Texas STAAR High School Biology - 2014 Past Paper
Quiz by Texas Education Agency
High School
Biology (2017)
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
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- Q 1/51Score 0The opossum, which is native to North America, and the kangaroo, which is native to Australia, are marsupials. The fact that both these mammals incubate their immature offspring in a pouch provides evidence that they -29belong to the same speciesmust range great distances to eatare descended from a common ancestorhave very similar skeletal structures
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- Q1The opossum, which is native to North America, and the kangaroo, which is native to Australia, are marsupials. The fact that both these mammals incubate their immature offspring in a pouch provides evidence that they -belong to the same speciesmust range great distances to eatare descended from a common ancestorhave very similar skeletal structures60sBIOL.7a
- Q2Some 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 below. How do the plant systems work together to make this movement of liquid possible?The roots lose water vapor to the soil, and the stem loses water vapor through the leaves.The roots absorb their own water and minerals, while the stem absorbs its water and minerals through the leaves.The roots anchor the plant in the soil, and the stem holds the leaves up.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.60sBIOL.10b
- Q3The table below provides some information about the feeding methods of the five rhinoceros species. Which rhinoceros species is best adapted for feeding in the large open grasslands of Africa's Serengeti ecosystem?Javan rhinocerosBlack rhinocerosWhite rhinocerosSumatran rhinoceros60sBIOL.12b
- Q4Early-onset Alzheimer's disease affects people under the age of 65. Less than five percent of people who are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease have this type. Many cases of early-onset Alzheimer's disease are inherited, a type known as familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD). Which statement is best supported by this information?Natural selection will continue to reduce the incidence of FAD.FAD affects only the genes of middle-aged people.Deletion of one amino acid causes FAD.FAD is the result of a genetic change in one or more chromosomes.60sBIOL.6e
- Q5The cladogram shows the evolution of land plants as indicated by fossil records.Which discovery would challenge the validity of this cladogram?A large aquatic vascular plant about 200 million years oldA fossil of a fern more than 425 million years oldA moss species that has existed for less than 380 million yearsA species of algae that has existed for less than one million years60sBIOL.7b
- Q6Atherosclerosis is a disease that obstructs blood flow and, therefore, oxygen supply to target organs. A major component of atherosclerosis is the excessive reproduction of smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels. Certain drugs may have the potential to reverse or prevent the unregulated reproduction of the diseased blood-vessel cells. Which of these processes is the most likely target of these drugs?DNA transcriptionCellular respirationErythroblast differentiationCell division60sBIOL.5b
- Q7The outermost layer of plant stems in dicotyledons consists of epidermal cells and guard cells that surround openings called stomata. The epidermal cells are usually covered with a waterproof layer that provides protection from injury and water loss. The stomata allow gas exchange. The epidermal cells and stomata have functions similar to those of which two human body systems?Cardiovascular and integumentaryIntegumentary and respiratoryCardiovascular and skeletalSkeletal and respiratory60sBIOL.10b
- Q8Carbohydrates are more easily metabolized than lipids. However, on a gram-for-gram basis lipids provide cells with more -energyproteinsnitrogenstructure60sBIOL.9a
- Q9Lord Howe Island is a volcanic island in the Tasman Sea that is about 11 km long and 2.8 km wide. The island has two species of palm trees, Howea forsteriana and the more abundant Howea belmoreana. The two species do not interbreed even when they grow very close to each other. Which evolutionary process fails to occur?Genetic drift of Howea forsterianaGene flow between the two speciesMutations in Howea belmoreanaNatural selection of adaptive traits in both species60sBIOL.7f
- Q10Dead zones are low-oxygen areas that develop on the seafloor. Scientists hypothesize that phytoplankton blooms cause these dead zones. Phytoplankton blooms occur when excess nutrients are introduced by pollution from fertilizers, sewage plants, and the burning of fossil fuels. Which of the following would most likely cause an increase in these contributors to dead zones?Rainfall patterns that increase freshwater runoff from terrestrial ecosystemsConstructing efficient water-recovery and treatment plantsReplacing coal-fired power plants with windmillsFarming practices that reduce nitrate and phosphate applications60sBIOL.12e
- Q11Using a light microscope, a student identified the following characteristics of four organisms found in a sample of pond water. Based on the observations of the student, which organisms most likely belong to the taxonomic group for bacteria?Organisms 1 and 2Organisms 1 and 4Organisms 2 and 3Organisms 3 and 460sBIOL.8b
- Q12Sexual reproduction in animals depends on the production of gametes. Which of these processes produces gametes in animals?FertilizationMitosisBinary fissionMeiosis60sBIOL.6g
- Q13What two human systems work together to provide body cells with a constant supply of oxygen while removing carbon dioxide waste products?Excretory and integumentaryNervous and endocrineMuscular and skeletalRespiratory and circulatory60sBIOL.10a
- Q14Some fungi secrete substances that are toxic to bacteria that compete with them for food. Scientists have used their knowledge of this ability of fungi in order to produce which of the following substances?PlasticYogurtAntibioticsFertilizers60sBIOL.11a
- Q15A person infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may not have any symptoms for a period of time. During this period the virus affects the body by doing which of the following?The virus damages immune cells while using their machinery to produce copies of itself.The virus produces toxins that weaken immune cells and prevent them from reproducing.The virus changes the identity of the nucleotides of immune cells to prevent the immune system from functioning normally.The virus uses nutrients meant for immune cells to fuel its own cellular respiration.60sBIOL.4c
