Study Guide

Field 010: Biological Sciences 
Sample Selected-Response Questions

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General Test Directions

This test consists of two sections: 1) a section with selected-response questions and 2) a constructed-response section.

Each question in the first section is a selected-response question with four answer choices. Read each question and answer choice carefully and choose the  start uppercase ONE end uppercase  best answer.

Try to answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all. You will  start uppercase NOT end uppercase  be penalized for guessing.

The second section of this test consists of one constructed-response assignment. You will be asked to provide a written response to the assignment. Directions for completing your written response to the constructed-response assignment appear immediately before the assignment.

You may  start uppercase NOT end uppercase  use any type of calculator or reference materials during the test session.

Sample Selected-Response Questions

Competency 0001 
Understand unifying concepts among the sciences and the relationships that connect science and technology.

1. A biologist is using a computer modeling program simulating the population growth and dispersal patterns of an insect species known to damage crops. The primary advantage of using a simulation program is that it allows the biologist to:

  1. draw conclusions about the population growth and dispersal patterns of a wide variety of other insect species.
  2. study in detail the reproductive anatomy and physiology of this insect species.
  3. explore how various combinations of factors are likely to affect the population growth and dispersal patterns of this insect species.
  4. develop chemicals that are likely to be effective in limiting the damage to crops this insect species causes.

correct response: c. the population growth and dispersal patterns of an insect species are likely to be influenced by many factors, some of which may interact in complex ways. an advantage of using simulation programs is that computers are capable of processing large amounts of complex data quickly. once known information about the insect species under study is incorporated into a modeling program, scientists can take full advantage of the power of computers to explore various scenarios involving the factors that may affect the insect's population growth and dispersal.

Competency 0002 
Understand the nature of science including the historical and contemporary contexts of biological study.

2. In the field of biology, the discovery of the structure and function of DNA is a good example of how scientific knowledge:

  1. is accidentally stumbled upon during the course of an unrelated experiment.
  2. is built gradually through the conduction of a series of carefully thought out investigations.
  3. is revolutionized through the results of a single seminal experiment.
  4. undergoes a paradigm shift once seemingly unrelated data are finally put together in the right way.

correct response: b. the discovery of the structure and function of d n a came about as the result of several experiments that systematically narrowed the focus of investigation. once scientists understood that the units of inheritance, genes, were located on chromosomes, they needed to determine which of the chemical components of chromosomes, d n a or protein, was the genetic material. investigations by various researchers definitively demonstrated that dna was the genetic material, which then led other researchers to focus on determining its structure. once d n a's structure was elucidated, other researchers conducted additional investigations to determine the mechanisms by which d n a replicates and codes for proteins.

Competency 0006 
Understand basic chemistry and biochemistry, and use this understanding to analyze the role of biologically important elements and compounds in living organisms.

3.  start bold Use the diagram below to answer the question that follows. end bold 

The diagram is a graph. The title is Optimal Temperature for Enzyme. The horizontal axis is labeled Temperature in degrees Celsius, with values marked from 0 to 60 in increments of 10. The vertical axis is labeled Rate of Reaction, with an arrow pointing up. The data curve starts at the origin, curves steeply up to a peak at a temperature value of nearly 40 degrees Celsius, then falls sharply to the horizontal axis at a temperature value of about 45 degrees Celsius.

The most likely explanation for the sharp drop in the rate of reaction for the enzyme above  40 degrees celsius  is that at increased temperatures:

  1. the strong bonds holding together the amino acids that make up the enzyme are broken, and the molecules separate into their constituent amino acids.
  2. all the available active sites on the enzyme become filled, and further reaction of the enzyme with the substrate molecules is blocked.
  3. the positively charged active sites on the enzyme become negatively charged and can no longer bind with the negatively charged substrate molecules.
  4. the weak bonds stabilizing the enzyme break, causing the enzyme to lose its natural shape so that it can no longer interact with the substrate molecules.

correct response: d. the rate of reaction between enzymes and their substrate molecules increases as temperature increases. the increasing temperature causes the molecules to move faster, resulting in more frequent collisions between the enzyme and substrate molecules. enzyme molecules are held together in an active three-dimensional conformation by hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, and other weak interactions. above a certain temperature, these weak interactions are disrupted and the enzyme denatures, losing its active conformation and ability to catalyze reactions, which for this enzyme occurs above 40 degrees celsius.

Competency 0009 
Understand the cell cycle, the stages and end products of meiosis and mitosis, and the role of cell division in unicellular and multicellular organisms.

4. In terms of the cell cycle, cancer cells differ from normal cells in which of the following ways?

  1.  roman numeral 1 and roman numeral 3 only 
  2.  roman numeral 2 and roman numeral 3 only 
  3.  roman numeral 2 and roman numeral 4 only 
  4.  roman numeral 1, roman numeral 2, and roman numeral 4 only 

correct response: b. control mechanisms limit the growth and division of normal cells. one of these mechanisms is contact inhibition; when normal cells in tissue come in contact with one another, they stop dividing. another control mechanism is the ability of normal cells to divide a set number of times before cell death. these controls no longer function normally in cancer cells and thus they divide without these restraints.

Competency 0010 
Understand the structure and function of DNA and RNA.

5. A team of researchers has isolated a chemical from a tropical tree that causes insects to die when they ingest it. The researchers determine that the chemical deactivates the enzyme RNA polymerase. This chemical likely causes the insects to die by interfering directly with:

  1. transcription of RNA from the DNA template.
  2. transport of RNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm.
  3. translation of polypeptides from RNA molecules.
  4. excision of transcribed introns from an RNA molecule.

correct response: a. rna polymerase is specifically involved in the process of transcription where it links together ribonucleotides to form a chain of rna. therefore, if an insect were exposed to a chemical that deactivates rna polymerase, its cells would be unable to carry out transcription.

Competency 0012 
Understand concepts, principles, and applications of classical and molecular genetics.

6. In watermelons, the alleles for green color and short fruit are dominant over the alleles for striped color and long fruit. Two watermelon plants that are heterozygous for both characteristics are bred. What fraction of offspring from this cross would be expected to have green color and long fruit?

  1. 9 over 16
  2. 7 over 16
  3. 3 over 16
  4. 1 over 16

correct response: c. if capital g equals green color, lowecase g equals striped color, capital s equals short fruit, and lowercase s equals long fruit, then the genotype of both parent plants is uppercase g lowercase g uppercase s lower case s. a punnett square can be used to determine what fraction of the offspring are expected to have green color and long fruit. There is a Punnett square with 4 columns and 4 rows. Both the columns and the rows are labeled upper case G upper case S, upper case G lower case s, lower case G upper case S, and lower case g lower case s. The first row values are as follows. Cell 1, upper case G upper case G upper case S upper case S. Cell 2, upper case G upper case G upper case S lower case S. Cell 3, upper case G lower case G upper case S upper case S. Cell 4, upper case G lower case G upper case S lower case S. The second row values are as follows. Cell 1, upper case G upper case G upper case S lower case S. Cell 2, upper case G upper case G lower case S lower case S, asterisk. Cell 3, upper case G lower case G upper case S lower case S. Cell 4, upper case G lower case G lower case S lower case S, asterisk. The third row values are as follows. Cell 1, upper case G lower case G upper case S upper case S. Cell 2, upper case G lower case G upper case S lower case S. Cell 3, lower case G lower case G upper case S upper case S. Cell 4, lower case G lower case G upper case S lower case S. The fourth row values are as follows. Cell 1, upper case G lower case G upper case S lower case S. Cell 2, upper case G lower case G lower case S lower case S, asterisk. Cell 3, lower case G lower case G upper case S lower case S. Cell 4, lower case G lower case G lower case S lower case S. the asterisks indicate the offspring genotypes that would produce the green color, long fruit phenotype. therefore, 3 over 16 of the offspring would be expected to have green color and long fruit.

Competency 0018 
Understand reproduction, development, and life cycles of organisms.

7. In contrast to reproduction in other divisions of plants, reproduction in angiosperms:

  1. results in distinct and independent sporophyte and gametophyte generations.
  2. involves the union of male and female gametes that are identical in appearance.
  3. produces offspring that have different genotypes than the parent plants.
  4. results in the production of endosperm to provide nutrition for the developing embryo.

correct response: d. one of the distinguishing features of angiosperm reproduction is the formation of triploid endosperm tissue to nourish the developing embryo in the seed. in the process of double fertilization, two sperm cells are delivered by the pollen grain to the embryo sac. one sperm nucleus unites with the egg to form the diploid zygote, while the other sperm nucleus fuses with two nuclei in the embryo sac, forming the triploid endosperm.

Competency 0019 
Understand human biology.

8. start bold  Use the graph below to answer the question that follows. end bold 

The horizontal axis is labeled Percent Muscle Length, with values marked from 100 to 180 percent in increments of 20. The vertical axis is labeled Isometric Tetanic Tension, with values marked from 0 to 100 percent in increments of 20. The data line begins at 100 percent isometric tetanic tension at 100 percent muscle length, slopes in a straight line to about 98 percent isometric tetanic tension at about 112 percent muscle length, then drops to 0 percent isometric tetanic tension at about 175 percent muscle length.

The graph shows the variation in the isometric tetanic tension produced by a skeletal muscle as a function of its length. A length of  100 percent  represents the normal resting length of the muscle, and a tension of  100 percent  represents the maximum tension the muscle is able to produce. Which of the following best explains the decrease in muscle tension as the muscle is stretched beyond its normal resting length?

  1. Stretching causes the membranes of the muscle fibers to become leaky to ions; therefore they are unable to initiate and propagate the action potentials that cause contractions.
  2. Stretching distorts the structure of the thin filaments in the muscle fibers so that cross bridges cannot bind to the actin and muscle tension cannot be created.
  3. Stretching reduces the amount of overlap between the thin and thick filaments in the muscle fibers, so fewer active cross bridges form and less tension is produced.
  4. Stretching interferes with the production of ATP in a muscle fiber, so there is little energy available for muscular contraction.

correct response: c. in a muscle at normal resting length, there is significant overlap of thick and thin filaments, with many active cross bridges between them. since the thick and thin filaments cannot change length, when the muscle is stretched, the amount of overlap between the filaments is reduced. active cross bridges still form, but there are fewer of them, which means less tension can be generated.

Competency 0020 
Understand the characteristics of populations and communities, and use this knowledge to analyze population growth and community interactions.

9. In a given geographic area, the size of the grizzly bear ( start italics Ursus arctos end italics ) population is relatively stable over time. The most probable explanation for the stability in numbers is that this bear population has:

  1. built up a relatively large number of individuals in the prereproductive age group.
  2. reached its carrying capacity and is prevented from growing by limiting factors in the environment.
  3. balanced the number of bears immigrating into the area with bears emigrating out of the area.
  4. attained a reproductive rate equal to the innate capacity for increase of the species.

correct response: b. a stable population size generally indicates that an established population has reached its carrying capacity, the maximum population size that can be supported by resources available in the environment. if the population had not yet reached its carrying capacity, a steady increase in numbers would be expected. conversely, if the population had exceeded its carrying capacity, a decline in numbers would be expected.

Competency 0023 
Understand concepts of human ecology and the impact of human decisions and activities on the abiotic and biotic environments.

10. The Ogallala Aquifer is a major underground source of freshwater that underlies the high plains from Texas to South Dakota. For many years, water has been pumped from this aquifer much faster than it is replaced by natural processes. Which of the following is one likely long-term effect of the overuse and depletion of this aquifer?

  1. A lowered water table will lead to the drying up and loss of many aquatic habitats such as streams, marshes, and ponds.
  2. Increased evaporation from groundwater sources will lead to greater precipitation in the area.
  3. Reduced water volume in the aquifer will lead to higher concentrations of mineral salts in the remaining water.
  4. Reduced soil moisture will lead to decreased vegetation cover and removal of topsoil by wind erosion.

correct response: a. a common problem associated with drawing water out of an aquifer faster than it can be replenished through natural processes is the lowering of the aquifer's water table, which represents the topmost layer of rocks or soil that is saturated with water. streams, ponds, and marshes often represent areas where the ground surface level extends below the level of the water table, causing these areas to fill with water to the level of the water table. when the water table drops, so does the water level in these bodies, even causing them to dry up completely if the water table drops far enough.