QCAA Multiple Choice Practice Questions for Unit 3 & 4 Biology External Assessment

Question 6

Trisomy 21 is characterised by what karyotypic abnormality?

(a) Deletion of a chromosome 21

(b) Deletion of 21 chromosomes

(c) Addition of a chromosome 21

(d) Addition of 21 chromosomes

Question 7

Which of the following is the correct definition for the term ‘gene’?

(a) The haploid set of chromosomes in a gamete or microorganism

(b) A unit of heredity which is transferred from parent to offspring

(c) A compound consisting of a nucleoside linked to a phosphate group

(d) A self-replicating material that is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes

Question 8

Which of the following is not a correct statement about phenotypic variation?

(a) Transcription factors play a determining role in an organism’s phenotype

(b) The environment does not impact an organism’s phenotype

(c) Histone modification can influence an organism’s phenotype

(d) DNA tags can cause changes to an organism’s phenotype

Question 9

Which of the following is the correct definition for macroevolution?

(a) Evolutionary change within a species or small group of organisms over a short period of time

(b) Evolutionary change with regard to the evolution of a taxonomic group over extended periods of time

(c) Organisms better adapted to their environment survive and produce more offspring

(d) The variety of traits a species has

Question 10

In a meadow you used to be able to find white moths. However, after the construction of a factor that is now causing the air to be constantly filled with dark smog, you now only ever see dark coloured moths. What is the most likely cause for this phenomena?

(a) Competitive exclusion principle

(b) The white moths have a selective advantage

(c) The dark moths have a selective advantage

(d) The white moths didn’t like the smell of the smog

Question 11

Which of the following is not an assumption of cladistics?

(a) Change in characteristics occurs in lineages over time

(b) Any group of organisms are related by descent from a common ancestor and share the evolutionary history of that ancestor

(c) There is a bifurcating pattern of cladogenesis

(d) Organisms are only related by physiological features

Question 12

David wants to determine the abundance of wombats in a particular area of bushland in Queensland, what is the best method for doing so?

(a) Line transect

(b) Quadrat

(c) Capture-recapture

(d) Belt transect

Question 13

Which of the following most accurately describes a nucleotide?

(a) A compound consisting of a nucleobase and a 5-carbon sugar

(b) A unit of heredity that is transferred from parent to offspring

(c) A section of DNA wound around 8 histone proteins

(d) A compound consisting of a nucleobase, 5-carbon sugar, and phosphate

Question 14

Which of the following is not a feature of a pioneer species?

(a) Ability to reproduce sexually

(b) Ability to fixate nitrogen

(c) Ability to photosynthesise

(d) Ability to tolerate extreme conditions

Question 15

A strand of DNA reads:

GCT AGG CGA TCT

Identify the complementary DNA strand.

(a) CGA TCC GCT AGA

(b) CGA UCC GCU AGA

(c) CGU TCC GCT UGU

(d) CGT ACC GCA TGT

Question 16

The reproduction method characterised by a surge in offspring, with very little parental investment, and a subsequent rapid decline in population is known as:

(a) Sexual reproduction

(b) K-selection

(c) r-selection

(d) Meiosis

Question 17

Which of the following is a biotic factor?

(a) Water salinity

(b) Parasites

(c) Soil pH

(d) UV level

Question 18

The species richness for the following ecosystem is:

(a) 4

(b) 2

(c) 22

(d) 44

Question 19

Which of the following is the correct definition for clade?

(a) Organisms on opposite ends of a cladogram

(b) A group of organisms that evolved through coevolution

(c) A group of organisms that evolved through convergent evolution

(d) A group of organisms who share a common ancestor

Question 20

Coevolution can be described as:

(a) A process whereby distantly related organisms independently evolve similar traits

(b) A process whereby closely related organisms evolve different traits

(c) A process whereby there is a change in allelic frequencies during a short timespan

(d) A process whereby there is reciprocal evolutionary change between groups of species

Question 21

In a DNA strand, thymine pairs with:

(a) Adenine

(b) Guanine

(c) Cytosine

(d) Uracil

Question 22

The following is an image of:

Image sourced from BioNinja

(a) Nucleotide

(b) Nucleoside

(c) Nucleosome

(d) Nucleic acid

Question 23

In tropical forests, it is common to see orchids growing on the branches and trunks of tall trees in the ecosystem – allowing for them to get enough sunlight to survive. This symbiotic relationship is known as:

(a) Ammensalism

(b) Parasitism

(c) Commensalism

(d) Mutualism

Question 24

The population growth of a k-selective species typically follows which graph?

Graphs adapted from ResearchGate

(a) Graph A

(b) Graph B

(c) Graph C

(d) Graph D

Question 25

Which of the following is the correct definition for ecological niche?

(a) A group of organisms that share a common ancestor and all of its evolutionary history

(b) A community of organisms

(c) An area where plants, animals, and other organisms, work together

(d) A description of an organism’s position in an ecosystem, as well as it’s requirements

Solutions to Biology EA Multiple Choice Practice Questions

Click here to download the solutions to the 25 practice questions above!