Practice Test 21 - High School Biology

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

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1. A student says, "If all cells have the same DNA, then all cells should be identical." Which response best corrects the student's misunderstanding using the idea of gene expression?
2. Claim: Living in groups increases survival because individuals can detect predators sooner and reduce per-individual predation risk. Evidence from a controlled field experiment with a small fish species: - Researchers created groups of 1 (solitary), 5, or 10 fish in identical enclosures with the same food and the same number of predator exposure events. - After 30 days, survival rates were: solitary 42%, groups of 5: 68%, groups of 10: 81%. Which evaluation best matches the evidence?
3. Place these in order from smallest to largest level of biological organization: (1) human, (2) heart, (3) cardiac muscle cell, (4) cardiac muscle tissue, (5) circulatory system.
4. Complete the photosynthesis equation by choosing the correct products: $6CO_2 + 6H_2O +$ light energy $\rightarrow$ ________.
5. A plant is making amino acids to build proteins. The plant already has plenty of glucose. Which additional environmental source provides atoms that must be incorporated to form amino acids?
6. A population of bacteria in a hospital is tested for an antibiotic-resistance allele ($R$). The frequency of $R$ is measured each year after the antibiotic becomes widely used. Year 0: 2% Year 2: 12% Year 4: 38% Year 6: 67% Year 8: 81% Which statement best interprets these data?
7. A student claims: "Differentiation is all you need for growth and repair; cell division isn't necessary." Which response best corrects the claim using a growth-or-repair example?
8. A diagram shows: glucose + glucose → disaccharide + H2O. The same type of reaction repeats to form a long chain (polysaccharide). What is the best interpretation of this diagram?
9. A student is comparing DNA replication and transcription. Which statement correctly describes transcription (not replication)?
10. Two students propose models of how urban development affects biodiversity. Model 1: [Urban development] → [Habitat fragmentation] → [Populations become isolated] → [Reduced gene flow/inbreeding risk] → [Lower survival/reproduction] → [Population decline] → [Reduced biodiversity] Model 2: [Urban development] → [Population decline] → [Habitat fragmentation] Which statement best compares the models?
11. A diagram shows the forelimbs of a human, a bat, and a whale. Each limb contains the same basic set of bones (humerus, radius, ulna, wrist bones, and finger bones) but they are shaped for different functions (grasping, flying, swimming). Which statement best explains how this supports evolution?
12. A city expands outward, replacing a continuous grassland with neighborhoods, parking lots, and shopping centers. The remaining grassland exists as small isolated patches between roads and buildings. Which outcome is most likely for grassland species that require large territories?
13. An invasive plant is spreading in a grassland and reducing native wildflower diversity. Managers consider three actions: (1) repeated manual removal by volunteers each spring, (2) broad herbicide spraying over the entire grassland, and (3) targeted herbicide applied only to dense patches plus replanting native species afterward. Which approach best balances effectiveness with minimizing new ecological problems?
14. In one hospital, the percentage of Staphylococcus aureus infections resistant to antibiotic X was recorded over time. Year → % resistant: - 2005: 3% - 2008: 9% - 2011: 22% - 2014: 48% - 2017: 71% - 2020: 83% Which statement best describes the evolutionary pattern?
15. During translation, a cell uses the information in mRNA to build a protein. Which statement best describes what happens during translation at the ribosome?
16. A student writes the overall equations below to compare two processes: Photosynthesis: $6CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{light energy} \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2$ Cellular respiration: $C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2 \rightarrow 6CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{ATP energy}$ Which statement correctly describes how these two processes are related (including matter and energy)?
17. A student claims, "During transcription, RNA uses the same bases as DNA." Which correction is most accurate?
18. A combined model shows matter cycling and energy flow in an ecosystem: MATTER (carbon) arrows form a loop: [Atmosphere CO2] →(photosynthesis)→ [Producers] →(feeding)→ [Consumers] →(death/waste)→ [Decomposers] →(respiration)→ [Atmosphere CO2] ENERGY arrows are one-way: [Sunlight] → [Producers] → [Consumers] → (heat lost from each box to the environment) Which statement best matches what the arrows show?
19. Use the simplified nitrogen cycle diagram described below. [Atmosphere (N$_2$)] --(nitrogen fixation by bacteria)--> [Soil NH$_4^+$] --(nitrification by bacteria)--> [Soil NO$_3^-$] --(plant uptake)--> [Plants (proteins/DNA)] --(consumption)--> [Animals] [Plants/Animals] --(death & waste)--> [Decomposers] --(decomposition)--> [Soil NH$_4^+$] [Soil NO$_3^-$] --(denitrification by bacteria)--> [Atmosphere (N$_2$)] Following the arrows, which pathway correctly shows nitrogen returning to the atmosphere?
20. A deer population in a suburban area has grown very large because predators are absent and hunting is not allowed. Overbrowsing is preventing forest seedlings from growing, reducing habitat for many bird species. Two strategies are proposed: Strategy 1: Plant more tree seedlings every spring. Strategy 2: Reduce deer numbers through controlled culls or fertility control, and protect some seedlings with temporary fencing. Which strategy is more likely to be sustainable for forest recovery, and why?

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