Name: ______

Biology End of Course Exam Review

Directions:Work through the following practice packet of problems to prepare you for the NJ Biology End of Course Exam on May 20th and 21st. Place all answers on the provided Scantron

Due Dates: May 9th – Scientific Process, Matter and Energy, Interdependence

20 points = multiple choice completion, 10 points = constructed response effort and accuracy

Scientific Process

  1. A student conducted an original, well-designed experiment, carefully following proper scientific procedure. For the conclusions to become generally accepted, the experiment must

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  1. Contain several experimental variables
  2. Support the original hypothesis
  3. Be repeated to verify the reliability of the data
  4. Be conducted by a scientist

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  1. Which of the steps listed below would be first in a scientific investigation?

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  1. Perform the experiment
  2. Analyze the experimental data
  3. Formulate a hypothesis
  4. Define the problem to be investigated

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  1. A new drug for the treatment of asthma is tested on 100 people. The people are evenly distributed into two groups. One group is given the drug and the other group is given a glucose pill. The group that is given the glucose pill serves as the

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  1. Control group
  2. Limiting factor
  3. Experimental group
  4. Indicator group

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  1. A scientist determines the number of calories in one ounce each of protein, carbohydrate, and fat. The results are shown in the table below

Compound Tested / # of Calories Produced
Protein / 147
Fat / 271
Carbohydrate / 152

Which statement represents a valid conclusion based on the data?

  1. An ounce of fat contains about twice as many calories as an ounce of protein
  2. Protein is a better energy food than carbohydrate
  3. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins all yield approximately the same number of calories per unit of weight
  4. Proteins and carbohydrates provide the most calories per ounce.
  1. In the late 1800s Christian Eijkman studied a disease called beriberi, which is caused by a vitamin deficiency. A disease similar to beriberi occurred in chickens that were fed polished rice, which is rice that has had the bran layer removed. Chickens that ate the unpolished rice did not get the disease. Eijkman convinced officials of a prison experiencing an outbreak of the disease to start feeing the prisoners unpolished rice. The rate of beriberi decreased dramatically. Which procedure would best convince other scientists who questioned his results?
  2. Feed prisoners chickens that ate only unpolished rice
  3. Provide the same number of prisoners with polished rice as with unpolished rice
  4. Study other types of animals that had a disease similar to beriberi
  5. Compare chickens that are polished rice to prisoners who ate polished rice
  1. An ecologist performed a study to determine how the rate of photosynthetic activity in a lake changed from month to month. The results of the study are show in the graph below.

What conclusion is best supported by the evidence?

  1. Photosynthetic organisms were dormant during the months of April through August
  2. The rate of photosynthesis increased from June through December
  3. The rate of photosynthesis was greatest during the months of May through July
  4. Photosynthetic organisms experienced die-off during the months of January through June.
  1. The graph represents the relationships between an organism’s oxygen consumption and body mass.

Which statement is supported by the information shown in the graph?

  1. The oxygen consumption of an organism is one-half its body mass
  2. The oxygen consumption of an organisms is not related to its body mass
  3. As the body mass of an organism increases, oxygen consumption decreases
  4. As the body mass of an organisms decreases, oxygen consumption decreases
  1. A researcher is studying the damage that predators cause to the wings of butterflies. Which tools are best to use to determine the percentage of butterflies with damaged wings?

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  1. Triple beam balance and microscope
  2. Hand lens and triple beam balance
  3. Catch net and hand lens
  4. Microscope and graduated cylinder
  1. Generic drugs are copies that are the same as brand-name drugs in dosage, safety, strength, quality and performance. Many people prefer generic drugs because they cost much less thant heir brand-name counterparts. Which best explains why pharmaceutical companies are able to sell generic drugs at a much lower cost than the brand-name drugs?
  2. Generic drugs do not have the initial costs of production and advertising
  3. Generic drugs do not have the approval of all government agency
  4. Generic drug do not have to be tested on humans
  5. Generic drugs do not have to be packaged in childproof container
  1. The student performed an investigation of the relationship between heart rate and blood pressure. The data collected is shown in the table below.

The student concluded that resting heart rate affects the resting blood pressure. Which statement supports the student’s conclusions?

  1. Subjects Q and S have the same resting blood pressure
  2. Subjects Q and R are different ages
  3. Subjects R and T have different resting blood pressure
  4. Subjects S and T are the same gender
  1. An inventor has an idea for a pest control product for farms. The inventor proceeds to build and market the product. Which test to engineer design process das the inventor neglected to do?
  2. Identify a need
  3. Define the problem
  4. Narrow the research
  5. Verify the results
  1. A researcher presented the results from an experiment on the effectiveness of a new type of eyedrop. The eyedrops were designed to prevent contact lenses from drying out and irritating the eyes. The researcher tested the eyedrops over a two year period using subjects who wore various types of contact lenses from drying out. Before manufacturing the new eye drops, the researcher must verify that his results are free of bias by
  2. Extending his research for three more years
  3. Investing similar products and their results
  4. Testing a larger population of subjects using different brands
  5. Having an independent research company perform the same investigation

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Matter and Energy

  1. Decomposition and decay of organic matter are accomplished by the action of

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  1. Green plants
  2. Bacteria and fungi
  3. Viruses and algae
  4. Scavengers

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14. Which statement about the pyramid of energy shown below is correct?

  1. The amount of energy needed to sustain the pyramid enters at level 4
  2. The total amount of energy decreases with each successive feeding level from 4 to 1
  3. The amount of energy is identical in each level of the pyramid
  4. The total amount of energy at level 4 is less than the total amount of energy at level 2
  1. Organisms that eat goats obtain less energy from the goats than the goats obtain from the plants they eat. This is because goats
  1. Pass on most of the energy to their offspring
  2. Convert solar energy to food energy
  3. Store all of their energy in milk
  4. Use energy for their own metabolism
  1. Which of the following most accurately describes how matter cycles through an ecosystem?
  1. Materials are cycled between living organisms only
  2. Materials are cycled between heterotrophic organisms only
  3. Materials are cycled between the living and nonliving components of an ecosystem
  4. Materials are cycled between autotrophic organisms only
  1. Analysis of a sample taken from a pond showed variety in both number and type of organisms present. The data collected are shown in the table below.

Type of organism / Number present
Bass / Two
Frogs / Forty
Phytoplankton / Thousands
Insect larvae / hundreds

If the frogs feed on insect larvae, what is the role of the frogs in this pond ecosystem?

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  1. herbivore
  2. consumer
  3. parasite
  4. host

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  1. In order to be self-sustaining, an ecosystem must contain
  1. A large number of organisms
  2. A warm, moist environment
  3. A constant source of energy
  4. Organisms that occupy all niches
  1. DDT is an insecticide that accumulates in the fatty tissues of animals and is transferred through food chains. Which organism in a food chain is most likely to accumulate the highest concentration of DDT?

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  1. A rabbit (herbivore)
  2. Corn (producer)
  3. Field mouse (consumer)
  4. Owl (predator)

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  1. Plants help maintain the quality of the atmosphere by

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  1. Storing carbon dioxide
  2. Opening holes in the ozone layer
  3. Causing global warming
  4. Storing oxygen

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  1. A forest community is made up of thousands of species of organisms and can exist practically unchanged for hundreds of years. This stability is due to the
  1. Diversity of organisms present
  2. Abundance of insects that feed on plants
  3. Changes in the climate of the area
  4. Lack of decomposers in the forest

Base your answers to question 22 through 24 on the following food chain.

Grass grasshopper spider  toad snake

  1. Which organism in this food chain can transform light energy into chemical bond energy?

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  1. Spiders
  2. Aphids
  3. Grasses
  4. Snakes

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  1. Which population will most likely contain the smallest number of organisms?

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  1. Spiders
  2. Aphids
  3. Grass
  4. Snakes

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  1. If the spraying of insecticide killed many of the grasshoppers off, what would most likely happen to the number of toads this ecosystem could support?
  1. It would increase since there would be more spiders to eat
  2. It would decrease because there would be fewer spiders to eat
  3. It would stay the same because the grass would not be killed by insecticide
  4. It would stay the same because the toads
  5. eat only spiders
  1. An energy pyramid is show right : Which best explains why a pyramid is used to represent energy flow within an ecosystem?
  2. Available energy increases when moving up a energy pyramid
  3. Available energy decreases when moving up a energy pyramid
  4. The side of the organisms decreases when moving up an energy pyramid
  5. The population size of the organisms increases when moving up the energy pyramid
  1. What would most likely result if nitrogen-fixing bacteria in an area were destroyed?
  2. Vegetation in the area would grow at a faster rate
  3. Vegetation in the area would grow at a slower rate
  4. Vegetation in the area would not be affected
  5. Vegetation in the area would find other nutrient sources
  1. An aquatic food chain is shown: What would most likely result if a waterborne bacteria caused death of most of the minor population?
  2. Decrease in both algae and zooplankton population
  3. Increase in both zooplankton and perk population
  4. Increase in both perk and hawk population
  5. Decrease in both perch and hawk population
  1. The diagram shows a relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration: which statement best describes the interdependence of photosynthesis and cellular respiration?
  1. The products of photosynthesis are carbon dioxide and water to be used in cellular respiration
  2. The reactants of photosynthesis are the products of cellular respiration
  3. The reactants of photosynthesis are sugar and oxygen to be used in cellular respiration
  4. The products of photosynthesis are the same as the products of cellular respiration

Interdependence

  1. When two different species live in the same area and use the same limited resources, which of the following will occur?

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  1. Competition
  2. Succession
  3. Parasitism
  4. Industrialization

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  1. In the biosphere, what are some of the major abiotic factors that determine the distribution and types of plant communities?
  2. Temperature, sunlight, and rainfall
  3. Humidity, location, and humans
  4. Soil type, soil bacteria, and soil water
  5. Insects, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen in the air
  1. An earthworm lives and reproduces in the soil. Through its feeding, excretion, and tunneling activities, the worm adds nutrients and allows air to enter the soil. Together, these statements describe the earthworms

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  1. Habitat
  2. Nutrition
  3. Niche
  4. Environment

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  1. Crocodiles often allow small birds called ibises to enter their mouths and pick bits of food from between their teeth. Both the crocodiles and the ibises benefit. This symbiotic relationship is known as

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  1. Parasitism
  2. Predation
  3. Mutualism
  4. Commensalism

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  1. A characteristic shared by both predators and parasites is that they
  2. Feed on decomposing plant material
  3. Capture and kill animals for food
  4. Live inside their hosts
  5. Attack a living food source
  1. When a stable forest community is destroyed by fire, the community usually is
  2. Not restored
  3. Restored in a series of successive changes
  4. Restored only if humans reforest the area
  5. Changed into a permanent grassland
  1. Which is a biotic factor that affects the size of a population in a specific ecosystem?
  2. The average temperature of the ecosystem
  3. The number and kinds to soil minerals in the ecosystem
  4. The number and kinds of predators in an ecosystem
  5. The concentration of oxygen in an ecosystem

Base your answers to 36 and 37 on the following diagram of a food web.

  1. Which organisms are most likely to be competitors?

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  1. Mouse and frog
  2. Cricket and owl
  3. Cricket and frog
  4. Owl and hawk

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  1. Which organism would most likely be adversely effected by a continuous decrease in the population of mice?

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  1. Grass
  2. Crickets
  3. Elk
  4. Hawks

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  1. Gypsy moths were accidentally introduced into North America. The most probable reason these insects have become serious pests in North America is that they
  2. Were bred by research scientists and are resistant to all pesticides
  3. Are protected by environmental laws and feed on other insect species
  4. Have few natural enemies and reproduce successfully
  5. Are affected by natural controls and feed on plants
  1. The graph to the right shows changes in the sizes of four animal populations over a 16-year period.

In which population was birthrate most likely greater than death rate from year 8 to year 12?

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  1. Population 1
  2. Population 2
  3. Population 3
  4. Population 4

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  1. In the graph, which population seems to have stabilized at carrying capacity?

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  1. Population 1
  2. Population 2
  1. Population 3
  2. Population 4

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  1. The diagram below shows the feeding relationship for four coral reef organisms: Humans sometimes kill giant tritons in order to collect their attraction spiral shells. If humans kill most of the giant tritons in a coral reef, the coral population will most likely
  1. Decrease due to a decrease in the parrot fish population
  2. Increase due to an increase in the parrot fish population
  3. Increase due to a decrease in the crown-of –thorns sea star population
  4. Decrease due to an increase in the crown-of-thorns sea star population
  1. An isolated population of termites livings in a forest surrounded by mountains. These termites feed on dead wood, grasses and seeds. This food is broken down by a species of microorganisms that lives inside the intestines of the termites. Without the microorganisms, these termites cannot obtain the nutrients they need to survive. One winter, a virus causes most of these microorganisms to die. As a result of the microorganism’s absence, these termites will most likely?

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  1. Eat different food
  2. Decrease to a level near extinction
  3. Evolve immediately into a new species
  4. Develop a new species of microorganisms

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  1. A growth curve for a population of crabs on a coral reef is shown below: which statement best explains what is happening at Point A?
  2. Population growth deceases as individual crabs get older
  3. The population is stabilizing as it approaches carrying capacity
  4. Destruction of habitat is causing a decline in the population of the crabs
  5. The introduction of a new predator is causing a decline in population growth of the crabs
  6. Zebra mussels were first discovered in the Great Lakes 30 years ago and have spread throughout. Zebra mussels reproduce quickly and have few natural predators. What will most likely happen to other native mussel species in the Great Lakes region?
  7. Native species will begin to interbreed with zebra mussels
  8. Native species populations will decrease in area with large zebra mussel populations
  9. Individuals of the native species will mutate and become more similar to zebra mussels
  10. Individuals of the native species will mutate and become less similar to zebra mussels

Sample Performance or Constructed Response Questions

Directions: Please complete 2 of the 3 given possibilities on loose-leaf paper or google docs.

1. A certain plant has white flower petals and it usually grows in soil that is slightly basic. Sometimes the plant produces flowers with red petals. A company that sells the plant wants to know if soil pH affects the color of the petals in this plant. Design a controlled experiment to determine if soil pH affects petal color. In your experimental design be sure to:

  • state the hypothesis to be tested in the experiment
  • state one way the control group will be treated differently from the experimental group
  • identify two factors that must be kept the same in both the control group and the experimental group
  • identify the dependent variable in the experiment
  • state one result of the experiment that would support the hypothesis

2. Use the below paragraph, data table (figure 1) and instructions to construct a response.

CropCorp is a new corporation with the mission of developing new biofuels1. You have been hired as a consultant to manage its newly acquired farm. You must decide which crop will most efficiently transform sunlight into a product that can be used to make a biofuel. You want to choose a crop that will make the most efficient use of space and resources (land, fertilizer, money).

The farm you are planning for is located in central New Jersey, where the soil is a mix of sand, clay, and organic material with some stone and gravel. The land is flat with a 2- acre pond and 100 acres of forest that can be used for logging. One acre of land is approximately the size of a football field.