WorksheetsALL STAAR - Released Questions
Total questions: 35
Worksheet time: 19mins
In the 1940s, the scientist J.B.S. Haldane linked many human red blood cell disorders with the tropical regions where malaria occurs. Haldane hypothesized that the widespread presence of these red blood cell disorders as well as traits that protect individuals from malaria were the result of natural selection. Haldane's hypothesis was later confirmed by the research of A.C. Allison.
The resistance to malaria carried by individuals in areas where malaria is widespread is the result of --
a vaccine against malaria
the individual's genetic composition
antibiotic medications
the individuals' behavior in avoiding those with the infection
Scientists estimate that there are more than 20,000 species of ants. The species range in size from 1 mm long to 38 mm long and live in most environments. The diets of ants range from flowers and seeds to fluids from their own larvae. Ants have been able to successfully inhabit so many different environments because their populations have been able to --
hybridize with other species of insects
adapt to a variety of habitats and food sources
fill niches usually occupied by mammals
occupy habitats that have no other life-forms
Common baboons live on the savanna in breeding groups called troops. While females tend to stay with the troop, younger or less dominant males may leave to join a neighboring troop. Which of these is a likely outcome of movement by young males?
Gene flow occurs between populations.
Allele frequencies suddenly change.
Relative genotypic frequencies reach a constant state.
Intermediate phenotypes increase in the species.
Two populations of mice living in the same forest are separated by a large water-filled ditch. After a rainstorm, flooding brings several mice from one population to the other population. When the mice from the first population reproduce with members of the second population, which of the following will likely occur?
All of the offspring will die as a result of reproductive mutations.
The offspring will be forced to leave the second population.
The offspring will be genetically identical to their parent from the first population.
The offspring in the second population will have greater genetic variety.
A student reads this advertisement for a product containing a plant micronutrient that can be added to soil. (View Image)
Based on this information, the student can conclude that boron is absorbed by plant roots from the soil and then-
transported to reproductive tissues by the plant's shoot system.
stored in plant stems until the flowers are pollinated.
concentrated in the roots until the plant's reproductive tissues mature.
transported by the phloem to the stomata in leaves, where it attracts pollinators.
A student conducted an investigation to study phototropism in grasses. The only difference between the control group and the experimental group was the light conditions. The control group was provided full light, while the experimental group was shaded on one side. The diagrams show the average heights and positions of blades of grass in the investigation. (View Image)
Which statement best explains why the grass tips of the experimental group bent toward the light?
Water evaporated faster on the side of the plant having full light.
Light sensors in the grass tips simulated a hormone in the shoot system.
The xylem in the roots system absorbed more nutrients from the shaded side.
The side facing the light has greater chance of absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Several structures work together to allow flowering plants to reproduce. The diagram shows a typical flower. (View Image)
Which list correctly identifies the function of each structure or group of structures in the reproduction of the plant?
X- Pollen production
Y- Pollen transfer
Z- Production of eggs
X- Attraction of pollinators
Y- Production of male sex cells
Z- Egg production and embryo development
X- Protection for embryo
Y- Supply nourishment to embryo
Z- Place of embryonic development
X- Photosynthesis
Y- Production of cells that protect internal organs
Z- Production of egg and sperm.
Some students are instructed to put a celery stalk in a red dye solution for a lab activity. First the students carefully cut the bottom of the stalk with a scalpel. Then they put the stalk in the beaker with the solution and place the beaker on a shelf in the lab room. The next day they check the stalk and make observations. The students note that the leaves at the end of the stalk have changed color from green to red. The students cut across the celery stalk and use a hand lens to see that the small tube openings along the edge of the celery stalk are also red. The cross section is shown in the image. (View Image)
How do plant systems work together to make this movement of liquid possible?
The roots absorb water and minerals and move them up to the stem, while the stem moves food produced in the leaves down to the roots in tiny tubes.
The roots anchor that plant in the soil, and the stem holds the leaves up.
The roots absorb their own water and minerals, while the stem absorbs its water and minerals through the leaves.
The roots lose water vapor to the soil, and the stem loses water vapor through the leaves.
The energy pyramid shows the energy made available by producers. (View Image)
Base on the energy flow between trophic levels in an energy pyramid, how much energy would be expected to be found at the secondary consumer level in this pyramid?
100 joules
500 joules
1,000 joules
50 joules
The diagram shows a partial East Texas food web. (View Image)
Which list correctly classifies these organisms?
Producers: Striped skunks, great horned owls, red-tailed hawks
Primary Consumers: Striped skunks, Louisiana milk snakes
Secondary Consumers: Field sparrows, white-tailed deer, eastern gray squirrels, white-footed mice, beetles, ants
Top Predators: Longleaf woodoats, water oaks
Producers: Longleaf woodoats, water oaks
Primary Consumers: Field sparrow, white-footed mice, beetles, ants
Secondary Consumers: Striped skunks, Louisiana milk snakes, eastern gray squirrels, white-tailed deer
Top Predators: Striped skunks, great horned owls, red-tailed hawks
Producers: Longleaf woodoats, water oaks
Primary Consumers: Field sparrows, white-tailed deer, eastern gray squirrels, white-footed mice, beetles, ants
Secondary Consumers: Striped skunks, Louisiana milk snakes
Top Predators: Great horned owls, red-tailed hawks
Producers: Longleaf woodoats, water oaks, beetles, ants
Primary Consumers: Field sparrows, white-tailed deer, eastern gray squirrels, white-footed mice
Secondary Consumers: Striped skunks, Louisiana milk snakes
Top Predators: Striped skunks, great horned owls, red-tailed hawks
Part of a hydrothermal vent food web is represented in the diagram. (View Image)
Which organisms are both secondary and tertiary consumers in this food web?
Chemosynthetic bacteria and amphipods
Zooplankton and mussels
Ratfish and octopuses
Galatheid crabs and zoarcid fish
Cell differentiation is critical during embryonic development. The process of cell differentiation results in the production of many types of cells, including germ, somatic, and stem cells. Cell differentiation is most directly regulated by -
ATP
DNA
lipids
sugar
Oncogenes are mutated forms of genes. Oncogenes can transform a cell into a tumor cell. Some tumor cells are benign, while others are malignant. How does the presence of an oncogene lead to the formation of a tumor?
ATP Production is inhibited.
Cell division is unregulated.
Somatic cell growth is inhibited.
Antibody Activity is unregulated.
The model represents the change in the DNA content of a cell during the cell cycle. (View Image)
Which part of the model represents the S phase?
I
II
III
IV
A student groups different types of cells as shown. (View Image)
Which table headings should the student use for the two groups?
1. Animal Cells || 2. Plant Cells
1. Prokaryotic Cells || 2. Eukaryotic Cells
1. Mobile Cells || 2. Motile Cells
1. Fungal Cells || 2. Bacterial Cells
Some students used information they gathered from lab investigations to prepare a table. They entered the table in their lab notebooks. (View Image/Table)
Which of these correctly identifies the two cells described in the table?
Cell 1 is eukaryotic, and Cell 2 is prokaryotic.
Cell 1 is prokaryotic, and Cell 2 is eukaryotic.
Both Cell 1 and Cell 2 are eukaryotic.
Both Cell 1 and Cell 2 are prokaryotic.
Some students used vinegar to dissolve away the shells of the three eggs and used these eggs as the models of human red blood cells. The students observed the changes in the eggs when they were placed in different solutions. (View Image)
Which statement best describes the role of the cell membrane in this model?
The cell membrane is an impermeable barrier that prevents water from entering the cell.
The cell membrane allows solutes to enter the cell, which causes the cell to shrink.
The cell membrane allows water to enter and leave the cell.
The cell membrane removes solutes from the environment.
The initial steps in gene expression are modeled in the image (View Image). Double-stranded DNA first unwinds into two strands.
Which process and product are represented in Diagram 2?
Process: transcription; product: mRNA
Process: translation; product: protein
Process: replication; product: tRNA
Process: recombination; prodcut: polymerase
Part of an important cellular process involving a DNA strand is modeled in the image. (View image)
What is the purpose of this cellular process?
Preserving genetic information for future generations
Deleting the information in the sequence produced from the DNA template
Transcribing information in the DNA sequence for use by the cell
Producing more nucleotides for the DNA sequence
Which of the following polypeptides is coded for by the mRNA sequence:
5'AUGGUUAAACGACAAUCC3'
(Use the mRNA codon chart in the image)
Val, Lys, Phe, Gly, Ser
Met, Asp, Phe, Ala, Arg
Met, Val, Lys, Arg, Gin, Ser
Ile, Gin, Lys, Asp, Gly, Leu, Ser
An advertisement for health supplement for dogs claims to build lean muscle and strengthen tendons and ligaments, as well as provide energy. Which two biomolecules must the supplement contain to provide these benefits?
Carbohydrates and lipids
Proteins and carbohydrates
Nucleic acids and carbohydrates
Lipids and nucleic acids
The differences between two molecules include the type of sugar that forms a section of the molecules and the identity of one of the four nitrogenous bases that make up another section of the molecules. These two molecules are-
proteins
lipids
nucleic acid
complex carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are more easily metabolized than lipids. However, on a gram-for-gram basis lipids provide cells with more-
nitrogen
proteins
structure
energy
A photomicrograph of onion root tip cells during mitosis is shown below. (View Image)
Which phase of mitosis is occurring in the cell indicated by the arrow?
Prophase
Metaphase
Anaphase
Telophase
Oncogenes are mutated forms of genes. Oncogenes can transform a cell into a tumor cell. Some tumor cells are benign, while others are malignant. How does the presence of an oncogene lead to the formation of a tumor?
ATP production is inhibited.
Cell division is unregulated.
Somatic cell growth is inhibited.
Antibody activity is unregulated.
A student used the poster board to construct this model of a section of DNA. (View Image)
Which statement describes this model of DNA?
The model is inaccurate because the base pairs are incorrect.
The model is accurate because it contains correctly paired bases.
The model is accurate because it shows each base splitting to form a double helix.
The model is inaccurate because some typical bases in DNA are missing.
Nitrogenous bases are located on both strands of the DNA double helix. What is the significance of the nitrogenous bases?
The number of adenines and cytosines determines the type of RNA that will be produced.
The order of nitrogenous bases determines the order of amino acids in the proteins synthesized.
The amount of thymine and guanine in the DNA molecules determines the length of the genes.
The type of hydrogen bonding between the nitrogenous bases determines which amino acid will be added to the peptide chain.
A segment of DNA is represented in the illustration. (View Image)
How is information for a specific protein carried on the DNA molecule?
As a sequence of nucleotides
In the double-helix shape of the condensed chromosome
In the ratio of adenines to the thymines
As a pattern of phosphates and sugars
Cetaceans are whales and their relatives. The diagram shows some fossils of cetaceans. Which statement provides the best evidence that "Ambulocetus natans" is an ancestor of "Basilosaurus isis"?
Homologous structures occur in each fossil.
Similar nitrogenous bases are found in the DNA of each fossil.
The fossils were found in different locations.
The youngest fossil is larger than the older fossils.
In 2010, scientists excavated a skull fossil that provides evidence of a newly discovered species of big cat. Based on the evidence, scientists hypothesize that big cats branched off from smaller wild cats about 6 million years ago. Which of these resources did the scientists most likely rely on to form their hypothesis?
A food web showing feeding relationships of organisms where the fossil skull was found
Population and migration data for small wild cats living in the ecosystem where the skull was found
The fossil record and DNA comparisons of big cats and small cats
The historical record of interactions between different species of big cats
Bactrian camels, dromedaries, llamas, and alpacas are all members of the same taxonomic family, Camelidae. Members of this family all have two toes, no hooves, true canine teeth, and a split upper lip. The family Camelidae originated in North America. The physical features of animals in this family's geographical origin provide evidence that all these animals -
live in the same type of ecosystem
have slowly evolved to become herbivores
have a common ancestor
exchanged DNA at some point in the past
Which condition is essential for natural selection to result in a new species?
Unlimited resources
An inherited variation
A static environment
A life long span
Adult mountain lions (Puma concolor) are almost 2 meters long. They have a black spot over each eye. The common names used throughout the United States for this species are listed in the image. Why is it best for scientists to use the name from the standardized taxonomic system?
The standardized name differentiates mountain lions and pumas.
The standardized name is less descriptive of the animal that has been observed.
Communication with other scientists about mountain lions will be reduced.
All scientists will be using one name for the mountain lions.
A student used a microscope to study four members of the phylum Ciliophora. Members of this phylum move when propelled by hundreds of tiny cilia. (View Iamge)
Although these organisms belong to the same phylum, they are classified as different-
families
species
kingdoms
orders
A cladogram is shown (View Image).
All the animals to the right of the hagfish would have the common characteristics of-
fur
claws or nails
lungs
jaws
