Deck 1: Biology

Question 1

In 2006, scientists discovered fossilized skeletons of an animal with several interesting features. Fossil evidence indicated that the animal not only had scales, fins, and gills, but also had lungs, a full set of ribs, and limb bones arranged to support the animal's weight. The illustration below shows what the animal, called Tiktaalik, probably looked like based on the fossil evidence.Which of the following statements best explains why the Tiktaalik fossils are an important piece of evidence for evolution?

A)They include skeletons of both males and females.
B)They are complete skeletons of a carnivorous animal.
C)They allow scientists to estimate the animal's lifespan.
D)They show a transitional form between fish and land-dwelling vertebrates.

Answer 1

They show a transitional form between fish and land-dwelling vertebrates.

Question 2

Which of the following matches a cell organelle with its function?

A)chloroplast-movement
B)nucleus-cell regulation
C)vacuole-energy production
D)mitochondrion-photosynthesis

Answer 2

nucleus-cell regulation

Question 3

Until recently, the myrtle warbler and the Audubon's warbler were thought to be separate species of birds because the males have very different appearances. Which of the following observations most likely led to the reclassification of these warblers as one species?

A)The myrtle warbler and the Audubon's warbler have the same diet.
B)The myrtle warbler and the Audubon's warbler lay the same number of eggs.
C)The myrtle warbler and the Audubon's warbler have overlapping geographical ranges.
D)The myrtle warbler and the Audubon's warbler interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Answer 3

The myrtle warbler and the Audubon's warbler interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Question 4

In the deserts of the southwestern United States, rock formations made from lava flows are found scattered across the sand. The rock pocket mouse, which has dark fur, lives on the black lava rocks. The Apache pocket mouse, which has light fur, lives on the tan sand.Which of the following statements best explains how these two types of mice could have evolved from a common ancestor?

A)Individual mice changed their fur color to escape their predators.
B)Natural selection favored different fur colors in the different habitats.
C)The emigration of mice changed the gene pools in the original population.
D)The original population of mice spread out geographically to relieve overcrowding.

Question 5

Salivary amylase breaks down which class of organic molecules?

A)carbohydrates
B)lipids
C)nucleic acids
D)proteins

Question 6

Which of the following statements best describes an effect of pH on the functioning of salivary amylase?

A)Salivary amylase functions most effectively at a pH of about 4.
B)Salivary amylase functions most effectively at a pH of about 7.
C)Salivary amylase cannot break down starch into maltose at pH values less than 7.
D)Salivary amylase breaks down protein instead of starch at pH values greater than 9.

Question 7

Fatty acids are one of the products that result from the action of lipase in the digestive system. What is one way that atty acids are used in the body?

A)for storing energy
B)for encoding genetic information
C)as the building blocks of antibodies
D)as the building blocks of hemoglobin

Question 8

Female cattle that have white coats are crossed with male cattle that have red coats. Both male and female offspring have roan coats, which are coats with both red hairs and white hairs.Which of the following best describes the genetics of coat color in the cattle?

A)The red and white alleles are sex-linked.
B)The red and white alleles are codominant.
C)The red allele is recessive to the white allele.
D)The red allele is dominant to the white allele.

Question 9

An endangered species is most vulnerable to extinction when it has which of the following characteristics?

A)a high birthrate
B)a large variety in its diet
C)a small amount of competition
D)a small amount of genetic diversity

Question 10

The amount of water a plant has in its tissues is determined primarily by the balance of which of the following processes?

A)runoff and root absorption
B)respiration and photosynthesis
C)precipitation and photosynthesis
D)root absorption and transpiration

Question 11

Which type of cell must contain a mutation in order for the mutation to be passed from a woman to her offspring?

A)blood cell
B)brain cell
C)egg cell
D)skin cell

Question 12

In tomato plants, the tall vine allele (T) is dominant to the short vine allele (t). Two tomato plants are crossed. Among the offspring plants grown from seed, 45% have tall vines and 55% have short vines.What are the most likely genotypes of the parent plants?

A)TT and tt
B)Tt and TT
C)Tt and tt
D)tt and tt

Question 13

Degenerative nerve diseases destroy nerve cells. These diseases can lead to paralysis by interfering with which of the following?

A)transport of hormones that stimulate muscle cells
B)production of ATP that is required by muscle cells
C)transmission of electrochemical signals from the brain to muscle cells
D)exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between neurons and muscle cells

Question 14

In fish of the species Perissodus microlepis, some individuals have mouths that open to the right and some individuals have mouths that open to the left. The direction of the mouth opening is a genetic trait controlled by a single gene. The allele for a right-opening mouth (R) is dominant to the allele for a left-opening mouth (r). If two fish heterozygous for the mouth trait are crossed, what is the expected ratio of phenotypes in the offspring?

A)1 right-opening mouth : 3 leftopening mouth
B)2 right-opening mouth : 2 leftopening mouth
C)3 right-opening mouth : 1 leftopening mouth
D)4 right-opening mouth : 0 leftopening mouth

Question 15

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship of the kidneys and the liver to the circulatory system?

A)The kidneys and the liver pump blood.
B)The kidneys and the liver produce blood cells.
C)The kidneys and the liver remove wastes from blood.
D)The kidneys and the liver make blood-clotting proteins.

Question 16

Garden pea plants can have yellow seeds or green seeds. In a pea plant that is heterozygous for seed color, the allele for yellow seeds masks the effects of the allele for green seeds.Which of the following terms best describes the allele for yellow seeds?

A)codominant
B)dominant
C)recessive
D)sex-linked

Question 17

The scientific name for the woodchuck is Marmota monax, and the scientific name for the long-tailed marmot is Marmota caudata. Which of the following statements describes the taxonomic relationship between the woodchuck and the long-tailed marmot?

A)They belong to different phyla.
B)They belong to the same genus.
C)They belong to the same species.
D)They belong to different families.

Question 18

Which of the following is incapable of reproducing outside a host cell?

A)alga
B)mold
C)moss
D)virus

Question 19

Which of the following statements describes the role of ATP in animal cells?

A)ATP stores and releases energy.
B)ATP forms the channels in the plasma membrane.
C)ATP serves as the hereditary material in the nucleus.
D)ATP attaches to and digests unneeded organic molecules.

Question 20

The bones that make up the forelimbs of monkeys, cats, whales, and birds are similar. Which of the following statements best supports the evolutionary relationship of these animals?

A)The animals have different ancestries but have adapted to similar environments.
B)The animals share a common ancestry but have adapted to different environments.
C)The animals at one time lived in different environments but now share an environment.
D)The animals use their forelimbs for identical activities but live in different environments.

Question 21

Scientists have found geysers on one of Saturn's moons. The geysers release water vapor containing complex organic compounds, which may indicate the presence of life. Which of the following elements is most likely abundant in the organic compounds in the water vapor?

A)carbon
B)chlorine
C)iron
D)zinc

Question 22

The willow flycatcher is a bird species with a summer range throughout much of the United States. Which of the following would directly decrease the size of a willow flycatcher population in a given year?

A)the disappearance of a species that preys on willow flycatchers
B)the arrival of migrating willow flycatchers from populations in other areas
C)the emigration of male willow flycatchers that did not secure territories
D)the hatching of a larger percentage of eggs in the willow flycatcher population

Question 23

In pure water, a red blood cell from an animal will swell and burst, but a leaf cell from a plant will not. Which structure in the leaf cell is responsible for this difference?

A)cell membrane
B)cell wall
C)mitochondrion
D)nucleus

Question 24

The atmosphere contains about 80% nitrogen gas, but nitrogen in this form cannot be used by plants. Which of the following processes converts atmospheric nitrogen to a useful form for plants?

A)nitrogen decomposition
B)nitrogen fixation
C)photosynthesis
D)transpiration

Question 25

Which of the following processes produces the nucleotide sequence UUA from the sequence AAT?

A)meiosis
B)replication
C)respiration
D)transcription

Question 26

The nose serves all the following functions except

A)providing an airway.
B)moistening inhaled air.
C)filtering dust and particles from inhaled air.
D)transferring oxygen from the air to the bloodstream.

Question 27

A population is separated into two groups by a geographic barrier. Over time, enough differences develop between the two groups that they do not interbreed when reunited. Which of the following terms best describes the process that has occurred?

A)extinction
B)hybridization
C)immigration
D)speciation

Question 28

Hemoglobin is a protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells. The hemoglobin molecules produced by some people have one specific amino acid that is different from the amino acid at that position in normal hemoglobin.Which of the following is the most likely cause of this amino acid variation?

A)The hemoglobin gene contains a mutation.
B)An error occurs during the folding of the hemoglobin protein.
C)Enzymes replace the amino acid once the hemoglobin is produced.
D)An additional amino acid is mistakenly inserted into the hemoglobin during translation.

Question 29

An invasive species of green algae has become established along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Which of the following statements best explains why this species of algae has been so successful in the Mediterranean Sea?

A)It is not a good competitor.
B)It is not eaten by many animals.
C)It reproduces slowly in warm waters.
D)It requires more nutrients than most other algae.

Question 30

A person who is cold shivers to generate body heat. Which of the following lists the primary body systems that interact to maintain homeostasis in this situation?

A)nervous, excretory, and respiratory
B)excretory, digestive, and respiratory
C)digestive, muscular, and circulatory
D)muscular, circulatory, and nervous

Question 31

Every year, monarch butterflies from Canada and the United States spend the winter in central Mexico. The dry and mild climate in Mexico allows the monarch butterflies to survive the winter. One winter, a week of storms caused freezing temperatures and 43 cm of snow in Mexico. What was the most likely impact of these storms on the monarch butterflies?

A)Monarch butterflies died in large numbers.
B)Monarch butterflies immediately migrated back to the United States.
C)Monarch butterflies did not migrate from Canada and the United States the next year.
D)Monarch butterflies evolved several new adaptations to survive the winter in Mexico.

Question 32

A researcher is studying a particular disease-causing agent. The agent has a protein coat, but it lacks a nucleus, contains no other organelles, and can reproduce only when it is inside an animal cell. The researcher should classify the agent as which of the following?

A)a bacterium
B)a fungus
C)a protist
D)a virus

Question 33

A pedigree is a diagram that traces the inheritance of a trait through a family. Which of the following patterns is typical in a pedigree for an autosomal dominant trait?

A)The trait affects only males.
B)The trait appears in every generation.
C)The trait appears in only one-fourth of the individuals.
D)The trait affects all the individuals of the second generation.

Question 34

Which of the following statements best describes why the change in only one DNA base of the hemoglobin gene results in a different protein product of the gene?

A)The change prevents mRNA from being made.
B)The change alters the amino acid sequence of the protein.
C)The change causes the blood cells to divide in an uncontrolled way
D)The change creates a second strand of mRNA for each RNA molecule.

Question 35

Which of the following cell structures carries out the process represented by the arrows labeled "2" in the diagrams?

A)mitochondrion
B)nucleus
C)ribosome
D)vacuole

Question 36

Which of the following statements best summarizes a change that is represented by the arrows labeled "3" in the diagrams?

A)A nucleus is formed in each cell.
B)Each cell divides to form two daughter cells.
C)A chain of amino acids is folded to form a protein in each cell.
D)Proteins are transported through the plasma membrane of each cell.

Question 37

Which of the following statements best compares individual Y and individual Z in terms of genotype and phenotype?

A)The individuals have the same genotype and the same phenotype.
B)The individuals have the same genotype but different phenotypes.
C)The individuals have different genotypes but the same phenotype.
D)The individuals have different genotypes and different phenotypes.

Question 38

About 70 years ago, cane toads were introduced to Australia. The toads are toxic to some species of snakes, such as Dendrelaphis punctulatus. The longer an individual snake is, the greater its chance of survival after eating a cane toad. Which of the following did scientists most likely observe in the D. punctulatussnake population as a result of the presence of the cane toads?

A)The entire population was killed by the toads.
B)The entire population became resistant to the toads.
C)The average body length in the population increased.
D)The average body length in the population decreased.

Question 39

Which of the following is a body system response that adjusts body temperature when it is higher than normal?

A)Breathing rate begins to decrease.
B)Blood vessels near the skin constrict.
C)Sweat glands produce and secrete sweat.
D)Hormones increase the metabolic rate of the liver.

Question 40

An inherited metabolic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU) can result in serious problems in infancy. The chance that two parents who are heterozygous will have a child with PKU is 25%.Which of the following terms best applies to the inheritance pattern for PKU?

A)codominant
B)dominant
C)recessive
D)sex-linked

Question 41

Which of the following describes plant cells but not animal cells?

A)The nucleus contains the chromosomes.
B)The ribosomes assist in protein synthesis.
C)Plastids store starch made during photosynthesis.
D)Mitochondria produce energy through respiration.

Question 42

The fossil record supports which of the following descriptions of the evolution of life on Earth?

A)Life first appeared with the diversity found today.
B)The importance of natural selection diminished over time.
C)Complex organisms evolved from more simple organisms.
D)Large organisms appeared before single-celled organisms.

Question 43

In a eukaryotic cell, which of the following processes directly involves DNA?

A)translation
B)cellular respiration
C)active transport of ions
D)replication of chromosomes

Question 44

Heartburn is pain that occurs when acidic gastric juice is forced out of the upper end of the stomach. In which of the following organs does a person experience heartburn?

A)pancreas
B)esophagus
C)small intestine
D)large intestine

Question 45

The size of a bird population increased by two percent in one year. Which of the following could have contributed to the population increase?

A)a decrease in the death rate of baby birds
B)an increase in the number of the birds' predators
C)an increase in the average number of parasites per bird
D)a decrease in the immigration of birds of the same species

Question 46

Which of the following statements best explains why oxygen diffuses from the alveoli into the blood?

A)The diaphragm draws oxygen into the alveoli at a rapid speed.
B)Alveoli cells contain hemoglobin to transfer gases to the blood.
C)The concentration of oxygen is greater in the alveoli than in the blood.
D)Red blood cells move one at a time through the capillaries surrounding the alveoli.

Question 47

Which of the following statements gives the most likely explanation for the presence of two very similar species of squirrels living on opposite sides of the Grand Canyon?

A)One squirrel traveled across the canyon and started a new population on the other side.
B)One squirrel traveled across the canyon and interbred with a different population on the other side.
C)Members of a single squirrel species were geographically separated by the formation of the canyon.
D)Members of two different squirrel species migrated from two different places to opposite sides of the canyon.

Question 48

Energy for most chemical reactions in cells is supplied by which of the following molecules?

A)ATP
B)DNA
C)adrenaline
D)hemoglobin

Question 49

When locust populations grow too large for an area, the individual locusts are crowded and food becomes scarce. In response to these conditions, some of the locusts leave the area and find a new habitat.Which of the following terms best applies to the response of the locusts that leave for the new habitat?

A)commensalism
B)emigration
C)hibernation
D)mutualism

Question 50

Which of the following statements best explains why offspring produced by sexual reproduction often look similar to, but not exactly the same as, their parents?

A)The offspring have genetic material from both the mother and the father.
B)The cells of the offspring contain all the dominant genes from the parents.
C)The cells of the offspring undergo mitosis many times as the offspring grow and develop.
D)The offspring have a period of embryonic development, rather than being born immediately after fertilization.

Question 51

In traditional landscaping, leaves are raked off the ground and bagged. In which of the following ways does this practice most significantly disrupt natural nutrient cycling?

A)It carries away microorganisms that can perform nitrogen fixation.
B)It reduces the rate of oxygen and carbon cycling via photosynthesis.
C)It prevents carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen from being returned to the soil.
D)It increases the amount of carbon dioxide that is released to the atmosphere.

Question 52

In the past 100 years, levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have increased as the result of the burning of fossil fuels. Other processes in the carbon cycle have absorbed some of the carbon released by this combustion.Which of the following most likely have absorbed excess carbon released by combustion?

A)animals
B)glaciers
C)plants
D)rocks

Question 53

The Asian shore crab invaded parts of the eastern coast of the United States about 15 years ago. The Asian shore crab preys on blue mussels. In the time since the Asian shore crab arrived, the average shell thickness has increased in the blue mussel population.Which of the following is the most likely reason that this increase in shell thickness has occurred?

A)Blue mussels with thick shells attract more crabs than mussels without thick shells.
B)Blue mussels with thick shells grow in larger colonies than mussels without thick shells.
C)Blue mussels with thick shells catch more food per day than mussels without thick shells.
D)Blue mussels with thick shells survive and reproduce more successfully than mussels without thick shells.

Question 54

The northern spotted owl is listed under the Endangered Species Act as a threatened species in its primary range of Washington, Oregon, and California. B89Which of the following most likely contributed to the northern spotted owl's population decline?

A)increases in rodent populations
B)loss of trees from forest habitat
C)prevention of wildfires in forest
D)decreases in mountain lion populations

Question 55

Which of the following elements is most common in the tissues of plants?

A)hydrogen
B)iron
C)potassium
D)sodium

Question 56

If a cell's lysosomes were damaged, which of the following would most likely occur?

A)The cell would produce more proteins than it needs.
B)The cell would have chloroplasts that appear yellow rather than green.
C)The cell would be less able to break down molecules in its cytoplasm.
D)The cell would be less able to regulate the amount of fluid in its cytoplasm.

Question 57

A species of parasitic fly follows the sounds that male crickets make with their wings. The flies deposit their larvae in the crickets' bodies. As the larvae develop and emerge from the crickets' bodies, the crickets die.Researchers have discovered a genetic mutation in some crickets that changes their wing structure and makes them silent. The crickets with silent wings are found among crickets with normal wings when it is time to mate.According to evolution by natural selection, which of the following will most likely occur in the cricket population, based on the selection pressure from the flies?

A)Male crickets with silent wings will increase in frequency.
B)The frequency of the silent wing mutation will stay the same.
C)Male crickets with normal wings will learn to make new sounds.
D)A new mutation will create spikes on the crickets' wings to keep the flies away

Question 58

Which of the following is a function of the liver?

A)removing toxic compounds from the blood
B)secreting digestive enzymes into the stomach
C)producing white blood cells to fight infections
D)converting food into smaller nutrient molecules

Question 59

In humans, the appendix is small and is not needed for digestion. In rabbits, the appendix is well developed and is used in the digestion of plant fibers.Which of the following provides the best scientific explanation for the presence of the appendix in both humans and rabbits?

A)Rabbits and humans live in environments with similar conditions.
B)Rabbits and humans are both eukaryotes with similar cell structures.
C)The appendix is evolving into a new type of organ in rabbits and humans.
D)The appendix is inherited from a common ancestor of rabbits and humans.

Question 60

If an animal cell is placed in distilled water, it will swell and burst. The bursting of the cell is a result of which biological process?

A)active transport
B)enzyme activity
C)osmosis
D)respiration

Question 61

Which of the following lists identifies organisms that are producers in food webs?

A)algae, ferns, sunflowers
B)mushrooms, bacteria, earthworms
C)termites, red foxes, shrews
D)woodpeckers, cardinals, grasshoppers

Question 62

In which of the following ways does a bacterial cell differ from an animal cell?

A)A bacterial cell is much larger than an animal cell.
B)A bacterial cell has more mitochondria than an animal cell.
C)A bacterial cell has RNA for its genetic material, whereas an animal cell does not.
D)A bacterial cell does not have membrane-bound organelles, whereas an animal cell does.

Question 63

Which of the following best explains why enzymes are necessary for many cellular reactions?

A)Enzymes supply the oxygen necessary for the reactions.
B)Enzymes change reactants from solid to liquid during the reactions.
C)The reactions take up too much space in the cell if enzymes are missing.
D)The reactions are too slow to meet the needs of the cell if enzymes are missing.

Question 64

Nerve cells use which of the following to communicate with each other?

A)antibodies
B)electrochemical signals
C)enzymes
D)simple sugars

Question 65

Lemurs' bodies are adapted to efficiently store energy for times when food is scarce. This adaptation may help to explain how lemur ancestors survived the trip across the Mozambique Channel from mainland Africa to Madagascar. Which of the following types of molecules are primarily used for long-term energy storage in the lemur?

A)lipids
B)monosaccharides
C)nucleic acids
D)proteins

Question 66

Lemur body types can vary widely. In addition to fossils and comparative anatomy, which of the following types of evidence can scientists reliably use to study the evolution of the variety of lemur body types?

A)lifespan
B)population sizes
C)DNA sequences
D)male-to-female ratio

Question 67

There are at least 88 species of lemurs in existence today. Which of the following conditions most likely existed and made it possible for Madagascar's original lemur ancestors to evolve into many species on the island?

A)presence of a deadly virus that infected only lemurs
B)complete isolation from other small mammal species
C)new niches to adapt to in the absence of a large number of competitors
D)climatic conditions that were very different from those on mainland Africa

Question 68

Which of the following lemurs would be classified as a secondary consumer?

A)a mouse lemur eating insects
B)a Verreaux's sifaka eating leaves
C)a ring-tailed lemur eating fruits
D)a red-bellied lemur eating flower

Question 69

A builder is proposing a new housing development in an area of western Massachusetts. Construction of the housing development will destroy the wetland habitat in the area.Which of the following would be the most likely consequence of the wetland's destruction?

A)The wetland plant species would disperse to adjacent meadow habitats.
B)The populations of wetland animals would be unable to survive in that area.
C)The wetland animal species would survive by interbreeding with non-wetland species.
D)The populations of wetland plants would evolve to disperse seeds by wind rather than water.

Question 70

Mallory has four aquatic plants of the same size and species. She submerges each plant in a separate beaker filled with 200 mL of water. She then sets each beaker under a different intensity of light. Mallory observes that, of the four plants, the plant in the beaker under the most intense light gives off the most gas bubbles in a 20 min period.Which of the following statements best explains Mallory's observations?

A)Cells decompose most quickly under the most intense light.
B)Water evaporates from plants fastest under the most intense light.
C)Photosynthesis occurs at the highest rate under the most intense light.
D)Gases in the leaves of plants expand most under the most intense light.

Question 71

During DNA replication, the wrong nucleotide was inserted in the DNA sequence. Which of the following terms describes this situation?

A)mutation
B)regeneration
C)transcription
D)translation

Question 72

In the human body, fibrinogen is necessary for sealing cuts and stopping the loss of blood. Since fibrinogen is made of chains of amino acids, it is an example of which type of organic molecule?

A)carbohydrate
B)protein
C)fatty acid
D)nucleic acid

Question 73

Which of the following relationships is an example of mutualism?

A)A lion eats a gazelle.
B)A virus uses both a bird and a horse as hosts.
C)A bacterium breaks down dead plant materials.
D)A bird eats food particles from a crocodile's teeth.

Question 74

According to Mendel's law of segregation, which of the following statements describes what happens to the alleles of a gene pair?

A)The alleles are moved to different chromosomes.
B)The alleles are mutated in the process of mitosis.
C)The alleles are separated during fertilization.
D)The alleles are separated during gamete formation.

Question 75

All organisms have ways to produce ATP. Which of the following statements describes why ATP is a critical compound for all cells?

A)It causes mitosis to begin.
B)It is an energy-transfer molecule.
C)It is a major component of cell membranes.
D)It carries information from DNA to the ribosomes.

Question 76

Lobsters and spiders are both classified in the phylum Arthropoda. Lobsters and spiders are therefore also classified in the same

A)class.
B)family.
C)genus.
D)kingdom.

Question 77

Which of the following features of DNA is most important in determining the phenotype of an organism?

A)the direction of the helical twist
B)the number of deoxyribose sugars
C)the sequence of nitrogenous bases
D)the strength of the hydrogen bonds

Question 78

A portion of one strand of a DNA molecule has the sequence shown below.ACCTGAAGGAssuming there are no mutations in this portion of the DNA, what is the corresponding sequence on the complementary DNA strand?

A)ACCTGAAGG
B)GTTCAGGAA
C)TGGACTTCC
D)UGGACUUCC

Question 79

Which of the following human activities reduces biodiversity?

A)prohibiting hunting in wildlife preserves
B)taking tissue samples from members of endangered species
C)planting only native grass species to prevent erosion beside highways
D)planting only red pine trees to replace native hardwood forests cut for lumber

Question 80

The rock pipit and the water pipit are two types of birds found in the United Kingdom and other areas of Europe. The rock pipit and the water pipit have similar appearances and their habitat ranges overlap.Which of the following observations most likely caused scientists to classify the birds as separate species?

A)The rock pipit is not able to produce fertile offspring with the water pipit.
B)The rock pipit population in the United Kingdom is larger than the water pipit population.
C)The rock pipit eats insects, fish, and seeds, but the water pipit eats only insects and larvae.
D)The rock pipit remains in the United Kingdom year-round, but the water pipit only overwinters there.