Practice Test 64 - 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, "Animals can adapt to a new environment within their lifetime if they need to." Which response best corrects the student using the idea of natural selection?
2. A student is asked: "What components should be included in a model that explains how deforestation leads to biodiversity loss?" Which option best lists the necessary components in a logical sequence (activity → immediate effect → ecological consequence → biodiversity impact)?
3. A student is comparing different macromolecules. Which pairing correctly matches a monomer to a polymer (macromolecule) that cells build by linking many monomers together?
4. Which statement correctly compares transcription and translation as steps in gene expression?
5. Which statement best describes independent assortment and how it increases variation in gametes?
6. Which list is ordered from smallest to largest level of biological organization?
7. A student is dehydrated after running. The body detects that water balance is below its usual level and responds by conserving water until balance returns closer to normal. Which option best describes why this is an example of homeostasis?
8. A student is designing a model of a sealed terrarium that contains a small plant and a snail. The terrarium is sealed to air exchange (no gases enter or leave), but it is placed near a window so light can enter and heat can leave. Which model best shows how matter (CO2, H2O, O2, glucose) cycles between photosynthesis and cellular respiration while energy flows one-way through the system?
9. A wetland was drained decades ago for agriculture, causing loss of waterfowl habitat and increased downstream flooding. A restoration plan proposes removing drainage tiles, regrading the land to hold water, and replanting native wetland vegetation. Which outcome is the best scientific reason this plan could reduce negative human impacts?
10. Cells often use dehydration synthesis to build macromolecules. Which statement best describes the role of water in dehydration synthesis when building a carbohydrate chain from glucose?
11. Crossing over (genetic recombination) can occur during meiosis when homologous chromosomes pair. Which description best matches crossing over and its effect on genetic diversity?
12. Two populations of the same species experience different levels of selection for a camouflage trait. In Population 1, camouflaged individuals survive at 55% and non-camouflaged at 50%. In Population 2, camouflaged survive at 95% and non-camouflaged at 20%. Which statement best compares how quickly the camouflage trait frequency will change?
13. Claim: Matter cycles through a food web (atoms from producers can become part of consumers). A teacher did a simple carbon-tracing activity: - Plants were grown in air containing extra CO$_2$ labeled with a safe carbon tracer. - Caterpillars ate the plants. - Small birds ate the caterpillars. Results: 1) The tracer was detected in plant sugars. 2) The tracer was detected later in caterpillar body tissue. 3) The tracer was detected later in bird body tissue. 4) The birds were larger than the caterpillars. Which evidence is most directly relevant to supporting the claim?
14. Claim: Cooperation during hunting increases food intake per individual. Evidence from two studies on the same predator species: 1) Observational study (wild, 1 month): Packs (8–12 animals) made a kill on 60% of hunts; solitary hunters made a kill on 35% of hunts. 2) Controlled feeding test (in a large enclosure): When animals were allowed to hunt in groups of 10, each individual ate an average of 1.2 kg per day; when the same individuals were temporarily separated and hunted alone, each ate an average of 0.7 kg per day. Conditions (prey type and availability) were kept the same. Which choice best identifies the strongest evidence supporting the claim?
15. A mosquito population shows heritable variation in sensitivity to an insecticide: about 5% carry alleles that make them resistant. A city sprays the insecticide repeatedly over several years. After many generations, most mosquitoes are resistant. Which statement is the best explanation?
16. A bacterial population contains heritable variation in antibiotic resistance: most cells are susceptible, but a few carry a resistance gene. A patient is treated with the antibiotic for several days. Which outcome best describes how natural selection will act on this bacterial population during treatment?
17. A plant cell uses glucose as a starting material to build lipids for cell membranes. Compared with glucose ($C_6H_{12}O_6$), many lipids have a much lower oxygen content (for example, a fatty acid might be $C_{16}H_{32}O_2$). Which statement best describes what happens to atoms during lipid synthesis?
18. In a meadow, rabbits have plenty of grass to eat and enough water. However, there are only about 40 safe burrows available for shelter from predators and harsh weather. When the rabbit population grows above about 40 families, more rabbits are killed by predators and more kits die from exposure. What is the most likely limiting factor for the rabbit population size?
19. A region has two options to increase biodiversity of a threatened grassland ecosystem: (1) protect the last intact grassland fragments from conversion to agriculture, or (2) restore a much larger area of former grassland that was plowed decades ago by replanting native grasses and removing drainage ditches. Which comparison is most accurate?
20. In a coastal area, two reefs experience the same hurricane. Reef A has many coral species plus fish and invertebrates that graze algae. Reef B is mostly algae with very few coral species left. Five years later, Reef A has regained much of its coral cover, but Reef B remains algae-dominated. What is the best explanation for how biodiversity affects resilience to disturbance here?

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