Life Science & Scientific Inquiry — Midterm exam
Parent / teacher answer keyCourse-authored study paper with accessible keys. Use two flexible 45-minute blocks for the midterm, three for the cumulative final, and one for the optional sample. The questions revisit taught ideas and cases; these are not secure official school tests. Feedback has a separate session.
20 questions · 60 points · suggested 90 minutes
Student instructions
- Use the supplied records; a glossary, notes, and calculator are permitted.
- Explain briefly and show calculation steps with units; a labeled diagram or supported oral response can be accepted where appropriate.
- Attempt responses before opening the worked key.
- The suggested timing can be extended for reading and writing needs; mark reasoning rather than speed or exact model wording.
Science inquiry and calculation notes
| Task | Method |
|---|---|
| Change | Final value minus initial value, with units. |
| Mean | Sum all values and divide by the number of values. |
| Percentage | Part divided by total, multiplied by 100. |
| Percentage points | Subtract two percentage values; distinguish from relative percent change. |
| Model | Label quantities, relationships, assumptions, and omissions. |
| Explanation | Claim + relevant evidence + biological reasoning + a limitation. |
Coverage and marks
| Chapter | Questions | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Inquiry & Diversity of Life | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | 15 |
| Cells, Transport & Cellular Energy | 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 | 15 |
| Body Organization, Transport & Movement | 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 | 15 |
| Coordination, Defense & Reproduction | 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 | 15 |
Name: ____________________ Date: ____________________
Question 1 · 3 points
A class repeats this same light-confounded comparison ten times. Can it now identify water’s separate effect?
Question 2 · 3 points
A drawing is enlarged while its copied scale bar is left unchanged. Can that bar still calibrate the enlarged cell?
Question 3 · 3 points
A graph shows an association between rainfall and plant height. Does the association alone prove rainfall caused every difference?
Question 4 · 3 points
A student changes a model after repeated contradictory observations. Is this automatically dishonest?
Question 5 · 3 points
A fungus has walls but no chloroplasts. Must it be an animal or a plant?
Question 6 · 3 points
A newly observed unicellular organism has no tissue. Does that contradict cell theory?
Question 7 · 3 points
A bacterium has DNA and ribosomes but no nucleus. Can it still make proteins?
Question 8 · 3 points
A bulb cell has a wall and nucleus but no visible chloroplasts. Must the observation be wrong?
Question 9 · 3 points
A membrane is freely permeable to the solute in a second model. Can the previous nonpenetrating-solute prediction be copied unchanged?
Question 10 · 3 points
A student says plants use respiration only at night. Correct the claim.
Question 11 · 3 points
A diagram includes the heart but no vessels. What important relationship is missing?
Question 12 · 3 points
A diagram says food energy is created in the stomach. Correct it.
Question 13 · 3 points
A vessel carries blood from the heart toward the lungs. Is it an artery or vein under the directional definition?
Question 14 · 3 points
A diagram says one muscle contracts to bend and then pushes to straighten a joint. What needs correction?
Question 15 · 3 points
A draft calls kidney processing a digestive absorption step. Correct the system relationship.
Question 16 · 3 points
Why could different task instructions change a response-time comparison?
Question 17 · 3 points
A student says “negative feedback is bad feedback.” Correct the terminology.
Question 18 · 3 points
Why should a decomposition bacterium not automatically be labeled a harmful pathogen?
Question 19 · 3 points
Two sexual offspring share parents but differ in traits. Does that by itself contradict inheritance?
Question 20 · 3 points
Why is the same germination treatment not automatically best for every plant species?