CEOE Biological Sciences Practice Exam

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• Which statement best defines a clade?
• In hydrozoans, the polyp and medusa stages are typically which ploidy?
• Which statement correctly distinguishes bacterial transduction from transformation?
• Karyotype analysis is most informative for detecting which type of genetic change?
• How do enzymes lower activation energy?
• What distinguishes mitosis from meiosis in terms of genetic outcome?
• Which list includes only groups or organisms that are suspension feeders?
• Define evolution by natural selection.
• What primarily drives osmosis across a semipermeable membrane?
• Which step in transgenic crop engineering would require the use of PCR?
• Which concept describes properties of a complex system that arise from interactions among its parts and are not present in the individual components?
• During germination, the rate of ATP production increases most with which factor?
• A population in which population fluctuations are driven by environmental events independent of population size is best described by which concept?
• What is genetic drift and how does it differ from natural selection?
• What limited the delay in sequencing the human genome compared to earlier genomes?
• Which domain includes organisms with cells that have a nucleus?
• Which chloroplast component is most associated with housing the light-dependent reactions and increasing surface area for light capture?
• Which event during meiosis I increases genetic variation?
• Genetic recombination during meiosis occurs when?
• Why are fats able to yield more ATP per gram than carbohydrates?
• What is the primary purpose of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)?
• Which survivorship type is typical for many large mammals?
• Which natural phenomenon has been described using a Fibonacci sequence?
• In a taxonomic hierarchy, how does the number of species typically change as you move to higher ranks?
• Which statement describes feedback inhibition in metabolic pathways?
• Which statement about ATP makes it the cell's immediate energy currency?
• Compared with gradualism, punctuated equilibrium posits that speciation occurs in rapid bursts.
• In tropical rainforest ecosystems, most nutrients are stored in which component?
• Which is a major contributing factor to coastal dead zones?
• Nucleotides are components of the compounds directly responsible for which function in biological systems?
• Which term correctly describes the observable trait?
• In binomial nomenclature, what does the two-part name represent?
• Which component of blood is primarily responsible for transporting oxygen?
• Where do transcription and translation occur in a typical cell?
• Which event illustrates the arrangement of homologous chromosomes at the metaphase plate during metaphase I of meiosis?
• What does the Hardy-Weinberg principle describe?
• In hydrozoans with sedentary polyp and mobile medusa stages, the ploidy of both stages is typically:
• What is the primary function of the endocrine system?
• What is a gene and what is a chromosome?
• How do photosynthesis and cellular respiration complement each other in ecosystems?
• What is a mutation and how can it arise?
• What is mimicry in ecology and provide an example?
• An environmental event that reduces population size regardless of its density is an example of which factor?
• Which statement correctly describes the energy source used by chemoautotrophic bacteria?
• Which statement best describes how human activity affects ecosystems and the goal of conservation?
• Which technique is an essential part of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)?
• Which macromolecule primarily acts as biological catalysts in cells?
• What primarily contributes to the increase in biomass as a seed grows into a tree?
• Which statement best distinguishes genotype from phenotype?
• In population growth, exponential growth curves are typically described as having what shape?
• Plants access stored energy from which molecule?
• Which condition would cause allele frequencies to change in a population over generations?
• In mammals, the thymus, spleen, white blood cells, bone marrow, lymph vessels and lymph nodes collectively represent what?
• Which pollutant released into the atmosphere is most directly linked to acid precipitation?
• What is natural selection acting on a polygenic trait and how would that affect the distribution?
• To strengthen conclusions about competition between two bird species at feeders, which element should be added?
• Which organism is a keystone species in kelp forest ecosystems?
• In an algae culture exposed to higher light intensity, which outcome is most likely?
• In a cross between two moths where one parent is FfSs, what is a possible genotype for the other parent if the offspring show a 3:1 ratio for each trait?
• Which mechanism during meiosis increases genetic diversity among gametes?
• Which statement accurately describes the effect of mutations on genetic variation?
• Polygenic traits typically exhibit which pattern of variation in a population?
• Which environmental threat are archipelago ecosystems such as the Hawaiian Islands particularly sensitive to?
• Which statement describes the role of buffering in biological experiments?
• If data do not support a hypothesis that higher water temperatures increase egg-laying, what is the most appropriate next step?
• Which statement best defines natural selection?
• Deletion and duplications of genetic material in sister chromatids are most likely caused by which type of chromosomal alterations?
• Which statement correctly describes a symbiotic relationship and its example?
• Which statement describes a key difference in energy production for prokaryotic cells?
• Why are buffered solutions used in studies of enzyme-catalyzed reactions?
• In eukaryotic cells, mitochondria are the primary site of ATP production during respiration.
• Which cell component is found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?
• Nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA. Which of the following is a nitrogenous base found in DNA?
• In seeded vascular plants, the evolutionary advantage of having the sporophyte dominant is that the gametophyte can be protected and nourished within the sporophyte.
• Which of the following is an abiotic factor?
• What is the major difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?
• Which statement correctly describes the energy source used by chemoautotrophic bacteria?
• Wildlife corridors between wolf populations were proposed primarily to prevent which problem?
• In an ecosystem, which group is primarily responsible for converting light energy into chemical energy?
• Which type of data do biologists currently use to distinguish between taxonomic groups at the domain and kingdom levels?
• Quadrant sampling would be most useful for obtaining an estimate of the size of which population?
• Which statement best describes a major difference in growth and development of plants compared with animals?
• What type of data has been crucial in reshaping taxonomy to the three-domain model?
• The functioning of a compound light microscope is based on which physical phenomenon?
• Which description correctly matches arteries, veins, and capillaries?
• Approximately what percent of the visible light available to plants is converted to chemical energy?
• Which energy concept best describes chemoautotrophic bacteria?
• Which description correctly outlines the steps of cellular respiration and their outputs?
• In green plants, which structure directly facilitates exchange of water and gases with the surrounding environment?
• What are produced by transcription and translation in protein synthesis?
• Countercurrent circulation in the legs of wading birds is especially effective in:
• Which mechanism commonly contributes to homeostasis?
• Tapeworms living in a host illustrate which type of symbiotic relationship?
• The transformation of radiant energy to a chemical form of energy that allows plants to grow and reproduce occurs as the result of which process?
• Which scenario is an example of a negative homeostatic feedback mechanism operating in humans?
• During Darwin's development of descent with modification, his views were most strongly supported by which work?
• Early naturalists observed three related species differing in body size and food use. This pattern illustrates which concept?
• In algae exhibiting an alternation of generations, which generation is haploid?
• Which process creates an mRNA copy from a DNA template?
• How do vaccines work to prevent infectious diseases?
• Darwin’s finches on the Galapagos Islands exemplify evolution as a result of
• Compared to other heterotrophs, fungi obtain and utilize energy by which mechanism?
• Which procedure is most appropriate for heating alcohol and plant leaves to remove pigments without overheating?
• A test cross is used to determine whether an individual with a dominant phenotype is homozygous or heterozygous for the trait.
• What is a plasmid and why is it important in biotechnology?
• Which systemic feature is characteristic shared by insects and crustaceans?
• An ecosystem receives 2000 joules of energy incident on producers. If producers capture 1% of available light as chemical energy and 10% of energy is transferred to the next trophic level, what is the approximate energy available to tertiary consumers?
• Explain why a mutation in germ cells affects offspring while somatic mutations do not.
• What function is enabled by the structure of the human cervical canal?
• In algae exhibiting an alternation of generations, which generation is haploid?
• What was the primary component of the Green Revolution?
• In cellular respiration, which organelle hosts the Krebs cycle?
• Which statement best describes the role of a control in an experiment?
• The multinucleate nature of skeletal muscle cells results from which process?
• When a person stands for a long time, swelling in the feet occurs mainly because which part of the circulatory system relies on skeletal muscle contraction to return blood to the heart?
• Abiotic factors are nonliving factors and biotic factors are living factors. Which of the following is a biotic factor?
• Which organ is a primary component of the lymphatic/immune system in mammals?
• What is clonal selection in the immune system?
• What interaction primarily drives the cohesion between water molecules in processes such as transpiration?
• Which laboratory technique is used to separate DNA fragments by size?
• Spider crabs absorb changes in salinity differently from Pacific salmon. Compared with the spider crab's strategy, the Pacific salmon's strategy is most likely associated with:
• Phospholipids form the foundational structure of cellular membranes. Which description best explains their arrangement and permeability?
• Which ecological factor primarily limits the growth of deciduous hardwoods in the native grassland biome of the Midwestern United States?
• What is the primary function of ribosomes?
• The primary reason generalist predators recover better from environmental disturbances is that they have which advantage?
• How do the nervous and endocrine systems coordinate body responses?
• Which component of blood is primarily responsible for clotting?
• Which process is most responsible for phenotypic variation enabling evolution?
• What best defines a keystone species?
• Which statement is true about ionic bonds?
• Define biodiversity and why it is important for ecosystems.
• In seeded vascular plants, the sporophyte is the dominant phase and the gametophyte is reduced.
• Which statement is a general characteristic of taxonomic hierarchies?
• In the punctuated equilibrium model of evolution, speciation is assumed to occur
• Which ecosystem service is commonly enhanced by biodiversity?
• How does natural selection contribute to antibiotic resistance in bacteria?
• Which microbial process returns nitrogen to the atmosphere?
• Which factors influence population size?
• A geneticist would use a test cross in order to determine whether
• In sheep, white wool is dominant and black wool recessive, and brown eyes are dominant with blue eyes recessive. If purebred white-brown individuals are crossed with purebred black-blue individuals, how many of the second-generation offspring will have black wool and blue eyes out of 16?
• What is a food web and how does it differ from a food chain?
• Which discovery in molecular systematics has most supported the shift from the five-kingdom model to a three-domain classification?
• During meiosis II, which event occurs?
• Describe natural selection with an example.
• Which statement best describes negative feedback in insulin and glucose regulation?
• Which chloroplast structure most increases the surface area for light absorption?
• Models of optimal foraging behavior predict that individual foragers will increase the distance traveled and time spent foraging when the:
• A major factor in the development of low-oxygen dead zones in some coastal regions is which change in the marine environment?
• Which features differentiate plant cells from animal cells?
• The release of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere contributes most directly to which environmental problem?
• What effect do mutations have on genetic variation in a population?
• A difference between ionic bonds and covalent bonds is that the formation of ionic bonds involves the:
• Stored fat molecules yield more ATP per gram than glucose because fats are highly reduced with mostly C-C and C-H bonds.
• Which statement correctly describes germline mutations?
• Which structure is present in animal cells but not in plant cells?
• In experimental design, which statement best describes the purpose of including a control group?
• Two organisms with genotypes FfSs and FfSs (complete dominance, independent assortment) produce which phenotypic ratio in the offspring?
• Which scenario shows environmental conditions directly influencing phenotype expression?
• What molecular evidence most strongly supported moving from the five-kingdom to the three-domain classification scheme?
• If the cell interior is rich in Na+ and poor in K+ and Cl-, and the exterior has high K+ and Cl- with the outside being positively charged relative to the inside, which ion would tend to move into the cell if the membrane is equally permeable to all ions?
• The composting activity demonstrates which natural process most directly?
• Which mechanism captures atmospheric nitrogen and converts it into a formusable by plants, via a mutualistic association?
• Which statement best describes a hallmark of tropical rainforests?
• In the classroom, a physical model would be most helpful to illustrate which concept?
• Which statement correctly differentiates qualitative and quantitative data?
• In DNA base pairing, which statement correctly describes the pairing and hydrogen bonds?
• In a plant cell experiment, cells with twice as much DNA as others indicate which phase of the cell cycle?
• What is the key mechanism by which advantageous traits become more common across generations?
• Which tool is commonly used to predict the outcomes of genetic crosses by displaying all possible parental allele combinations?
• Which statement best describes how ATP is produced in the electron transport chain?
• In secondary succession after agricultural field abandonment, which factor accelerates recovery compared to primary succession?
• Which development enabled scientists to insert the human gene for insulin into bacteria?
• Quadrant sampling is typically used to estimate population size for which type of organisms?
• Which statement best explains why frameshift mutations caused by insertions or deletions are often more harmful than single-nucleotide substitutions?
• What role do ribosomes play in protein synthesis?
• Qualitative data describe attributes such as color or texture. Which statement is qualitative data?
• Which organism participates in mutualistic root associations to improve nutrient uptake in plants?
• What defines a gene pool?
• During translation in eukaryotic cells, which statement is true?
• Which function is most characteristic of mitochondria in eukaryotic cells?
• Nondisjunction during meiosis most often results in gametes with abnormal chromosome number.
• Which component primarily contributes to selective transport across cell membranes?
• What are the three domains of life and a key characteristic?
• Which statement about clades is most accurate?
• Which term describes population cycles with rapid growth followed by crashes caused by environmental disturbances?
• What is a lipid bilayer and what is its role in membranes?
• Which description best defines a positive feedback loop in biological systems?
• In a light microscope, which factor primarily determines the resolution limit observed when viewing small specimens?
• The observation that 4-legged vertebrates have five digits is best explained by which idea?
• A point mutation involving insertion of a single nucleotide pair is usually more damaging because, unlike substitutions, an insertion always:
• Karyotype analysis is best utilized for detecting the presence of which chromosomal change?
• A gamete is which of the following?
• Most cases of Down syndrome are caused by which chromosomal event?
• Which enzyme is primarily responsible for sealing breaks in the sugar-phosphate backbone during DNA ligation in cloning experiments?
• In humans, the circulation is described as double circulation. Which statement correctly describes its effect?