Name______Date______Period____

Biology Practice Final: 1st Semester

  1. What does it mean for a set of data to be reliable?
  1. What does it mean for a set of data to be valid?
  1. In order to ensure the reliability of an experiment, a researcher should
  1. be sure to have only one manipulated variable
  2. have multiple samples or repeated trials
  3. avoid sample bias
  4. both A and C
  1. In order to ensure the validity of an experiment, a researcher should
  1. be sure to have only one manipulated variable
  2. have multiple samples or repeated trials
  3. avoid sample bias
  4. both A and C
  1. A group of students design an experiment to test whether the color of light shining on a plant affects the rate of photosynthesis. In order to measure the rate of photosynthesis, they measure the number of bubbles of oxygen gas given off by aquatic plants. In this experiment, what is the manipulated (independent) variable?

A. the number of bubbles given offC. the size of the plants

B. the color of lightD. none of the above

  1. For the experiment in #5, what is the responding (dependent) variable?

A. the number of bubbles given offC. the size of the plants

B. the color of lightD. none of the above

  1. For the experiment in #5, what is a controlled variable?

A. the number of bubbles given offC. the size of the plants

B. the color of lightD. B and C

  1. The average rainfall in a lake is a(n) ______and the size of a minnow (fish) population is a(n) ______.

A. biotic factor, abiotic factorC. abiotic factor, biotic factor

B. biotic factor, biotic factorD. abiotic factor, abiotic factor

  1. The difference between an organism’s habitat and its niche is that
  1. habitat only includes the physical space it lives in and niche includes its role in the ecosystem.
  2. niche only includes the physical space it lives in and habitat includes its role in the ecosystem.
  3. habitat and niche are the same
  4. habitat is where an organism lives and niche is where a population lives
  1. The first trophic level is always

A. a decomposerC. an autotroph

B. an herbivoreD. a scavenger

  1. The difference between a community and an ecosystem is

A. a community only includes all the organisms in a region, and ecosystem also includes the abiotic factors.

B. an ecosystem only includes all the organisms in a region, and community also includes the abiotic factors

C. community and ecosystem are the same

D. a community only includes all the organisms of one species and an ecosystem includes all living things

  1. Explain why decomposers are important in an ecosystem.

13. Explain what an energy pyramid is. What type of organism is always at the base (widest part) of a pyramid? Explain why less energy is available at higher levels of the pyramid and why this is still consistent with the Law of Conservation of Energy.

14. In an ocean food chain, algae is eaten by zooplankton. Krill feeds on zooplankton. The krill is eaten by penguins and orca whale prey on penguins. Draw out the food chain with the correct direction of the arrows.

15. In the food chain described in the previous question, which species would be most affected by DDT (a toxin) in the ecosystem? Explain why.

16. In the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is incorporated into organic molecules (sugars and other molecules in living things) through ______.

A. photosynthesis onlyC. photosynthesis and combustion

B. combustion and respirationD. respiration only

17. In the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide is returned to the atmosphere through ______.

A. photosynthesis onlyC. photosynthesis and combustion

B. combustion and respirationD. respiration only

18. A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefits is called

A. parasitismC. commensalism

B. mutualismD. competition

For the questions below, identify which roles each organism plays in the following food chain.

Rose  Aphid Lady bug Robin Fox Bacteria

List ALL of the terms that apply. This means that each organism can be labeled with more than one letter and that letters can be used more than once.

19. Rose ______A. autotroph

20. Aphid ______B. heterotroph

21. Lady bug ______C. producer

22. Robin ______D. consumer

23. Fox ______E. herbivore

24. Bacteria ______F. carnivore or omnivore

G. decomposer

25. Describe the process of natural selection.

26. Variation is a prerequisite for natural selection to occur.

A. What process produces variation in a population? Explain.

B. Why is this often a limiting factor in a populations ability to adapt to its environment?

27. When distantly related species develop similar adaptations because they have similar niches and therefore similar natural selection pressures, is called ______. (For example, whales are mammals that are more distantly related to fish yet have similar adaptations to live in water.)

A. coevolutionC. divergent evolution

B. convergent evolutionD. adaptive radiation

28. Iftwo populations of a species are geographically isolated, such as two deer populations on either side of a mountain range, and over time these populations change so much to adapt to their different environments that the populations can no longer interbred, the process is called

A. coevolutionC. divergent evolution

B. convergent evolutionD. adaptive radiation

29. Explain why DNA and protein sequencing is considered more reliable than anatomical comparisons when determining how closely related two species are.

33. A substance with a pH of 3 is

  1. BasicC. Neutral
  2. AcidicD. Inert

34. Water

  1. takes more energy to heat a pound of water by 1 °C than it does for most other substances
  2. takes less energy to heat a pound of water by 1 °C than it does for most other substances
  3. resists temperature changes, and can moderate temperatures.
  4. Both A and C
  5. Both B and C

35. Polysaccharides are a type of ______and are composed out of ______.

A. proteins, amino acidsC. carbohydrates, amino acids

B. carbohydrates, sugarsD. lipids, fatty acids

36. Which type of molecule has a 1:2:1 ratio of carbon to hydrogen to oxygen?

A. proteinC. carbohydrates

B. lipidsD. nucleic acids

37. What are the building blocks of proteins?

A. amino acidsC. sugars

B. nucleotidesD. fatty acids

38. Cellulose is a ______whose main function is ______.

  1. carbohydrate, energy storage
  2. carbohydrate, structural support in plants
  3. protein, energy storage
  4. protein, catalyze chemical reactions
  1. What type of molecule are enzymes composed of? Enzymes are catalysts for a reaction- explain what this means and explain why enzymes are not considered a reactant.
  1. Define substrate and active site. Describe the lock and key model for enzymes and relate this to enzyme specificity.

41. Draw a graph showing the affect that temperature has on the rate of enzyme activity. Explain why the graph has this shape (explain all increases or decreases on the graph).

42. In hot climates, where organisms have to radiate excess heat from their surface, is it an advantage to be larger or smaller. (Hint: Under these conditions, organisms need a higher surface area to volume ratio to be able to adequately radiate excess heat.)

Match the following cell parts with their function.

43. Nucleus ______A. site of protein synthesis

44. Mitochondria ______B. site of photosynthesis

45. Chloroplasts ______C. contains the DNA

46. Cell membrane ______D. provides structural support in plants

47. Ribosome_____E. controls what entersexits the cell

48. Cell wall ______F. site of cell. respiration/ produces ATP

  1. Explain the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. What typesof organisms are composed of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?
  1. Which statement is correct
  1. Animal cells have a cell wall
  2. Plant cells have a cell membrane (and a cell wall)
  3. Animal cells don not have a mitochondria
  4. Plant cells do not have a mitochondria
  1. Which type of organism can break apart atmospheric nitrogen (N2) to make other nitrogen compounds which can then be used by other living things?
  1. Certain plantsD. A and B
  2. Certain bacteriaE. B and C
  3. Certain fungi