Practice Test 4 - High School Biology

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

Claim: Living in groups increases survival by reducing the time each individual must spend being vigilant, allowing more time to feed. Observations of the same herbivore species: - In herds of 20+, individuals spent about 30% of their time scanning for predators and 70% feeding. - Solitary individuals spent about 65% scanning and 35% feeding. - However, during the observation period, measured survival over 2 months was similar: herd-living 92% vs solitary 91%. Which choice best evaluates whether the evidence supports the claim?
In bone marrow, one type of stem cell can become red blood cells (carry oxygen), white blood cells (fight infection), or platelets (help blood clot). All of these cells contain the same DNA. Which statement best describes cell differentiation in this example?
A shallow lake has frequent algal blooms and low oxygen levels each summer. Testing shows high nitrate and phosphate runoff from nearby farms after rainstorms. Two proposed strategies are: (1) require farms to install vegetated buffer strips and reduce fertilizer application rates, and (2) skim algae from the lake surface each week during bloom season. Which strategy is likely to be more effective long-term at reducing the ecosystem impact, and why?
Two ecosystems follow the 10% rule. Ecosystem A has 30,000 kcal at the producer level. Ecosystem B has 90,000 kcal at the producer level. How much energy is available to secondary consumers in Ecosystem B?
A student traces one nitrogen atom that ends up in a leaf protein. Which pathway best describes where that nitrogen atom likely came from before it became part of the protein?
A DNA comparison shows that species X and species Y have 99% similar DNA sequences in a particular gene, while species X and species Z have 85% similarity in the same gene. What is the best interpretation of this molecular evidence?
Cells build many macromolecules from smaller subunits. Which pairing correctly matches a monomer to the polymer it builds through synthesis reactions?
In a population of insects, a pesticide is sprayed repeatedly over many seasons. The population has heritable variation: most insects are pesticide-susceptible, but a few are pesticide-resistant. What change is most likely to occur over generations in the sprayed area?
A rabbit population has fur-color genotypes with these survival probabilities during a snowy winter: $BB$ (white): 0.70, $Bb$ (light gray): 0.70, $bb$ (dark): 0.30. If survival is the main difference among genotypes, what will happen to the frequency of allele $B$ in the next generation?
Two lizard populations were measured for tail length (cm). Population A tail lengths (cm): 6.1, 6.4, 6.8, 7.0, 7.3, 7.9, 8.2, 8.5 Population B tail lengths (cm): 7.1, 7.2, 7.2, 7.3, 7.3, 7.4, 7.4, 7.5 Which population shows greater variation in tail length?
A plant leaf cell contains both chloroplasts and mitochondria. Which statement correctly describes what happens in each organelle? Photosynthesis: $6CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{light} \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2$ Cellular respiration: $C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2 \rightarrow 6CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{ATP}$
In a lake, producers store 12,000 energy units. Primary consumers receive about 1,200 units and secondary consumers receive about 120 units. Which statement best matches these numbers?
Claim: Social learning (copying others) helps individuals acquire a new foraging skill faster. Evidence from a classroom-style animal behavior study: - 40 juvenile birds were randomly assigned to two conditions. - Social-learning condition: each bird could watch an experienced adult open a puzzle feeder. - No-demonstration condition: each bird had the same puzzle feeder but could not watch an adult. - After 10 days: - 16/20 birds in the social-learning condition could open the feeder. - 6/20 birds in the no-demonstration condition could open the feeder. Which conclusion is best supported by the evidence?
In an elephant herd, calves are sometimes watched and protected by multiple adults (not just the mother) while the mother feeds. Compared with solitary parenting, what is a key advantage of this group living behavior?
Which option correctly matches each process with the kind of genetic variation it produces? Context: Mutation creates new alleles. Independent assortment, crossing over, and random fertilization create new combinations of existing alleles.
Two populations of the same lizard species are monitored for the frequency of a heat-tolerance allele ( $H$ ) during a period of warming summers. Average summer temperature (°C): 1990: 27.0 2000: 27.6 2010: 28.3 2020: 29.1 $H$ allele frequency: Population 1 — 1990: 0.20, 2000: 0.33, 2010: 0.51, 2020: 0.70 Population 2 — 1990: 0.21, 2000: 0.22, 2010: 0.20, 2020: 0.21 Which interpretation best matches the data?
A rabbit population has two coat colors: white and brown. In a snowy habitat, white rabbits have a 75% chance of surviving to reproduce, while brown rabbits have a 25% chance. If the habitat stays snowy, which outcome is most likely after many generations?
A plant is grown in a sealed chamber with CO2 that contains a special label on its carbon atoms. After several days, the label is found in the plant's cellulose and also in its membrane lipids. What is the best explanation for how the labeled carbon ended up in these different macromolecules?
DNA is built from repeating building blocks called nucleotides. Which set correctly lists the three components of a DNA nucleotide?
In pea plants, purple flowers (P) are dominant over white flowers (p). Two heterozygous plants are crossed: $Pp \times Pp$ . What is the probability that an offspring will have white flowers?

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