Practice Test 89 - High School Biology

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

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1. Consider this food chain in a forest: Oak tree leaves → Caterpillar → Songbird → Hawk. Which choice correctly identifies the primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers in this chain?
2. A cell needs to speed up chemical reactions such as breaking down nutrients and building new cell parts. The cell makes enzymes to do this job. Which statement best links macromolecule synthesis to this function?
3. A factory releases mercury into a river. Small aquatic organisms absorb mercury, small fish eat those organisms, and larger fish eat the small fish. People are warned not to eat the largest fish because mercury levels are highest in them. Which concept best describes why mercury is highest in top predators?
4. A food chain follows the 10% rule. Producers contain 30,000 units of energy and primary consumers contain 3,000 units. How much energy is lost when energy transfers from producers to primary consumers?
5. In a survey of 120 flowers in one meadow, the following petal colors were recorded: Red = 46, White = 28, Pink = 44, Yellow = 2. Which description best matches the type of variation shown for petal color?
6. A bird species lives in two different climates. In a cold mountain environment, larger-bodied birds lose heat more slowly. In a hot lowland environment, smaller-bodied birds dissipate heat more easily. What does this comparison best show about natural selection?
7. After eating a carbohydrate-rich meal, a person's blood glucose rises from about 90 mg/dL to 135 mg/dL. Cells in the pancreas detect this increase and release insulin. Over the next 1–2 hours, body cells take up more glucose and the liver stores more glucose, causing blood glucose to fall back to about 95 mg/dL. As glucose returns to normal, insulin release decreases. What is the best analysis of why blood glucose returns toward the normal range in this scenario?
8. A population of Galápagos finches was measured for mean beak depth over several years. Rainfall varied during the same period. Data: - 1976: mean beak depth 8.1 mm; rainfall high - 1978: mean beak depth 8.3 mm; rainfall high - 1980: mean beak depth 9.2 mm; rainfall very low (drought) - 1982: mean beak depth 9.0 mm; rainfall low - 1984: mean beak depth 8.4 mm; rainfall high - 1986: mean beak depth 8.2 mm; rainfall high Which interpretation best describes the evolutionary trend shown by these data?
9. The digestive system includes the mouth, stomach, and intestines working together to break down food and absorb nutrients. What level of biological organization is the digestive system?
10. A new highway is built through a continuous forest, splitting it into two smaller forest sections. Over time, a small mammal species on each side becomes less genetically similar than it used to be. Which impact of habitat fragmentation best explains this change?
11. Which equation correctly represents overall cellular respiration (aerobic)?
12. A student models transcription by writing the DNA template strand for a gene as: TACGAT. During transcription, RNA nucleotides pair with the DNA template bases using these rules: DNA A RNA U, DNA T RNA A, DNA G RNA C, DNA C RNA G. What mRNA sequence would be produced?
13. During development, cells in different locations of the body become different tissues (for example, some become skin cells that form a protective covering, while others become nerve cells that communicate signals). Which statement best describes what determines these different cell types?
14. In a bird species, males vary in plumage brightness. In one breeding season, bright males average about 3 mates, while dull males average about 0.5 mates. Predation rates on bright and dull males are similar. Which statement best links this trait to fitness?
15. A student draws a feedback model for habitat loss in a tropical forest: [Deforestation] → [Fewer fruiting trees] → [Decline in seed-dispersing birds] → [Fewer seeds dispersed] → [Fewer new trees] → (feeds back to) [Even fewer fruiting trees] What biodiversity-related conclusion best matches this model?
16. A mammal species shows heritable variation in body size. In a cold region, larger individuals lose heat more slowly, while in a hot region, smaller individuals shed heat more easily. Which statement best reflects how the environment affects which body size is advantageous?
17. Claim: A fish population in a polluted river evolved tolerance to a heavy metal. Evidence collected: 1) In 1995, 10% of fish survived 24 hours in water containing the metal at concentration X; in 2020, 70% survived the same test. 2) Fish from 2020 survived better than 1995 fish even when both were raised in the same clean lab water before testing. 3) The river became more polluted between 1995 and 2020. 4) One fish exposed to a small amount of the metal produced more mucus on its gills after 2 hours. Which evidence is most directly relevant to showing population evolution (not just environmental effects or individual responses)?
18. Two students make models of how the body removes carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during exercise. Model 1: Muscles → Blood → Lungs → CO2 exhaled Model 2: Lungs → Blood → Muscles → CO2 exhaled Which choice best evaluates the models?
19. A model includes two arrows leaving the Cellular Respiration box: one to "ATP/usable energy for cellular work" and one to "heat to environment." What does this indicate about energy after glucose is broken down?
20. A trait is controlled by a single gene where $B$ is dominant over $b$. Two heterozygous parents are crossed: $Bb \times Bb$. What is the probability an offspring will have genotype $bb$?

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