Biology Questions to Review for the Kansas State Science

Assessment 

S.HS.3.1.2: The student understands cell functions involve specific chemical reactions.

1. Cells store energy in the phosphate bonds of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Which best describes the type of energy stored in the bonds of an ATP molecule?A) nuclear energyB) chemical energyC) electrical energyD) mechanical energy

S.HS.3.2.1: The student understands living organisms contain DNA or RNA as their genetic material, which provides the instructions that specify the characteristics of organisms. 

2. During an investigation, tall pea plants were crossed with short pea plants. All of the offspring from this cross were tall. Which term best describes the tall trait for the pea plants?A) linkedB) dominantC) recessiveD) codominant

 

3. Variation in human skin color is influenced by multiple genes. This is an example ofA) codominance.B) multiple alleles.C) polygenic inheritance.D) intermediate inheritance. 

S.HS.3.2.3: The student understands hereditary information is contained in genes, located in the chromosomes of each cell.

4. In the Punnett square shown here, which of the following is true about the offspring resulting from the cross?A) All are expected to be tall.B) All are expected to be short.C) About half are expected to be short.D) All are expected to be of medium height.

Both the TT and Tt genotypes lead to the tall phenotype.

 

5. What are the individual strands of supercoiled DNA that are present during cell division?A) genesB) proteinsC) nucleotidesD) chromosomes 

S.HS.3.3.1: The student understands biological evolution, descent with modification, is a scientific explanation for the history of the diversification of organisms from common ancestors.

6. Charles Darwin’s observation that finches of different species on the Galápagos Islands have many similar physical characteristics supports the hypothesis that these finch speciesA) all eat the same type of food.B) originated from a common ancestor.C) acquired traits though use and disuse.D) have grown larger since Darwin’s visit.

 

7. Which of the following biological processes can lead to variation within a species?A) The random assortment of chromosomes during meiosis.B) Crossing-over between homologous chromosomes during meiosis.C) The random process by which a single egg and a single sperm fuse.D) All of the above lead to variation. 

Random Assortment Crossing-Over

S.HS.3.3.3: The student understands biological evolution is used to explain the earth’s present day biodiversity: the number, variety and variability of organisms.

8. The process where organisms best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce is calledA) adaptation.B) classification.C) natural selection.D) artificial selection.

 9. Which of the following is the best example of the process of natural selection?A) A tadpole develops into a frog.B) A dog’s coat becomes thicker as winter approaches.C) A child develops a disease due to a genetic mutation.D) A population of polar bears develops thicker fur over many generations.

Individuals do not evolve, populations do.

 

10. Which of the following represents a trait acquired through the process of natural selection?A) A Doberman pinscher with a clipped tail passes on this trait to its offspring.B) A kangaroo develops strong legs through constant jumping and passes on this trait to its offspring.C) A giraffes stretches its neck to reach leaves high in the trees and passes on this trait to its offspring.D) A population of green and red beetles living on leaves changes to a population of mostly green beetles in the presence of a bird predator.

S.HS.3.3.4: The student understands organisms vary widely within and between populations. Variation allows for natural selection to occur.

11. What is the advantage of genetic variation within a species of organism?A) No one person has an advantage over someone else.B) The environment can provide for everyone’s needs equally.C) Everyone in the species has an equal chance of getting food and shelter.D) A deadly disease will not kill off everyone; some will be genetically resistant.

S.HS.3.4.1: The student understands atoms and molecules on the earth cycle among the living and nonliving components of the biosphere.

12. Carbon cycles through the biosphere in all of the following processes EXCEPTA) transpiration.B) photosynthesis.C) burning of fossil fuels.D) decomposition of plants and animals.

Transpiration: evaporation of water from a plant's leaves

 13. Matter can be recycled through the biosphere becauseA) chemicals can be used again and again.B) matter is passed out of the body as waste.C) matter moves in one direction through ecosystems.D) biological systems use only carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen. 

S.HS.3.4.3: The student understands the distribution and abundance of organisms and populations in ecosystems are limited by the carrying capacity.

14. As resources in a population become less available, population growthA) declines rapidly.B) increases rapidly.C) reaches carrying capacity.D) enters a phase of exponential growth.

 15. What is the approximate carrying capacity of the bear population shown here?A) about 70 bearsB) about 160 bearsC) about 210 bearsD) about 260 bears

S.HS.3.5.2: The student understands the sun is the primary source of energy for life through the process of photosynthesis.

16. Plants help sustain animal life in all but which one of the following ways?A) Plants release oxygen.B) Plants produce hydrogen.C) Plants provide food for animals.D) Plants reduce the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

17. Energy transfers from trophic level to trophic level. Using the diagram shown on the right, which of the following represents the ultimate source of energy for the food chain?A) sunB) glucose C) killer whaleD) phytoplankton 

S.HS.3.5.3: The student understands food molecules contain biochemical energy, which is then available for cellular respiration.

18. Cellular respiration uses oxygen to transfer the chemical energy stored in food molecules intoA) ATP.B) water.C) carbon dioxide.D) organic molecules. 

S.HS.3.5.3: The student understands animals have behavioral responses to internal changes and to external stimuli.

19. Which is the most learned and the least innate in male sparrows?A) singing patternsB) coloration of feathersC) location of food sourcesD) aggression during mating season

 

20. Migration is a behavior that is usually influenced byA) the time of day.B) changing seasons.C) the phase of the moon.D) the rise and fall of tides.

 21. Ants remove dead ants from the anthill. If a live ant is painted with a chemical of a dead ant, other ants carry it out of the anthill even as it kicks and struggles. When the ant returns to the anthill, they carry it out again. Which of the following best describes this behavior?A) The ants can learn only by trial and error.B) The chemical triggers a fixed reaction pattern.C) The ants have become imprinted on the chemical.D) The ants continue the behavior until they become habituated.

S.HS.3.7.2: The student understands that homeostasis is the dynamic regulation and balance of an organism’s internal environment to maintain conditions suitable for survival.

22. The process by which organisms keep their internal conditions relatively stable is calledA) evolution.B) homeostasis.C) reproduction.D) photosynthesis.

S.HS.3.7.3: The student understands that living things change following a specific pattern of developmental stages called life cycles.

23. As illustrated in this diagram, butterflies and moths exhibit a life cycle in which they go through four different stages. This change of body form is calledA) metaphaseB) metabolismC) metastasisD) metamorphosis

S.HS.4.2.1: The student understands geological time is used to understand the earth’s past.

24. Scientific evidence indicates that the concentration of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere increased dramatically approximately 2 billion years ago. Which event most closely coincides with this change in Earth’s atmosphere?A) mammals appeared on landB) volcanic outgassing increasedC) decay of organic matter increasedD) photosynthetic organisms appeared

S.HS.6.3.1: The student understands natural resources from the lithosphere and ecosystems are required to sustain human populations.

25. Large scale clear-cutting of forests near a heavily populated area would most likely result in a local increase in which atmospheric gas?A) oxygenB) nitrogen C) sulfur dioxideD) carbon dioxide