Life Science: Biology — Sample exam

Parent / teacher answer key

A rehearsal paper with separate worked solutions; use it before the final.

16 questions · 32 points · suggested 90 minutes

Student instructions

  1. Suggested time: 90 minutes; allow breaks or accommodations and record them.
  2. Work independently with a calculator, blank paper and the reference relationships printed in this paper. Grades 9, 11 and 12 may also use the course-linked NYSED reference tables. Use no lesson notes or answer key during an assessed attempt.
  3. Show reasoning and units for written tasks. All supplied datasets are illustrative; do not present them as measurements you collected.
  4. Objective items: 1 point each. Written items: 3 points each, one per criterion. A parent or teacher marks the written work; the app never grades an explanation automatically.
  5. Sample exam: try the whole paper before opening the worked key, then revisit the linked chapters. The sample and final are different papers; this is a course assessment, not an official Regents examination.

Reference relationships

Relationship or toolConditions
Cell geometryCube area=6L², volume=L³, area/volume=6/L. A geometry model simplifies actual shapes.
Genetic probabilitiesSpecify genotypes and the inheritance model. Each offspring is a probability event; ratios are not guaranteed small-family counts.
Population accountingNew population=old+births+immigration−deaths−emigration.
Energy transferNext-level production=available production×the supplied efficiency, not a universal fixed 10%.
Molecular pathwaysReplication copies DNA; transcription makes RNA; translation makes polypeptide. Track matter and energy separately.

Coverage and marks

ChapterQuestionsPoints
Investigating the Chemistry of Life1, 24
Cells, Membranes & Exchange3, 44
Body Systems, Signals & Homeostasis5, 64
Matter & Energy in Living Systems7, 84
Cell Division, Reproduction & Development9, 104
DNA, Inheritance & Gene Expression11, 124
Evolution, Ancestry & Biodiversity13, 144
Ecosystems & Conservation Decisions15, 164

Name: ____________________   Date: ____________________

Question 1 · 1 point

To test temperature alone, which factor should also be kept comparable?

  1. Enzyme amount
  2. The measured reaction rate
  3. The graph height
  4. The conclusion

Question 2 · 3 points

Explain why saying ATP provides energy because its bond is broken is incomplete.

Question 3 · 1 point

A researcher wants to see individual ribosomes, which are about 20 nanometers across. Why won't the best light microscope work?

  1. Its resolution limit (~200 nm) is far larger than a ribosome, so it cannot separate that fine detail no matter how much it magnifies
  2. Light microscopes cannot magnify past 100×
  3. Ribosomes are too large to fit in the field of view
  4. Light microscopes only work on living cells

Question 4 · 3 points

Compare area/volume ratios for cubes of side 1 mm and 2 mm.

Question 5 · 1 point

Homeostasis is best described as

  1. maintaining a stable internal environment despite changes outside
  2. the total lack of any internal change
  3. the process of a cell dividing
  4. the buildup of waste inside a cell

Question 6 · 3 points

A bacterial population contains rare resistant variants before treatment. Explain a possible population change after treatment.

Question 7 · 1 point

What is the main difference between ATP and ADP?

  1. ATP contains DNA while ADP does not
  2. They are identical molecules with different names
  3. ATP has three phosphate groups and ADP has two
  4. ATP has two phosphate groups and ADP has three

Question 8 · 3 points

Why can a green plant consume oxygen in darkness?

Question 9 · 1 point

Which is the correct order of the phases of mitosis?

  1. Anaphase, Metaphase, Prophase, Telophase
  2. Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase
  3. Metaphase, Prophase, Anaphase, Telophase
  4. Telophase, Anaphase, Metaphase, Prophase

Question 10 · 3 points

Why does a multicellular embryo need cell signaling as well as cell division?

Question 11 · 1 point

Which best describes the overall shape of a DNA molecule?

  1. A double helix — a twisted ladder
  2. A single straight line
  3. A flat triangle
  4. A solid sphere

Question 12 · 3 points

A liver cell increases transcription after a hormone signal without changing DNA sequence. Is this a mutation?

Question 13 · 1 point

In evolutionary biology, an individual's 'fitness' is best measured by its

  1. physical strength
  2. body size
  3. lifespan
  4. number of surviving, fertile offspring

Question 14 · 3 points

In a tree, A and B share a recent node; C joins their branch at an older node. Which pair is most closely related?

Question 15 · 1 point

A bacterial colony starts with 200 cells and doubles every hour. Growing exponentially, how many cells are there after 4 hours?

Question 16 · 3 points

Site A yields 12 species in 1 h; B yields 18 in 4 h. Can you confidently rank their richness?

Revisit the covered chapters

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