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Biology Benchmark #1 (2024-25)

Last updated over 1 year ago

20 questions

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Question 1

1.

Which of the following is the best example of the human body maintaining homeostasis?

The heart beats using cardiac muscle.

The breathing rate increases during exercise.

The nose and ears contain cartilage for flexibility.

The digestive system uses enzymes to break down food.

Question 2

2.

If a parent cell has 16 chromosomes, how many chromosomes will each of its daughter cells have after cytokinesis?

4

6

8

16

Question 3

3.

Some bacteria produce cellulase, a substance that speeds up the breakdown of cellulose in plant cell walls. Cellulase is an example of which of the following?

carbohydrate 

enzyme 

hormone 

organelle 

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Question 4

4.

Which means of particle transport is shown in the illustration below?

endocytosis 

exocytosis 

facilitated diffusion 

protein pump 

Question 5

5.

In cells, aerobic respiration (cellular respiration in the presence of oxygen) is more efficient than anaerobic respiration (cellular respiration in the absence of oxygen). This is because aerobic respiration produces more of which of the following substances?

ATP

DNA

glucose 

protein 

Question 6

6.

Which of the following are found in both DNA and RNA?

ribose, phosphate groups, and adenine

deoxyribose, phosphate groups, and guanine

phosphate groups, guanine, and cytosine

phosphate groups, guanine and thymine

Question 7

7.

Which of the following statements explains why the insertion of a nucleotide in a DNA sequence could result in a phenotypic change in an organism?

Fatty acids would no longer attach to the DNA strands to transcribe the DNA.

The DNA would no longer fit through the nuclear membrane to get to ribosomes for translation.

The sequence of nitrogenous bases in the DNA would no longer code for the correct amino acids.

Antibodies would no longer recognize the DNA as belonging to the cell and would destroy the DNA.

Question 8

8.

In the controversial scientific process of cloning, organisms are created that are genetically identical to the parent. This process would be classified as ______.

meiosis 

fertilization 

sexual reproduction 

asexual reproduction 

Question 9

9.

Which of the following statements best describes the genetic characteristics of human males and females?

Males have more genes than females.

Males and females have exactly the same 46 chromosomes.

Males and females both receive 23 chromosomes from each parent.

Female genes, rather than male genes, determine the sex of offspring.

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Question 10

10.

A type of golden-brown coat color in horses is called palomino. Several pairs of palomino horses are mated. The results of the crosses are shown in the table below.

complete dominance 

incomplete dominance 

polygenic inheritance 

sex-linked inheritance 

Question 11

11.

Which of the following is not a characteristic of asexual reproduction?

requires only one parent 

offspring are identical to the parent

reproduce via binary fission 

reproduce via meiosis 

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Question 12

12.

The evolutionary relationships among the major groups of seed plants are uncertain. The cladogram above is one possible representation of these relationships. Which of the following can be inferred from this cladogram of seed plants?

Conifers evolved from gnetophytes.

Conifers share a common ancestor with cycads.

Conifers and Amborella are morphologically similar.

Conifers are polyphyletic.

Question 13

13.

Which of the following is not a characteristic of living things?

the ability to respond to the environment

the ability to reproduce

the ability to maintain homeostasis

the ability to move

Question 14

14.

Which of the following conditions is most likely to lead to an increase in a field mouse population?

the arrival of another herbivorous mammal

the presence of a greater number of predator snakes

the disappearance of a bird species that preys on the mouse

the lack of adequate rainfall for plants in the mouse’s habitat

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Question 15

15.

The diagram below shows a portion of a food web in an aquatic ecosystem. Which organism in the food web belongs to the trophic level that provides the most available energy to the ecosystem?

seal

plankton

krill

blue whale 

Question 16

16.

Prolonged periods of drought in an area cause decreases in plant population sizes. Which of the following statements describes how the decreases in plant population sizes then affect other populations in the area?

Omnivore population sizes increase, and herbivore population sizes increase.

Omnivore population sizes decrease, and carnivore population sizes increase.

Herbivore population sizes increase, and carnivore population sizes decrease.

Herbivore population sizes decrease, and carnivore population sizes decrease.

Question 17

17.

In 1995, 15 iguanas of the species Iguana iguana floated to the Caribbean island of Anguilla on a tree uprooted by a hurricane. No other iguanas of that species existed on Anguilla. Scientists think that the iguanas came from the island of Guadeloupe, about 120 km southeast of Anguilla. Which of the following factors has the most influence on whether the iguanas on Anguilla will become a separate species from the iguanas on Guadeloupe over time?

the age of the island of Anguilla

the variation in the body size of the iguanas

the number of base pairs in the DNA sequence of the iguanas

the differences in the environment on Anguilla compared to Guadeloupe

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Question 18

18.

The homologous structures of a whale and frog are shown below. Which of the following statements best explains this similarity in structure?

The whale and the frog have a recent common ancestor.

The whale and the frog evolved at the same time.

The whale and the frog spend all of their time in the water.

The whale and the frog have the same method of locomotion.

Question 19

19.

Populations of a European salamander, Proteus anguinus, live in underground caves that have a limited food supply. One of the salamander’s adaptations is the ability to significantly reduce its rate of metabolism when food is scarce. Which of the following statements best describes how the process of natural selection led to this adaptation?

Salamanders with the ability to slow their metabolism grew more slowly than other salamanders.

Salamanders with the ability to slow their metabolism were more likely to emigrate than other salamanders.

Salamanders with the ability to slow their metabolism underwent more rapid mutation than other salamanders.

Salamanders with the ability to slow their metabolism were more likely to survive and reproduce than other salamanders.

Question 20

20.

To treat malaria, doctors must know which species of Plasmodium is causing the disease. Which of the following statements best explains why doctors must identify the Plasmodium species involved before treating the disease?

Each Plasmodium species has its highest rate of infection at a different time of the year.

Each Plasmodium species has evolved different levels of resistance to different medications.

Some Plasmodium species produce large numbers of gametes, and some Plasmodium species produce small numbers of gametes.

Some Plasmodium species have a prokaryotic cell structure, and some Plasmodium species have a eukaryotic cell structure.