SAT II Biology E : SAT Subject Test in Biology

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II Biology E

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Prokaryotic Cell Functions

Where in prokaryotes do the reactions of the electron transport chain take place?

Possible Answers:

Inner cytoplasmic membrane

Periplasmic space

Cytosol

Mitochondrial matrix

Inner mitochondrial membrane

Correct answer:

Inner cytoplasmic membrane

Explanation:

The correct answer is the inner cytoplasmic membrane. Prokaryotes do not have mitochondria or any other membrane-enclosed organelles, but the electron transport chain must be performed in a membrane in order to create a concentration gradient of protons; therefore, prokaryotes perform the redox reactions of the electron transport chain in the inner cytoplasmic membrane in between the cytosol and the periplasmic space.

Example Question #1 : Viruses

Which of the following is true about viruses?

Possible Answers:

Viruses will immediately infect any living thing, and are unable to be removed.

Viruses consist of a nucleus, cell membrane, and several mitochondria in order to make their own energy.

Viruses are considered to be non-living organisms.

Viruses reproduce via sexual reproduction.

Correct answer:

Viruses are considered to be non-living organisms.

Explanation:

Viruses are considered non-living organisms because they have no organelles or other cellular machinery, they cannot reproduce without a host cell, and they have no metabolic activity. 

Example Question #2 : Viruses

Viruses can do which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Reproduce outside of a cell

Respond to outside stimuli

Carry DNA

Metabolize chemical compounds

Produce proteins

Correct answer:

Carry DNA

Explanation:

All viruses can and must carry either DNA or RNA (but not both). However, viruses cannot reproduce on their own, and must infect a host cell in order to manufacture more copies of itself. They cannot respond to outside stimulus as they do not have any functional parts, such as mitochondria, ribosomes, or a nucleus. For the same reason, viruses also cannot produce proteins or metabolize chemical compounds. 

Example Question #1 : Evolution

In relation to natural selection, which of the following birds would be considered to be the most fit?

Possible Answers:

A young female that lays 3 eggs, all of which are eaten by a predator

A male with a genetic defect that prevents him from reproducing

A female that hatched and successfully raised a daughter

A deceased male that had successfully mated with multiple females, resulting in healthy offspring

A healthy male that has yet to mate

Correct answer:

A deceased male that had successfully mated with multiple females, resulting in healthy offspring

Explanation:

In biology, fitness measures the ability of an organism to reproduce and pass on its alleles and traits to future generations. An organism is considered more fit if many of its offspring survive and manage to reproduce, which creates more and more copies of the organism's original alleles. In this case, the deceased male still managed to pass on the most alleles since he has multiple offspring carrying his genetic information when compared to the other birds.

Example Question #1 : Natural Selection

Which of the following statements is most consistent with the principles of Darwinian evolution?

Possible Answers:

The organisms best fit to their environments will evolve faster. 

The better suited to its environment and organism is, the longer it will live. 

As random genetic mutations arise within an organism's genetic code, those that best allow an organism to survive and reproduce will be preserved and passed on to future generations.

Organisms can acquire characteristics during their lifetime that they pass on to their offspring. 

As random genetic mutations arise within an organism's genetic code, those that allow an organism to be the fastest and strongest will be preserved and passed on to future generations.

Correct answer:

As random genetic mutations arise within an organism's genetic code, those that best allow an organism to survive and reproduce will be preserved and passed on to future generations.

Explanation:

Darwinian evolution is often summarized as "survival of the fittest" but this does not necessarily mean "fit" in terms of being strong or athletic. "Fitness" in Darwinian terms describes the ability to survive to reproductive age and pass on genetic material to offspring. Random genetic mutations that contribute to this ability will be preserved and passed on to future generations. Darwinian fitness is typically measured by number of offspring that survive to reproductive age. While a fit organism will survive long enough to reproduce, life span alone doesn't define Darwinian fitness, nor does "speed" of evolution. The concept of passing on traits acquired during the lifetime is consistent with Lamarckian evolution, which is less commonly accepted than Darwin's principles. 

Example Question #2 : Natural Selection

Natural selection favors the gene alleles of organisms that are more fit than other organisms in the same population. Which of the following is the best example of biological fitness?

Possible Answers:

An individual that has a longer lifespan than any other member of its population.

An individual that has more grandchildren than any other member of its population.

An individual that consumes more food than any other member of its population.

An individual that grows to a larger size than any other member of its population.

An individual with more offspring than any other member of its population.

Correct answer:

An individual that has more grandchildren than any other member of its population.

Explanation:

The correct answer is an individual that has more grandchildren than any other member of its population. Biological fitness is an organism’s ability to increase the frequency of their own alleles. Consuming large amounts of food, growing large, and having a long lifespan can potentially contribute to fitness, but an individual that does all those things but does not produce offspring would not be considered fit. Similarly, an individual that has a large number of offspring that are not capable of living long enough to produce their own offspring would also not be considered fit. Producing offspring that are fit enough to produce many grandchildren gives the starting individual the most chance of increasing the frequency of its own genes in its population, and is the best example of fitness.

Example Question #2 : Evolution

In a population of organisms, certain individuals pass on their alleles with more frequency than other individuals. What type of selection would increase or decrease a trait, such as size, in an entire population over generations?

Possible Answers:

Stabilizing selection

Disruptive selection

Competition

Directional selection

Speciation

Correct answer:

Directional selection

Explanation:

The correct answer is "directional selection." Directional selection is when, over multiple generations, an entire population shifts its phenotype towards one extreme. Stabilizing selection is when the extremes of that trait decrease in frequency compared to the less extreme phenotypes. In the example of size, the extreme phenotypes are very small and very large. Disruptive selection is when the different extremes of a trait in a population become more frequent than the less extreme version, eventually forming different populations of organisms. If disruptive selection continues long enough, the differences between the two populations can accumulate to the point when they cannot breed with each other. This is speciation.

Example Question #4 : Natural Selection

A petri dish contains a population of cells. One of these cells acquires a DNA mutation which enables it to grow and divide much more rapidly than the other cells around it. Which of the following statements best characterizes the mutation?

Possible Answers:

The cells with the mutation will produce just as many daughter cells as those without the mutation, so the mutation will become more prevalent in the population over time.

The cells with the mutation will produce just as many daughter cells as those without the mutation, so the mutation will become less prevalent in the population over time.

The mutation will allow the cells that have the mutation to produce more daughter cells, so the mutation will become more prevalent in the population over time

The mutation will allow the cells that have the mutation to produce more daughter cells, so the mutation will become less prevalent in the population over time. 

There will be no change in prevalence of the mutated cells over time.

Correct answer:

The mutation will allow the cells that have the mutation to produce more daughter cells, so the mutation will become more prevalent in the population over time

Explanation:

The question stem states that the mutation enables cells with the mutation to produce more daughter cells than the other cells around it. This is another way of saying that the mutation increases the fitness of the mutated cells. According to the principle of natural selection, an organism (or cell) with increased fitness will increase in prevalence in the population, since it can more readily reproduce than the other members of the population. Thus, the mutation will allow the cells that have the mutation to produce more daughter cells, so the mutation will become more prevalent in the population over time.

Example Question #1 : Natural Selection

A population of sloths lives in a forest. New trees start to take over the forest, and these new trees make it easier for sloths with longer arms to climb them. The sloths with longer arms survive longer and produce more offspring than their shorter-armed counterparts. The sloths with the shortest arms die quickly and do not produce many offspring. Over time, the average arm length of the sloth population increased. 

Which type of natural selection is modeled in the described scenario?

Possible Answers:

Disruptive selection

Stabilizing selection

Directional selection

Divergent selectoin

Convergent selection

Correct answer:

Directional selection

Explanation:

The question describes a particular trait—in this case, certain sloths' long arms—becoming advantageous given the environment. The population is now subject to new selective pressures, whereby sloths with short arms don't live as long or produce as many offspring as sloths with long arms. Since the sloths with long arms produce more offspring, more of the genes related to this trait get passed on to the next generation, so the average arm length of the sloth population increases. This natural selection is happening in a particular direction—in the direction of increasing arm length—so it is called "directional selection."

Example Question #4 : Natural Selection

A population of sloths lives in a forest. New trees start to take over the forest, and these new trees make it easier for sloths with longer arms to climb them. The sloths with longer arms survive longer and produce more offspring than their shorter-armed counterparts. The sloths with the shortest arms die quickly and do not produce many offspring.

What can you predict will happen to the average arm length of the sloths in this population over time?

Possible Answers:

The average arm length of sloths in this population will increase and then decrease.

The average arm length of sloths in this population will increase.

The average arm length of sloths in this population will decrease and then increase.

The average arm length of sloths in this population will decrease.

The average arm length of sloths in this population will stay the same.

Correct answer:

The average arm length of sloths in this population will increase.

Explanation:

The question describes a particular trait—in this case, long arms—becoming advantageous in a given environment. The sloth population is now subject to new selective pressures, whereby sloths with shorter arms don't live as long or produce as many offspring as sloths with longer arms. Since the sloths with longer arms produce more offspring, more of the long-armed genes get passed on to the next generation, so the average arm length of the sloth population is most likely to increase.

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