BIOLOGY ANSWER KEY
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE END OF COURSE EXAM
TEACHER USE ONLY – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS
NATURE OF SCIENCE
TEXTBOOK: Chapter 1
STUDENT TASKS:
What are the steps of the scientific method? (see Lab Handbook in back of text, p. R11-R13
Identify a control, independent variable, dependent variable, and what type of data is
collected.
Why is a theory not a law?
What is a scientific theory? Why do scientific theories change?
What are some examples of reliable sources?
SAMPLE QUESTION:
Students hypothesized that water pollution affects the growth of fish. In an experiment, they
added the same amount of food to ponds polluted by fertilizers and industrial waste. They
measured fish growth and found that most fish grow slowly in each of these environments.
1. What part of their experiment did the students forget to include?
Ⓐ a group to serve as the control
Ⓑ a hypothesis to test
Ⓒ a theory to explain their results
Ⓓ a procedure to follow
2. What served as the dependent variable in the experiment?
Ⓐ the amount of food
Ⓑ the type of contaminants in the pond
Ⓒ the total number of fish
Ⓓ fish growth
MACROMOLECULES/PROPERTIES OF WATER
TEXTBOOK: Chapter 2
STUDENT TASKS:
Describe the structure for the types of macromolecules/carbon-based molecules.
What is the function of each macromolecule?
What are enzymes?
How do enzymes work? (see graphic p. 56)
What affects the rate of reaction of enzymes?
What are the properties of water due to hydrogen bonding and/or polarity and how does
each affect life?
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BIOLOGY ANSWER KEY
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE END OF COURSE EXAM
TEACHER USE ONLY – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS
SAMPLE QUESTION:
1. Water molecules are held together by polar covalent bonds. Which statement best explains
this bonding?
Ⓐ Electrons are transferred from the hydrogen atoms to the oxygen atom.
Ⓑ Electrons are shared equally between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
Ⓒ Electrons are shared unequally between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms, with the oxygen
exerting a larger pull on the shared electrons.
Ⓓ Electrons are shared unequally between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms, with the
hydrogen exerting a larger pull on the shared electrons.
2.
Which elements listed below combine to form most of the organic molecules in living things?
Ⓐ sulfur, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen
Ⓑ nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, hydrogen
Ⓒ helium, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen
Ⓓ nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, hydrogen
3. Sophia produces the graph shown below during a biology class
investigation.
THE EFFECT OF ENZYMES ON A CHEMICAL REACTION
What could she infer about the probable difference between the original
reaction and Reaction B, based on the data?
Ⓐ Glucose was added to Reaction B.
Ⓑ A catalyst was added to Reaction B.
Ⓒ Additional water was added to Reaction B.
Ⓓ Additional water was added to Reaction B.
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BIOLOGY ANSWER KEY
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE END OF COURSE EXAM
TEACHER USE ONLY – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS
CELL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION/IMMUNE SYSTEM
TEXTBOOK: Chapter 3, 5, 31
STUDENT TASKS:
Why are microscopes important to the study of cells?
How are light microscopes different than electron microscopes? What is each used to
observe? (Ch. 1.4)
What are the parts of the cell theory?
What allowed the development of the cell theory?
Draw and label a diagram of a cell and know the function of each organelle.
How are plant and animal cells alike? How are they different?
Compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Diagram and label the plasma membrane.
Describe the difference between active and passive transport?
What are the different types of passive transport? Explain each.
What are the different types of active transport? Explain each.
What is the result of the cell cycle?
Diagram the stages of the cell cycle?
Describe what happens during each phase of mitosis? (must include what is happening to
the chromosomes, nuclear envelope, spindle fibers, and centrioles)
What is asexual reproduction? What organisms reproduce asexually?
What is cancer?
What are the causes of cancer?
What are the functions of the immune system?
How do vaccines protect against infectious disease?
What is the difference between a specific and nonspecific immune response?
How do antibiotics work against infection?
SAMPLE QUESTION:
1. Stacy made a list of things she saw in a cell she was observing under the microscope. Stacey wrote
down the following description of what she observed.
1. A large nucleus is visible in the center of the cell.
2. The cell is surrounded by a cell membrane.
3. The cell has the shape of a rectangle.
4. What appears to be a large space can be seen inside the cell.
5. The cell does not show any movement.
6. Increasing the light source reveals green dots inside the cell.
Which statements did Stacy use to conclude that she was looking at a plant cell?
Ⓐ 1, 3, and 5
Ⓑ 3, 4, and 6
Ⓒ 2, 4, and 6
Ⓓ 1, 5, and 6
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BIOLOGY ANSWER KEY
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE END OF COURSE EXAM
TEACHER USE ONLY – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS
2. The immune system attempts to protect the body from contracting infections through
pathogens. When do the specific responses of the immune system start to play a role in
combating infections?
Ⓐ as soon as infectious agents are on the skin
Ⓑ when cells secrete a sticky fluid called mucus
Ⓒ after infectious agents have entered the digestive tract
Ⓓ once the infectious agents have managed to evade earlier defenses
3. While some animals, such as birds, reproduce sexually, others, such as sponges, produce
asexually. Why is it beneficial for a species to reproduce sexually instead of asexually?
Ⓐ Sexual reproduction requires less time and energy than asexual reproduction.
Ⓑ Sexual reproduction results in offspring that are genetically different from the parents, while
asexual reproduction results in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent.
Ⓒ Sexual reproduction results in offspring that are genetically identical to the parents, while
asexual reproduction results in offspring that are genetically different from the parent.
Ⓓ Sexual reproduction results in offspring that have twice as many chromosomes as the
parents, while asexual reproduction produces offspring that have half the number of
chromosomes as the parent.
PLANT STRUCTURE AND CELL ENERGY
TEXTBOOK: Chapter 21, 22, 4
STUDENT TASKS:
Compare and contrast photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
What are the types of vascular tissue in plants? What is each used for?
Diagram and identify the parts of a plant and the functions of each. (roots, stems, leaves,
flowers)
What is the equation for photosynthesis? Identify the reactants and the products.
Describe the process of photosynthesis? (light-dependent reactions, light-independent
reactions)
What is the equation for cellular respiration? Identify the reactants and the products.
Describe the process of cellular respiration?
How are photosynthesis and cellular respiration connected?
What is ATP?
Where is energy stored in an ATP molecule?
Where is ATP made?
What is aerobic respiration?
What is anaerobic respiration?
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BIOLOGY ANSWER KEY
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE END OF COURSE EXAM
TEACHER USE ONLY – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS
SAMPLE QUESTION:
1. Both photosynthesis and cellular respiration take place in the cells of a leaf. What products
from cellular respiration are used in photosynthesis?
Ⓐ water and glucose
Ⓑ glucose and oxygen
Ⓒ glucose and carbon dioxide
Ⓓ water and carbon dioxide
2, Dermal tissue covers all parts of a plant’s body. What function does dermal tissue provide?
Ⓐ transport
Ⓑ protection
Ⓒ reproduction
Ⓓ photosynthesis
HUMAN REPRODUCTION
TEXTBOOK: Chapter 34
STUDENT TASKS:
What are the functions of the following parts of the male reproductive system: seminal vesicle,
prostate gland, vas deferens, urethra, epididymis, scrotum, penis, and testes?
What are the functions of the following parts of the female reproductive system: vagina,
ovaries, oviducts, fallopian tubes, uterus, and cervix?
What is ovulation and where in the female reproductive system does it occur?
Where in the female reproductive system would fertilization and implantation each occur?
What are the weeks of each trimester and what major event occurs during each?
What is the difference between a zygote, embryo, and fetus? What is a morula? What is a
blastocyst?
SAMPLE QUESTION:
1. Liza and her husband are trying to achieve a pregnancy. During which phase of her menstrual
cycle is the egg released from the ovary?
Ⓐ follicle phase
Ⓑ luteal phase
Ⓒ fertilization phase
Ⓓ flow phase
2.
Where are the male gametes formed and stored?
Ⓐ Vas deferens
Ⓑ Testes
Ⓒ Penis
Ⓓ Urethra
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BIOLOGY ANSWER KEY
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE END OF COURSE EXAM
TEACHER USE ONLY – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS
3.
In about 9 months, a human develops from a fertilized egg into a fully formed human. During
which phase of pregnancy do the lungs complete development?
Ⓐ second trimester
Ⓑ third trimester
Ⓒ first trimester
Ⓓ after birth
GENETICS AND MEIOSIS
TEXTBOOK: Chapter 6, 7
STUDENT TASKS:
What are Mendel’s Laws? Explain when both are observed.
Compare and contrast mitosis and meiosis.
Describe how meiosis is used in sexual reproduction.
Describe how meiosis allows for genetic variation while maintaining chromosomal integrity.
Explain how reduction division results in the formation of haploid gametes or spores.
Use Punnett Squares to predict genotypes and phenotypic ratios in a monohybrid and a
dihybrid cross.
Describe codominance, incomplete dominance, multialleles, sex-linked, and polygenic
inheritance.
How does family history and heredity impact personal health?
How do genetic and environmental factors play a role in both individual and public health?
SAMPLE QUESTION:
1. One of the laws of heredity that Mendel developed was the law of segregation. What does
this law state?
Ⓐ A trait can be either recessive or dominant.
Ⓑ Both parents pass on their hereditary information to their offspring.
Ⓒ The gene that controls one trait is inherited separately from a gene that controls another
trait.
Ⓓ When a gamete forms, the two alleles that determine a trait separate so that only one of the
alleles is present in the gamete.
2. Kyle wanted to model DNA replication for a class project. He decided to use two strands of
blue yarn twisted together to model the original double-stranded DNA molecule. Kyle plans to
use red yarn to model newly-synthesized strands of DNA. How could Kyle best model a
molecule that results from DNA replication of the original molecule?
Ⓐ a red strand twisted with a blue strand
Ⓑ two strands of red yarn twisted together
Ⓒ two strands of blue yarn twisted together
Ⓓ two strands of blue yarn twisted together
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BIOLOGY ANSWER KEY
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE END OF COURSE EXAM
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3. Meiosis and mitosis are cell processes that involve cell division. Which other statement is true
about both meiosis and mitosis?
Ⓐ Both produce gametes for sexual reproduction.
Ⓑ Both duplicate DNA and divide cytoplasm to create daughter cells.
Ⓒ Both produce cells that contain half of the genetic information of the parent cell.
Ⓓ Both produce cells that are used by the organism for repairing tissue damage.
MOLECULAR GENETICS
TEXTBOOK: Chapter 8, 9
STUDENT TASKS:
What are the steps of DNA replication?
What is the goal of DNA replication?
Why is DNA replication referred to as “semi-conservative”?
When does DNA replication occur in the cell cycle?
What are all the different types of mutations? Briefly explain each.
Why do all mutations not necessarily result in a phenotypic change?
A mutation in what type of cell would result in a phenotypic change in offspring?
What are the steps of transcription?
What is the goal of transcription?
What are the steps of translation?
How does the cell know what order to put the amino acids in to build a protein?
What do we need proteins for?
Why do we say that the genetic code is “universal”?
What is genetic engineering?
How can a DNA fingerprint be used for identification in a crime?
How are plasmids used in genetic engineering?
How could gene therapy be used to help treat disease?
What are some positive and negative impacts of stem cell research?
SAMPLE QUESTION:
1. Scientists make models based on scientific evidence and observations. They can use their
completed models to make inferences. When Watson and Crick developed their model of the
double-stranded structure of DNA, what inference did they make based on the
complementary structure of the strands?
Ⓐ The strands can be used as a template for copying the DNA molecule.
Ⓑ The strands in a double helix are permanently joined.
Ⓒ DNA, RNA, and proteins have identical structures.
Ⓓ Each strand of DNA is identical to all others.
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BIOLOGY ANSWER KEY
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE END OF COURSE EXAM
TEACHER USE ONLY – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS
2. Protein synthesis is a process that takes place within cells. Which of the following best compares
the location or locations in the cell in which transcription and translation take place?
Ⓐ Transcription takes place in the cytoplasm; translation takes place in the nucleus.
Ⓑ Translation takes place in the cytoplasm; transcription takes place in the nucleus.
Ⓒ Both transcription and translation take place in the cytoplasm
Ⓓ Both transcription and translation take place in the nucleus.
EVOLUTION/BRAIN
TEXTBOOK: Chapter 10, 11, 12, 29
STUDENT TASKS:
List and explain the evidence that supports evolutionary theory.
Identify the basic trends in hominid evolution from early ancestors (6mya) to modern humans,
including brain size, jaw size, language and manufacture of tools.
Describe the scientific explanations of the origin of life on Earth.
Describe the conditions required for natural selection.
What are some other mechanisms of evolutionary change (besides natural selection)?
How do mutation and genetic recombination increase genetic variation?
Where are each of the lobes of the brain located?
What are the major parts of the brain? Identify each on a diagram.
SAMPLE QUESTION:
1. In 1859, Charles Darwin published his theory of natural selection to explain how evolution
occurs. Part of the evidence he used to support his theory came from observing more than a
dozen species of birds known as finches. These finches live on the Galapagos Islands, about
1000 kilometers (621 miles) off the coast of South America. Darwin also observed that all the
species on the Galapagos Islands resembled a finch species living on the South American
continent. What type of evidence did Darwin use in this case to support his theory of
evolution?
Ⓐ biogeography
Ⓑ fossil record
Ⓒ molecular biology
Ⓓ comparative embryology
2.
The forelimbs of birds, reptiles, and mammals contain the same kinds of bones that develop in
the same way. Such structures are called homologous structures. Homologous structures are
used to support the theory of evolution by pointing to a common ancestor. What type of
evidence do homologous structures most likely represent?
Ⓐ fossil evidence
Ⓑ molecular biology
Ⓒ comparative anatomy
Ⓓ comparative embryology
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BIOLOGY ANSWER KEY
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE END OF COURSE EXAM
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DIVERSITY AND CLASSIFICATION
TEXTBOOK: Chapter 17, 18, 19, 20, 23
STUDENT TASKS:
Make a table that shows the distinguishing characteristics of the 3 domains of life.
Make a table that shows the distinguishing characteristics of the 6 kingdoms of life.
Describe how organisms are hierarchically classified and how this is based on evolutionary
relationships.
Explain the reason for changes in how organisms are classified.
Describe at least 2 ways that evolution is a scientific theory.
Construct a cladogram. Do the exercise on page 525 in your textbook so that you will
understand how to interpret cladograms.
SAMPLE QUESTION:
1. Organisms belonging to the domains Archaea and Eubacteria are composed of single cells.
What criterion is used to classify each type of organism into a separate domain?
Ⓐ Unlike Archaea, Eubacteria are prokaryotes
Ⓑ Unlike Archaea, Eubacteria have a cell wall.
Ⓒ Unlike Eubacteria, Archaea are not surrounded by a cell wall.
Ⓓ Unlike Eubacteria, Archaea often live in extremely harsh environments.
2.
The illustration below shows four organisms.
Which classification groups do these four organisms share?
Ⓐ only domain
Ⓑ only kingdom
Ⓒ both domain and kingdom
Ⓓ neither domain nor kingdom
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BIOLOGY ANSWER KEY
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE END OF COURSE EXAM
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ECOLOGY/CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
TEXTBOOK: Chapter 13,14, 15,16, 30
STUDENT TASKS:
Describe producers, consumers, and decomposers and their role in an ecosystem.
Why is energy lost as it moves up an energy pyramid?
What is a trophic level?
Explain how population size is determined using birth rates, death rates, immigration,
emigration, and limiting factors. How do these describe limiting factors?
How do humans impact environmental systems and sustainability? (positively and negatively)
What factors determines the different biomes?
How does matter and energy move through the different biogeochemical cycles?
SAMPLE QUESTION:
1.
The diagram below shows a temperate forest food web.
If the turkey population were removed from this ecosystem, how would the ecosystem be
affected?
Ⓐ There would be no change to the structure of the food web.
Ⓑ The insects eaten by the turkeys would die off.
Ⓒ The entire food web would crumble and all organisms would die off.
Ⓓ The fox that consumed the turkeys would need to find another food source
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BIOLOGY ANSWER KEY
STUDY GUIDE FOR THE END OF COURSE EXAM
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2.
Biomagnification is a process by which substances, such as poisons and fertilizer, accumulate
in animal tissues. With each higher level in a food web, the organisms accumulate a higher
concentration of the substance. The illustration shows the overlapping food webs of a marsh
and meadow ecosystem.
If a pesticide used to kill grasshoppers is used in the local environment, what organisms in the food
web above are likely to have the highest levels of the pesticide in their tissues?
Ⓐ the marsh grass and meadow grass
Ⓑ the praying mantis and mouse
Ⓒ the garter snake and fox
Ⓓ the fox and hawk
3.
The illustration below shows a pond ecosystem.
Which biotic factor would limit the carrying capacity of this pond for fish?
Ⓐ temperature of water
Ⓑ amount of sunlight reaching the pond
Ⓒ the population of grasses growing on the pond’s banks
Ⓓ the concentration of algae in the upper levels of the pond
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