WGU C190 PRE ASSESSMENT EXAM 2026
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE COMPLETE
ANSWERS
◉ Biotic. Answer: Living. Matter is considered ______ if it was ever
alive at some point in time
◉ Atom. Answer: Smallest level. The basic unit of matter. Consists of a
dense nucleus surrounded by electrons.
◉ Molecule. Answer: Second level. A chemical structure consisting of at
least two atoms held together by a chemical bond.
◉ Macromolecule. Answer: Third level. Biologically important
molecules that are technically polymers. Example: DNA.
◉ Cell. Answer: Fourth level. The fundamental unit of life. Essentially a
tiny droplet of water and other molecules enclosed by a fluid "skin" or
membrane. The smallest and simplest entity that possesses all the
characteristics of life.
◉ Organelle. Answer: Fifth level. Compartments inside the cell that
contain specific groups of macromolecules and carry out specific
cellular functions. One of these organelles is the nucleus; it encloses the
DNA within the cell.
,◉ Microorganism. Answer: Sixth level. Single-celled life form. Consists
of just one cell and include unicellular organisms such as bacteria and
protists.
◉ Tissue. Answer: Seventh level. Formed when similar cells work
together to fulfill the same detailed function.
◉ Organ. Answer: Eighth level. Collections of tissues that work together
to carry out a common general function. Present not only in higher level
animals but also in plants.
◉ Organ System. Answer: Ninth level. Consists of functionally related
organs. Mammals have many.
◉ Organism. Answer: Tenth Level. Individual living entities that survive
and reproduce as a unit. For example, each tree in a forest.
◉ Population. Answer: Eleventh level. Consists of all the individuals of
a species living within a specific area.
◉ Community. Answer: Twelfth level. Populations can interact with
each other in positive and negative ways, and together they form this.
,◉ Ecosystem. Answer: Thirteenth level. Consists of all the living things
in a particular area together with the abiotic, or nonliving, parts of that
environment.
◉ Biosphere. Answer: Fourteenth level. The highest level of
organization in living systems. The collection of all ecosystems on
Earth. Includes all habitable zones on the planet, including land, soil,
and rocks to a great depth in the Earth's crust; water and ice; and the
atmosphere to a great height.
◉ Emergent Properties. Answer: Characteristics of a system that are not
present in any of its component parts.
◉ Biology. Answer: The scientific study of life and is the branch of
science that studies living organisms and the way organisms interact
with their environments.
◉ Homeostasis. Answer: The ability or tendency of organisms and cells
to maintain stable internal conditions.
◉ Nutrient. Answer: Any matter an organism needs but cannot make for
itself.
, ◉ Energy. Answer: The capacity to do work or to make a change in the
location, temperature, or structure of matter. Does not have mass and it
does not take up space, but it can be measured in terms of what it does.
◉ Growth. Answer: An increase in size.
◉ Development. Answer: Structure and function change in an orderly
way as an organism passes through its life cycle. An individual's pattern
of _______ is partly determined by genetic instructions.
◉ Reproduction. Answer: Occurs when an individual organism passes
on its genetic information to a newly independent organism, or
offspring.
◉ Evolution. Answer: A scientific theory that explains how and why life
changes over time. Provides the explanation for why all living organisms
share profound similarities, and yet, the life forms on our planet are so
incredibly diverse.
◉ Natural Selection. Answer: Individuals are always a bit different from
their parents and from each other, partly because of changes to their
genes. These differences may be helpful or harmful to the individuals
that inherit them. In nature, individuals often have very low odds of
surviving to reproduce. Individuals with slightly harmful or even
average characteristics might be less likely to make it, and those with
traits that fit in very well with the local habitat will have the greatest
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE COMPLETE
ANSWERS
◉ Biotic. Answer: Living. Matter is considered ______ if it was ever
alive at some point in time
◉ Atom. Answer: Smallest level. The basic unit of matter. Consists of a
dense nucleus surrounded by electrons.
◉ Molecule. Answer: Second level. A chemical structure consisting of at
least two atoms held together by a chemical bond.
◉ Macromolecule. Answer: Third level. Biologically important
molecules that are technically polymers. Example: DNA.
◉ Cell. Answer: Fourth level. The fundamental unit of life. Essentially a
tiny droplet of water and other molecules enclosed by a fluid "skin" or
membrane. The smallest and simplest entity that possesses all the
characteristics of life.
◉ Organelle. Answer: Fifth level. Compartments inside the cell that
contain specific groups of macromolecules and carry out specific
cellular functions. One of these organelles is the nucleus; it encloses the
DNA within the cell.
,◉ Microorganism. Answer: Sixth level. Single-celled life form. Consists
of just one cell and include unicellular organisms such as bacteria and
protists.
◉ Tissue. Answer: Seventh level. Formed when similar cells work
together to fulfill the same detailed function.
◉ Organ. Answer: Eighth level. Collections of tissues that work together
to carry out a common general function. Present not only in higher level
animals but also in plants.
◉ Organ System. Answer: Ninth level. Consists of functionally related
organs. Mammals have many.
◉ Organism. Answer: Tenth Level. Individual living entities that survive
and reproduce as a unit. For example, each tree in a forest.
◉ Population. Answer: Eleventh level. Consists of all the individuals of
a species living within a specific area.
◉ Community. Answer: Twelfth level. Populations can interact with
each other in positive and negative ways, and together they form this.
,◉ Ecosystem. Answer: Thirteenth level. Consists of all the living things
in a particular area together with the abiotic, or nonliving, parts of that
environment.
◉ Biosphere. Answer: Fourteenth level. The highest level of
organization in living systems. The collection of all ecosystems on
Earth. Includes all habitable zones on the planet, including land, soil,
and rocks to a great depth in the Earth's crust; water and ice; and the
atmosphere to a great height.
◉ Emergent Properties. Answer: Characteristics of a system that are not
present in any of its component parts.
◉ Biology. Answer: The scientific study of life and is the branch of
science that studies living organisms and the way organisms interact
with their environments.
◉ Homeostasis. Answer: The ability or tendency of organisms and cells
to maintain stable internal conditions.
◉ Nutrient. Answer: Any matter an organism needs but cannot make for
itself.
, ◉ Energy. Answer: The capacity to do work or to make a change in the
location, temperature, or structure of matter. Does not have mass and it
does not take up space, but it can be measured in terms of what it does.
◉ Growth. Answer: An increase in size.
◉ Development. Answer: Structure and function change in an orderly
way as an organism passes through its life cycle. An individual's pattern
of _______ is partly determined by genetic instructions.
◉ Reproduction. Answer: Occurs when an individual organism passes
on its genetic information to a newly independent organism, or
offspring.
◉ Evolution. Answer: A scientific theory that explains how and why life
changes over time. Provides the explanation for why all living organisms
share profound similarities, and yet, the life forms on our planet are so
incredibly diverse.
◉ Natural Selection. Answer: Individuals are always a bit different from
their parents and from each other, partly because of changes to their
genes. These differences may be helpful or harmful to the individuals
that inherit them. In nature, individuals often have very low odds of
surviving to reproduce. Individuals with slightly harmful or even
average characteristics might be less likely to make it, and those with
traits that fit in very well with the local habitat will have the greatest
