BOT 125
Plant Morphology

Guide to Laboratory Practical Exams

Description—Laboratory exams will consist of 18 stations, with two questions at each station. A station may have a sample under a microscope, a large sample visible without magnification, or a photo, diagram, or drawing. Questions may be taken from the lab manual. You should also be prepared to answer, for every structure you see in lab:

1. What Phylum (and in some cases, Class) does it belong to?
2. What is its ploidy level? (Remember that ploidy level ordinarily cannot be determined when the sexual life cycle is absent or unknown.)
3. What gave rise to it?
4. What does it give rise to?

Other questions may be asked, as well. Here are some sample questions from past exams (in Adobe Acrobat format), to give you an idea of the types of questions that might be asked. (Although they are actual questions, transcribed from the cards used in the exam, there is no guarantee that any will be used again, and some cover material that is no longer stressed in the lab.)

At the exam—Once you are in the lab room, place your books and other material on the side counter opposite the doors and go to your regular seat (no books or bags may be left on the lab tables or the aisles). Take the answer sheet that is there. Begin on your answer sheet with the first question at your station (don’t start at number 1 unless you are at Station 1). You will move (to your left) through the stations in order, twice. The first time at a station, you will have 90 seconds, and the second time you will have 45 seconds. There will be no further opportunities to return to a station. A “post-mortem” may be held after the last lab section takes the exam; students from any lab section can attend. Some or all of the questions may be modified between lab sections.

To prevent alteration of answers after the test, a photocopy of your lab exam will be graded, rather than the original. Faint pencil marks are usually illegible on photocopies. To receive the credit you deserve for your answers, be sure to write legibly in dark pencil or ink.

Spelling—On the back of each lab exam answer sheet (and reproduced below) is a list of divisions, classes, and glossary words that may not be misspelled. You may refer to this list at any time during the exam. Any misspelling from this list receives no credit. All other misspellings may receive credit only if they can be understood by the person grading the exam.