Practice Test 52 - High School Biology

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

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1. In an ecosystem, producers contain 30,000 units of energy and primary consumers contain 3,000 units. How much energy is lost between producers and primary consumers?​
2. A student is making a model to explain why breathing becomes faster during exercise. They want to include the nervous, respiratory, and muscular systems. Which set of arrows best represents the key interactions at the system level?
3. Which option correctly states how the equations of photosynthesis and cellular respiration relate to each other? Photosynthesis: $6CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{light} \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2$ Respiration: $C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2 \rightarrow 6CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{ATP}$
4. Claim: A bird population evolved a higher frequency of a song type that carries better in noisy cities. Evidence collected: 1) In 2005, 30% of males sang the high-frequency song type; in 2025, 33% sang it. 2) In 2025, high-frequency songs were heard more clearly than low-frequency songs near roads. 3) Young birds raised in a quiet lab and tutored with recordings still developed the song type their biological fathers had. 4) One adult bird changed its song slightly after moving from a quiet park to a noisy street. Which evidence is most directly about population-level evolutionary change (change in inherited traits over time)?
5. Vultures often locate food by watching other vultures: when one bird descends toward a carcass, others see it and follow. Compared with searching alone, what advantage does this group behavior provide?
6. A biologist measures beak depth (in mm) in a population of 100 finches. The frequency distribution is shown below. Beak depth (mm) → Number of finches - 7: 4 - 8: 12 - 9: 26 - 10: 30 - 11: 20 - 12: 6 - 13: 2 Which statement best describes the pattern of variation in beak depth?
7. Two genetically identical corn plants (clones) are grown from cuttings. Plant A is grown in soil with nitrogen-rich fertilizer and reaches 160 cm tall. Plant B is grown in the same light and temperature but without added fertilizer and reaches 95 cm tall. Which conclusion best describes this result?
8. Claim: Group living increases reproductive success because more helpers improve offspring survival. Observations from two nearby habitats of the same bird species: - Habitat X: birds usually nest in groups (3–5 adults per nest). - Habitat Y: birds usually nest as pairs (2 adults per nest). Results over one breeding season: - Habitat X (group nests): average fledglings per nest = 3.4 - Habitat Y (pair nests): average fledglings per nest = 1.9 Additional information: - Habitat X had fewer predators and more food than Habitat Y. Which choice best evaluates the evidence for the claim?
9. Two ecosystems follow the 10% rule. - Ecosystem A producers: 30,000 kJ - Ecosystem B producers: 90,000 kJ How much more energy is available to primary consumers in Ecosystem B than in Ecosystem A?
10. A scientist compared seed mass in two plant populations. Population 1 (g): 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 Population 2 (g): 0.6, 0.7, 1.0, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6 Which statement is correct about variation in seed mass?
11. In a fish species, a gene has two alleles: $F$ and $f$. In polluted water, survival probabilities are: $FF$: 60%, $Ff$: 60%, $ff$: 20%. If pollution continues for many generations, what is the most likely trend in allele frequencies?
12. A river runs through a city and then farmland. Several native fish species have declined due to channelization (straightening the river), loss of riparian vegetation, and periodic chemical spills. A proposed plan includes: creating a riparian protected buffer zone, restoring meanders and woody debris habitat, and improving pollution controls upstream. Which evaluation best explains why combining strategies may be more effective than using only one?
13. A student is building a simple model of a sealed terrarium that contains a small plant, a snail, and decomposers in the soil. The terrarium is sealed to air exchange (no gases enter or leave), but it is placed near a window where light can enter and heat can leave. Which model description best shows matter cycling (CO2, H2O, O2, glucose) between photosynthesis and cellular respiration while energy flows one-way?
14. Claim: A lizard population on a newly formed volcanic island evolved longer legs over 25 years. Evidence: 1) Mean hind-leg length was 34 mm in 1999 and 34 mm in 2024. 2) In 2024, lizards on the island had longer legs (mean 34 mm) than a nearby mainland population (mean 28 mm). 3) In 2024, researchers observed that individual lizards could run faster on hot rocks in the afternoon than in the morning. 4) DNA data show the island population is most closely related to the nearby mainland population. Which evaluation is best?
15. In a simple ecosystem, plants and animals exchange gases. Considering the overall equations below, which statement best describes this interdependence? Photosynthesis: $6CO_2 + 6H_2O +$ light $\rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2$ Cellular respiration: $C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2 \rightarrow 6CO_2 + 6H_2O +$ ATP
16. Three populations (A, B, and C) of the same species were tracked for the frequency of allele M over 6 sampling years. Years: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Population A (allele M): 0.10, 0.18, 0.29, 0.41, 0.55, 0.68 Population B (allele M): 0.50, 0.49, 0.50, 0.51, 0.50, 0.49 Population C (allele M): 0.30, 0.44, 0.33, 0.47, 0.35, 0.46 Which statement best compares the patterns across the three populations?
17. A community wants to reduce plastic pollution that harms seabirds and turtles. Two strategies are proposed: Strategy A: Install floating trash-capture booms at the mouth of a river to collect plastic already moving toward the ocean. Strategy B: Reduce plastic at the source by switching to reusable containers in schools and businesses and improving waste collection to prevent litter. Which statement best compares the strategies for long-term impact reduction?
18. A plant produces pollen (male gametes) in the anthers through meiosis. Which statement correctly describes what happens to homologous chromosomes during meiosis and how that relates to variation?
19. A plant species shows heritable variation in leaf waxiness: some plants have a thick waxy coating that reduces water loss, and others have a thin coating. A long period of low rainfall occurs. Which observation would best support that natural selection is occurring?
20. A scientist compares asexual reproduction (one parent produces genetically identical offspring) with sexual reproduction (two parents produce offspring). Which statement best describes genetic variation produced by these two reproductive strategies?

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