Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Ecology
Genetics
Evolution & Biodiversity
Anatomy & Physiology
100
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100
Red lionfish have been introduced into the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The red lionfish are predators that compete with native fish for space and food, causing coral reef fish population sizes to decrease. Government and environmental groups are encouraging coastal communities to catch red lionfish and serve them at restaurants.
Which of the following best explains how catching and eating red lionfish could help preserve coral reefs?
A. Reef fish will learn that red lionfish are no longer dangerous.
B. Red lionfish will return to their native habitats to avoid being caught.
C. Humans will fill the role of predator and control the red lionfish population.
D. Restaurants that serve red lionfish will attract more tourists to visit coral reefs.
100
Which of the following describes a mutation in a parent that could change the phenotype of its future offspring?
A. a mutation in the RNA of a skin cell
B. a mutation in the DNA of a liver cell
C. a mutation in the RNA of a brain cell
D. a mutation in the DNA of a sperm cell
100
In 1995, 15 iguanas of the species Iguana iguana floated to the Caribbean island of Anguilla on a tree uprooted by a hurricane. No other iguanas of that species existed on Anguilla. Scientists think that the iguanas came from the island of Guadeloupe, about 120 km southeast of Anguilla.
Which of the following factors has the most influence on whether the iguanas on Anguilla will become a separate species from the iguanas on Guadeloupe over time?
A. how long ago the island of Anguilla was formed
B. how much variation there is in the body size of the iguanas
C. how many base pairs are in the DNA sequence of the iguanas
D. how different the environment on Anguilla is from that on Guadeloupe
100
Which of the following statements best describes how the nose contributes to the efficient functioning of the lungs?
A. The nose filters dust and pollen from inhaled air.
B. The nose dries air as it enters the respiratory system.
C. The nose removes excess carbon dioxide from inhaled air.
D. The nose detects the amount of oxygen in the respiratory system.
200
Diatoms are marine organisms with unique cell walls that contain the element silicon. Which of the following are two common elements found in the cells of diatoms?
A. aluminum and magnesium
B. helium and hydrogen
C. mercury and neon
D. nitrogen and phosphorus
200
A small population colonized an isolated island. Over time, the size of the population increased to its carrying capacity, as represented in the graph below.
Which of the following conditions will most likely keep the population at its carrying capacity?
A. a death rate of zero
B. a death rate that is half the birth rate
C. a death rate equal to the birth rate
D. a death rate that is twice the birth rate
200
A researcher adds an enzyme to a sample of human DNA to see if the DNA changes. Which result would best support the conclusion that the enzyme had no effect on the DNA?
A. The DNA has uracil bases.
B. The DNA has unpaired nitrogenous bases.
C. The DNA has a single strand with nucleotides and a sugar-phosphate backbone.
D. The DNA has a double helix shape with nucleotide pairs and sugar-phosphate backbones.
200
A scientist concludes that two organisms belong to the same species within the class Mammalia. Which of the following observations most likely led the scientist to conclude that the organisms are the same species?
A. The organisms move in the same way.
B. The organisms live in the same habitat.
C. The organisms are nocturnal and carnivorous.
D. The organisms mate and produce fertile offspring.
200
Laboratory tests can be used to evaluate how well a person’s liver is working. One test measures how well the liver removes a substance called bilirubin from the blood.
Based on this information, which of the following describes bilirubin?
A. an antibody
B. an energy source
C. a vitamin
D. a waste product
300
The products of photosynthesis are carbohydrates and oxygen. Which process uses these substances as reactants?
A. cellular respiration
B. fertilization
C. mechanical digestion
D. translation
300
Pheasants are a type of bird. Two male pheasants and six female pheasants were introduced onto an island with abundant food and few predators. Within six breeding seasons, the pheasant population increased from eight birds to two thousand birds. Over time, however, the growth rate of the population slowed.Which of the following statements describes the most likely reason for this decrease in population growth rate?
A. Females built smaller nests, which decreased the birth rate.
B. Competition for resources increased, which increased the death rate.
C. Large numbers of birds needed mates, which increased the immigration rate.
D. Fewer eggs hatched each successive year, which decreased the emigration rate.
300
A mutation caused a phenotypic change in an organism’s offspring. The mutation most likely occurred in which type of cell from the parent?
A. blood cell
B. gamete
C. neuron
D. skin cell
300
The three orders of amphibians living today are caecilians, frogs, and salamanders. The cladogram below represents how scientists once thought these amphibian orders were related.
Based on more recent evidence, scientists developed a new hypothesis to explain the evolutionary relationships among amphibian orders, as represented in the cladogram below.
What evidence most likely led scientists to revise their hypothesis about how amphibians are related?
A. Embryos showed that salamanders and frogs have many common structures during development.
B. The fossil record showed that there are more extinct caecilians and salamanders than extinct frogs.
C. Comparisons of DNA sequences showed that the DNA of modern caecilians and salamanders are most similar to each other.
D. Comparisons of skeletal structures showed that the skeletons of fossil salamanders and modern frogs are most similar to each other.
300
For most nerve impulses to be transmitted from one neuron to another, which of the following must occur?
A. Smooth muscle must move the ends of the neurons.
B. Neurotransmitters must diffuse between the neurons.
C. Glucose molecules must be released from the neurons.
D. Capillaries must deliver carbon dioxide to the neurons.
400
Each summer, up to 40% of the lobsters in a certain area lose one of their claws due to injury. By late fall, the missing claw usually begins to grow back.
Which of the following describes the process by which lobsters grow new claws?
A. Lysosomes fuse together to recycle matter to build a new claw.
B. Mitotic cell division adds new cells to rebuild the lobster’s claw.
C. Facilitated diffusion moves body cells from the remaining claw to the new claw.
D. Cellular respiration creates nutrients to enlarge existing cells in the lobster’s claw.
400
The energy that primary consumers use for metabolism and growth comes directly from which of the following sources?
A. organic compounds synthesized by producers
B. organic compounds released by decomposers
C. organic compounds stored in carnivore tissues
D. organic compounds absorbed from the environment
400
In betta fish, alleles for color are incompletely dominant. Green fish have genotype CC, dark blue fish have genotype cc, and royal blue fish have genotype Cc.Two royal blue betta fish are crossed. What percentage of the offspring is expected to be green?
A. 0%
B. 25%
C. 50%
D. 75%
400
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B.
C.
D.
400
Which of the following is the best example of homeostasis in the human body?
A. The secretions from oil glands in the skin decrease as a person ages.
B. Opposite muscles are used to bend and extend a person’s arm at the elbow joint.
C. The villi of the small intestine increase the absorption of nutrients from the small intestine into the blood.
D. More growth hormone is released from the pituitary gland when the level of growth hormone in the blood falls too low.
500
Which of the following best describes how enzymes affect chemical reactions?
A. They speed up the rate of reactions.
B. They change the reactants into ions.
C. They dissolve the products of reactions.
D. They take the place of one of the reactants.
500
Which of the following are mainly cycled through the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration?
A. carbon and sulfur
B. carbon and oxygen
C. nitrogen and sulfur
D. nitrogen and oxygen
500
In which Drosophila cross would 100% of the offspring be expected to have the short-wing phenotype?
A. heterozygous male × heterozygous female
B. heterozygous male × homozygous recessive female
C. homozygous dominant male × heterozygous female
D. homozygous recessive male × homozygous recessive female
500
The larvae of the common sulphur butterfly can be light green or bright yellow. Birds prey on the larvae, which are found on the green leaves of alfalfa plants.
Based on the theory of natural selection, which of the following would scientists expect to observe in populations of common sulphur butterfly larvae?
A. All the green larvae develop yellow stripes before metamorphosis.
B. All the yellow larvae and none of the green larvae are eaten by birds.
C. The percentage of green larvae in the population is much greater than the percentage of yellow larvae.
D. The percentages of green larvae and yellow larvae in the population remain equal for many generations.
500
The vertebrae and cartilaginous discs of the spine are parts of which body system?
A. circulatory system
B. excretory system
C. muscular system
D. skeletal system