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 #151 : Sat Subject Test In Biology
A new animal has been discovered in the rainforest. It is very similar in appearance to a known species, and has similar anatomy and dietary patterns; however, it cannot mate with the known species to produce viable offspring.
Given only the above information, which of the following statements is correct?
The two animals represent closely related variants of the same species.
The two animals belong to the same species.
None of the above can be concluded from the information provided alone.
The two animals are adapted to live in completely different environments.
The two animals do not belong to the same species.
The two animals do not belong to the same species.
In order for animals to belong to the same species, they must, by definition, be able to mate with one another to produce viable offspring. The question stem says that these two animals cannot mate to produce viable offspring; therefore, they cannot belong to the same species. Since they cannot belong to the same species, they cannot "represent closely related variants of the same species," either. Although they are not the same species, the information about their similar anatomy and diet suggests that they likely evolved from a common ancestor, making the answer choice "The two animals are adapted to live in completely different environments" also incorrect.
Example Question #1 : Other Evolution Principles
Which of the following changes is most likely to increase the evolutionary fitness of an organism?
A mutation that enables it to produce a larger number of viable offspring than its peers
A mutation that enables it to live in a new environment
A mutation that enables it to eat more food than its peers
A mutation that enables it to be stronger than its peers
A mutation that enables it to be bigger than its peers
A mutation that enables it to produce a larger number of viable offspring than its peers
An organism's evolutionary fitness is defined by the number of offspring that it produces. Mutations that increase the number of offspring that an organism can have will, by definition, increase its evolutionary fitness. Evolutionary fitness is not defined by strength, size, or habitat. While it is theoretically possible that each of the wrong answers might increase the fitness of an organism in the right circumstances, none of the wrong answers are guaranteed to increase the number of offspring produced by the organism.
Example Question #1 : Environmental Principles
A new volcanic island forms in the Pacific Ocean. Over time, soil forms on the island, grasses grow, shrubs appear, birds nest on the island, and the island is no longer a barren rock. This is an example of which of the following?
A climax community because the community changed and grew more complex.
Ecological succession because the structure and composition of the community has changed over time.
A population bottleneck because the population on the island has to be very limited due to the nature of islands.
Evolution because the species on the island changed over time.
Ecological succession because the structure and composition of the community has changed over time.
This is an example of ecological succession. While climax community may seem like a reasonable answer, the text describes the entire process from barren rock onwards and does not specifically state that new species are no longer appearing on the island and that the community is stable. Evolution occurs within a species, and while the species on the island may change, the species themselves are not described as changing. This question mentions nothing about genetics, thus we cannot determine whether or not a population bottleneck (a reduction in population that is sudden and reduces genetic diversity) is occurring and we have no evidence that one is.
Example Question #1 : Cellular Respiration
All of following are true of cellular respiration EXCEPT __________.
oxygen is the final electron acceptor
cellular respiration is an anaerobic process
cellular respiration takes place in the mitochondrion
cellular respiration is the most efficient way to harvest energy from glucose
cellular respiration yields 36–38 ATP
cellular respiration is an anaerobic process
Cellular respiration is NOT an anaerobic process. It is exactly the opposite! Cellular respiration uses oxygen as its final electron acceptor making it an aerobic process. Anaerobic process do not use oxygen.
Example Question #2 : Cellular Respiration
For each molecule of glucose, how many ATP are produced by the Citric Acid Cycle?
2 ATP
1 ATP
6 ATP
4 ATP
3 ATP
2 ATP
Each molecule of glucose produces 2 pyruvate molecules. Each of these pyruvate molecules go through the citric acid cycle and produce 1 ATP each, resulting in 2 ATP total.
Example Question #1 : Cellular Respiration
How many ATP molecules are produced per glucose molecule in anaerobic respiration?
Anaerobic respiration takes place when oxygen is low, such as when lactic acid fermentation takes place in human muscle tissue. This can be painful and cause some of the cramps experienced during intense exercise. Anaerobic respiration is much less efficient at producing ATP than aerobic respiration; it only produces 2 ATP per glucose molecule vs. 36 net ATP in aerobic respiration.
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