Practice Test 31 - 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: "One glucose molecule can be turned into starch." Which response best corrects the student using the idea of monomers and polymers?​
2. A cell begins mitosis after interphase. If the cell has 12 chromosomes, what is true immediately after DNA replication in interphase (before prophase begins)?​
3. A model includes two connected boxes: [Photosynthesis] → produces glucose + O$_2$ → [Cellular Respiration] → produces CO$_2$ + H$_2$O + ATP The model also shows an arrow from the Sun into Photosynthesis labeled "light energy." Which statement best describes the energy flow shown?
4. Two similar islands have the same amount of vegetation and the same climate. On Island A, freshwater is scarce because there are no streams and only a few small puddles after rain. On Island B, freshwater is abundant due to a spring-fed pond. A small mammal species is much less common on Island A than on Island B. What is the most likely limiting factor for the mammal population on Island A?
5. In a bird colony nesting on cliffs, when a hawk approaches any one nest, many adult birds fly toward the hawk, dive at it, and call loudly until it leaves the area. Compared with a single bird defending alone, the hawk is more likely to retreat when many birds mob together. What is the best explanation of the benefit of this cooperative behavior?
6. Put the following stages in the correct order starting with the first stage of mitosis: metaphase, telophase, anaphase, prophase.
7. Two homologous chromosomes in a human body cell are best described as:
8. A group of lions hunts zebra. Two lions stalk from downwind while others spread out to the sides. When the zebra bolts, the side lions rush in to steer it toward the stalkers, and the group makes the kill. A single lion in the same habitat usually catches only smaller prey. What advantage of cooperation is best shown in this scenario?
9. Which model correctly explains why animals depend on plants in terms of both matter cycling and energy flow (using CO2, H2O, O2, and glucose)?
10. A plant population experiences a multi-year drought, then returns to normal rainfall. Researchers measure the frequency of allele $W$ (waxy leaf coating that reduces water loss). Rainfall condition and $W$ frequency: 2010 (normal) → 0.18 2012 (drought) → 0.37 2014 (drought) → 0.55 2016 (normal) → 0.41 2018 (normal) → 0.29 Which interpretation best describes the pattern?
11. An endangered frog has fewer than 80 adults left in the wild. The main problems are loss of breeding ponds and a fungal disease. A plan proposes: (i) captive breeding to maintain an insurance population, (ii) restoring and protecting breeding ponds, and (iii) releasing captive-bred frogs after disease screening. Which statement best evaluates this combined strategy?
12. In a simple Mendelian trait, brown eye color (B) is dominant over blue (b). Two parents both have brown eyes and both have genotype Bb. Which statement correctly describes why a blue-eyed child is possible?
13. A plant makes glucose during the day and can still grow at night when there is no sunlight. Which idea best explains how energy from sunlight can be available later when it is dark?
14. In a grassland ecosystem, producers store about 60,000 kJ of energy. Using the 10% rule, how much energy is available to primary consumers?​
15. DNA is often described as a "twisted ladder." In this model, the sides of the ladder are made of repeating units, and the rungs are pairs of bases. Which description correctly matches the DNA parts to the ladder model?
16. Scientists tracked the frequency of a heat-tolerance allele ($H$) in a desert insect population over time. A long-term warming trend started around Year 6. Year 1: $f(H)=0.46$ Year 3: $f(H)=0.45$ Year 5: $f(H)=0.47$ Year 7: $f(H)=0.54$ Year 9: $f(H)=0.63$ Year 11: $f(H)=0.71$ Which statement best interprets the data?
17. Scientists have found a series of whale fossils in rock layers of different ages. Older fossils show a land mammal with four legs; younger fossils show animals with shorter hind limbs and more paddle-like forelimbs; the youngest fossils are fully aquatic whales. Modern whales also have small hip bones that are not used for walking. Which option best identifies how these observations support evolution?
18. In a population of lizards, most individuals have brown skin. A rare DNA change occurs in a pigment gene in one lizard and creates a new allele that can produce green skin. Over time, some offspring inherit this allele. Which statement best explains how genetic variation is being created in this example?
19. During digestion, muscles in the digestive tract move food along, and this activity changes depending on signals from the body. How do the nervous and digestive systems interact to help move food through the digestive tract?​
20. A population of mice lives in a barn. When the mouse population is small, most mice survive and reproduce. As the population becomes large, mice compete more intensely for stored grain, and many females produce fewer pups. Which factor is limiting the mouse population as it becomes crowded?

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