Biology I SOL Practice Test — Set 2 of 6
Set 2 of 6 — 50 more free Biology I SOL practice questions from official VDOE released tests.
1. A strand of DNA has the sequence A G C T C A G. Using standard base-pairing rules for transcription (DNA to mRNA), which mRNA strand would be produced?
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Answer: C — GUC
2. Which of these would be the best resource to research the symptoms and treatment of hypoglycemia?
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Answer: F — New England Journal of Medicine
3. Animals coming from foreign countries are kept in quarantine before being allowed into the United States. This precaution is taken to help prevent —
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Answer: C — the introduction of foreign animal diseases
4. Unlike other animals, mammals can perspire. The main benefit of normally perspiring is that it —
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Answer: G — cools the skin with evaporation
5. The process of photosynthesis ultimately converts light energy into —
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Answer: C — chemical energy
6. Several containers of different foods (fish, bread, and orange) were left uncovered in the open for two days. After this time, flies were observed around the containers. Which question could best be answered by this experiment?
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Answer: H — Which food attracts the most flies?
7. The jimsonweed, Datura stramonium, normally has 12 chromosomes in its body cells. How many chromosomes will an egg cell of the weed have?
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Answer: A — 6 chromosomes
8. Which of the following would most likely change the current classification of two closely related flower species to a single species?
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Answer: B — An analysis of the DNA sequence of each species
9. An experiment tested four fertilizers on plant growth. Two grams of each fertilizer were diluted in 9 milliliters (mL) of water before being added to a plant. Which measuring device would introduce the least error when measuring 9 mL of water?
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Answer: F — 10 mL graduated cylinder
10. Which of the following molecules is most abundant in the cells of the human body?
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Answer: D — Water
11. Scientists studied tundra swans that spent the winter along rivers in Virginia and migrated in spring. What is the best way to distinguish between the Virginia birds and birds found at summer locations?
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Answer: F — Capture and put coded bands on birds in Virginia, then record the bands seen at summer locations
12. In corn plants, green (G) is dominant to albino (g). Two heterozygous plants (Gg × Gg) are crossed. The possible offspring genotypes are GG, Gg, Gg, and gg. What is the chance of producing albino plants?
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Answer: A — One in four
13. Giant fossil ferns have been found in Canada. Which conclusion can be drawn from this discovery?
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Answer: F — Canada once had a much warmer climate.
14. Two charts show pH color changes of red and blue litmus paper. Chart A shows known pH values: Acid pH 2: red litmus stays red, blue litmus turns red Acid pH 4: red stays red, blue turns red-orange Acid pH 6: red stays red, blue turns yellow Base pH 8: red turns blue, blue stays blue-green Base pH 10: red turns blue, blue stays blue Chart B shows substances tested: Water: red litmus red, blue litmus blue-green Apples: red litmus red, blue litmus red-orange Beans: red litmus red, blue litmus yellow Milk: red litmus red, blue litmus yellow Shrimp: red litmus red, blue litmus blue-green Which substance has a pH of about 3?
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Answer: A — Apples
15. Which is not a major muscle in the human body?
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Answer: J — Sternum
16. A leaf cross section includes, from top to bottom: cuticle, upper epidermis, mesophyll, vein, lower epidermis, and stomata. Which area is most responsible for protecting the leaf from drying out?
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Answer: D — The cuticle
17. Like camels, many animals in sandy environments have large, wide feet. This is advantageous because large feet —
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Answer: H — distribute body weight over a large area
18. A graph shows enzyme activity rate versus pH (0–7). Pepsin has peak activity at low pH, while trypsin peaks at higher pH. This graph shows that —
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Answer: D — pH affects the activity rate of enzymes
19. What structure is common to all five kingdoms of living organisms?
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Answer: F — DNA
20. An organism living in cave lakes in Augusta County, Virginia, feeds on drifting organic matter. It belongs to which kingdom?
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Answer: D — Animalia
21. Compared to a skin cell, a muscle cell is likely to have more —
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Answer: G — mitochondria
22. Planarian responses to stimuli were recorded as follows: Light: 0 toward, 10 away, 0 no response Sound: 5 toward, 4 away, 1 no response Magnetism: 4 toward, 4 away, 2 no response Gravity: 7 toward, 2 away, 1 no response Planaria show the strongest response to —
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Answer: A — light
23. There are probably fewer than 3,000 manatees left in the world. Which would probably cause extinction of the species?
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Answer: H — Spread of a disease that reduced fertility rates
24. A graph titled “Cardinal Population Within a State Park” shows a steady increase in population over time. Which hypothesis is best supported by this graph?
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Answer: D — The cardinals’ food supply increased.
25. Edible fungi populations in Europe have declined since 1950. Overharvesting, global warming, and air pollution are possible causes. Which observation would exclude overharvesting as the cause?
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Answer: J — A parallel decline in non-edible species
26. A virus causes a disease of the digestive system. What is the most likely source of this virus?
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Answer: C — Water
27. An experiment tested phosphate effects on grass growth. All groups had 25 plants, temperature 20°C, irrigation 200 mL daily. Phosphate levels and average height after 30 days were: 0 ppm → 10 cm 15 ppm → 10 cm 30 ppm → 12 cm 60 ppm → 18 cm Which factor is needed before drawing a valid conclusion?
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Answer: F — Original average height of grass
28. An oak weevil is Curculio rectus. Which organism is most closely related?
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Answer: B — Hazelnut weevil (Curculio neocorylus)
29. A cell with numerous ribosomes is specialized for —
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Answer: J — protein synthesis
30. Lamarck believed organisms change over time through —
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Answer: A — theory of acquired characteristics
31. A graph shows the number of mice born increasing each week: Week 1 (40), Week 2 (60), Week 3 (80), Week 4 (100). If the trend continues, how many mice will be born in Week 5?
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Answer: F — 160
32. Which organelle is present in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
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Answer: B — Ribosome
33. Which is required by all living things?
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Answer: F — Energy
34. A cell membrane model includes carbohydrates, lipids, cholesterol, and proteins. Which molecules move large molecules into and out of the cell?
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Answer: B — proteins
35. Which type of reproduction provides the most protection to developing offspring of land-dwelling animals?
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Answer: J — An egg carried internally
36. In an aquatic food web, energy flows from insects to fish through —
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Answer: C — food consumption
37. The parts of DNA that provide the code for proteins are the —
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Answer: J — nitrogenous bases
38. Blood is considered a tissue because blood —
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Answer: D — is composed of cells working together with specific functions
39. Undisturbed sedimentary rock layers contain marine fossils at the bottom and forest fossils at the top. Which best summarizes the history of the area?
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Answer: J — Saltwater sea to forest
40. A student tests plant growth in five different soil samples while keeping seeds, containers, sunlight, and water constant. What is the independent variable?
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Answer: A — Soil
41. The Human Genome Project helps scientists —
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Answer: H — find genes responsible for diseases
42. What is the greatest limiting factor for plants on the floor of a rain forest?
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Answer: B — Sunlight
43. A labeled flower diagram includes stigma, anther, stamen, pistil, style, filament, ovary, petal, sepal, and peduncle. Fertilization occurs in the —
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Answer: G — pistil
44. An important difference between viruses and living cells is that viruses —
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Answer: A — cannot reproduce outside of cells
45. The discovery that chromosomes are involved in inheritance was made possible by the invention of the —
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Answer: G — microscope
46. An organism has a nucleus, a cell wall, and both chloroplasts and mitochondria. It should be classified as —
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Answer: D — a plant
47. In which biome does evaporation exceed precipitation?
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Answer: A — Desert
48. Which of these is a mammal native to Virginia?
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Answer: J — Squirrel
49. Field biologists often attach radio transmitters to highly mobile animals, which allows them to track an animal’s movement over time and space. This information most often shows the animal’s—
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Answer: A — home range size
50. A field biologist studying a stream would find which of these least important?
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Answer: B — The angle of sunlight hitting the surface of the stream
Biology I SOL practice test — FAQ
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How many Biology I SOL practice questions are there?
Across all sets, there are 395 Biology I practice questions drawn from official Virginia Department of Education released SOL tests. This set has 50.
Are these real Virginia SOL questions?
The questions are adapted from official VDOE released SOL tests for Biology I. SOL Prep is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Virginia Department of Education.
Practice items adapted from Virginia Department of Education released SOL tests. Practice items are provided for study purposes and are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Virginia Department of Education.