2017 STAAR Biology

By Huntsville ISD
Last updated over 2 years ago
54 Questions
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1.

The picture shows a student using a microscope to study a prepared slide of a single-celled organism.


A single-celled organism can be classified as a prokaryote based on the absence of —

B.C.4A
B.C.2.f
2.

Different types of mutations can occur in DNA. The diagram represents a type of mutation.


Which statement describes the mutation in the diagram?

B.C.6E
B.C.2G
3.

A remora is a fish that has an adhesive disk on the back of its head that it uses to attach itself to a large shark. When food floats away from the shark’s mouth as it feeds, the remora collects the scraps. Drawings of a shark with a remora attached and a remora’s adhesive disk are shown below.


The relationship between the remora and the shark is an example of —

B.C.12A
4.

Invasive plant species affect the interactions of living and nonliving components of an ecosystem, so the removal of invasive plants is often necessary. The goal of most plant-control methods is to disrupt or inhibit the function of different plant systems. For example, insects can be used to chew through roots in order to reduce a plant’s ability to absorb water.

Which of these functions would be most immediately affected by a reduction in water uptake by roots?

B.C.10B
5.

The picture shows a pika, a small mammal found in grassland ecosystems. The vast grasslands of the Tibetan plateau are home to the plateau pika. The numerous pikas are prey for many predators of the grasslands, which serve as a major watershed for much of the area. The watershed drains large quantities of groundwater during the rainy season, or the monsoon season. Pikas have extensive burrows that help drain groundwater rapidly and are used as nesting sites by many bird species. However, many people advocate the eradication of the plateau pikas because they compete with livestock for grass.


Which of these will most likely happen if the plateau pikas are completely removed from the Tibetan plateau grasslands?

B.C.2G
6.

Albinism is an autosomal recessive condition. Which circle graph shows the genotype probability when an albino female mates with a male that is heterozygous for the albinism trait?

B.C.6F
B.C.2.f
7.

Part of the cell cycle is shown in this simplified model.


This part of the cell cycle is best described as the process that —

B.C.5A
B.C.2G
8.

Taq polymerase is an enzyme used in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to replicate fragments of DNA. A study published in 1976 examined the properties of Taq polymerase after the enzyme was isolated from Thermus aquaticus, a thermophilic bacterium that lives in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park. The graph shows one of the results of the study.


Which statement about enzyme activity is best supported by this graph?

B.C.9C
B.C.2G
9.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) often infects and destroys CD4 T cells. These CD4 T cells are one of many kinds of white blood cells that are an important part of the immune system.

The most common danger related to the destruction of CD4 T cells is —

B.C.4C
10.

Common baboons live on the savanna in breeding groups called troops. While females tend to stay with the troop, younger or less dominant males may leave to join a neighboring troop. Which of these is a likely outcome of movement by young males?

B.C.7F
11.

An estuary collects sediments from the ocean and rivers that feed into it. The sediments swirl around and then settle to form a mudflat. Eel grass is then established on the mudflat. The ecosystem changes over time and ultimately develops into a salt marsh that contains mangrove trees.

Which of the following is likely NOT involved in this example of ecological succession?

12.

Differences in traits such as hair texture are determined by differences in —

B.C.6A
13.

Students were given a list of seven elements and asked to identify the four elements that are most abundant in biomolecules. Which table correctly identifies the four most-abundant elements in biomolecules?

B.C.9A
B.C.2G
14.

The graph shows the number of taxa of reptiles whose fossilized tracks have been found.


Which statement is best supported by these data?

B.C.7B
B.C.2G
15.

The picture shows bean-shaped glands called nodes. The clusters of cells in nodes include macrophages that break down viruses and other potentially harmful materials. Nodes also contain cells that produce protein particles capable of capturing harmful materials that flow in tissue fluid through the nodes. Different parts of the body are drained by nodes in different regions of the body.


Which body systems are directly responsible for regulating these nodes and protecting the body from harmful materials in tissue fluid?

B.C.10A
16.

This diagram demonstrates why the ocean is a large carbon sink.


An increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can cause atmospheric temperatures to increase. Which statement explains how this could affect the ocean as a carbon sink?

B.C.12E
B.C.2G
17.

Which molecule synthesized by plants is a major source of energy for cellular processes in both plants and animals?

B.C.4B
18.

Researchers combined sequences of fruit-fly DNA from a gene for a particular trait with frog DNA. The mixture was heated to separate the DNA strands. Cooling allowed the single strands to form pairs. The researchers observed that some of the fruit-fly DNA paired with frog DNA.


The results provide evidence that —

B.C.6B
B.C.3F
19.

From a single fertilized ovum undergoing a series of rapid cell divisions, a human infant develops. The embryonic cells become specialized for a variety of functions. Which of these statements best describes how different cell types develop?

B.C.5C
20.

The diagram demonstrates a feedback process involving antidiuretic hormone (ADH). ADH increases the permeability of parts of the nephrons of the kidney, resulting in less water in the urine.


This feedback loop is likely to be activated when —

B.C.11A
B.C.2G
21.

In the 1940s, the scientist J. B. S. Haldane linked many human red blood cell disorders with the tropical regions where malaria occurs. Haldane hypothesized that the widespread presence of these red blood cell disorders as well as traits that protect individuals from malaria were the result of natural selection. Haldane’s hypothesis was later confirmed by the research of A. C. Allison.

The resistance to malaria carried by individuals in areas where malaria is widespread is the result of —

B.C.7E
B.C.3F
22.

Some foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates can be difficult to digest. Gas often forms as the foods are slowly digested by bacteria in the large intestine. The advertisement is for a nutritional supplement that prevents intestinal gas.


Which of the following represents evidence that could be used to support the claims about this product?

B.C.9C
B.C.3C
23.

Researchers studying populations of lizards from the genus Gallotia on the Canary Islands compared the protein cytochrome b in different populations. The table shows the number of differences in the cytochrome b protein between different populations.


Which conclusion about the relatedness of the lizards do these data support?

B.C.7A
B.C.2G
24.

The energy pyramid below shows the energy made available by producers.


Based on the energy flow between trophic levels in an energy pyramid, how much energy would be expected to be found at the secondary consumer level in this pyramid?

B.C.12C
B.C.2G
25.

Simple leaves have a single leaf on a petiole, or stem, while compound leaves have more than one leaflet on a petiole. This unknown leaf can be identified using the dichotomous key.


Which tree does the unknown leaf come from?

B.C.8B
B.C.2.f
26.

In gel electrophoresis a DNA sample from an unknown donor is placed in a small well at one end of a special gel-coated plate. Samples from known donors are placed in other wells on the plate. An electric current is passed through the plate, causing the DNA fragments to separate. The size and location of the separated fragments can be compared for similarities. The more similar the locations and sizes of the fragments, the more closely the donors of the samples are related. The diagram shows four samples being compared with an unknown sample.


The donor of which sample is most closely related to the donor of the unknown sample?

B.C.3D
27.

A student reads this advertisement for a product containing a plant micronutrient that can be added to soil.


Based on this information, the student can conclude that boron is absorbed by plant roots from soil and then —

B.C.10B
28.

The surface of the stomach is lined with epithelial cells called surface mucous cells. These cells produce a thick mucus that coats the epithelium on the inside surface of the stomach. What is the purpose of the mucous coating?

B.C.5B
29.

In Holstein cattle the allele for black hair color (B) is dominant over the allele for red hair color (b), and the allele for polled (P), or lacking horns, is dominant over the allele for having horns (p).

What is the expected phenotypic ratio of the offspring of a BbPp × BbPp cross if these alleles sort independently?

B.C.6F
30.

A student researching bacteria concluded a report with the claim in the box.


Which statement correctly addresses the validity of the claim?

31.

Which of the following is an example of the endocrine system directly interacting with the nervous system?

B.C.10A
32.

Roads are often built through forests for industrial purposes or as land is developed for residential and commercial needs. How would road construction through a forest most likely affect the ecosystem?

33.

People who have leukemia, a cancer that affects white blood cells, are often given Cytarabine. This drug inhibits the synthesis of DNA. Which phase of the cell cycle is most affected by Cytarabine?

B.C.5A
34.

The diagram represents a theory about cells.


Which theory is represented in this diagram?

B.C.2C
35.

Recent studies in bone research indicate that using ultrasound on a broken bone can decrease the healing time by 25%. Which of these are the most basic levels of organization involved when a bone heals?

B.C.10C
36.

Which of these is the direct result of an error in the transcription of a DNA nucleotide?

B.C.6E
B.C.2G
37.

Four common relationships between organisms are listed in the box.


Which statements best describe these relationships?

B.C.12A
B.C.2G
38.

A student conducted an investigation to study phototropism in grasses. The only difference between the control group and the experimental group was light conditions. The control group was provided full light, while the experimental group was shaded on one side. The diagrams show the average heights and positions of blades of grass in the investigation.


Which statement best explains why the grass tips of the experimental group bent toward the light?

B.C.10B
39.

Which diagram demonstrates how crossing-over contributes to genetic variety during meiosis?

B.C.6G
B.C.2G
40.

The picture shows a contractile vacuole of a unicellular freshwater organism. The contractile vacuole regulates the flow of water into and out of the cell in an aquatic environment.


What conditions cause the contractile vacuole to fill with water?

B.C.4B
41.

The rocky material left behind by a retreating glacier forms what is called a moraine. When primary succession occurs on a moraine, which life-forms will help create the soil by breaking down bare rock?

42.

Organisms are classified today using the Linnaean system, and the following table shows the taxonomic classification of two marine organisms living along the Pacific Coast.


Taxonomic classification is important to marine biologists because it provides a way to —

B.C.8A
43.

Proteins and carbohydrates have many functions in the body of an organism. Specific proteins and carbohydrates perform specific tasks. Information about a protein and a carbohydrate is given below.


How are ferritin and glycogen similar in their primary functions for an organism?

B.C.9A
44.

A model of a biological process is shown.


What is the purpose of this process?

B.C.6C
B.C.2H
45.

Scientists conducted an investigation to study the possible effects of air pollution on chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b in plants. The scientists gathered plants from polluted areas and unpolluted areas and then measured the presence of chlorophyll in 50 mg of plant leaves. The results are shown in the graph.


Which inference do these data support?

B.C.11B
B.C.2G
46.

Viruses can be transmitted through air, water, food, insect bites, and direct skin contact. Once a virus gains entry to the body, it invades a host cell in order to —

B.C.4C
47.

The table shows the survival rate of two types of beetles in the same environment over a period of three years.


Which statement about the beetles in this environment is best supported by the data?

B.C.7E
B.C.2.f
48.

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration both involve the use and release of gases. Which statement correctly identifies the role of gases in the two processes?

B.C.9B
49.

Cetaceans are whales and their relatives. The diagram shows some fossils of cetaceans.


Which statement provides the best evidence that Ambulocetus natans is an ancestor of Basilosaurus isis?

B.C.7A
B.C.2G
50.

A student studying interactions between body systems constructs this table. The student plans to fill out the table with phrases that describe an interaction between each pair of systems.


Which of these phrases could be placed in the position marked with an X?

B.C.10A
B.C.2G
51.

A student used poster board to construct this model of a section of DNA.


Which statement describes this model of DNA?

B.C.6A
52.

The diagram shows a partial East Texas food web.


Which table correctly classifies these organisms?

B.C.12C
B.C.2G
53.

The classifications of four trees are shown in the table.


Which two trees are the most closely related?

B.C.8B
B.C.2G
54.

The arctic fox inhabits northern areas of North America. The same arctic fox is shown in the drawing at different times of the year.


What causes this change in fur color?

B.C.6D