Spring Semester Exam AP Biology

The survival of a species depends on its ability to adapt to changes in the environment. A species must be capable of surviving and reproducing despite changes to food sources, climate, or threats from predators. Which statement correctly describes a way that mutations increase the likelihood that a species will survive in a changing environment?

• Mutations are a source of variation in the species.

• Mutations are the cause of disease in the species.

• Mutations are not harmful when they occur in somatic cells of the species.

• Mutations are always passed on to subsequent generations of the species.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Scientists can determine relatedness among organisms by comparing partial amino acid sequences. The table shows four partial amino acid sequences from four organisms. Partial Amino Acid Sequence Organism 1: SER LEU VAL GLU Organism 2: LEU SER ASN VAL Organism 3: ALA LEU SER GLU Organism 4: THR LEU SER GLU Which organism is the LEAST related to the other three organisms?

• Organism 1

• Organism 2

• Organism 3

• Organism 4

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Differences in traits such as hair texture are determined by differences in —

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which of the following best describes what is determined by the sequence of nucleotides in DNA?

• the location of sugar groups in DNA

• the sequence of nucleotides in DNA

• the number of nitrogenous bases in DNA

• the molecules attached to the phosphate in DNA

What is the purpose of this process?

• To replicate the DNA of an organism before cell division

• To assemble nucleotides in an mRNA chain along a DNA template

• To synthesize amino acids used to unzip strands of DNA and copy the genetic code

• To translate the genetic code into a specific sequence of amino acids

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

Refer to the bar graph titled 'Reptile Fossil Tracks.' Which statement is best supported by these data?

• A. Competition for food and shelter among reptile species was very low during the Triassic period.

• B. A great extinction occurred during the Jurassic period.

• C. Environmental conditions for speciation were most favorable for reptiles during the Permian period.

• D. Reptiles adapted to a terrestrial environment during the Cretaceous period.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Mice have two unlinked allele pairs that affect fur color. The term “agouti” describes fur with pigmentation that changes in each hair from the shaft to the tip, giving the fur a banded appearance. Mice with the aa allele pair are albino, regardless of the second allele-pair combination. What is the probability of albinism in the offspring of a cross between two mice with AaBb alleles?

• 1/16

• 1/8

• 1/4

• 1/2

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS3-1

NGSS.HS-LS3-2

Conservation biologists studying cheetah populations have determined that the lack of genetic diversity among the cheetahs is due to genetic drift. Which statement explains the most likely consequence of having a low genetic diversity on the cheetah population?

• The chances of a mutation occurring in the cheetah population are decreased, increasing the cheetah survival rate.

• The gene pool remains in equilibrium and future generations of cheetah offspring are stronger and better adapted to their environments.

• The cheetah population becomes less likely to survive an outbreak of a disease or an environmental change, increasing the chance of species extinction.

• Genetic variability is maintained from older cheetah populations that have survived and endured environmental stressors.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Some relationships between different organisms are shown in the table. Relationship | Description 1 | A lion stalks, captures, and eats a Cape buffalo. 2 | A tapeworm enters the digestive system of a human and consumes the nutrients in the intestines so that they are not available to the human. 3 | A cattle egret follows cattle around and eats insects disturbed by the movement of the cattle, but the cattle are unaffected. 4 | A green anole and a brown anole use the same resources to survive in a vacant yard near a pond. Which table correctly identifies each type of interaction described?

• Predation

• Parasitism

• Commensalism

• Competition

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Which table correctly matches each relationship to its type of interaction?

• A. Relationship | Type of Interaction 1 Parasitism 2 Predation 3 Commensalism 4 Competition

• B. Relationship | Type of Interaction 1 Competition 2 Parasitism 3 Commensalism 4 Predation

• C. Relationship | Type of Interaction 1 Predation 2 Parasitism 3 Competition 4 Commensalism

• D. Relationship | Type of Interaction 1 Predation 2 Parasitism 3 Commensalism 4 Competition