Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
1. Base your answer on the diagram below and on
your knowledge of biology.
Which statement describes two unsafe
laboratory practices represented in the diagram?
(1) The flame is too high and the test tube is
unstoppered.
(2) The opening of the test tube is pointed
toward the student and the student is not
wearing goggles.
(3) The test tube is unstoppered and the
student is not wearing goggles.
(4) The beaker has water in it and the flame is
under the tripod.
2. Which group of measurement units is
correctly arranged in order of increasing size?
(1) micrometer, millimeter, centimeter, meter
(2) millimeter, micrometer, centimeter,
meter
(3) meter, micrometer, centimeter,
millimeter
(4) micrometer, centimeter, millimeter,
meter
Page 1
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
Base your answers to questions 3 through 5 on the
information below, and on your knowledge of
biology.
An experiment was carried out to answer the
question "Does the pH of water affect the growth
of radish plants?" Two groups of ten radish plants
were set up. One group was watered with water
having a pH of 3.0, and the other group was
watered with water having a pH of 7.0. Both
groups of plants received the same amount and
intensity of light, the same amount of water, and
they were grown in the same type of soil. The
heights of the radish plants were measured every
2 days for a period of 2 weeks.
3. Which sentence is a possible hypothesis that
was tested in this experiment?
6. Which environmental factor could have a
temperature of 39ºC?
(1) water temperature at the North Pole in
March
(2) water temperature in a lake in New York
State in January
(3) air temperature in a desert in the
southwestern United States during a day
in July
(4) air temperature in the Adirondack
Mountains of New York State in
December
7. What is the volume of water represented in the
graduated cylinder shown below? (Remember
to look at the bottom of the curve)
(1) Does the pH of water affect the growth of
radish plants?
(2) Will the amount of water alter the heights
of the radish plants?
(3) The temperature of the water will affect
the heights of the radish plants.
(4) The pH of the water will affect the heights
of the radish plants.
4. What was the dependent variable in this
experiment?
(1) heights of the plants
(2) pH of the water
(3) temperature of the water
(4) type of soil
5. Which activity might help to increase the
validity of this experiment?
(1) repeating the experiment several times
(2) using two different types of radish seeds
in each group
(3) using the same pH for both groups of
plants
(4) placing one set of plants in sunlight and
one in darkness
(1) 10.3 mL
(2) 13.0 mL
(3) 14.0 mL
(4) 15.0 mL
8. After owls eat, they bring back up the
indigestible remains of their meals. These
regurgitated "pellets" contain the fur and
skeletal parts of their prey. A student plans to
examine an owl pellet to determine which
small vertebrates were consumed by the owl.
Which set of equipment should the student
use?
(1) microscope, ultracentrifuge, and stain
(2) dissecting kit, petri dish, and gloves
(3) graduated cylinder, balance, and meter
stick
(4) pH paper, liquid indicator, and beaker
Page 2
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
Base your answers to questions 9 through 13on the information and data table below and on your
knowledge of biology.
Diabetes is a disease characterized by consistently high blood glucose levels (at or above 126
mg/l00mL) as a result of hormone deficiency. For a study of diabetes, blood glucose levels from
individual A and individual B were recorded each hour over a 5-hour period following a meal. The
results are shown in the data table below.
Page 3
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
5. Mark an appropriate scale, without any breaks, on each labeled axis.
10.Plot the data for individual A on the grid, surround each point with a small circle, and connect
the points.
11.Plot the data for individual B on the grid, surround each point with a small triangle, and connect
the points.
12.Identify one hormone associated with the maintenance of blood glucose levels.
13.Which individual most likely has diabetes?
(1) A
(2) B
(3) both A and B
(4) Neither A nor B
Page 4
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
14. The diagram below represents the measurement of a biological specimen.
What is the approximate length of the specimen in millimeters?
(1) 25 mm
(2) 30 mm
(3) 35 mm
15. The diagram below shows how a coverslip
should be lowered onto some single-celled
organisms during the preparation of a wet
mount.
(4) 40 mm
17. A plant cell in a microscopic field of view is
represented below.
Why is this a preferred procedure?
(1) The possibility of trapping air bubbles is
reduced.
(2) The organisms will be more evenly
distributed.
(3) The possibility of breaking the coverslip
is reduced.
(4) The cover slip will prevent the slide from
breaking.
16. When preparing a wet mount of onion cells, a
student put a drop of Lugol's iodine solution
on the slide. Lugol's iodine solution was
applied in order to
The width (w) of this plant cell is closest to
(1) 200 µm
(2) 800 µm
(3) 1200 µm
(4) 1600 µm
18. A gas resulting from aerobic respiration is
released into water. Which substance could be
used to indicate a change in the water due to
the release of the gas?
(1) bromthymol blue
(2) Benedict's solution
(1) prevent air bubbles
(3) iodine solution
(2) make cell structures more visible
(4) methylene blue
(3) increase the magnification
(4) increase respiration in the cells
Page 5
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
Base your answers to questions 19 and 20 on the information and diagram below and on your
knowledge of biology.
The diagram below represents a specimen on a slide as seen with the low-power objective of a
compound light microscope.
19. Which type of cell is most likely represented in this diagram?
20. Using one or more complete sentences, explain how the slide should be moved to observe the
entire specimen.
21. A student used several different indicators to
conduct tests on a sample of partially digested
food. The results obtained are shown in the
table below.
Based on these test results, the food sample
most likely contained partially digested
(1) carbohydrates
(2) lipids
(3) amino acids
(4) proteins
Page 6
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
Base your answers to questions 22 through 26 on on
the information below and on your knowledge of
biology.
An experiment is carried out to determine the
effect of exercise on the rate at which a person can
squeeze a clothespin.
22. Muscle fatigue occurs during this activity
when
(1) carbon dioxide is used up in the muscle
cells
(2) simple sugar is converted to starch in the
muscle cells
(3) proteins accumulate in mitochondria in
the muscle cells
26. What would be an appopriate hypothesis for
the experiment?
(1) Do students squeeze clothespins more
often in 1 minute after exercising?
(2) Can most students squeeze a clothespin
more times after they rest?
(3) Ten students who exercise before
squeezing a clothespin squeezed it more
times in 1 minute than ten students who
rested first.
(4) Students who rest before squeezing a
clothespin will squeeze it fewer times in 1
minute than students who exercise
beforehand.
(4) certain waste products collect in the
muscle cells
23. In this experiment, the independent variable is
the
(1) control
(2) exercise
(3) rate of squeezing
(4) number of participants
24. The experimental results could be made more
valid by
(1) increasing the number of students
(2) using a plastic clothespin
(3) using safety precautions
(4) making a bar graph of the data
25. The dependent variable for this experiment is
the
(1) time the student was squeezing the
clothespin
(2) number of times the student was able to
squeeze the clothespin
(3) strength of the student
(4) length of the clothespin
Page 7
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
Base your answers to questions 27 through 30 on
the data table and information below and on your knowledge of biology. The data table describes
various pH levels.
A scientist is concerned about the effects of acid rain on newly fertilized fish eggs in lakes in
the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. The scientist would like to investigate the hatching
rates of these fish eggs in water at different acidic pH levels. The scientist designed an experiment
that could show the effect of an acid pH on the hatching of these fish eggs.
27. State two factors that must be kept the same in both the experimental groups and the control
group.
28. Describe the type of data to be collected.
29. State how the control group would be treated differently from the experimental groups.
30. State one example of experimental results that would show that the increasing acidity of lake
water has a negative effect on the hatching rate of fish eggs.
31. A certain plant has white flower petals and it usually grows in soil that is slightly basic.
Sometimes the plant produces flowers with red petals. A company that sells the plant wants to
know if soil pH affects the color of the petals in this plant. Design a controlled experiment to
determine if soil pH affects petal color. In your experimental design be sure to:
• state the hypothesis to be tested in the experiment
• state one way the control group will be treated differently from the experimental group
• identify two factors that must be kept the same in both the control group and the experimental
group
• identify the dependent variable in the experiment
• state one result of the experiment that would support the hypothesis
Page 8
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
32. The diagrams below represent seeds taken from a carrot plant and seeds taken from plant
species 1, 2, and 3.
Which species would be expected to be most similar to the carrot? Support your answer.
Base your answers to questions 33 and 34 on
the diagram below and on your knowledge of biology. The diagram represents evolutionary
relationships among some primates.
33. A line representing an organism that is closely related to leaf monkeys and that evolved at
about the same time as the gibbons would be drawn beginning at point
(1) A
(2) B
(3) C
(4) D
Page 9
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
34. Which statement best describes a relationship between the common ancestor and the other
organisms in the diagram?
(1) The common ancestor most likely has segments of its DNA that will match each of the other
organisms'.
(2) The common ancestor is more closely related to macaques than to gibbons.
(3) Orangutans and gorillas have exactly the same DNA as the common ancestor.
(4) Chimps and baboons were the first organisms to evolve from the common ancestor.
Base your answers to questions 35 through 38 on the diagram below and on your knowledge of
biology.
35. Which species of finch has an edge-crushing bill that can also probe into plants for food?
(1) cactus finch
(2) sharp-billed ground finch
(3) warbler finch
(4) large ground finch
Page 10
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
36. One finch that would most likely compete with the warbler finch for food is the
(1) woodpecker finch
(2) cactus finch
(3) sharp-billed ground finch
(4) vegetarian finch
37. The large ground finch, sharp-billed ground finch, and small tree finch inhabit the same island.
If the insect population decreases, which finch would most likely be affected? Support your
answer.
Finch:___________
38. Identify one trait, other than beak characteristics, that would contribute to the survival of a
finch species and state one way this trait contributes to the success of this species.
39. The diagram below represents a laboratory setup used to demonstrate the movement of
molecules across a selectively permeable membrane.
In the diagram below, draw the 5 starch and the 12 glucose molecules to show where they
would most likely be located after 15 minutes.
Page 11
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
Base your answers to questions 40 and 41 on the Universal Genetic Code Chart below and on your
knowledge of biology.
40. The table above shows the DNA, mRNA, and amino acid sequences from two similar plant
species. Using the information given, fill in the missing mRNA base sequences for species A
on the table above.
41. Using the Universal Genetic Code Chart, fill in the missing amino acids for species B on the
table below.
Page 12
Topic 9-10: Lab Skills (including 4 NYS required labs)
Base your answers to questions 42 and 43 on the information and diagram below and on your
knowledge of biology.
Two models of a cell were made with dialysis tubing and placed in two beakers of fluid, A and
B, each containing starch indicator solution, as represented in the diagram below. Enzyme Z was
added to the artificial cell in beaker B. The solution outside each cell was tested for the presence of
sugar. Initially, no sugar was present in the solution outside each cell. The results after one hour
are represented below.
42. State one reason for the color change in beaker A after one hour.
43. How would the results have been different in beaker B if an enzyme that digests protein was
used instead of enzyme Z?
Page 13
Answer Key
Topic 9-10- Lab Skills
1.
2
23.
2
2.
1
24.
1
3.
4
25.
2
4.
1
26.
4
5.
1
27.
6.
3
7.
2
8.
2
9.
28.
10.
11.
29.
12.
insulin or glucagon.
13.
1
14.
1
15.
1
16.
2
17.
2
18.
1
19.
plant cell
20.
The slide should be
moved to the left.
21.
1
22.
4
30.
–the type of fish
eggs –the number of
fish eggs –the
temperature of the
31.
water –the amount
of oxygen in the
32.
water
–the number of eggs
that hatched in the
experimental group
compared to the
number in the
control group –the
number of eggs that
hatched –the time it
took the eggs to
hatch –the number
of eggs that hatch in
24 hours
–Fewer eggs hatched 39.
in the lower pH
levels. –It took
longer for fish eggs
to hatch in water
that had a lower pH. 40.
–Fewer eggs
hatched in the
experimental group. 41.
(essay)
– because the seeds 42.
are most similar in
structure to carrot
seeds – because they
look most alike
33.
2
34.
1
35.
1
36.
1
37.
–The control group
would be in normal
lake water. The
experimental groups
would be kept in
water with lower
pHs. –The control
group would be kept
in water from
normal lakes. –The
control group would
be kept in lake water
not affected by acid 38.
rain.
– The small tree
finch eats animals,
whereas the other
two birds are plant
eaters. – It is the
only one that eats
animal food. – The
small tree finch eats
animals. – Since the
other two species eat
plant food, not
animal food, a
decreased insect
population will not
affect them.
43.
–The starch indicator
diffused into the cell
and reacted with the
starch solution. –The
starch indicator
reacted with the
starch. –The starch
indicator diffused
into the cell.
–Sugar would not be
present. –The
protein enzyme
would not digest the
starch to sugar.
Examples: – Faster
or more aggressive
birds get to seeds
faster. – Larger or
stronger birds
compete
successfully. –
Coordination helps
an individual avoid
predators.
Page 14
Answer Key
Topic 9-10- Lab Skills
31.
• — Soil pH affects flower (petal) color.
• — The control group will be planted in soil that is slightly basic. The experimental
groups will be planted in soil that has a pH that is not slightly basic.— The experimental group will be
grown in acidic soil. The control group will be
grown in nonacidic soil.
• — amount of soil— amount of water— amount of light— temperature
• — Identify the dependent variable as petal color or flower color.
• — Red flowers appear on the plants that grow in soil that is not slightly basic. — Plants grown in acidic
soil have red flowers.