Biology Competency Test

1. Biology Competency Test Review Questions

2. In research, a scientist must always consider • plants. • evidence. • photographs. • theories.

3. A bias is mostly due to • the study of life. • controlled experiments. • experimental data. • a personal point of view.

4. Topics studied in biology include all of the following except • the biosphere. • rocks and minerals. • changes in groups of organisms. • reproduction and growth.

5. All of the following are characteristics of all living things except the ability to • grow and develop. • maintain a stable internal environment. • change over time. • reproduce asexually.

6. All of the following are big ideas in biology except living things are • unable to adapt to their surroundings. • based on an universal genetic code. • made up of cells. • diverse.

7. A logical explanation of natural phenomena that is supported by scientific observations and experiments is called a (an) • Hypothesis • Inference • Factor • Theory

8. The scientific method is • A way of posing a research question only. • Used to organize data that is already known. • An organized approach to problem solving. • Used by all scientists in an identical way.

9. Which statement best describes a scientific theory • It is a collection of data designed to provide support for a prediction. • It is an educated guess that can be tested by experimentation. • It is a scientific fact that no longer requires any evidence to support it. • It is a general statement that is supported by many scientific observations.

10. A biologist reported success in breeding a tiger with a lion, producing healthy fertile offspring. Other biologists will accept this report as fact only if • Research shows that other animals can be crossbred • The offspring are given a new scientific name • The biologist included a control in the experiment • They can repeat the experiment and get the same results

11. A scientist wants to study the internal structure of a chloroplast (part of a plant cell) in great detail. The best instrument for this detailed examination would be a (an) • Compound microscope • Simple light microscope • Electron microscope • Ultracetrifuge

12. Which structure is best seen by using a compound light microscope? • A cell’s nucleus • A paramecium • A DNA sequence • A mitochondrion

13. The positively charged particle in an atom is called a • neutron. • ion. • proton. • electron.

14. Proteins are polymers formed from • lipids. • amino acids. • carbohydrates. • nucleic acids.

15. The two elements found in every organic compound are • Nitrogen and oxygen • Oxygen and hydrogen • Carbon and hydrogen • Carbon and oxygen

16. Which family of organic is used mainly to store energy for the body? • Lipids • Carbohydrates • Proteins • Nucleic acids

17. The subunits of DNA are called • Amino acids • Nucleotides • Polysaccharides • Cell units

18. Every single celled organism is able to survive because it carries out • Metabolic activities • Heterotrophic nutrition • Autotrophic nutrition • Sexual reproduction

19. Which sequence represents the correct order of levels of organization found in a complex organism? • Cellsorganellesorgansorgansystemstissues • Organellescellstissuesorgansorgan systems • Tissuesorgansorgansystemsorganellescells • Organsorgansystemscellstissuesorganelles

20. The scientist who gave cells their name was • Anton van Leeuwenhoek. • Robert Hooke. • Matthias Schleiden. • Theodor Schwann.

21. The microscopes used in school laboratories to enlarge objects up to 1000 times are • light microscopes. • dark microscopes. • scanning electron microscopes. • transmission electron microscopes.

22. The flexible lipid bilayer that surrounds a cell is the • cytoskeleton. • endoplasmic reticulum. • cell wall. • cell membrane.

23. Which organelle packages materials that will be shipped out of the cell? • centrioles • mitochondria • Golgiapparatus • lysosomes

24. In ____ , water molecules move through cell membranes. • osmosis • bulk transport • phagocytosis • endocytosis

25. In a hypertonic solution, a cell will • swell. • burst. • shrink. • stay the same.

26. Small molecules can be moved actively across the cell membrane by • diffusion. • water channel proteins. • proteins that act like pumps. • facilitated diffusion.

27. Which structure in the cell shown in Figure 7–1 above stores materials, such as water, salts, proteins, and carbohydrates? • structure A • structure B • structure C • structure D

28. Which means of particle transport is shown in Figure 7–1 above? • Diffusion • facilitated diffusion • Osmosis • active transport

29. Which of the following organisms are prokaryotes? • Plants • bacteria • animals • fungi

30. A plant cell shrinks when placed in salt water due to the • Osmosis of water molecules out of the cell. • Osmosis of water molecules into the cell. • Diffusion of salt molecules into the cell. • Diffusion of salt molecules out of the cell.

31. Organisms undergo constant chemical changes as they maintain an internal balance known as • Interdependence • Synthesis • Homeostasis • Recombination

32. What characteristic have evolved that helps to maintain an internal balance know as • Taller bodies with larger cells • Shorter bodies with fewer cells • Multicellular bodies with many cells • Multicellular bodies with fewer cells

33. Intracellular fluid is important for exchange of materials between • Body cells and arteries • Body cells and veins • Veins and capillaries • Body cells and capillaries

34. Chemical reactions within a cell usually take place • Over extremely long periods of time • In a series of small steps • All at once in a single burst • Over a period of several days

35. The waste product of photosynthesis is • oxygen. • water. • carbon dioxide. • sugar.

36. What is the primary light-absorbing pigment in plants? • Chlorophyll • carotene • thylakoid • ATP synthase

37. Deer and cows eat plants. These animals are classified as • autotrophs. • heterotrophs. • photosynthesizers. • decomposers.

38. The reactants of photosynthesis are • sugars and oxygen. • ATP and NADP. • oxygen and carbon dioxide. • carbon dioxide and water.

39. Which of the following organisms is a heterotroph? • mushroom • wheat • alga • sunflower

40. The stroma is the region outside the • thylakoids. • plant cells. • chloroplasts. • all of the above

41. Photosynthesis uses sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into • oxygen and carbon. • high-energy sugars and proteins. • ATP and oxygen. • oxygen and high-energy sugars

42. The Calvin cycle is another name for the • light-independent reactions. • photosynthesis reaction. • light-dependent reactions. • electron transport chain.

43. Which is a source of energy for Earth’s living things? • wind energy only • sunlight only • wind energy and sunlight • sunlight and chemical energy

44. The physical, or nonliving, components of the ecosystem are called • abiotic factors. • biotic factors. • antibiotic factors. • temperate factors.

45. All life on Earth exists in a region known as • ecology. • a biome. • biomass. • the biosphere.

46. The total mass of living tissue at each trophic level can be shown in a • pyramid of numbers. • biogeochemical cycle. • pyramid of biomass. • limiting nutrient.

47. Nutrients move through an ecosystem in • biogeochemical cycles. • water cycles. • energy pyramids. • ecological pyramids.

48. A group of populations living together in one area is a • species. • community. • ecosystem. • biosphere.

49. Another word for a producer is a(n) • heterotroph. • carnivore. • scavenger. • autotroph.

50. The first trophic level consists of organisms that • Use energy to make their own food • Eat first level consumers only • Eat producers and consumers • Add matter to the ecosystem