Biology I SOL Practice Test — Set 3 of 6
Set 3 of 6 — 50 more free Biology I SOL practice questions from official VDOE released tests.
1. Sarah designed an experiment to determine which mouthwash was most effective against bacteria. She cut four paper towel circles of different sizes, soaked each in a different mouthwash, and placed them on a nutrient agar–coated Petri dish covered with bacteria commonly found in the mouth. After incubating the plate for 24 hours, she observed zones where bacteria did not grow around some circles. Which of the following should Sarah do to improve her experiment?
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Answer: H — Use the same size paper circles for all mouthwashes
2. An experiment tested how temperature affects enzyme activity. The results showed enzyme activity at four temperatures: 20°C, 30°C, 40°C, and 50°C. Activity increased from 20°C to 40°C and then decreased at 50°C. At which temperature was the enzyme activity greatest?
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Answer: H — 40°C
3. A measured amount of methane-producing bacteria was placed into four test tubes. Each tube received a different sugar: fructose, sucrose, lactose, or glucose. Methane production (in milliliters) was measured over 60 minutes. The bacteria produced the least methane when lactose was present at all time points. What conclusion can be drawn?
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Answer: A — These bacteria cannot use lactose very efficiently.
4. Two species of planaria were trained to make left turns in a T-maze. The average number of errors per trial was recorded over 14 trials. Polycelis showed a faster decrease in errors over time than Dugesia. Which conclusion is best supported by these data?
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Answer: F — Polycelis learns faster than Dugesia.
5. A graph showed oxygen consumption (measured in cubic millimeters of oxygen per gram per hour) versus body weight (in kilograms) for mouse, rat, rabbit, dog, human, and horse. As body weight increased, oxygen consumption per gram decreased. Which conclusion is supported by these data?
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Answer: B — Larger organisms require less oxygen per unit body mass.
6. In an ocean food web: algae are eaten by copepods; copepods are eaten by shrimp; shrimp are eaten by parrotfish; corals obtain energy indirectly from algae. What is the main source of energy for the copepods?
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Answer: C — Algae
7. Which source would be most appropriate for a research project investigating the effects of antibiotics on the disease-causing organism E. coli?
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Answer: C — A professional scientific journal
8. An X-ray diffraction image of DNA shows a repeating X-shaped pattern characteristic of a spiral structure. This image helps show that DNA—
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Answer: F — is helical-shaped
9. Which property of water allows many land-dwelling organisms to maintain body temperature by eliminating excess heat?
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Answer: A — Water’s ability to evaporate
10. Lakes often do not freeze solid in winter, allowing organisms to survive beneath the ice. Which characteristic of water helps prevent permanent freezing of lakes?
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Answer: G — Ice floats when it freezes.
11. Pepsin is found in the human stomach and breaks down proteins into smaller peptides. What is pepsin?
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Answer: B — An enzyme
12. In plant cells, the organelles that conduct photosynthesis and cellular respiration are the—
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Answer: J — chloroplasts and mitochondria
13. Mature red blood cells have no nuclei. This means they cannot—
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Answer: A — make copies of themselves
14. External sources, such as radiation or chemicals, can cause mutations in genes or entire chromosomes. For a mutation to pass on to offspring, it must occur in a —
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Answer: C — sex cell
15. Scientists believe that a dinosaur known as a hadrosaurus was a plant eater. Which of the following pieces of evidence supports this conclusion?
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Answer: C — The fossilized teeth of the hadrosaurus are flat like the teeth of modern herbivores.
16. A biology class in Virginia conducted a survey of the plant species found on their school grounds. They found several plants that they did not recognize. What resources would be most helpful to the class in identifying the plants and determining if they were introduced as exotic species?
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Answer: B — Virginia native plant checklists and plant identification keys
17. Which of these is responsible for the “rough” appearance of the endoplasmic reticulum?
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Answer: C — Ribosomes
18. In snapdragons, the combined expression of both alleles for flower color produces a new phenotype that is pink, illustrating incomplete dominance. Red snapdragons are homozygous (rr), white snapdragons are homozygous (ww), and pink snapdragons are heterozygous (rw). Which of the following would be the correct result from a cross between two heterozygous pink snapdragons?
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Answer: B — 1 red, 2 pink, 1 white
19. A biology class of 24 students decides to measure the height of each student and then calculate the average height for the class. Which of these is a possible source of error in this activity?
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Answer: A — The accuracy of making and recording measurements
20. The energy in the food produced by autotrophs or taken into the bodies of heterotrophs must be changed into a form that cells can use. The energy-transferring molecule used by cells is —
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Answer: C — ATP
21. Which of the following phases is the first step in mitosis?
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Answer: C — Prophase
22. Escherichia coli is the scientific name of a bacterium. What category of classification is Escherichia?
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Answer: B — Genus
23. Shenandoah National Park is home to many different types of ecosystems. Which ecosystem would most likely be home to a mixture of wildlife species from northern, cooler ranges and southern, warmer ranges?
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Answer: A — Transition forest
24. Tissue samples taken from the heart and stomach of a grasshopper would be expected to have the same —
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Answer: D — DNA
25. Rabbits have developed behavioral and physiological strategies to sustain them through periods of environmental stress. Which of the following life processes could be sacrificed without affecting an individual rabbit’s survival during periods of extremely poor environmental conditions?
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Answer: D — Growth and reproduction
26. A company that produces Brand X flea shampoo claims to have the most effective shampoo for killing fleas. Which set of data supports the Brand X claim?
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Answer: B — Brand X leaves 2 dogs with fleas; Brand Y leaves 12; Brand Z leaves 5.
27. A student hypothesizes that thick leg muscles are an inherited trait in dogs. Data show that dogs living outdoors have thicker leg muscles than dogs living indoors. What should the student conclude?
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Answer: C — Inheritance alone may not account for thick leg muscles in dogs.
28. Over many generations, unrelated or distantly related species may come to resemble each other due to —
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Answer: A — similar environmental factors
29. Both lipids and carbohydrates are important in animal cells because both —
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Answer: A — store energy
30. Ice floats on a lake. This characteristic of water is responsible for —
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Answer: D — preventing a lake from freezing solid
31. Algae and multicellular plants are autotrophs because they —
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Answer: D — capture sunlight to produce sugars
32. Some unicellular organisms are motile and some are nonmotile. Which cellular structures are associated with movement?
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Answer: B — Flagella
33. Francesco Redi’s 1668 experiment with covered and uncovered jars of meat supports the hypothesis that —
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Answer: C — fly larvae only come from adult flies
34. Based on vertebrate embryo development data, as embryos develop —
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Answer: B — only mammals develop both limbs and external ears
35. Which type of Drosophila probably changed the least over time?
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Answer: A — Drosophila melanogaster
36. What repackages proteins into forms the cell can use, expel, or store?
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Answer: C — Golgi bodies
37. Bones do all of the following EXCEPT —
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Answer: A — make nerve cells
38. All the organisms in a typical backyard together make up —
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Answer: B — a community
39. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can evolve rapidly because —
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Answer: B — bacteria reproduce rapidly
40. Differences between wind-pollinated and insect-pollinated flowers most likely resulted from —
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Answer: C — adaptations to different selection pressures
41. A multicellular, non-photosynthetic organism with eukaryotic cells and cell walls would be classified in which kingdom?
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Answer: D — Fungi
42. Of the following causes of wetland loss, which do people have the least control over?
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Answer: A — Droughts
43. Biochemical substances in the human body are maintained near neutral pH except for —
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Answer: B — stomach fluids
44. Based on a comparison of homologous DNA base sequences, how many differences in amino acid sequences would be expected between humans and chimpanzees?
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Answer: A — 2
45. When water concentration is lower outside a plant cell than inside, the plant will tend to —
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Answer: B — lose water and wilt
46. Amino acids link together by peptide bonds to form proteins. In which organelle does this occur?
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Answer: B — Ribosome
47. To improve an experiment testing the effects of leaf removal by ants, the most important additional group would be plants —
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Answer: C — with leaves left intact
48. Most cellular activities are regulated by —
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Answer: B — enzymes
49. Observations of organism movement relative to light show that organisms using photosynthesis move toward light. Which conclusion is supported?
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Answer: A — Organisms that use photosynthesis are attracted to light.
50. Discoveries about DNA from 1869 through 1953 best illustrate the importance of —
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Answer: C — collaborative efforts among scientists
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.
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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.