1. The picture shows the fruit of the plant commonly called the beggar-tick.

The spines on the tip

of the fruit help in its dispersal by allowing the fruit to be

A. blown by the wind.

B. carried on water.
C. attached to animals.
D. eaten by birds.

2. The bulk of short-grass prairie plants are underground. The main benefit that these plants
receive from this adaptation is:

A. more surface area for the absorption of water.

B. more resistance to insect-transmitted diseases.
C. increased ability to maintain cooler leaf temperatures.
D. improved ability to detect areas high in carbon dioxide.

3. Animals that are active at night are most likely to have which of the following features?

A. Oval-shaped eyes to reduce friction and pressure.

B. A membrane behind the eye to reflect light back to the retina.
C. Tear ducts to wet the eyes and eyelids to sweep dirt from the eye.
D. Eyes located on the sides of the head to produce a wide field of view.

4. Lynx canadensis, has a short tail with a black tip, running all the way around the tail. It also
has highly visible tufts of hair on the ears. Lynx rufus, has a short tail with black only on top of the
tail’s tip. It also has inconspicuous ear tufts. From the descriptions and scientific names of both
animals you can conclude that the two organisms

A. belong to the same species.

B. do not belong to the same kingdom.
C. belong to the same genus.
D. do not belong to the same phylum.

5. All organisms must be able to exchange chemical substances between their cells and their
environment. Some organisms are unicellular and others are multicellular. These organisms have
different strategies to obtain and use these chemical substances.

Part One: What are two chemical substances that must be exchanged between each organism
and its environment?

Part Two: Define and describe two processes that cause these chemical substances to move into
and out of cells.

Part Three: Describe the role of the cell membrane in the exchange of materials in a multicellular
organism.

6. Which mRNA sequence complements the following section of DNA?

GATCCT

A. CUAGGA
B. TCGAAG
C. CTAGGC
D. AGCUUC

7. Which of the following best describes meiosis?

A. It is carried out in all tissues that require cell replacement.

B. It occurs only in cells in the reproductive structures of the organism.
C. It happens in all tissues except the brain and spinal cord.
D. It is the first stage of mitosis.

8. One difference between aerobic and anaerobic respiration is that aerobic respiration

A. produces more ATP than anaerobic respiration.

B. produces less ATP than anaerobic respiration.
 C. uses carbon dioxide and anaerobic respiration uses oxygen.
D. uses nitrogen and anaerobic respiration uses carbon dioxide.

9. The colorful petals of a flower benefit a plant by

A. absorbing radiant energy.

B. attracting insect pollinators.
C. protecting it from predators.
D. catching windblown pollen.

10. What are two structures that plant cells have that animal cells do not?

A. Cell wall, chloroplast.

B. Cell membrane, mitochondria.
C. Nuclei, ribosomes.
D. Chloroplast, cell membrane.

11. Some organisms that live in the intestines of cows do not require oxygen to survive. Which of
the following best describes the process by which these organisms obtain energy?

A. Osmosis
B. Mitosis
C. Aerobic respiration
D. Anaerobic respiration

12. Which of the following is responsible for the “rough” appearance of endoplasmic reticulum?

A. DNA
B. Enzymes
C. Lysosomes
D. Ribosomes

13. The energy in the food produced by autotrophs or taken into the bodies of heterotrophs must
be changed into a form that cells can use. The energy transferring molecules used by cells is

14. Unlike plants, fungi cannot make their own food because they do not have

A. roots.
B. hyphae.
C. spores.
 D. chlorophyll.

15. Which of these is most responsible for carrying coded information from the nucleus?

A. DNA
B. ribosomes
C. mRNA
D. TRNA

16. Some unicellular organisms are motile (have the ability to move) and some are non-motile.
Which cellular structures are associated with movement?

A. Ribosomes
B. Flagella
C. Chloroplasts
D. Vacuoles

17. Algae are autotrophs because they

A. decompose dead organic material.

B. absorb nutrients from soil.
C. break down starches to glucose.
D. capture sunlight to produce sugars

18. Which of these best illustrates natural selection?

A. An organism with favorable genetic variations will tend to survive and breed successfully.
B. A population monopolizes all of the resources in its habitat, forcing other species to
migrate.
C. A community whose members work together utilizes all existing resources and migratory
routes.
D. The strongest organisms in a species receive the only breeding opportunities.

19. Scientists are studying how four species of deer are related. The scientists believe that
Species 1 is the common ancestor. The four species have some traits in common. They also have
traits that are unique to their species.

Scientists used an analysis of DNA, the process of gel electrophoresis, to study the relatedness of
the four deer species. The results of their gel electrophoresis study are shown below.

Give two reasons to explain why three species of deer evolved from the common ancestor. In
your response, identify which species is most closely related to the common ancestor. Explain
your answer using the results of their gel electrophoresis.
20. Dogs and wolves have a high degree of relatedness. Which of these best describes why the
two species are closely related?

A. They have similar behaviors.

B. They have a common ancestor.
C. They feed on the same types of food.
D. They are found in the same habitat.

21. A researcher recently discovered a species of bacteria. DNA sequences were obtained from
it and from several other species of bacteria. The DNA sequences came from the same part of the
bacterial chromosome of each species.

According to the data below, the unknown bacteria are most closely related to which species?

A. Species I
B. Species II
C. Species III
D. Species IV

22. The wrasse and the blenny are two small fishes that resemble each other. The wrasse eats
parasites attached to the skin of other fish. Even some large predatory fish allow the wrasse to
approach unharmed and eat parasites. Predatory fish also allow the blenny to approach.
However, instead of eating parasites, the blenny attacks the predatory fish.

Part One: Is there evolutionary pressure for the blenny to look like the wrasse? Explain what
causes the presence or absence of this evolutionary pressure. Be sure to use specific details in
your answer.

Part Two: Is there evolutionary pressure for the wrasse to look like the blenny? Explain what
causes the presence or absence of this evolutionary pressure. Be sure to use specific details in
your answer.

23. Biologists have discovered an animal called a cloudrunner, shown in the figure below. They
are now trying to determine the cloudrunner's evolutionary relationship to other animals.

Part One: Describe two types of evidence and scientific techniques that biologists could use to
determine the evolutionary relationship of the cloudrunner to other animals.

Part Two: How does this evidence demonstrate evolutionary relationships between the
cloudrunner and other animals?
24. Radiation is known to cause mutations. After atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in 1945, nearby hospitals reported dramatic increases in stillborns, birth defects and
leukemia. Which of the following would best explain these increases?

A. Mutations occurred only in body cells, but not the sex cells, of the survivors.
B. Mutations occurred only in the sex cells of the survivors.
C. Mutations occurred in both sex cells and other body cells of the survivors.
D. Increased radiation left in the atmosphere affected the newborn babies.

25. Exposure to sunlight over many years can cause mutation in skin cells. Some of these
mutations can lead to skin cancer. Suppose a child is born to a mother who has skin cancer. How
will the mutations in the mother’s skin cells affect the child?

A. The child will be born with mutated skin cells.

B. The child will definitely develop skin mutations.
C. The child will have mutations that have spread to underlying muscle tissue.
D. The child will not be affected by the mother’s skin cancer.

26. Mutations within a DNA sequence are

A. natural processes that produce genetic diversity.

B. natural processes that always affect the phenotype.
C. unnatural processes that always affect the phenotype.
D. unnatural processes that are harmful to genetic diversity.

27. During the formation of sex cells, scientists have observed pairs of chromosomes exchange
some of their genes. This process is called “crossing-over”. Crossing-over most commonly results
in

A. new species.
B. new populations.
C. new combinations of genes.
D. new numbers of chromosomes.

28. A child is born with a rare form of dwarfism that is caused by a dominant allele. There is no
family history of this condition. Which of the following best explains the appearance of this trait?

A. It is not an inheritable trait.

B. It is carried on the X-chromosome.
C. It is due to a new mutation.
D. It is the result of a poor diet.

29. Wolves that live in snowy climates often prey on rabbits. Some rabbits can move quickly
across deep snow because they have large feet that do not sink into the snow. Rabbits without
this adaptation move more slowly across the snow. Explain how natural selection might cause this
rabbit population to change over time.
30. Which of the following is necessary for natural selection to occur?

A. Genetic engineering
B. Genetic variation
C. Asexual reproduction
D. Environmental stability

31. A species of finch has been studied on one of the geographically isolated Galapagos Islands
for many years. Since the island is small, the lineage of every bird for several generations is
known. This allows a family tree of each bird to be developed. Some family groups have survived
and others have died out. The groups that survive probably have

A. interbred with other species.

B. inherited some advantageous variations.
C. found new places on the island to live.
D. been attacked by more predators.

32. Some people believe that recombinant DNA technology has serious disadvantages. Describe
one disadvantage that might result from the use of recombinant DNA technology. Then describe a
plan or policy for dealing with the disadvantage that could be followed by research scientists,
doctors, public officials, or other people who are involved with recombinant DNA technology and
its uses.

33. Which of these symbols represents the normal karyotype of a human female?

A. XXY
B. XX
C. XO
D. XXX
34. This human karyotype is unusual because chromosome set

A. 5 has chromosomes of different shapes.

B. 10 is missing genetic material.
C. 14 has enlarged centromeres.
D. 21 has extra genetic material.

35. Which series of bases will complete this strand of DNA?

TA??????
ATCATCCG

A. CCTGAT
B. ACTGGC
C. GTAGGC
D. TCAGGG

36. Although there are a limited number of amino acids, many different types of proteins exist
because the

A. size of a given amino acid can vary.

B. chemical composition of a given amino acid can vary.
C. sequence and number of amino acids is different.
D. same amino acid can have many different properties.

37. Which of the following combinations always results in the expression of a recessive trait?

A. two dominant alleles

B. a dominant sex-linked allele and a Y chromosome
 C. two recessive alleles
D. a dominant allele and a recessive allele

38. The body cells of an individual plant have 50 chromosomes. How many chromosomes would
be found in the gametes produced by this plant?

A. 5
B. 10
C. 25
D. 50

39. Mendel hypothesized that reproductive cells have only one factor for each inherited trait. This
hypothesis is supported by the observation that

A. Haploid (n) cells are produced by mitosis.

B. Diploid (2n) cells are produced by mitosis.
C. Haploid (n) cells are produced by meiosis.
D. Diploid (2n) cells are produced by meiosis.

40. Which of the following represents the number of chromosomes in cells before and after the
process of meiosis?

41. Most cells in the human body undergo the process of mitosis. Some specialized human cells
undergo the process of meiosis.

Which of these statements accurately describes a difference between these two processes in
humans?

A. Mutations do not occur during mitosis but they do occur during meiosis.
B. Mitosis results in half as many chromosomes as meiosis produces in each cell.
C. Mitosis does not usually produce variation between offspring, but meiosis does.
D. Meiosis creates new body cells and mitosis results in the formation of sex cells.

42. A student wanted to find out whether tall stem height or dwarf stem height was dominant in
pea plants. She crossed a tall pure-breeding pea plant with a dwarf pure-breeding pea plant. She
collected 100 seeds from this cross and planted them in rich garden soil. All of the seeds grew
into tall pea plants.

Explain how the student should interpret the results of her experiment.
43. Kaley’s cat had a litter of kittens. Kaley did some research and learned about cat genetics.
The information is in Table 1 below.

Kaley then examined her cat and the kittens. She produced the data found in Table 2 below.

Part One: Based on this information, what can you determine about both parents’ genes for hair
color and number of toes?

Part Two: Explain how you know this.

44. Which pairing, below, could result in a colorblind female (XcXc)?

Use the following information to answer.

45. In certain breeds of dogs, deafness is due to a recessive allele (d) of a particular gene and
normal hearing is due to its dominant allele (D). What percentage of the offspring of a normal
heterozygous (Dd) dog and a deaf dog (dd) would be expected to have normal hearing?

A. 0%
B. 25%
C. 50%
D. 100%

46. Fur color in cats is controlled by an autosomal gene that can occur in the dominant form, (B),
or the recessive form, (b). The length of the cat’s fur is controlled by another autosomal gene
which occurs in the dominant form, (S), or the recessive form, (s). The table below shows the
traits for these allele codes.

A. All offspring will have black fur.

B. All offspring will have white fur.
C. All offspring will have long-haired fur.
D. All offspring will have short-haired fur.

47. In carrier pigeons there is a rare inherited condition that causes the death of the chicks before
hatching. In order for this disease to be passed from generation to generation there must be
parent birds that

A. are heterozygous for the disease.

B. have the disease themselves.
C. produce new mutations for this disease.
D. are closely interbred.
48. A genetic disorder is sex-linked on the X-chromosome, and is caused by a recessive allele
(e). The allele for the unaffected condition (E) is dominant. A woman who is a carrier of this
disorder marries an unaffected man. The couple would like to have a child, but they are
concerned that their child will inherit the disorder.

Using this example,

Part One: Construct a Punnett square with the genotypes of the woman and the man, and the
possible genotypes of their child.

Part Two: Identify the probability that a child will inherit the disorder.

Part Three: Identify the probability that a child will not inherit the recessive allele (e).

Part Four: Explain the pattern of inheritance of a sex-linked trait.

49. The pedigree below shows the occurrence of red-green colorblindness , a sex-linked
recessive trait on the X chromosome, in four generations of a family.

In generation II, individuals #1 and #2 have 2 children. Which child provides evidence that the
mother is a carrier?

A. III-1
B. III-2
C. III-3
D. IV-1

50. A major seed company wants seeds that will produce only red tomatoes, not yellow. Red
tomatoes are dominant over yellow tomatoes.
Develop a plan that a farmer could use to determine if his red tomatoes are pure or hybrid.

51. Which of these processes occurs during sexual reproduction, but NOT during asexual
reproduction?

A. Meiosis
B. Mitosis
C. Binary Fission
D. Genetic mutation