
NY Released Regents Exam - Living Environment (Jan 2025)
Quiz by NYSED Living Environment
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When you cut your finger, new skin quickly grows that repairs and replaces the damaged skin cells. Information directing this process is located in the
ATP is produced in the
Some trees release toxins into the soil that can kill the plants nearby. This ability can best be described as
When the frequency of a gene in a population changes, the most likely result would be
During the 1880s, in an attempt to control the rat population, the Asian mongoose was brought to the Hawaiian Islands. However, there was a flaw in the plan. Rats are active at night, while mongooses feed on birds and eggs during the day. They had little effect on the rat population. The mongoose population rapidly increased and caused the extinction of many bird species native to the islands.
Bringing mongooses to the Hawaiian Islands is an example of
Many companies today are looking for ways to reduce the use of finite resources. They are working to recycle, reuse, and repair more products to reduce dumping and pollution. Which statement best describes a positive result of these changes?
Which characteristic would give one species the greatest advantage over other species?
The diagram below represents the same location over a period of many years.
As a result of these changes,


Two different species of animal prefer the same plant for food. One eats the leaves of the plant, the other prefers the fruit. By eating different parts of the same plant these species can successfully coexist because they do not
Different techniques are used to study cells. Fluorescent (glowing) tags allow scientists to visualize specific proteins as they are synthesized inside cells. Which part of a cell would be studied when using this technology to visualize protein synthesis?
The image below shows a recently discovered fossil of an unhatched egg of a theropod dinosaur. The dinosaur is in a prehatching position similar to bird embryos in unhatched eggs today. Prior to finding the fossil, this behavior was never seen in animals other than birds. The fact that both theropod dinosaurs and birds share this behavior is evidence that

The graph below represents the amount of stored energy in each level of an energy pyramid.
The amount of stored energy between level 1 and level 4 decreases because

In a sexually reproducing species of plant, which change could occur that would have an effect on the species in the future?
Many factors go into producing goods that are used by people in their everyday lives. In manufacturing, the production of goods and use of energy
The illustration below represents two cellular processes, A and B.
Select the row in the table that correctly identifies the cellular process.

A food web is represented below.
A chemical was introduced into this environment that caused a decrease in the population of mice. This would most likely cause

Populations of organisms making up an Arctic food chain are represented below.
Which statement concerning this food chain is the most accurate?

The protein in a hamburger is broken down into amino acids. Which two processes are involved in the breakdown of the protein and the absorption of the amino acids into the bloodstream?
Tuatara are the last survivors of an ancient group of reptiles that lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. Tuatara contain a very large genome. The genome, its complete set of genes, is about two-thirds bigger than the human genome.
One possible explanation for why the tuatara has survived since prehistoric times is that their large genome

Two primary chemical messengers used in communication within the human body include
Holstein cows have become the most widespread breed of dairy cow in the United States. They have been selectively bred to have many characteristics beneficial to dairy farmers. Holsteins are known for their ability to produce large quantities of milk. In addition, they are often calm and agreeable animals.
Which statement best describes a potential risk of the selective breeding process to future generations of Holstein dairy cows?

An organism that normally has 32 chromosomes in its body cells is found to be producing gametes with either 15 or 17 chromosomes. It has not been able to successfully reproduce. The most likely reason for its inability to reproduce would be errors during the process of
Which sequence correctly identifies the flow of energy through an ecosystem?
An ameba, which is a single-celled aquatic organism, is represented below.
Which of the ameba's cell structures is the most important in obtaining oxygen from its environment?

The diagram below represents a specialized gamete that plays a role in human reproduction.
The proper functioning of cells like these is vital for human reproduction because

If the amounts of carbon dioxide and water available increase, it is most likely that the first response by the producer organisms would be to
There are high numbers of stray and feral cats in communities across the United States. In order to humanely control these cat populations, many areas are participating in programs to trap, spay, and release the animals. When a female cat is spayed, organs are surgically removed to prevent the animal from being able to reproduce. Which two organs are most likely removed from the female cat during this surgery?
When you purchase a fishing license in New York State, you are told to check the Advisory Tables before consuming any of the fish you catch. The tables list the fish species you should not eat and others you can eat up to four times per month, due to the presence of toxic chemicals in the fish.
A likely reason the table recommends that children under the age of 15 and young women should not eat any of the fish caught in some bodies of water is that
Examples of two abiotic resources present in an ecosystem are
Organisms A and B represent microorganisms viewed through a microscope. Although both seem to occupy the same field of view, which organism is actually larger?


Altering the DNA of a muscle cell in a mouse by substituting one base pair with another could likely
The diagram below represents the interaction of a human cell and the hormone, insulin, that maintains a healthy blood glucose level in the body.
Structure X is best described as a

Some individuals cannot produce insulin. As a result, their cells will
Two different human disorders are compared in the table below.
Which statement describes the patterns of inheritance for these two disorders?

Gray wolves have been identified as a keystone species, which is a species that is critical to the health of the Yellowstone ecosystem.
The ecosystem will be disrupted with the loss of this keystone species because the loss would lead to

Due to human concerns, wolves were removed from the Yellowstone ecosystem for approximately 70 years, from the 1920s until 1995. Scientists felt that, as a keystone species, it was important to reintroduce the wolves to

Hydrangeas are plants with flowers that can change color. If the pH of the soil in which the plants are growing is altered, the flower color can vary from pink to blue. What is the best explanation for this phenomenon?
In the 1990s, ranchers on Maggie Creek in Nevada moved the areas where their cattle were grazing. The move was done to help vegetation regrow on the banks of the creek, which had been eroding due to lack of vegetation.
After the move, vegetation began to return to the creek banks. The graph below shows the changes in the amount of green vegetation from 1985 to 2016.
How many more months did the Maggie Creek area have some green vegetation cover in 2006-2016, compared with the number of months of green cover in 1985-1994?

In the 1990s, ranchers on Maggie Creek in Nevada moved the areas where their cattle were grazing. The move was done to help vegetation regrow on the banks of the creek, which had been eroding due to lack of vegetation.
After the move, vegetation began to return to the creek banks. The graph below shows the changes in the amount of green vegetation from 1985 to 2016.
The change in the environmental conditions of Maggie Creek over time is an example of how

PCBs in the Environment
PCBs are chemicals once used in electrical equipment. Their use has now been banned because PCBs have been found to cause cancer. These harmful chemicals made their way into the ocean and have accumulated in the tissues of organisms. Beginning with the producers, the levels of PCBs become more concentrated as larger organisms eat smaller ones. It has been shown that organisms higher in the food chain contain the greatest levels of PCBs.
A student examined the diagram below of an Antarctic food web and made the claim that the greatest concentration of PCBs would be found in leopard seals.
Based on information provided in the Antarctic food web, one reason blue whales may contain a lower concentration of PCBs than killer whales is that blue whales

C. explodens, a species of ant that resides in the tropical jungles of Borneo, can explode when their nest is threatened. The nests contain adult ants, eggs, and larvae. When an adult ant comes in contact with an enemy ant, the C. explodens ant latches onto it and squeezes its own abdominal muscles until its abdomen bursts open, releasing a toxic goo.
Which statement best describes this phenomenon?
Below are two graphs showing the number of loon adults, immature loons, and chicks observed during the annual loon census conducted by the Audubon Society of New York on the lakes and ponds throughout the Adirondack Park in New York State.
The best explanation for why loon populations did not show a rapid change in size during the Maine and New York studies is that loons


The diagram represents the reproductive systems of the human female and male.
The two labeled structures that function to produce gametes and hormones are

When the proportion of a gene for a specific trait in a population of finches increases over time, the most likely cause of this increase would be
A scientist conducts an experiment in order to
The diagram represents evolutionary pathways of seven groups of organisms alive today.
Which species is most closely related to species M?

The diagram represents evolutionary pathways of seven groups of organisms alive today.
Which species appears to have been well adapted to its environment for a long period of time?

Ground finches in the Galapagos Islands are seed eaters. The beaks of the offspring are very close in size to the beaks of their parents. The best explanation for this observation is that
A student was assigned the task of determining which of three species of plant (species L, M, or N) was most closely related to Botana curus (BC).
The student compared a segment of genetic material from each species using the procedure represented below.
A valid conclusion that can be drawn from these results is that
