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Practice Test 98 - High School Biology

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

  1. A student says, "All sperm made by one person should be genetically the same because they come from the same body." Which response best corrects the student using meiosis concepts?
  2. In a classroom lab, students observe that the same strain (same genotype) of a small fish develops faster in warmer water and slower in cooler water, even though all fish are fed the same diet. Which statement best describes what the students are observing?
  3. A DNA sequence in a coding region changes from GAA to GAG due to a substitution (A → G at the last position). The resulting protein appears unchanged. Which explanation best fits this observation?
  4. A student tracks 60 carbon atoms that were originally in atmospheric CO2. After photosynthesis, those carbon atoms are now in glucose molecules in a plant. The plant later uses those glucose molecules to build starch and lipids. Which statement best describes what happens to the 60 carbon atoms during synthesis?
  5. A researcher recorded the number of spots on 40 ladybugs. Spots: 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 Count: 3 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 2 Which statement best describes the distribution pattern of spot number?
  6. A drought reduces rainfall across a region for two months. Many plants die, and the populations of several herbivore species decrease because less vegetation is available. The drought affects herbivore populations in both crowded areas and less crowded areas. The drought is best described as which kind of limiting factor for these populations?
  7. In a desert ecosystem, energy at the primary consumer level is 2,500 kJ and energy at the secondary consumer level is 250 kJ. What percentage of energy is transferred from primary to secondary consumers?
  8. A population graph shows a steady downward trend from about 5,000 individuals to about 1,000 individuals over 10 years (x-axis = time; y-axis = population size). Which type of population pattern is shown?
  9. Two models are shown. Model 1 ends at "Glucose (stored chemical energy)." Model 2 continues from glucose to "Cellular respiration (energy release)." Which statement best compares what each model represents about energy flow?
  10. Consider this hierarchy: cardiac muscle cell → cardiac muscle tissue → heart → circulatory system → human. Which option correctly identifies the level of heart in this hierarchy?
  11. A lone ant searching for food may spend a long time wandering before finding a source. In an ant colony, once one ant finds food, many others quickly arrive at the same place. Compared with solitary living, what advantage does colony living provide in this example?
  12. A rabbit population varies in running speed (slow, medium, fast). Wolves move into the area and begin hunting rabbits. Which rabbit trait is most likely to increase in the population over generations due to this new selection pressure?
  13. A student claims: "The information in DNA is stored in the double-helix shape, not in the base sequence." Which response is most accurate?
  14. A population of lizards on an isolated reserve has stayed between 470 and 530 individuals for the past 12 years, with no long-term upward or downward trend. Based on this long-term stability, what is the best estimate of the carrying capacity (K) for this reserve?
  15. A pond contains a population of fish. In late summer, a heat wave warms the water and the dissolved oxygen level drops. Over the next week, many fish die even though food is still present and there is no increase in predators. Which factor is most directly limiting the fish population in this situation?
  16. Emperor penguins in Antarctica often huddle in large groups during severe winter storms and rotate positions so different individuals take turns on the colder outside. Compared with standing alone, what is the main benefit of this group behavior?
  17. A city plants trees along streets to reduce heat and provide habitat. Option 1: plant one tree species along all streets. Option 2: plant 10 different tree species. A new disease arrives that kills one of the tree species. How does biodiversity most likely affect the stability of the city's tree population over time?
  18. Which option is the best simplified description of a nitrogen pathway that shows cycling (reuse) of matter?
  19. In a diploid organism, each offspring receives genetic information for a gene from its parents. Which statement best describes how alleles are inherited for a single gene?
  20. A student says, "Chromosomes are found only during cell division; during the rest of the cell cycle there are no chromosomes." Which statement best corrects the student while keeping the focus on DNA packaging?

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