Practice Test 11 - High School Biology

20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.

Start practice test

1. A lizard species has no sex chromosomes; instead, incubation temperature affects whether embryos develop as males or females. Eggs from the same parents are incubated at two different temperatures and produce different sex ratios. Which statement best describes what this demonstrates?
2. A student looks at a cell and sees all chromosomes lined up in a single line across the middle of the cell (the equator). Sister chromatids are still joined at their centromeres. Which stage is this?
3. A herd of deer lives in a forest preserve. For several years the deer population increased, but after reaching about 220 deer it stopped growing. Rangers observed that by late winter most shrubs and young tree shoots had been eaten, and many does produced fewer fawns the next spring even though water sources and space in the preserve were still available. Which factor is most likely limiting the deer population size (carrying capacity, K) in this preserve?
4. A lake has frequent algal blooms that reduce oxygen and kill fish, lowering aquatic biodiversity. The likely cause is nutrient runoff (nitrogen and phosphorus) from nearby farms. Which strategy most directly addresses the root cause of biodiversity loss in this lake?
5. Bone marrow must constantly replace worn-out blood cells. Which model best describes how the body produces new red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets over time?
6. A diagram model is shown for climate change impacts on biodiversity: [Burning fossil fuels] → [More greenhouse gases] → [Warming oceans] From [Warming oceans], the model branches to: (1) [Coral bleaching] → [Reef habitat loss] → [Fewer reef species] (2) [Species shift ranges poleward/deeper] → [Some species cannot move fast enough] → [Local extinctions] Which statement best interprets what this model shows about biodiversity impacts?
7. A coral reef experiences a heat wave that causes widespread bleaching (corals lose their symbiotic algae). Five years later, the corals regain algae and coral cover returns close to pre-bleaching levels. What does this best demonstrate?
8. A student draws this energy-flow model for a plant: [Sun] --(light energy)--> [Chlorophyll in chloroplast] --(powers photosynthesis)--> [Glucose] --(stored chemical energy)--> [Cellular respiration] --(ATP for cell work)--> [Cell activities] According to the model, at which step does energy change form from light energy to chemical energy stored in glucose?
9. A student labels parts of a diagram: Sun → light energy → chloroplast (chlorophyll) → photosynthesis reactions → glucose → respiration Point X is placed on the arrow between "photosynthesis reactions" and "glucose." What form of energy is best represented at point X?
10. A student writes the word equation for cellular respiration as: glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + energy (ATP). Which choice correctly identifies what the cell must take in (consume) to carry out aerobic cellular respiration?
11. In a simple food chain—grass → grasshopper → frog → snake—what happens to the matter in the grass as it moves through the chain?
12. Water is part of matter cycling in ecosystems. Which description best represents how water can cycle through a land ecosystem?
13. Which chemical equation best represents cellular respiration (not photosynthesis)?
14. Two siblings are born to the same two parents. Which statement best explains why the siblings are usually not genetically identical?
15. Two populations of the same bird species live in different areas. In one area, birds nest in a large colony; in the other, birds nest alone and far apart. Which is a likely reproductive advantage of nesting in a colony?
16. Producers in a pond ecosystem capture 50,000 kJ of energy. Approximately how much energy would be available to tertiary consumers, following the 10% rule across these trophic levels: producers → primary consumers → secondary consumers → tertiary consumers?
17. A student crosses two heterozygous guinea pigs for a dominant trait (Aa × Aa). The Punnett square predicts genotypes: 1 AA, 2 Aa, 1 aa. Which statement correctly connects this to phenotype evidence if A is dominant?
18. Scientists compare the protein cytochrome c in several species and count amino-acid differences from the human sequence: chimpanzee 0, dog 13, tuna 21. What does this pattern best indicate about evolutionary relationships?
19. A person begins jogging on a warm day. Their core temperature rises from 37.0°C to 38.3°C. Thermoreceptors detect the increase and trigger sweating and dilation of skin blood vessels. As cooling occurs, core temperature drops to 37.2°C and sweating decreases. Which choice best explains why the sweating response becomes weaker as temperature approaches normal?
20. A student draws a model with these arrows: Sun → Photosynthesis → glucose → Cellular respiration → ATP → cellular work → heat. They forgot to include matter arrows. Which addition best completes the model to show matter cycling between photosynthesis and respiration?

Practice tests