation, spore formation
- Sexual reproduction in plants: parts of a flower (stamen, pistil, petals, sepals); pollination (self, cross); fertilisation; seed and fruit formation
- Sexual reproduction in humans: male reproductive system (testes, vas deferens, penis); female (ovary, fallopian tube, uterus)
- Menstrual cycle: ovulation on day 14; menstruation if egg not fertilised; duration ~28 days
- Fertilisation: sperm + egg → zygote → embryo implants in uterus → foetus → birth after 9 months
- Contraception: barrier methods, oral pills, IUDs, surgical; STIs and HIV/AIDS awareness
Ch. 8 — Heredity
High- Mendel's laws: Law of Dominance; Law of Segregation (monohybrid — 3:1 ratio); Law of Independent Assortment (dihybrid — 9:3:3:1 ratio)
- Terminology: allele, genotype, phenotype, dominant, recessive, homozygous, heterozygous; Punnett square
- Monohybrid and dihybrid crosses; how traits are inherited from parents to offspring
- Sex determination in humans: XX = female, XY = male; father determines sex of child
- Acquired vs inherited traits; why only inherited (germ cell) traits pass to the next generation
Ch. 13 — Our Environment
High- Ecosystem components: biotic (producers, consumers, decomposers) and abiotic (light, water, soil, temperature)
- Food chain and food web: energy flow (10% rule — only 10% energy passes to next trophic level)
- Trophic levels: producers (T₁) → primary consumers (T₂) → secondary consumers (T₃) → tertiary (T₄)
- Biodegradable vs non-biodegradable waste; biomagnification (DDT, pesticides accumulate up the food chain)
- Ozone layer: absorbs UV radiation; depletion by CFCs; effects of UV on living organisms
- Waste management: reduce, reuse, recycle; harmful effects of plastic and electronic waste