Practice Test 20 - High School Biology

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

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1. Which sequence correctly lists the stages from interphase through the completion of cell division (including cytokinesis)?
2. A pond ecosystem includes algae (producers), insects (consumers), fish (consumers), and decomposers in the mud. Which pathway best shows how matter can move from the environment into organisms and back to the environment?
3. A region has two options to improve biodiversity for native forest birds: (1) protect the last remaining 2,000 hectares of intact forest from logging, or (2) replant 2,000 hectares of previously logged land with native trees. Both actions are possible, but funding is limited to only one option this decade. Which statement best compares these strategies for preserving biodiversity?
4. A plant is grown in a sealed chamber with plenty of CO2 and H2O but in nutrient-poor soil that contains very little nitrogen (N). The plant can still make glucose, but it struggles to make proteins. Which explanation best matches atom sources and conservation of matter?
5. A new allele allowing adults to digest milk (lactose tolerance) appears in a population and later becomes more common. Which event most directly created this new allele in the first place? Context: New alleles arise when DNA changes; meiosis and fertilization mainly reshuffle existing alleles.
6. A population is shown oscillating up and down around a dashed line labeled $K$ (carrying capacity). Which statement best describes this pattern?
7. A researcher compares hunting outcomes for a predator species that sometimes hunts alone and sometimes hunts in groups. When hunting alone, individuals succeed in 8 out of 100 attempts and usually catch small prey. When hunting in groups of 5, the group succeeds in 28 out of 100 attempts and often captures larger prey. Which conclusion best supports the idea that group hunting is cooperative and beneficial?
8. A bird species shows heritable variation in body size. In Environment A (cold winters), larger birds retain heat better. In Environment B (hot summers), smaller birds avoid overheating more easily. If the two environments remain stable for many generations, which outcome is most consistent with natural selection?
9. A simplified nitrogen cycle diagram includes the arrow: [Soil (NO3-)] --(denitrification by bacteria)--> [Atmosphere (N2)] What does this arrow indicate?
10. Which pair correctly matches a reactant of photosynthesis with the process that produces it as a product? Photosynthesis: $6CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{light} \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2$ Cellular respiration: $C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2 \rightarrow 6CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{ATP}$
11. Bone marrow constantly replaces blood cells. Which model best describes the role of stem cells in this process?
12. A class surveyed flower color in a population of wildflowers. Results are shown below. Color morph | Number of plants Red | 18 White | 7 Pink | 25 Which statement best describes the type of variation shown for flower color?
13. A lizard population has three tail-pattern phenotypes: striped, spotted, and plain. The number of individuals of each phenotype was counted each generation (population size stayed at 200 each generation). Generation 1: 120 striped, 60 spotted, 20 plain Generation 5: 95 striped, 75 spotted, 30 plain Generation 10: 70 striped, 85 spotted, 45 plain Generation 15: 52 striped, 92 spotted, 56 plain Which statement best describes what the data show?
14. A pond has enough dissolved oxygen entering/being replenished each day to supply 96,000 mg of oxygen per day. Each fish in the pond requires about 30 mg of oxygen per day. Using $K = \dfrac{\text{total oxygen per day}}{\text{oxygen needed per fish per day}}$, what is the pond's carrying capacity $K$ for these fish?
15. An invasive predatory fish was introduced into a pond in Year 0. Managers removed the invasive fish in Year 4. Native minnow population size was tracked as an indicator of recovery. Native minnows counted (same pond): - Pre-introduction: 1,200 - Year 1: 250 - Year 3: 180 - Year 4 (removal year): 220 - Year 6: 700 - Year 9: 1,050 Which statement best fits the evidence?
16. Leaves appear green because chlorophyll reflects much of the green light and absorbs mostly red and blue light. Why is the absorbed light important for the plant in photosynthesis?
17. In a certain flower species, a gene controls pigment production. The functional allele (P) makes an enzyme that produces purple pigment; the nonfunctional allele (p) makes no working enzyme, so no purple pigment is produced (white flowers). P is dominant over p. Which choice correctly explains how genes relate to this trait?
18. A plant population was tracked for mean flowering time (days after spring begins). A late frost occurred in 2013 and 2014. Year → mean flowering time: - 2011: 32 days - 2012: 33 days - 2013: 39 days (late frost) - 2014: 38 days (late frost) - 2015: 34 days - 2016: 33 days Which statement best describes the trend and its likely relationship to the environment?
19. Two populations of the same weed species are monitored for a herbicide-resistance allele ($H$) over 12 years. Population 1 (no herbicide used): Year 0: 3% $H$ Year 4: 3% $H$ Year 8: 2% $H$ Year 12: 3% $H$ Population 2 (herbicide used yearly): Year 0: 3% $H$ Year 4: 18% $H$ Year 8: 49% $H$ Year 12: 76% $H$ Which statement is best supported?
20. In a population of wildflowers, flower color was recorded for 120 plants: - Red: 48 - White: 36 - Pink: 32 - Yellow: 4 Which statement best describes the type of variation shown for flower color?

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