Biology I SOL Practice Test — Set 5 of 6
Set 5 of 6 — 50 more free Biology I SOL practice questions from official VDOE released tests.
1. Three columns of exposed rock within a 3 km area show marine sedimentary layers. The dominant past environment was —
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Answer: B — shallow marine
2. Jan consistently reads the volume of liquids at an angle above the meniscus. This practice would make her measurements —
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Answer: J — very accurate
3. Using a dichotomous key with traits such as tail number, leg visibility, and spots, the insect described matches the family —
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Answer: D — Noteridae
4. A population graph shows deer increasing and leveling off at 70 individuals over time. What is the carrying capacity?
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Answer: J — 70
5. Photosynthesis is important because it —
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Answer: A — produces oxygen
6. To obtain 400× total magnification using a 10× eyepiece, which objective lens is required?
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Answer: H — 40×
7. A student soaked 50 lima bean seeds and 50 green bean seeds in water for 24 hours. Then she planted the seeds in soil at a depth of two centimeters, using the same amount of water, light, and heat for each kind of seed. She measured every three days to determine which type of seed grew the fastest. The paragraph describes —
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Answer: C — an experiment
8. As the seasons change from summer to fall, there are fewer hours of daylight. Which is a typical response of a dogwood tree to this change?
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Answer: H — Dropping its leaves
9. Fungi, such as mushrooms and molds, get their nutrition primarily by —
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Answer: B — decomposing dead organic matter
10. Which discovery was essential to the concept that all life forms have cells as basic units?
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Answer: G — New cells are produced from the division of existing cells.
11. The oxygen content in the atmosphere of the early Earth is thought to have increased significantly once which of these developed?
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Answer: C — Photosynthetic bacteria
12. A lab activity requires students to insert potassium hydroxide (KOH) pellets into a narrow tube to absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂). Pellets of KOH are very caustic and alkaline. Which is the safest way to put the pellets into the tube?
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Answer: H — Use forceps to transfer the pellets.
13. Why does sexual reproduction result in greater diversity among offspring than does asexual reproduction?
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Answer: B — New combinations of genes result from sexual reproduction.
14. A scientist wants to study the behavior of bald eagles. Which of these plans should be used to study the hunting habits of bald eagles?
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Answer: G — Observe the eagles along the Potomac River for a year.
15. Plant Growth A line graph shows plant height (in centimeters) on the vertical axis and temperature (in degrees Celsius) on the horizontal axis. Plant growth increases from 8°C to a maximum height of about 50 cm between 18°C and 26°C, then decreases at higher temperatures. Which of these would be the best conclusion regarding the experimental results shown?
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Answer: B — This species of plant grew best between 18°C and 26°C.
16. In 1847, a scientist noted that when physicians washed their hands before they had contact with their patients, there was a decreased number of infections. This was one of the first clues that —
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Answer: J — substances such as bacteria may cause diseases
17. Island Species Distribution Island | Species common to mainland and island | Species unique to island 1 | 82 | 2 2 | 16 | 84 3 | 4 | 98 4 | 53 | 11 Biologists surveyed four islands in a chain near a continent. Based on these results, which island is probably farthest from the mainland?
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Answer: C — 3
18. Monarch butterflies are toxic to birds because monarch caterpillars eat milkweed. Viceroy butterflies closely resemble monarchs, but are not toxic since the caterpillars do not eat milkweed. This similarity in appearance developed because viceroy butterflies that closely resemble monarchs are —
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Answer: F — less likely to be eaten by birds
19. Earthworm Experiment A long compartment has a temperature gradient labeled 5°C, 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, and 30°C from one end to the other. Four earthworms were placed at the 5°C end and four at the 30°C end. After 10 minutes, all eight earthworms were found together near the middle of the compartment, around 15°C–20°C. Which alternative explanation is also supported?
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Answer: A — The earthworms moved to their preferred temperature range.
20. The German physician Robert Koch provided evidence to support the germ theory of infectious disease. Koch isolated bacteria from a cow with anthrax, then injected the bacteria into a healthy mouse. To support germ theory, what must have happened to the healthy mouse?
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Answer: F — It became sick.
21. Some fish travel from saltwater to freshwater or from freshwater to saltwater but still maintain the concentration of salt in their cells. This is an example of —
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Answer: C — homeostasis
22. A researcher discovers two populations of birds that are similar. The two populations live in habitats that are different. What evidence might suggest to the researcher that the birds belong to different species rather than the same species?
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Answer: G — The birds in the two populations have different mating behaviors.
23. Amino-Acid Differences Compared with Human Hemoglobin Species | Number of amino-acid differences Lamprey | 125 Frog | 67 Dog | 32 Macaque | 8 On the basis of this information, which organism would be classified as most closely related to humans?
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Answer: D — Macaque
24. Scientists can use genetic information to identify people because it is unique to each person. Which specific characteristic is unique to an individual?
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Answer: H — The sequence of DNA nucleotides in cells
25. According to the energy pyramid, the most energy is present in organisms living at the same level as the —
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Answer: D — grass
26. Fluid Mosaic Model A cell membrane is composed of a double layer of phospholipids with proteins embedded throughout and cholesterol molecules between phospholipids. Which is an important function of the cell structure in this model?
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Answer: A — Controlling passage of materials
27. Fossil records can be studied to determine how organisms change through time. Which of the following methods for studying organisms could least likely be accomplished by studying the fossil record?
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Answer: F — Comparing sleep patterns of organisms
28. Cell Structures and Functions Structure | Function 1 | Protein synthesis 2 | Support 3 | Control of cell functions 4 | Storage of water, wastes, and food Which is the name of structure 4?
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Answer: C — Vacuole
29. A nerve cell has long branches that extend from the cell body. Which of these functions do a nerve cell’s branches help the cell perform?
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Answer: F — Communicating with other cells
30. Many marine invertebrates have body surfaces that are permeable to water but not to salt. What would happen if a jellyfish were placed in a very low-salt environment such as an estuary?
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Answer: A — It would gain water from the environment.
31. DNA base sequence: A-C-G-A-T The base sequence of an RNA strand that complements this DNA base sequence is —
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Answer: J — U-G-C-U-A
32. Organisms from which kingdom are most likely to chemically digest their food outside their bodies?
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Answer: A — Fungus
33. Dutch Elm Disease is a destructive fungal infection that kills elm trees. Some elms are more resistant than others. Which best explains this difference?
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Answer: H — Resistant trees have beneficial variations of some genes.
34. Research by Oparin, Miller and Urey, and Sidney Fox examined how early Earth conditions could produce organic molecules and protocells. What did the work of these scientists contribute to the study of biology?
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Answer: B — It supported hypotheses about the origin of life.
35. During meiosis, homologous chromosomes can exchange DNA in a process known as —
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Answer: J — crossing over
36. Some snake embryos have small limb-like buds that disappear later in development. These findings suggest that these snakes —
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Answer: D — evolved from an ancestor that had limbs
37. The main reason that eating salty foods makes a person thirsty is that additional fluid is needed to —
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Answer: H — maintain the fluid balance in the cells
38. A scientist observes that a species of insect appears to be more numerous during dry summers than during wet summers. Which is the next step to determine an explanation of this phenomenon?
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Answer: F — Develop a hypothesis
39. A student studies a pond with increased algae and many dead fish. To find out what caused the fish deaths, the student should do each of these EXCEPT —
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Answer: D — measure the amount of light at various levels in the pond
40. In a plant with red flowers (R dominant to r), a heterozygous plant produces gametes carrying which alleles?
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Answer: F — R and r
41. Lady Beetles A population of beetles shows a wide range of differences in color and size among individuals. Which observation illustrated by this population contributed to Darwin’s theory of evolution?
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Answer: C — Individuals within a population may vary widely.
42. Residents of a town have a bacterial infection. Students test only the lake that supplies 80% of the drinking water and find no bacteria. Which is a source of error in the experimental design?
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Answer: J — Other drinking water sources were not tested.
43. A population growth graph shows an S-shaped curve over time labeled A through E. Region B is the steep upward section following a slow initial increase. What does region B represent?
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Answer: A — Exponential growth
44. A student experiments on how pH affects algae growth. To ensure valid data, she should —
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Answer: J — use the same algae species in all trials
45. A simple microscope consisting of a lens, specimen holder, and adjusting screw was used by Anton van Leeuwenhoek. Using this tool, he was the first scientist to —
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Answer: B — see microscopic organisms
46. Viruses contain DNA or RNA surrounded by protein. When broken down, these substances become —
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Answer: H — amino acids and nucleotides
47. Which species is most closely related to Felis rufus?
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Answer: C — Felis concolor
48. Timothy has attached earlobes though both parents have free earlobes (dominant). Which best explains this?
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Answer: F — He received a recessive allele from each parent.
49. Which structure would be found in both fungal and animal cells?
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Answer: C — Mitochondria
50. Ladybug and Red Mite Populations A line graph shows red mite numbers rising early in June and then declining, while ladybug numbers rise later. The ladybug line crosses above the red mite line on June 14. On which date did the ladybug population begin to exceed the red mite population?
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Answer: H — June 14
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.