2022 STAAR Test Biology

Which mollusk moves by jet propulsion and does not have an external shell?

• Squid

• Slug

• Nautilus

• Snail

Which statement best describes how a virus replicates?

• A virus divides into two identical virus particles before infecting the host cell.

• A virus enters a host cell and uses the materials from the host cell to produce new virus particles.

• Multiple viruses particles fuse and form a large particle that breaks apart, releasing new virus particles.

• Multiple virus particles break down in component parts, which then reassemble into new copies of the virus.

Which statement best describes the interaction between body systems that allows horses to repel biting flies?

• The nervous system senses the biting flies and sends a signal to the muscular system to move.

• The circulatory system senses the biting flies and sends a signal to the nervous system to move.

• The muscular system senses the biting flies and sends a signal to the integumentary system to move.

• The integumentary system senses the biting flies and sends a signal to the circulatory system to move.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-3

Oil spills in the ocean affect marine food webs. Animals that are initially affected by oil spills include sea otters, seabirds, and other organisms that spend most of their time on the ocean surface. Based on the food web, how would a significant decrease in the sea otter population due to an oil spill most likely affect this ecosystem?

• The sea urchin population would increase causing the kelp population to decrease.

• The fish population would increase in response to the changes in the mussel population.

• The mussel population would increase in response to the changes in the algae population.

• The killer whale population would increase causing the fish population to decrease.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which of these shows an example of an insertion mutation?

• R S T U V W X Y Z → S T U V W X Y

• R S T U V W X Y Z → R S T V W X Y Z

• R S T U V W X Y Z → R U T S V W X Y Z

• R S T U V W X Y Z → K L R S T U V W X Y Z

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

In a Central Texas grassland, the producers incorporate 12,000 kJ of energy from the sun into their tissues. About how much energy would be incorporated into the tissues of herbivores?

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Positive thigmotropism is a response in plants in which they move and grow toward an object the plant comes into physical contact with, usually curling around the object. This response of the shoot system benefits the plant by allowing the plant to —

• produce more pollen for pollinators

• take in more carbon dioxide to convert into glucose

• absorb more water to transport to the leaves

• reach more sunlight for photosynthesis

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

The chemicals produced by both the white clovers and skunk cabbages are adaptations that allow them to —

• attract more pollinators

• survive a long-term drought

• protect against herbivores

• grow better in colder habitats

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

A model of the genetic control of coat color in rabbits is shown. Allele | Phenotype | Inheritance C | Black | Dominant to all other alleles c^ch | Chinchilla | Recessive to C; Dominant to c^h and c c^h | Himalayan | Recessive to C and c^ch; Dominant to c c | Albino | Recessive to all other alleles Which Punnett square represents a cross that would produce albino offspring?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS3-1

NGSS.HS-LS3-2

When a stem cell divides, it produces two daughter cells. One daughter cell will remain a stem cell, while the other daughter cell will differentiate into a specialized cell. Which factor will most directly determine what type of specialized cell will be produced?

• The size of the cell

• The length of the cell cycle

• The number of chromosomes that are replicated

• The genes that are expressed

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS3-1