June '23 Regents Questions'

Which two body systems provide humans with the raw materials necessary for their cells to release energy?

• muscular and skeletal

• endocrine and nervous

• digestive and respiratory

• reproductive and circulatory

An example of an activity that best contributes to maintaining homeostasis in an organism is a

• bear eating fish from a polluted stream

• deer losing its fur at the start of winter

• person not sweating on a 100°F day

• response to a chickenpox vaccination

The differences in the physical characteristics of the cloned horses are most likely the result of

• environmental influences

• natural selection

• sexual reproduction

• changes in gametes

Which situation is an example of an organism responding to an abiotic factor?

• Plants in a forest grow toward areas where there is more sunlight available.

• Rabbits attract mates by performing a mating dance.

• Woodpeckers peck holes in the trunks of trees to find insects for food.

• Deer eat tree bark in winter when other food is scarce.

CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful system that bacteria use to cut and remove DNA from invading viruses. Using CRISPR/Cas9, researchers have successfully corrected a disease-causing mutation for muscular dystrophy in laboratory mice. Correcting the harmful mutation using CRISPR/Cas9 is an example of

• biological evolution

• cloning techniques

• genetic engineering

• selective breeding

Many animal populations living in a particular area would most likely

• occupy the same niche

• have similar physical requirements

• eat the same food

• require an input of solar energy

Cells possess structures that perform specific jobs. Which statement correctly pairs a cell structure with a function it performs in the cells?

• The cell membrane synthesizes proteins for cell processes.

• The mitochondria provide energy for cell processes.

• Ribosomes regulate which materials enter and leave the cell.

• Vacuoles transfer genetic information from one cell to another.

The endangered Everglade snail kite is a predatory bird which usually feeds on small snails. Conservationists feared the snail kite would face a greater decline when the Everglades was invaded by a species of larger snail that the birds had historically struggled to eat. But the snail kite population increased over several years, and the snail kites now have larger beaks and bodies. This change in the snail kite can best be explained by

• selective breeding with larger kites

• natural selection after an environmental change

• genetic engineering to modify specific genes

• ecological succession due to random mutation

Scientists turned a specialized stomach cell from a mouse into a skin cell by activating a specific gene responsible for the production of skin cells. Which claim can be made, based on this evidence?

• Stomach cells have the genetic information to form other types of cells.

• Skin and stomach cells produce identical proteins.

• Stomach cells receive half their genetic information from each parent.

• Skin and stomach cells have completely different genes.

New York State is home to animals such as the Eastern chipmunk. Individuals within this species are not genetically identical. This variability is primarily the result of

• asexual reproduction and mutation

• mitosis and selective breeding

• meiosis and recombination

• sexual reproduction and cloning