Download Biology_Review_for_the_State_Assessment

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 energy
B) chemical energy
C) electrical energy
D) 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) linked
B) dominant
C) recessive
D) codominant
3. Variation in human skin color is influenced by multiple
genes. This is an example of
A) 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) genes
B) proteins
C) nucleotides
D) 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 species
A) 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 called
A) 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 EXCEPT
A) 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 because
A) 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
growth
A) 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 bears
B) about 160 bears
C) about 210 bears
D) 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) sun
B) glucose
C) killer whale
D) 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 into
A) 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 patterns
B) coloration of feathers
C) location of food sources
D) aggression during mating season
20. Migration is a behavior that is usually influenced by
A) 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 called
A) 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 called
A) metaphase
B) metabolism
C) metastasis
D) 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 land
B) volcanic outgassing increased
C) decay of organic matter increased
D) 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) oxygen
B) nitrogen
C) sulfur dioxide
D) carbon dioxide