Study/Resource Guide

Georgia
Milest
sto
onesAssessment System

Study/Resource Guide
for Students and Parents
Biology

The Study/Resource Guides are intended to serve as a resource for parents and students.
They contain practice questions for the course. The standards identified in the
Study/Resource Guides address a sampling of the state-mandated content standards.
For the purposes of day-to-day classroom instruction, teachers should consult the wide array of
resources that can be found at www.georgiastandards.org.

Copyright © 2020 by Georgia Department of Education. All rights reserved.

 Table of Contents

THE GEORGIA MILESTONES ASSESSMENT SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

GEORGIA MILESTONES END-OF-COURSE (EOC) ASSESSMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
OVERVIEW OF THE BIOLOGY EOC ASSESSMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
ITEM TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE DESCRIPTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE EXAMPLE ITEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
DESCRIPTION OF TEST FORMAT AND ORGANIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
PREPARING FOR THE BIOLOGY EOC ASSESSMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
STUDY SKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
ORGANIZATION—OR TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR WORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
PREPARING FOR THE BIOLOGY EOC ASSESSMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
CONTENT OF THE BIOLOGY EOC ASSESSMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
SNAPSHOT OF THE COURSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
UNIT 1: ORGANIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
UNIT 2: ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
UNIT 3: GROWTH AND HEREDITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
UNIT 4: EQUILIBRIUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
ADDITIONAL SAMPLE ITEM KEYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
SCORING RUBRICS AND EXEMPLAR RESPONSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Copyright © 2020 by Georgia Department of Education. All rights reserved.

 The Georgia Milestones Assessment System

THE GEORGIA MILESTONES ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

Dear Student,
The Georgia Milestones Biology EOC Study/Resource Guide for
Students and Parents is intended as a resource for parents and
students.
This guide contains information about the core content ideas and skills
that are covered in the course. There are practice sample questions
for every section. The questions are fully explained and describe why
each answer is either correct or incorrect. The explanations also help
illustrate how each question connects to the Georgia state standards.
The standards and additional instructional resources can be
found on the Georgia Department of Education website,
www.georgiastandards.org.

Get ready—open this guide—and get started!

Georgia Milestones Biology EOC Study/Resource Guide for Students and Parents Page 3 of 94
Copyright © 2020 by Georgia Department of Education. All rights reserved.
The Georgia Milestones Assessment System

GEORGIA MILESTONES END-OF-COURSE (EOC) ASSESSMENTS

The EOC assessments serve as the final exam in certain courses . The courses are:
English Language Arts

• American Literature and Composition

Mathematics

• Algebra I
• Coordinate Algebra

Science

• Biology

Social Studies

• United States History

All End-of-Course assessments accomplish the following:

• Ensure that students are learning
• Count as part of the course grade
• Provide data to teachers, schools, and school
districts
• Identify instructional needs and help plan how
to meet those needs
• Provide data for use in Georgia’s accountability
measures and reports

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 How to Use This Guide

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Let’s get started!

First, preview the entire guide. Learn what is discussed and where to find helpful information. Even though
the focus of this guide is Biology, you need to keep in mind your overall good reading habits.
ß Start reading with a pencil or a highlighter in your hand and sticky notes nearby.
ß Mark the important ideas, the things you might want to come back to, or the explanations you have
questions about. On that last point, your teacher is your best resource.
ß You will find some key ideas and important tips to help you prepare for the test.
ß You can learn about the different types of items on the test.
ß When you come to the sample items, don’t just read them, do them. Think about strategies you
can use for finding the right answer. Then read the analysis of the item to check your work. The
reasoning behind the correct answer is explained for you. It will help you see any faulty reasoning
in the ones you may have missed.
ß With the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) information, you can gauge just how complex the item is. You will
see that some items ask you to recall information and others ask you to infer or go beyond simple
recall. The assessment will require all levels of thinking.
ß Plan your studying and schedule your time.
ß Proper preparation will help you do your best!

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Overview of the Biology EOC Assessment

OVERVIEW OF THE BIOLOGY EOC ASSESSMENT

ITEM TYPES
The Biology EOC assessment consists of selected-response and technology-enhanced items.
A selected-response item, sometimes called a multiple-choice item, is a question, problem, or statement
that is followed by four answer choices. These questions are worth one point.
A technology-enhanced (TE) item has a question, problem, or statement. These types of items are worth
one or two points. Partial credit may be awarded on two-point items if you select some but not all of the
correct answers or if you get one part of the question correct but not the other part.
• In multi-select items, you will be asked to select more than one right answer.
• In multi-part items, the items will have more than one part. You will need to provide an answer in each
part.
• In drag-and-drop items, you will be asked to use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to move responses
to designated areas on the screen.
• In drop-down menu items, you will be asked to use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to open a drop-
down menu and select an option from the menu. A drop-down menu item may have multiple drop-down
menus.
• Since some technology-enhanced items in this guide were designed to be used in an online,
interactive-delivery format, some of the item-level directions will not appear to be applicable when
working within the format presented in this document (for example, “Move the characteristics into the
boxes” or “Click To Respond”).
• This icon  identifies special directions that will help you answer technology-enhanced items as
shown in the format presented within this guide. These directions do not appear in the online version
of the test but explain information about how the item works that would be easily identifiable if you
were completing the item in an online environment.

To practice using technology-enhanced items in an online environment very similar to how they will appear
on the online test, visit “Experience Online Testing Georgia.”
1. Go to the website “Welcome to Experience Online Testing Georgia” (http://gaexperienceonline.com/).
2. Select “Test Practice.”
3. Under “End-of-Course (EOC) All Assessments,” select “Online Tools Training.”
4. Select “EOC Test Practice.”
5. Select “Technology Enhanced Items.”
6. You will be taken to a login screen. Use the username and password provided on the screen to log in
and practice navigating technology-enhanced items online.

Please note that Google Chrome is the only supported browser for this public version of the online testing
environment.

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 Overview of the Biology EOC Assessment

DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE DESCRIPTORS

Items found on the Georgia Milestones assessments, including the Biology EOC assessment, are
developed with a particular emphasis on the kinds of thinking required to answer questions. In current
educational terms, this is referred to as Depth of Knowledge (DOK). DOK is measured on a scale of 1 to 4
and refers to the level of cognitive demand (different kinds of thinking) required to complete a task, or in
this case, an assessment item. The following table shows the expectations of the four DOK levels in detail.
The DOK table lists the skills addressed in each level as well as common question cues. These question
cues not only demonstrate how well you understand each skill but also relate to the expectations that are
part of the state standards.

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Overview of the Biology EOC Assessment

Level 1—Recall of Information

Level 1 generally requires that you identify, list, or define. This level usually asks you to recall
facts, terms, concepts, and trends and may ask you to identify specific information contained in
documents, maps, charts, tables, graphs, or illustrations. Items that require you to “describe”
and/or “explain” could be classified as Level 1 or Level 2. A Level 1 item requires that you just
recall, recite, or reproduce information.
Skills Demonstrated Question Cues
• Make observations • Tell what, when, or where
• Recall information • Find
• Recognize formulas, properties, patterns, • List
processes • Define
• Know vocabulary, definitions • Identify; label; name
• Know basic concepts • Choose; select
• Perform one-step processes • Compute; estimate
• Translate from one representation to another • Express
• Identify relationships • Read from data displays
• Order

Level 2—Basic Reasoning

Level 2 includes the engagement (use) of some mental processing beyond recalling or
reproducing a response. A Level 2 “describe” and/or “explain” item would require that you go
beyond a description or explanation of recalled information to describe and/or explain a result
or “how” or “why.”
Skills Demonstrated Question Cues
• Apply learned information to abstract and real‑life • Apply
situations • Calculate; solve
• Use methods, concepts, and theories in abstract • Complete
and real-life situations
• Describe
• Perform multi-step processes
• Explain how; demonstrate
• Solve problems using required skills or knowledge
• Construct data displays
(requires more than habitual response)
• Construct; draw
• Make a decision about how to proceed
• Analyze
• Identify and organize components of a whole
• Extend
• Extend patterns
• Connect
• Identify/describe cause and effect
• Classify
• Recognize unstated assumptions; make
inferences • Arrange
• Interpret facts • Compare; contrast
• Compare or contrast simple concepts/ideas

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 Overview of the Biology EOC Assessment

Level 3—Complex Reasoning

Level 3 requires reasoning, using evidence, and thinking on a higher and more abstract
level than Level 1 and Level 2. You will go beyond explaining or describing “how and why” to
justifying the “how and why” through application and evidence. Level 3 items often involve
making connections across time and place to explain a concept or a “big idea.”
Skills Demonstrated Question Cues
• Solve an open-ended problem with more • Plan; prepare
than one correct answer • Predict
• Create a pattern • Create; design
• Generalize from given facts • Ask “what if?” questions
• Relate knowledge from several sources • Generalize
• Draw conclusions • Justify; explain why; support; convince
• Make predictions • Assess
• Translate knowledge into new contexts • Rank; grade
• Compare and discriminate between ideas • Test; judge
• Assess value of methods, concepts, • Recommend
theories, processes, and formulas
• Select
• Make choices based on a reasoned
• Conclude
argument
• Verify the value of evidence, information,
numbers, and data

Level 4—Extended Reasoning

Level 4 requires the complex reasoning of Level 3 with the addition of planning,
investigating, applying significant conceptual understanding, and/or developing that will
most likely require an extended period of time. You may be required to connect and relate
ideas and concepts within the content area or among content areas in order to be at this
highest level. The Level 4 items would be a show of evidence, through a task, a product, or
an extended response, that the cognitive demands have been met.
Skills Demonstrated Question Cues
• Analyze and synthesize information from • Design
multiple sources • Connect
• Examine and explain alternative • Synthesize
perspectives across a variety of sources
• Apply concepts
• Apply mathematical models to illuminate a
• Critique
problem or situation
• Analyze
• Design a mathematical model to inform and
solve a practical or abstract situation • Create
• Combine and synthesize ideas into new • Prove
concepts

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Overview of the Biology EOC Assessment

DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE EXAMPLE ITEMS

Example items that represent the applicable DOK levels across various Biology content domains are
provided on the following pages.

All example and sample items contained in this guide are the property of the Georgia Department
of Education.

Example Item 1
Selected-Response
DOK Level 1: This is a DOK level 1 item because it requires the student to recall information about the
role of mitosis in maintaining genetic continuity.
Biology Domain: Cells
Standard:SB1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to analyze the nature of the relationships
between structures and functions in living cells.
b. Develop and use models to explain the role of cellular reproduction (including binary fission, mitosis,
and meiosis) in maintaining genetic continuity.

Go on to the next page to finish example item 1.

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 Overview of the Biology EOC Assessment

Example Item 1. Continued.

Students modeled the changes in cells during mitosis, using paper plates, flat wooden sticks, cotton
swabs, and construction paper.

1 2 3

4 5

Which statement correctly uses the model to explain how mitosis maintains genetic continuity?

A. The chromosomes in cell 1 are the same as in cells 6 and 7.

B. Crossing-over occurs in cell 4, which increases the genetic diversity in cells 6 and 7.
C. When the nuclear membrane reforms in cell 5, each nucleus becomes diploid in number.
D. The independent assortment that is represented in cell 2 ensures that cell 3 has the correct number of
chromosomes.

Correct Answer: A
Explanation of Correct Answer:The correct answer is choice (A) The chromosomes in cell 1 are the same
as in cells 6 and 7. Choice (B) is incorrect because crossing-over does not occur in mitosis. Choice (C) is
incorrect because the chromosomes in step 5 are haploid, not diploid as shown in the picture. Choice (D)
is incorrect because it is not an independent assortment.

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Overview of the Biology EOC Assessment

Example Item 2
Drop-Down Technology-Enhanced
DOK Level 2: This is a DOK level 2 item because it requires the student to apply scientific concepts and
theories to abstract and real-life situations.
Biology Domain: Genetics
Standard: SB2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to analyze how genetic information is
expressed in cells.
c. Ask questions to gather and communicate information about the use and ethical considerations of
biotechnology in forensics, medicine, and agriculture.

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to click the arrow beside each of the two blank boxes. When
you click the arrow, a drop-down menu will appear, showing you all the possible options for that blank.
Each drop-down menu with its options is shown below.

Page 12 of 94 Georgia Milestones Biology EOC Study/Resource Guide for Students and Parents
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 Overview of the Biology EOC Assessment

Example Item 2. Continued.

Scoring Rubric

Points Description
1 The student correctly selects both drop-down menu options.
0 The student correctly selects one or no drop-down menu options.

Exemplar Response
The correct response is shown below.

“Decrease” is the correct response for the first drop-down menu and “people can afford to buy” is the
correct response for the second drop-down menu because the potential to decrease the cost of medicine
and make it accessible to more people is an ethical consideration that should be taken into account
when developing new methods to manufacture medicine. Increasing the cost of production decreases the
likelihood that a new method will be utilized by companies that manufacture medicine, and increasing
profits is not an ethical consideration that should drive efforts to develop new methods of manufacturing
medicine.

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Overview of the Biology EOC Assessment

Example Item 3
Multi-Select Technology-Enhanced
DOK Level 3: This is a DOK level 3 item because it requires the student to analyze data from an
investigation and use it as evidence to pose arguments that support a scientific claim.
Biology Domain: Classification & Phylogeny
Standard: SB4. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to illustrate the organization of interacting
systems within single-celled and multi-celled organisms.
c. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence to compare and contrast the characteristics
of viruses and organisms.

Scientists studied a species of phytoplankton. These phytoplankton are an important part of marine
food webs and are major primary producers. As all organisms are regulated by their environment,
so are the phytoplankton. The scientists looked at the relationship between the populations of the
phytoplankton and viruses found in the same environment. They created three environments in a
laboratory setting to collect data on the numbers of phytoplankton and viruses over a period of time
and graphed the results once they were averaged, as shown below.

Relative Concentration of
Phytoplankton and Viruses
Relative Concentration

16

12

8
Key
4 phytoplankton
viruses
0 20
Lapsed Time (days)

Go on to the next page to finish example item 3.

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 Overview of the Biology EOC Assessment

Example Item 3. Continued.

The scientists claimed that the growth and stability of the phytoplankton populations were affected by
the viruses. Using the information given, which TWO arguments support this claim?

A. The phytoplankton population was unable to absorb the light necessary for growth because the viruses
covered the surface of the water.
B. The phytoplankton population was affected by the viruses because the viruses were competitors for the
food sources in the environment.
C. As the phytoplankton population increased, the number of viruses began to increase because the
phytoplankton were consumed by the viruses.
D. As the phytoplankton population reached capacity, the number of viruses began to increase because
the phytoplankton were the hosts to the viruses and replicated the viruses’ genome.
E. The phytoplankton population was affected by the increase in the number of viruses in the environment
because the viruses used most of the carbon found in the environment.
F. The phytoplankton population decreased as the number of viruses increased because the cells of
the phytoplankton were destroyed as the viruses used them to increase the number of viruses in the
environment.

Correct Answers:D, F
Explanation of Correct Answers:The correct answers are choice (D) As the phytoplankton population
reached capacity, the number of viruses began to increase because the phytoplankton were the hosts to
the viruses and replicated the viruses’ genome.

and choice (F) The phytoplankton population decreased as the number of viruses increased because the
cells of the phytoplankton were destroyed as the viruses used them to increase the number of viruses in
the environment.

Choice (A) is incorrect because nothing in the graph indicates that the viruses are able to block sunlight.
Choice (B) is incorrect because viruses do not require a food source. Choice (C) is incorrect because the
viruses do not eat phytoplankton. Choice (E) is incorrect because viruses do not use carbon like living
things do.

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Overview of the Biology EOC Assessment

DESCRIPTION OF TEST FORMAT AND ORGANIZATION

The Georgia Milestones Biology EOC assessment consists of a total of 42 items. You will be asked to
respond to selected-response (multiple-choice) and technology-enhanced items.
The test will be given in two sections.
• You may have up to 40 minutes per section to complete Sections 1 and 2.
• The total estimated testing time for the Biology EOC assessment ranges from approximately 40 to
80 minutes. Total testing time describes the amount of time you have to complete the assessment.
It does not take into account the time required for the test examiner to complete pre-administration
and post-administration activities (such as reading the standardized directions to students).
• Sections 1 and 2 may be administered on the same day or across two consecutive days, based on the
district’s testing protocols for the EOC measures (in keeping with state guidance).

Effect on Course Grade

It is important that you take this course and the EOC assessment very seriously.
• For students in Grade 10 or above beginning with the 2011–2012 school year, the final grade in each
course is calculated by weighing the course grade 85% and the EOC score 15%.
• For students in Grade 9 beginning with the 2011–2012 school year, the final grade in each course is
calculated by weighing the course grade 80% and the EOC score 20%.
• A student must have a final grade of at least 70% to pass the course and to earn credit toward
graduation.

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 Preparing for the Biology EOC Assessment

PREPARING FOR THE BIOLOGY EOC ASSESSMENT

STUDY SKILLS
As you prepare for this test, ask yourself the following questions:
✽ How would you describe yourself as a student?
✽ What are your study-skills strengths and/or weaknesses?
✽ How do you typically prepare for a classroom test?
✽ What study methods do you find particularly helpful?
✽ What is an ideal study situation or environment for you?
✽ How would you describe your actual study environment?
✽ How can you change the way you study to make your study time more productive?

ORGANIZATION—OR TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR WORLD

" Establish a study area that has minimal distractions.
" Gather your materials in advance.
" Develop and implement your study plan.

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
The most important element in your preparation is you. You and your actions are the key ingredient. Your
active studying helps you stay alert, interact with the course content, and be more productive. Here’s how
you do it.
" Carefully read the information and then DO something with it. Mark the important material with a
highlighter, circle it with a pen, write notes on it, or summarize the information in your own words.
" Ask questions. As you study, questions often come into your mind. Write them down and actively seek
the answers.
" Create sample test questions and answer them.
" Find a friend who is also planning to take the test and quiz each other.

TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES
Part of preparing for a test is having a set of strategies you can draw from. Include these strategies in your
plan:
✽ Read and understand the directions completely. If you do not understand the directions, ask a teacher.
✽ Read each question and all of the answer choices carefully.
✽ If you use scratch paper, make sure you copy your work to your test accurately.
✽ Underline important parts of each task. Make sure that your answer goes on the answer sheet.
✽ Be aware of time. If a question is taking too much time, come back to it later.
✽ Answer all questions. Check your answers for accuracy.
✽ Stay calm and do the best you can.

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Preparing for the Biology EOC Assessment

PREPARING FOR THE BIOLOGY EOC ASSESSMENT

Read this guide to help prepare for the Biology EOC assessment.
The section of the guide titled “Content of the Biology EOC Assessment” provides a snapshot of the
Biology course. In addition to reading this guide, do the following to prepare to take the assessment:

• Read your textbooks and other materials.

• Think about what you learned, ask yourself questions, and answer them.
• Read and become familiar with the way questions are asked on the assessment.
• Answer the sample Biology questions.
• There are additional items available online to help you practice your skills. Ask your teacher about
online practice sites that are available for your use.

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 Content of the Biology EOC Assessment

CONTENT OF THE BIOLOGY EOC ASSESSMENT

Up to this point in the guide, you have been learning how to prepare for taking the EOC assessment. Now
you will learn about the topics and standards that are assessed in the Biology EOC assessment and will
see some sample items.
" The first part of this section focuses on what will be tested. It also includes sample items that will let
you apply what you have learned in your classes and from this guide.
" The next part contains a table that shows the standard assessed for each item, the DOK level, the
correct answer (key), and a rationale/explanation of the right and wrong answers.
" You can use the sample items to familiarize yourself with the item format found on the assessment.

All example and sample items contained in this guide are the property of the Georgia Department
of Education.

The Biology EOC assessment will assess the Biology standards documented at www.georgiastandards.org.
The Georgia Standards of Excellence for Biology embody science as a way of thinking and investigating
and include a growing body of knowledge about the natural world. You will need to understand the Georgia
Standards of Excellence for Biology.
The content of the assessment is organized into five groupings, or domains, of standards for the purposes
of providing feedback on student performance.
" A content domain is a reporting category that broadly describes and defines the content of the course,
as measured by the EOC assessment.
" On the actual test, the standards for Biology are grouped into five domains: Cells; Cellular Genetics &
Heredity; Classification & Phylogeny; Ecology; and Theory of Evolution.
" Each domain was created by organizing standards that share similar content characteristics.

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Content of the Biology EOC Assessment

SNAPSHOT OF THE COURSE

This section of the study guide is organized into four sections that review the material covered within the
five domains of the Biology course. The material is presented by topic rather than by category or standard.
In each section you will find sample items similar to what you will see on the EOC assessment. The next
section of the guide contains a table that shows, for each item, the standard assessed, the DOK level, the
correct answer (key), and a rationale/explanation about the key and distractors.
All example and sample items contained in this guide are the property of the Georgia Department
of Education.
The more you understand about the topics in each section, the greater your chances of getting a good
score on the EOC assessment.
As you read through each section, you will find that some material is repeated in two or more texts. The
sections are designed to show how the key ideas within the sections apply in many different ways.

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 Unit 1: Organization

UNIT 1: ORGANIZATION
Life is organized at all levels from cell to biosphere.

AREAS OF FOCUS
Cells
• Organelles and structures within a cell interact to maintain homeostasis. (SB1a)
• The structures of macromolecules within a cell are related to their interactions in carrying out cellular
processes. (SB1c)

Classification and Phylogeny

• Viruses and organisms are different in some ways and similar in others. (SB4c)
• Clades of organisms are constructed to represent patterns of structure and function of the organisms
within the three domains of organisms: archaea, bacteria, and eukarya. (SB4a)

Evolution
• Cladograms and phylogenetic trees are models based on patterns of common ancestry and the theory
of evolution and they are used to determine relationships among major groups of organisms. (SB4b)
• Our understanding of biology has been influenced by new understandings of the age of Earth, the
emergence of new species from preexisting species, and our understanding of genetics. (SB6a)
• Speciation results in patterns of biodiversity. (SB6b)
• Comparative morphology, embryology, biochemistry, and genetics support the theory that all living
organisms are related by way of common descent. (SB6c)
• Undirected genetic changes in natural selection and genetic drift have led to changes in populations of
organisms. (SB6d)
• Evolution plays a role in causing biological resistance. (SB6e)

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Unit 1: Organization

KEY IDEAS
Differentiate Between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic
Biologists look for clues to aging and diseases by studying organs, tissues, and cultures of cells. With the
development of the microscope, biologists focused their attention upon smaller elements of living things:
the organelles within the cells. With advancements in the microscope, biologists discovered two types of
cells: prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

PROKARYOTES: EUKARYOTES:
Prokaryotes are single-celled organisms Eukaryotes are single-celled and multi-
that lack internal structures surrounded cellular organisms that have cells
by membranes. They lack a true containing internal membrane-bound
nucleus. structures. They have a true nucleus
containing the cell’s DNA.
Examples:
Examples:
Bacteria
Archaea Plants
Animals
Mushrooms (fungi)
Amoebas (protists)

Cells Must Have Boundaries

Each cell has a cell membrane that serves as a boundary between the cell and its external environment.
The cell membrane is flexible and allows the cell to vary its shape if necessary. It controls the movement
of materials entering and exiting the cell. The cell membrane also helps maintain a chemical balance
within the cell, which is called homeostasis.

An additional boundary outside of the cell membrane is the cell wall. The cell wall is thicker than the cell
membrane and is inflexible. It protects the cell and gives the cell its shape. Plants, fungi, most bacteria,
and a few protists have cell walls. Animal cells do not have cell walls.

Some examples of organelles and their functions

Nucleus: contains DNA, which controls cellular function
Chloroplasts: capture solar energy for photosynthesis
Golgi bodies: modify, sort, and ship proteins and lipids
Mitochondria: produces ATP
Ribosomes: synthesizes protein chains

It is very important that you refer to your textbook for a complete list of cell organelles and their specific
functions.

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 Unit 1: Organization

Compare the Structures and Functions of Organisms of Different Domains

The Three Domains
The number of domains in early classification systems varied greatly. In Aristotle’s time, scientists had
not yet studied geological time frames. These early classification systems were based on visible structural
differences. As scientists discovered evolutionary relationships among species, the classification systems
changed or were modified to fit these new discoveries. Comparisons of DNA sequences and similarities in
proteins have helped to identify relationships among different organisms. From Aristotle’s two divisions,
plants and animals, we now have the three-domain system.
The three domains are the following:

Three Domains
Eukarya
Archaea
Bacteria

All prokaryotic organisms are either in the domain Bacteria or the domain Archaea. The domain Bacteria
contains all of the bacteria that cause disease as well as the bacteria that are beneficial. The domain
Archaea contains bacteria mainly found in extreme environments such as the deep oceans, hot springs,
and swamps. All the organisms in the domain Eukarya contain membrane-bound organelles. The organisms
formally known as protists are eukaryotic and may be either unicellular or multicellular. Information
acquired through genome analysis has resulted in movement of these organisms to different locations
within the domain. They lack complex organ systems and live in moist environments. Fungi are consumers
that do not move. They are unicellular or multicellular heterotrophic eukaryotes that absorb nutrients
from decomposing organisms and wastes in the environment. Plants are photosynthetic multicellular
eukaryotes. Most plants have cellulose cell walls and tissues that have been organized into organs and
organ systems. Animals are multicellular eukaryotic consumers. Animal cells do not have cell walls. Their
tissues have been organized into complex organ systems such as the nervous system, muscular system,
and digestive system.
Taxonomy is the branch of biology dealing with the grouping and naming of organisms. A person who
studies taxonomy is called a taxonomist. There is a vast array of organisms that we know of, but
taxonomists are still identifying newly discovered organisms. They compare the internal and external
structures, sequence the genome, compare the amino acid sequence of common proteins, and compare
the evolutionary relationships of species. The numbers of species identified by taxonomists are growing
at different rates among different groups of organisms. With the advancing technology of the microscope,
many more microorganisms have been discovered. Scientists are also exploring tropical forest canopies
and deep ocean areas, where they are discovering new species. Knowledge of relationships among species
helps the taxonomist identify and group these newly discovered species.

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Unit 1: Organization

The Modern Classification System

Have you ever been to a zoo and been overwhelmed by the number of different species of animals you
saw? Or have you taken a walk in a forest and been amazed by the different plants that you see on the
forest floor? What you have seen is a small fraction of what actually inhabits our planet with us. One tool
that scientists use in an attempt to make sense of the diversity of life is the classification system.
Classification is the grouping of objects based on similarities. Modern classification uses the following
levels to classify organisms:

Levels of Classification
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species

Although the six-kingdom system has been replaced by the three-domain system and many organisms now
find themselves on a different limb of the tree of life, this traditional classification system is still useful
for identifying organisms. At the phylum level, organisms are subdivided again based on evolutionary
traits. Organisms are further divided into different classes based upon shared characteristics. Within each
class, organisms are grouped into orders based on a more specific and limited set of characteristics. This
subdividing and grouping has seven levels in the modern classification system. The most specific level is
species. Members of a species are considered to be the same “kind” of organism and can reproduce with
other members of their species to produce viable offspring.

Compare and Contrast Viruses with Living Organisms

Viruses are infectious particles made of a protein shell called a capsid, which contains either DNA or RNA.
The genetic material is single-stranded or double-stranded, depending on the kind of virus. Some viruses
have an outer membranous envelope that covers the capsid. These viral envelopes, derived from the host
cell membrane, may contain both viral and host cell lipids and proteins.
Viruses are not considered living organisms because they are not cells and they cannot reproduce outside
of a host cell. Viruses must infect a living cell, a host, in order to reproduce their viral genetic material and
make new viral proteins. Like living organisms, viruses contain genetic material (either DNA or RNA), respond
to their environment, and evolve. Unlike living organisms, viruses are not cells, do not contain organelles, and
are unable to reproduce in the absence of a host cell. Further, viruses are able to form crystals and still be
functional. Living cells are not able to survive crystallization.

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 Unit 1: Organization

Explain the History of Life in Terms of Biodiversity, Ancestry, and the Rates of
Evolution
Our understanding of biology has been influenced by the age of Earth, the emergence of new species
from existing species, and the still growing body of knowledge of genetics. The work of Charles Darwin and
Gregor Mendel laid a foundation to explain the large diversity of species found today. Adaptation can occur
when a population colonizes a new area. A good example is the large number of finch species that Darwin
observed on the different Galápagos Islands. He counted over a dozen different species of finches that he
believed evolved from a single founding species.
As molecular biologists developed new techniques for analyzing DNA, new understanding emerged about
how different modes of evolution can occur. As more and more data were gathered, evolutionary biologists
became intrigued with DNA and the information that it provided about the relationships among organisms.
Data collected show that segments of DNA, and even entire sequences of the amino acids in some
proteins, seem to be identical in many organisms.
The similarity between the DNA of all living organisms shows that once life began, it diversified by changing
the genetic code of organisms. This resulted in the biodiversity of life on Earth today. Biodiversity is the
variety of organisms, their genetic information, and the communities in which they live. Scientists use
three different terms when talking about biodiversity:

1. Ecosystem diversity includes the variety of habitats, living communities, and

ecological processes in the living world.
2. Species diversity includes the vast number of different organisms on Earth.
3. Genetic diversity refers to the sum total of all the different forms of genetic
information carried by all living organisms on Earth. It gives rise to inheritable
variation, which provides the raw material for evolution.

Speciation is the evolution of a new species that occurs because of changes in gene flow between
populations of the ancestral species. Evolution of new species because of geographic isolation occurs
when physical barriers separate populations, preventing mating of individuals. Volcanoes, sea-level
changes, and earthquakes are a few examples of natural occurrences that divide populations. So over
time, each smaller population will adapt to their new environment through the process of natural selection.
Eventually, this causes the gene pool of each group to become so different that a new species is formed.

Fossil and Biochemical Evidence Supports the Theory

The fossil record provides biologists with an incomplete picture of the evolution of plants and animals.
Most fossils are the remains of the hard parts of an organism. Shells, bones, or the remains of plants
with thick cell walls are most likely to leave a fossil. Very few fossils capture the details of skin or internal
organs. There are also impressions left behind in sediments along rivers and lakes.
One problem with the fossil record is that there are few remains of any “intermediate” or transitional
forms. There are several reasons that few transition species are found. Approximately two-thirds of all the
organisms that have ever lived were soft-bodied; these organisms do not usually become fossilized. It also
depended on where and how an organism died as to whether its remains could be fossilized. Fossils also
could have been destroyed by erosion or pressure from overlying rocks. Exposure to wind, rain, and soil
erosion could prevent fossils from forming.

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Unit 1: Organization

Fossil Age
Biologists use a number of ways to determine the age of fossils. They recognize distinct groups of fossils
in specific rock layers. By matching rock layers with fossils, geologists can determine the age of the rocks,
while paleontologists can determine the age of the fossils. This is called relative dating.
Biologists use radioisotope dating to determine the relative ages of fossils within a time period. These
isotopes act as clocks for measuring time. To use this method, scientists must know the following:

1. The half-life of the isotope being measured

2. How much of the isotope was originally present in the fossil or in the rock
containing the fossil
3. How much of the isotope is left

Carbon-14 (C-14) is the primary isotope used in radioisotope dating. When an organism dies, no additional
carbon is added to the carbon already in the organism before death. Scientists measure the ratio of
carbon‑14 to determine how long ago the organism lived. This ratio changes every year because the
amount of C-14 decreases over time. The half-life of C-14 is 5,770 years. That means that it takes 5,770
years for half of the C-14 to become N-14, which is stable, while the other half is still radioactive. One
problem in this is that the half-life of carbon is relatively short compared to how old Earth really is. So after
about 50,000 years, the traceable amounts of carbon in the remains of an organism are gone. Scientists
often use other isotopes, such as uranium-235, which decays into the daughter element, lead-207, in
approximately 700 million years.
By using the ages of fossils, scientists can determine interrelationships among organisms. Organizing
similar fossils by age shows how species change over time. An example of this change is horse evolution.
A phylogeny is a description of the lines of descent of plants and animals. A phylogenetic tree shows
the interrelationship of several species. Fossil collections are often not complete enough to determine
any evolutionary patterns or traits. In many cases, a biologist will infer likely phylogenies by comparing
morphological features, DNA sequences, and chromosomal characteristics.

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 Unit 1: Organization

SAMPLE ITEMS
Item 1
Selected-Response
Portions of the protein sequence alignments for a group of ciliates are shown.

Ciliate Protein Sequence Alignment

Tetrahymena thermophila NOYTYPEIORSOIFYCNH
Paramecium tetraurelia KSNNOEKICROOILYCNH
Paramecium caudatum KOOIAEKIOROOILYCNK
Euplotes aediculatus NINVPNWNNMKSRTRIFYCH
Oxytricha trifallax NINKGFWDDOIKRNRLFYCAH

Which of the following cladograms BEST represents these data?

A. Paramecium tetraurelia
Paramecium caudatum
Tetrahymena thermophila
Euplotes aediculatus
Oxytricha trifallax

B. Paramecium tetraurelia
Paramecium caudatum
Tetrahymena thermophila
Euplotes aediculatus
Tetrahymena thermophila

C. Paramecium tetraurelia
Paramecium caudatum
Tetrahymena thermophila
Euplotes aediculatus
Oxytricha trifallax

D. Paramecium tetraurelia
Paramecium caudatum
Tetrahymena thermophila
Euplotes aediculatus

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Unit 1: Organization

Item 2
Selected-Response
The ribosome of the bacterium E. coli includes the ribosomal protein L4 (rpl4). The rpl4 gene carries
the instructions for making rpl4 protein. Which of the following arguments provides support for the
claim that E. coli has a common ancestor with all other organisms?

A. Every organism depends on proteins to carry out essential cellular processes. Ribosomes are needed
by all organisms to synthesize proteins such as rpl4.
B. Every organism possesses in its ribosome a protein that is similar to rpl4. This protein has an amino
acid sequence that is similar to the sequence of E. coli’s rpl4.
C. Every organism contains a structure that is similar to a ribosome. This structure helps convert the
instructions from the rpl4 gene into amino acids.
D. Every organism has proteins made of amino acids. The code for amino acids is the same in E. coli
because the instructions for amino acids come from the DNA. DNA contains the same components in
all organisms.

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 Unit 1: Organization

Item 3
Drop-Down Technology-Enhanced

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to click the arrow beside each of the three blank boxes.
When you click the arrow, a drop-down menu will appear, showing you all the possible options for that
blank. Each drop-down menu with its options is shown below.

Part A

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Unit 1: Organization

Item 4
Drop-Down Technology-Enhanced

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to click the arrow beside each of the five blank boxes. When
you click the arrow, a drop-down menu will appear, showing you all the possible options for that blank.
Each drop-down menu with its options is shown on the next page.

Go on to the next page to finish item 4.

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 Unit 1: Organization

Item 4. Continued.

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Unit 1: Organization

Item 5
Drag-and-Drop Technology-Enhanced

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to move the statements below the chart into the boxes. Each
statement can be used once. Some statements will not be needed.

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 Unit 1: Organization

Item 6
Drop-Down Technology-Enhanced

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to click the arrow beside each of the two blank boxes. When
you click the arrow, a drop-down menu will appear, showing you all the possible options for that blank.
Each drop-down menu with its options is shown below.

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Unit 2: Energy Transformations

UNIT 2: ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be transformed as it flows through organisms and
ecosystems.

AREAS OF FOCUS
Cells
• Photosynthesis and respiration are essential in the cycling of matter and energy within the cell. (SB1e)
• It is important to understand the inputs, outputs, and functions of photosynthesis and respiration.
(SB1e)
• The functions of the major subprocesses of photosynthesis and respiration include glycolysis, Krebs
cycle, electron transport chain, light reactions, and Calvin cycle. (SB1e)

Classification and Phylogeny

• Energy transformation and the cycling of matter are the reasons organisms within an ecosystem
depend on one another. (SB5b)
• Specific factors that affect ecosystems are size, carrying capacity, response to limiting factors, and
keystone species. (SB5a)

Ecology
• Food webs are useful models to represent the flow of energy. (SB5b)
• An energy pyramid is a model that can provide information about biomass and energy moving from
producer to consumer and on to higher-order consumers. (SB5b)
• The carbon cycle, oxygen cycle, and hydrogen cycle model how these major biochemical elements
move through ecosystems. (SB5b)

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 Unit 2: Energy Transformations

Understand the Characteristics of the Four Major Macromolecules

Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids are the foundations for the structure and function of
every living cell in every organism. They are the building materials of the body and the storehouse for
energy for every activity. Most of these macromolecules are made up of repeating units called monomers.
Monomers are bonded together to make up a polymer.

Carbohydrates
A carbohydrate is a simple sugar or a molecule composed of two or more simple sugars. In general, the
ratio of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms is 1:2:1 in a carbohydrate molecule. There are three classes
of carbohydrates: monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. Glucose, sucrose, glycogen,
and cellulose are examples of carbohydrates. In all living organisms, carbohydrates are broken down
to provide usable chemical energy for cells. In plants, the carbohydrate cellulose is used for structural
support in making cell walls.
Mono means “one.” Saccharide means “sugar.” Put the two together and you have one sugar unit. Oligo
means “few.” An oligosaccharide is a short chain of two or more covalently bonded sugar units. Poly
means “many.” A polysaccharide is a straight or branched chain of sugar units in which there may be
hundreds or thousands of the same kind or different kinds of sugars bonded to one another.

Lipids
Lipids are organic compounds that have more carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds and fewer oxygen atoms than
carbohydrates. They are extremely important for the proper functioning of organisms. Lipids are commonly
called fats and oils. They are insoluble in water because of the nonpolarity of the molecules. Lipids are
used by cells for long-term energy storage. Lipids are also a major component of cell membranes. Waxes
are longchain fatty acids attached to an alcohol. An example is cutin in plants. It helps the plants retain
water.

Proteins
Proteins belong to the most diverse group. They are large, complex polymers essential to all life. They are
composed of chains of amino acids. These amino acids are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen,
and sometimes sulfur. Proteins are important in muscle contraction, transporting oxygen in the blood,
and the immune system. Proteins, like lipids, are an important component of cell membranes. Collagen,
enzymes, hemoglobin, insulin, and antibodies are examples of proteins.

Nucleic Acids
Nucleic acids are complex macromolecules that store and transmit genetic information in cells in the form
of a code. To form nucleic acids, four different kinds of nucleotides are strung together. A nucleotide is a
small organic compound that consists of a five-carbon sugar, a nitrogen-containing base, and a phosphate
group. Nucleotides are the structural units of adenosine phosphates, nucleotide coenzymes, and nucleic
acids. Examples of nucleotides include ATP, NAD+, and NADP+, and examples of nucleic acids include RNA
and DNA.

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Unit 2: Energy Transformations

Explain the Flow of Energy Needed by All Organisms to Carry Out Life Processes
Energy in a Cell
All life on Earth depends on the flow of energy. The primary source of this energy is the Sun. Plants and
other photosynthetic organisms (for example, cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae) are the entry point for
this flow of energy. The process of photosynthesis supports almost all life on Earth directly or indirectly.
Photosynthesis is the process that converts solar energy to chemical energy in the form of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are then broken down by the metabolism of the cells of these photosynthetic organisms
or by the cells of other organisms, such as animals, fungi, or microbes that consume plant materials. In
all cells, the processes of life are constantly moving and rearranging atoms, ions, and molecules. All this
biological work requires energy.

Understanding ATP
ATP, adenosine triphosphate, is a special molecule that stores and releases the energy in its bonds in
response to the energy needs of the cell. Cells work constantly to maintain a vast supply of this energy
storage molecule. The stored energy is released when ATP is split into ADP, adenosine diphosphate, and
an inorganic phosphate. Remember that ATP and ADP are nucleotides. When the appropriate enzyme
is present, the terminal phosphate group of an ATP molecule can be transferred to a variety of other
compounds.
The energy released when ATP is split is stored in other energy-intermediate molecules and is used to
power other biological processes. Most of these processes are energy-requiring biological reactions in
cells.
Consider the following cycle:
ATP Cycle

ATP
energy in (+P) energy out (–P)

ADP

This process is known as phosphorylation.

When a phosphate group is removed, energy is released for chemical reactions to occur in the cell, and
ATP becomes ADP. When the cell has an excess of energy, the energy is stored in the bond when the
phosphate group is added to the ADP.
ATP is the major energy link between energy-using and energy-releasing reactions. The amount of energy
released when the phosphate group bond breaks is suitable for use in most cellular reactions.
The Biology EOC assessment will assess your knowledge and understanding of the ATP‑ADP cycle and the
importance of energy to all life.

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 Unit 2: Energy Transformations

Examples of Ways That Cells Use Energy

Cells use energy to make new molecules, including enzymes, and to build cell organelles and membranes.
Cells also use energy to maintain homeostasis. Some cells, such as muscle cells, use energy from ATP
in order to move. Nerve cells are able to transmit impulses by using ATP to power the active transport of
certain ions. Lightning bugs, certain caterpillars, and some deep-sea organisms produce light by a process
known as bioluminescence. The light that is produced is a result of a chemical reaction that is powered by
the breakdown of ATP.
Many of the carbon atoms and oxygen molecules that you breathe once cycled through the tissues of a
plant. Plants, algae, and other photosynthetic organisms are important to the maintenance and balance
of life on Earth. They convert solar energy to chemical energy in the form of carbohydrates. Photosynthetic
organisms must also break down carbohydrates to form ATP. These carbohydrates are usually in the form
of simple sugars, mainly glucose. The process of breaking down carbohydrates for ATP is called cellular
respiration.

Trapping Energy––Photosynthesis
Autotrophs are organisms that can manufacture their own energy-providing food molecules. Most
autotrophic organisms trap energy from the Sun and use this energy to build carbohydrates in a process
known as photosynthesis. This trapped energy is used to convert the inorganic raw materials CO2 and H2O
to carbohydrates and O2. The key to this process is the pigment chlorophyll, which is the molecule in the
chloroplasts of plants that absorbs energy from sunlight.
The general equation for photosynthesis is as follows:
6CO2 + 6H2O + energy from sunlight → C6H12O6 + 6O2

Two Main Reactions of Photosynthesis

1. Light reactions: These reactions split water molecules, providing hydrogen and
an energy source (ATP and NADPH) for the Calvin cycle. Oxygen is given off.
2. Calvin cycle: This cycle is the series of reactions that form simple sugars using
carbon dioxide and hydrogen from water.

The light reaction is the photo part of photosynthesis.

The Calvin cycle is the synthesis part of photosynthesis.

Using Energy––Cellular Respiration

The general equation for cellular respiration is as follows:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy
Once light energy is used to make carbohydrates, any organism can then use the carbohydrates for energy
for life processes. Organisms get energy from carbohydrates through the process of cellular respiration to
make ATP.

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Unit 2: Energy Transformations

Three Main Reactions of Cellular Respiration

1. Glycolysis: The series of reactions takes place in the cell’s cytoplasm and
is anaerobic (without oxygen). The glucose that entered the cell by active
transport is broken down by enzymes into pyruvic acid. Two molecules of ATP
are also produced.
2. Krebs cycle: This cycle breaks down the products of glycolysis to produce
molecules used in the electron transport chain.
3. Electron transport chain: This chain consists of a series of proteins in the
mitochondrial membranes that convert ADP to ATP by transferring electrons.

The Biology EOC assessment will assess your knowledge and understanding of the process of
photosynthesis, the ATP-ADP cycle, the process of cellular respiration, and the importance of energy to all
life.

Investigate the Relationships among Organisms, Populations, Communities,

Ecosystems, and Biomes
Populations
A group of organisms of one species that lives in the same place at the same time is a population.
Organisms in a population compete for food, water, mates, and other resources. The way that organisms
in a population share the resources of their environment will determine how far apart the members
of the population will live and how large that population will be. Population density is the number of
organisms living in a given area. Some organisms, such as tigers, require much space, while others, such
as pine trees, can live close together. Keep in mind that some species have adaptations that minimize
the competition within a population. An example is the frog. The first stage of a frog’s life is a tadpole.
Tadpoles are completely different from adult frogs. Their food source is different. They have gills and live in
the water. Many insects have juvenile stages at which they require resources very different from those of
their adult counterparts. This minimizes competition within a population.

Communities
A population usually does not live independently of other species. Each population is connected. A
community is made up of several populations interacting with each other. This is where balance becomes
very important. If there is a change in one population, it can dramatically affect the others living within the
community. An increase in one population can cause a decrease in another, sometimes with devastating
effects. This change in population size is known as growth rate. A growth rate can be positive, negative,
or zero. If a population is provided with ideal conditions, it will increase in number. Healthy organisms
reproduce at a rate greater than their death rate. As long as these ideal conditions continue, as the
population grows larger the rate of growth increases. This growth is called exponential growth. This pattern
of exponential growth is in the shape of a J curve. But growth has limits. If deer were allowed to continually
reproduce, the planet would be overrun with deer! However, as the population increases, the resources
that are available become limited and the growth of the population slows and begins to stabilize. This
pattern of logistic growth is an S-shaped curve. The point at which the population becomes stable is known
as the carrying capacity. It is the maximum stable population size an environment can support over time.
On the Biology EOC assessment, you may be given a chart or graph and may be asked to identify growth
rates.

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 Unit 2: Energy Transformations

Exponential Growth Logistic Growth

carrying capacity

Organisms

Organisms
Number of

Number of
Time Time

Remember, when working with graphs, carefully read the title and the label on each axis.
When a population reaches its carrying capacity, a number of factors help stabilize it at that size. They are
called density-dependent limiting factors.

Density-Dependent Density-Independent
Limiting Factors Limiting Factors
Competition Weather
Predation Fires
Parasitism Droughts/Floods
Crowding/Stress Human Activities

The Flow of Matter and Energy through Ecosystems

Energy Flow
Energy is constantly flowing through ecosystems. The primary source of this energy is the Sun. Plants,
algae, and some bacteria are producers. Producers harness the Sun’s energy to make energy-rich
molecules that they and all other organisms can use to make living tissues. The process of photosynthesis
uses the Sun’s energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. Glucose is the
molecule that provides all organisms with a source of energy. Producers are also called autotrophs,
meaning “self-feeding,” because they do not need other organisms to provide them with energy-rich
molecules.
Because animals cannot harness energy from the Sun, they need to eat other organisms to obtain energy
and matter. Animals are consumers. They are also known as heterotrophs, meaning they need to feed on
other organisms. Animals store energy in their bodies in the forms of complex carbohydrates, fats, and
proteins. Decomposers are organisms that feed on dead bodies of animals and plants or on their waste
products. Organisms are grouped into trophic levels based on their source of energy––organisms with the
same energy sources are on the same trophic level.

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Unit 2: Energy Transformations

Consumer Energy Source Example

Herbivores Eat plants Deer
Carnivores Eat other animals Lions
Omnivores Eat both plants and animals Raccoons
Decomposers Break down dead organisms Bacteria

Because energy cannot be recycled, there must be a way for it to move through an ecosystem. As sunlight
hits Earth, the energy flows first to producers, then to consumers, and finally to decomposers. This is
called a food chain.
A food chain shows how energy and matter flow through an ecosystem.

A Food Chain
Sun → grass → mice → hawk

On the Biology EOC assessment, you may be given a diagram of a food chain or web and may be asked to
describe the roles of different organisms.
A food chain is a simplified way for ecologists to study how energy and matter flow. But it is not always
that simple. Relationships exist between organisms that feed on more than one species. In an actual
ecosystem, there are many more plants and animals involved. A more complex interconnected system of
food chains is called a food web.
Ecologists use energy pyramids to show how energy decreases at each succeeding trophic level. The total
energy transferred from one trophic level to the next is only about 10 percent. Not all the food consumed
at each level is actually used for growth. Every time one organism eats another, most of the energy is used
for energy by the consuming organism, excreted as waste, or lost as heat rather than being stored as living
tissue. Ecologists construct energy pyramids based on the available energy at each trophic level. This
explains why population sizes decrease through the trophic levels.

Secondary
Consumers
60 kcal/m2/yr

Primary Consumers
600 kcal/m2/yr

Producers
6,000 kcal/m2/yr

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 Unit 2: Energy Transformations

Recycling of Matter
Unlike energy, which flows in one direction through an ecosystem, matter is recycled. Matter (or elements)
cycles from one organism to another through food webs. Matter cannot be replenished in an ecosystem,
unlike the energy from the Sun. For example, carbon is found in the environment as carbon dioxide (CO2)
gas. From the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is used during photosynthesis to form sugar. Respiration
and decay are two ways that carbon returns to the atmosphere as a gas. Carbon also returns to the
atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned.
As a second example, nitrogen gas makes up 78% of Earth’s atmosphere, but it is in an unusable form.
Lightning and some bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable nitrogen-containing compounds.
Plants use these nitrogen compounds to make proteins and nucleic acids. Herbivores eat the plants and
convert plant proteins into animal proteins and nucleic acids. Organisms return nitrogen to the atmosphere
through decay.
Refer to your textbook for diagrams and additional information about the cycles of the elements carbon,
oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. On the Biology EOC assessment, you may be asked to describe the
interactions of biotic and abiotic factors in these various cycles.

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Unit 2: Energy Transformations

SAMPLE ITEMS
Item 7
Selected-Response
Hemoglobin is a protein found in the red blood cells of vertebrates and in the plasma of many
invertebrates. The function of this protein is to transport oxygen throughout the body and to bring
carbon dioxide back to be expelled from the organism. If the amino acid sequence of the protein is
altered, the mutated protein is not as efficient at carrying oxygen as is the normal hemoglobin. Which
argument is supported by this information?

A. The mutated hemoglobin protein can still carry carbon dioxide to be expelled from the organism.
B. Hemoglobin must be a simple molecule because it is found in both vertebrates and invertebrates.
C. Structural changes of hemoglobin affect its ability to carry oxygen, indicating that the shape of a
protein is important to its function.
D. Normal hemoglobin must be a larger molecule than the mutated hemoglobin since it has sufficient
space to attach to and carry both oxygen molecules and carbon dioxide molecules.

Item 8
Multi-Select Technology-Enhanced
Bromothymol blue (BTB) is a pH indicator that is also used to detect carbon dioxide (CO2). BTB is blue
when pH is basic and CO2 is low. BTB is yellow when pH is acidic and CO2 is high. BTB is green when
pH is neutral. A group of students are planning to perform an investigation in which they will place
either a stalk of the aquatic plant elodea or a snail in a test tube that contains water with a neutral
pH of 7 and BTB. The students will also include a test tube that contains elodea and a snail. Observing
color change once the tubes have been placed under a growth light for several hours will allow the
students to answer which TWO of the following questions?

A. Do both elodea and snails require oxygen to survive?

B. Does elodea produce oxygen during photosynthesis?
C. Do snails respire faster when placed in a tube with elodea?
D. Do snails use the CO2 produced by elodea to produce oxygen?
E. Does photosynthesis performed by elodea remove CO2 from the water?
F. Does cellular respiration occur at a higher rate than photosynthesis in the tube with only elodea?

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 Unit 2: Energy Transformations

Item 9
Selected-Response
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are found throughout eastern North America. They are omnivores, feeding
on nectar, pollen, tree sap, insects, and spiders. They get all the water they need from nectar. Most
nests are in forested areas, citrus groves, marshes, and scrubland. The hummingbirds breed in the
spring and the summer, and females raise one to three broods per breeding season. Most of the
hummingbirds migrate to Mexico or Central America for the winter. Many fly nonstop for 20 hours to
cross the Gulf of Mexico. However, increasing numbers of the hummingbirds have begun to winter north
of the gulf. Researchers have documented that the hummingbirds’ winter range has expanded northward
by about 300 kilometers in recent years.

Which explanation BEST predicts the ability of the hummingbirds to survive their first winter in this
new environment?

A. Finding suitable nesting materials and sites is the most important task the hummingbirds must
accomplish because they must produce offspring.
B. Finding a sufficient supply of flowering plants, flowering trees, and insects is the most important task
for the hummingbirds because they need food to survive.
C. Finding bodies of water is the most important task for the hummingbirds because they need to
supplement the supply of nectar if it is inadequate to provide all the calories the hummingbirds need
to survive.
D. Finding mates to allow the hummingbirds to lay fertile eggs and have two parents to feed the new
hatchlings is the most important task for the hummingbirds because they need to ensure there is a
new generation of hummingbirds in the region.

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Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

UNIT 3: GROWTH AND HEREDITY

Organisms must be able to grow and reproduce to ensure species survival.

AREAS OF FOCUS
Cells
• The structures of DNA and RNA lead to the expression of information within the cell. (SB2a)
• The processes of replication, transcription, and translation are the mechanisms by which information in
DNA becomes a protein. (SB2a)
• Genetic variation can result from meiosis, mutations to DNA during replication, or mutations to
reproductive cells caused by environmental factors. (SB2b)

Cellular Genetics and Heredity

• Mendel’s laws increase reproductive variability during meiosis. (SB3a)
• Mathematical models (Punnett squares and probability) can be used to predict and explain patterns of
inheritance. (SB3b)
• Inheritance patterns include dominance, codominance, and incomplete dominance. (SB3b)
• Environmental conditions determine the relative advantages and disadvantages of sexual and asexual
reproduction for a population. (SB3c)
• Biotechnology in forensics, medicine, and agriculture should be evaluated for its benefits and the
ethics of its use. (SB2c)

Theory of Evolution
• Genetic variation within a species is one of the foundational themes of natural selection. Genetic
variations may result from meiosis, nonlethal errors that occur during DNA replication, or inheritable
mutations caused by environmental factors. (SB2b)

Ecology
• Heritable mutations may be caused by environmental factors (radiation, chemicals, and viruses).
(SB2b)

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 Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

KEY IDEAS
Explain the Role of Genetic Information in Storing and Transmitting Cellular
Information
When you visit a library, you will find a host of information readily available to you on many subjects.
A library can be considered a storehouse of information. Our bodies contain millions of cells that are
considered storehouses as well. Just as each book in a library contains information, cells also contain
information that is used to carry out cell functions. An acorn from an oak tree will grow into another oak
tree, not into a maple tree or a pine tree. For thousands of years, people have wondered how sons and
daughters have characteristics similar to their parents. How does this happen? Where does it all take
place? The phrase “like begets like” becomes very clear when we study genetics.
Genetics is the branch of biology that studies heredity, the passing on of characteristics from parents to
offspring. These characteristics are called traits.

DNA
DNA forms a complex biological polymer called a nucleic acid that is used for information storage. Nucleic
acids are made up of monomers called nucleotides. The components of a DNA nucleotide are deoxyribose,
a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base. DNA has four nitrogen bases––adenine (A), guanine (G),
cytosine (C), and thymine (T).
In DNA, nucleotides combine to form two long chains similar to a ladder that has
twisted into a spiral. This spiral is the double helix, or double-stranded DNA. The
two strands of nucleotides are held together by hydrogen bonds between the
nitrogen-containing bases. The sides of the ladder consist of phosphate groups
alternating with five-carbon sugars. In DNA, deoxyribose is the five-carbon sugar.
The hydrogen bonding in DNA allows for only certain base pairings. In DNA, adenine
bonds with thymine (A-T) and guanine bonds with cytosine (G-C). DNA carries
information in a triplet code; each sequence of three nucleotides either codes for
a particular amino acid or indicates the beginning or end of a sequence. The DNA
sequences are unique for each organism.
How can organisms be so different if their genetic material is made of the same
molecules? A squirrel is different from a tree because the order of nucleotides in
their DNA––their genetic code––is different.
DNA has the unique ability to make an exact copy of itself in a process called replication. During DNA
replication, an enzyme breaks the hydrogen bonds between nitrogen bases that hold the two DNA strands
together. This enzyme “unzips” the two DNA molecules, allowing free nucleotides to bond to the two single
strands by base pairing. This process continues until the entire molecule has been replicated. Each new
strand formed is a complement of one of the original, or parent, strands. At the end of replication, there
are two copies of the genetic information that will be passed on to new cells through mitosis or to new
generations through meiosis.
In eukaryotic cells, DNA is found inside the nucleus, coiled into chromosomes. Prokaryotes lack nuclei, and
their DNA is either attached to the cell membrane or is free-floating in the cytoplasm. A small amount of
DNA is also found in mitochondria, in eukaryotes, and in small circular units calls plasmids in prokaryotes.

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Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

RNA
RNA, like DNA, is made of nucleotides. The sugar in RNA is ribose, and the nitrogen-containing base uracil
replaces the thymine found in DNA. The uracil in RNA pairs with adenine during complimentary base
pairing. RNA is a single strand of nucleotides. In the process of transcription, RNA transfers the genetic
information from DNA to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm. At the ribosomes, the process of translation uses
the genetic code on the RNA to form proteins from amino acids.
Transcription is similar to the DNA process of replication, but only one strand of nucleotides is formed.
DNA is used as a template to make messenger RNA (mRNA). The mRNA carries the genetic information
from DNA to ribosomes in the cytoplasm.
Translation is the process of converting the information in the mRNA into a sequence of amino acids that
make proteins. Transfer RNA (tRNA) brings the amino acids to the mRNA at the ribosomes so protein
synthesis can take place. To have the correct translation of the code, mRNA codons must join with the
correct anticodon of the tRNA. A codon is a group of three nitrogenous bases on an mRNA molecule that
carries the code for a specific amino acid. An anticodon is a set of three nitrogenous bases on a tRNA
molecule that matches a codon on an mRNA molecule.
Review your textbook for additional information and diagrams to help you understand these processes.
In summary, messenger RNA (mRNA) carries the message of the genetic code from the DNA in the nucleus
to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm. At the ribosomes, the mRNA sequence is translated into a protein in
a process known as translation. Transfer RNA (tRNA) transfers the amino acids in the cytoplasm to the
ribosomes. The amino acids are lined up in the coded sequence to form a specific protein.

Using Mendel’s Laws, Explain the Role of Meiosis in Reproductive Variability

Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, was the first to succeed in predicting how traits are carried from one
generation to the next. He used pea plants in his experiments because they reproduce sexually. He was
very careful to study one trait at a time to control the variables. He would manipulate flower parts in order
to fertilize the female gamete with the male gamete in the desired parent plants. Mendel discovered that
when he crossed tall plants with short plants, the first generation of offspring (F1) were all tall. When he
let the F1 plants self-pollinate, Mendel found that three-fourths of their offspring (F2) were tall and
one-fourth of the F2 plants were short. The short trait had reappeared in the second generation (F2).
Mendel came to the conclusion that each organism has two factors for each of its traits. Mendel called
the trait that appeared in the first generation dominant and the trait that seemed to disappear recessive.
Today, scientists call the locations for these factors genes. Genes are located on the chromosomes and
can exist in alternative forms called alleles. Alleles are found on different copies of chromosomes, one
from the female parent and the other from the male parent. The genotype is a list of the alleles for a
particular trait in an organism. The phenotype is the physical appearance of an organism, or how the
alleles influence the function of that particular gene in the organism.
If the two alleles in a pair are identical, then the trait is called homozygous. If the two alleles are different,
then the trait is called heterozygous. Genetic crosses that involve one trait are called monohybrid crosses,
while dihybrid crosses involve two traits. Outcomes of genetic crosses can be predicted by using the laws
of probability. Using a Punnett square will give the possible results of genetic crosses.

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 Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

Consider the following genetic cross and its corresponding Punnett square:

In rabbits, black fur (B) is dominant over brown fur (b). If one parent rabbit is
heterozygous (Bb) and the other parent rabbit is homozygous brown (bb), what is
the probability of producing an offspring with brown fur? Use the Punnett square to
determine your answer.
For this cross, the Punnett square would look like this:

B b
b Bb bb
b Bb bb

From the Punnett square, you can determine that half (50%) of the offspring would
be black (Bb), while the other half (50%) would be brown (bb). Therefore, the
probability of producing an offspring with brown fur is 50%, or 2 out of 4.

Mendel’s work can be summarized in three laws:

• The Law of Dominance states that the dominant allele
will prevent the recessive allele from being expressed. Genetic Terms
The recessive allele will appear when it is paired with
• Allele
another recessive allele in the offspring.
• Dihybrid
• The Law of Segregation (separation) states that gene
pairs separate when gametes are formed, so each • Dominant
gamete (sex cell) has only one allele of each pair. • Gene
• The Law of Independent Assortment states that different • Genotype
pairs of genes separate independently of each other • Heterozygous
when gametes are formed.
• Homozygous
• Monohybrid
Review the terms in the box and study their definitions
• Phenotype
to gain a better understanding of the concept of heredity
through Mendel’s experiments. • Recessive
• Trait
Meiosis, which occurs in two phases, Meiosis I and Meiosis II,
is the process by which gametes (sex cells) are produced.
In males, gametes are called sperm, and in females, they are called eggs. Meiosis reduces the number
of chromosomes in the gamete to one-half the number of chromosomes in the parent’s body cells. When
fertilization—the union of two gametes—occurs, a zygote is formed. Fertilization restores the original
chromosome number in the resulting zygote (new individual).

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Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

Consider the following diagram, which illustrates meiosis beginning with two pairs of chromosomes:

(1n)
(1n)
(2n) (2n) (2n)
(1n)

(1n)
(1n)

(1n)
Chromosomes Copied
are copied chromosomes Pairs of Copies of
(replication). line up in pairs. chromosomes chromosomes
separate. separate.

Meiosis occurs only in the formation of sex cells. This process consists of two cell divisions but only one
chromosome replication.
• The first meiotic division produces two cells containing half the number of double-stranded
chromosomes. These are called haploid (1n) cells.
• The second meiotic division results in the formation of four cells, each containing half the number of
single-stranded chromosomes. These are also called haploid (1n) cells.
Sources of Variation during Meiosis
The process of meiosis provides the opportunity for the shuffling of chromosomes and the genetic
information they contain. The way that the chromosome pairs line up at the equator during meiosis
influences how they are distributed to the gametes. (To help you visualize this process, refer to diagrams
in your textbook and class notes.) For example, Mendel studied the pea plant, which has seven pairs of
chromosomes. Each of these seven pairs of chromosomes can line up during meiosis in two different
ways, producing 128 (27) different combinations of traits. The number of possible combinations will
greatly increase as the number of chromosomes increases within a given species. Human gametes have
23 chromosomes. So the number of different kinds of genetic combinations a person can produce is
astounding—more than 8 million! When fertilization occurs, 223 x 223 different genetic combinations can
occur. That is 70 trillion!
Another source of variation during Prophase I of meiosis is crossing over. Crossing over occurs when
two chromosomes physically overlap and exchange chromosome material. This process occurs more
often on some chromosomes than on other chromosomes and changes the DNA sequence within each
chromosome. This results in an endless number of different possible genetic combinations. Whether by
crossing over or by independent assortment of homologous chromosomes, the end result is a reassortment
of chromosomes and the genetic information they carry.
Refer to your textbook and class notes for illustrations of these processes.

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 Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

Describe the Relationships between Changes in DNA and the Appearance

of New Traits
DNA Mutations
Every so often genes do change. Changes in the nucleotide sequence of a DNA molecule are known as
gene mutations. Mutations may cause a change in the protein resulting from the genetic code for that
gene. Some mutations are the result of exposure to agents such as ultraviolet light, ionizing radiation, free
radicals, and substances in tobacco products and other chemical compounds. These agents that harm
DNA are called mutagens. Mutations can also occur in the absence of these mutagens. Spontaneous
mutations may occur as a result of replication errors. Also, the enzymes that repair a mistake may “fix” the
wrong base.
Regardless of the cause of the mutation, there are several types of changes that may result: base-pair
substitution, base insertion, and base deletion. Base-pair substitutions occur when one nucleotide base
is replaced by another. This change may lead to the substitution of one amino acid for another during
protein synthesis. An example of this is sickle-cell anemia, a genetic disorder that has structural and
physiological consequences. A base insertion mutation is an addition of an extra nucleotide base into the
DNA sequence. A base deletion mutation is the removal of a nucleotide base from the DNA sequence.
In both base insertion mutations and base deletion mutations, a frame shift occurs. Remember that the
nucleotide sequence is read as a triplet code. A deletion or an insertion in a gene region will shift this
reading frame, causing an abnormal protein to be synthesized.
Whether a gene mutation is harmful, neutral, or beneficial will depend on how the resulting proteins
interact with other proteins and with the environment in which they are placed.
Review your textbook for more in-depth information regarding genes and gene mutations and alterations
during replication.

Compare the Advantages of Sexual and Asexual Reproduction

in Different Situations
At the mouth of the Saco River in Biddeford, Maine, thousands of mature salmon have returned from the
open ocean to travel upriver to spawn in the place of their birth. The females have turned red, a color that
indicates that they will spawn and then die. The trip upriver will be a tough one for the salmon. As the
female salmon releases translucent pink eggs into a shallow nest dug out by her fins in the riverbed, a
male salmon comes along and sheds a cloud of sperm that will fertilize the eggs. In about three years the
pea-sized eggs will become salmon, made of billions of cells. A portion of these cells will become eggs or
sperm. In time, the life cycle of the salmon will begin again: birth, growth, reproduction, and death. As with
any organism, growth as well as reproduction depends on cell division.

Advantages of Sexual and Asexual Reproduction

Single-celled and many multicelled organisms reproduce asexually by a process called mitosis, which is
simple cell division. In mitosis, DNA is divided equally between two daughter cells. In mitosis in eukaryotes,
the DNA is sorted into the two new nuclei formed. A separate process divides the cytoplasm in two.
Mitosis keeps the number of chromosomes constant from one cell generation to the next. In multicellular
organisms, cell division allows them to grow (i.e., increase the size of the organism), develop from a single
cell into a multicellular organism, and make other cells to repair and replace worn-out cells.
Asexual reproduction does not require another partner, and the resulting organism is identical genetically
to the parent organism. Organisms that reproduce asexually can produce many identical offspring in a
short period of time. Asexual reproduction is an advantage in a stable environment where the parental
genotype is well-suited. Many colonizers of new environments reproduce asexually.

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Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

Sexual reproduction involves much more time than asexual reproduction. Gametes must be formed
through the process of meiosis, and mating must occur between two organisms of different sexes. There
is also time involved in the growth and development of the offspring. The benefit of sexual reproduction
is the genetic variability that results from the process of meiosis. Genetic recombination allows offspring
greater diversity and increases the likelihood that some offspring will have more advantageous traits than
the parents. Sexual reproduction is an advantage in a rapidly changing environment because the diversity
of the population increases the possibility that some organisms will both survive and reproduce.
Questions on the Biology EOC assessment may ask you to state the significance of cell division for
unicellular and multicellular organisms.

Examine the Use of DNA Technology in Forensics, Medicine, and Agriculture

DNA Technology and Genetic Engineering
New DNA technologies have resulted in advances in medicine, forensics, and agriculture. Certain genetic
diseases may be cured by reinserting a corrected gene into the patient to replace a damaged gene.
Forensic labs use DNA technology to identify people through DNA fingerprinting. Crime scene evidence
such as blood or hair samples can be used to connect suspects to the crime by looking for DNA sequence
similarities. Plant biologists have used DNA technology to produce plants with many desirable traits. These
include increased disease resistance, increased herbicide resistance, and increased nutritional content.
Today, researchers use recombinant DNA technology to analyze genetic changes. They cut, splice together,
and insert modified DNA molecules from different species into bacteria or other types of cells that rapidly
replicate and divide. The cells copy the foreign DNA right along with their own DNA. An example of this
is the gene for human insulin. When the gene is transferred into a bacterium, the bacterium will use the
“recombined” genetic code to produce human insulin. This is how human insulin is mass-produced. This
insulin has saved the lives of many people with diabetes. Genetic engineering not only has applications
in medicine and the environment but also has uses in industry and agriculture. Sheep are used in the
production of alpha-1 antitrypsin, which is used in the treatment of emphysema. Goats are also producing
a human protein used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis.
In the plant world, the buds of cotton plants are vulnerable to worm attacks. The buds of a genetically
modified cotton plant resist these worms, resulting in increased cotton production. These gene insertions
are ecologically safer than pesticides because they affect only the targeted pest.
Scientists today have developed genetically altered bacteria to eat up oil spills, manufacture alcohol and
other chemicals, and process minerals. There is, however, concern about possible risks as genetically
engineered bacteria are introduced into the environment.
It is important to remember that recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering have a great
potential for application in medicine, agriculture, and industry. As with any new technology, the potential
risks must be taken into account, including social and environmental risks.

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 Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

SAMPLE ITEMS
Item 10
Selected-Response
Students studied Mendel’s laws of segregation and independent assortment. They created a
Punnett square to show a cross between a homozygous furred mouse (FF) and a homozygous furless
mouse (ff). The students then created a second Punnett square for a cross between two heterozygous
F1 mice.

FF × ff Ff × Ff
F F F f

f Ff Ff F FF Ff

f Ff Ff f Ff ff

F1 generation F2 generation

Which question could be answered using the information from the Punnett squares?

A. Can furred mice produce furless mice?

B. How many mice will be produced in the F1 generation?
C. Will fewer furless mice survive to adulthood than furred mice?
D. Are furred mice the best organism to use for this investigation?

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Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

Item 11
Drag-and-Drop Multi-Part Technology-Enhanced

 Due to the size of the response area, this item has a “Click To Respond” button on the screen.
Clicking this button will bring up the response area at full size.

Go on to the next page to finish item 11.

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 Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

Item 11. Continued.

Part A

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to move the shapes below the pedigree into the boxes. Each
shape can be used once.

Part B

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to move the options below the chart into the boxes. Each
option can be used once. Some options will not be needed.

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Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

Item 12
Selected-Response
The model shows part of a process that uses tRNA.

tRNA

Which description explains the role of the tRNA in the process shown in this model?

A. The tRNA delivers amino acids to the ribosome so that they can be added to the developing peptide.
B. The tRNA recognizes the stop codon of a developing peptide so that no new amino acids are added.
C. The tRNA signals the release of the peptide from the ribosome once all of the amino acids have been
added.
D. The tRNA scans the developing peptide to make sure that the sequence of the amino acids matches
the mRNA.

Item 13
Selected-Response
A male and female have a child that has three copies of chromosome 18. Although both parents are
unaffected, their doctor claims that the disorder associated with having an extra chromosome 18 is
the result of a chromosomal mutation in cells that carry inherited material. Which argument supports
this claim?

A. A mutation occurred when crossing over caused chromosome 18 to be replicated twice during meiosis,
allowing one parent to donate two copies of chromosome 18 to the child.
B. A nondisjunction mutation was caused by the improper separation of the genetic material during
meiosis, allowing the gamete of one parent to donate two copies of chromosome 18 to the child.
C. A substitution mutation during replication allowed the genetic material of chromosome 18 to
replace the genetic material of a nearby chromosome, causing the child to have three copies of
chromosome 18.
D. An insertion mutation during replication allowed the genetic material of chromosome 18 to be
inserted into the genetic material of another chromosome, causing three copies of chromosome 18
to be made.

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 Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

Item 14
Drop-Down Technology-Enhanced

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to click the arrow beside each of the three blank boxes.
When you click the arrow, a drop-down menu will appear, showing you all the possible options for that
blank. Each drop-down menu with its options is shown below.

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Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

Item 15
Multi-Part Technology-Enhanced
Today, the common type of banana we buy and eat is a Cavendish banana. They arose from chance
mutants that were produced sexually from wild banana plants. The Cavendish banana is infertile and
can only be produced by cloning from root shoots. Large commercial growers worldwide now plant
only the mutant type. Some information about both types of banana is recorded in the table.

Wild Banana Plants Mutant Cavendish Banana Plants

Sexual and asexual reproduction Only asexual reproduction is used to
occurs to produce new plants. produce new plants.
New gene combinations and clones
Only clones are produced.
are possible.
Cells are diploid with two sets of Cells are triploid with three sets of
homologous chromosomes. homologous chromosomes.
Bananas contain large, hard seeds. Bananas are seedless.
Very little edible flesh is found Large amount of sweet, edible flesh
around the seeds. is produced.

Part A
Why are scientists warning that exclusively growing this mutant type by asexual reproduction presents
a serious disadvantage?

A. The loss of an adequate Cavendish banana seed supply could result in extinction of this variety.
B. The changes in characteristics from a parent plant to a clone will produce inconsistent plants that are
less healthy.
C. The lack of genetic variability among clones puts the whole species at increased risk of extinction
through a catastrophic disease or pest.
D. The increasing number of homologous sets of chromosomes with each successive generation of clones
will eventually result in widespread death of banana plants.

Part B
Growers on large banana farms that supply food commercially have chosen to limit their plantings
exclusively to Cavendish banana plants. What advantage is likely cited by the growers for continued
planting of these asexually produced crops year after year?

A. Seedless cloned plants are not damaged by disease and pest organisms.
B. Successive generations of clones produce larger bananas and healthier plants.
C. The cloned banana plants rapidly adapt to extreme environmental changes due to their limited genetic
variation.
D. The bananas produced maintain consistent characteristics in quality, taste, and appearance from one
crop of clones to the next.

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 Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

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INTENTIONALLY LEFT
BLANK.

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Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

Item 16
Drag-and-Drop Technology-Enhanced

 Due to the size of the graphic on the left side of the screen, the graphic has an “Enlarge” button.
Clicking this button will bring up the graphic at full size. (See below). After you have studied the
graphic, use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to move the statements below the table into each
box. Each statement can be used once. Some statements will not be needed.

Go on to the next page to finish item 16.

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 Unit 3: Growth and Heredity

Item 16. Continued.

 Click on the red X at the top right to reduce the graphic again.

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Unit 4: Equilibrium

UNIT 4: EQUILIBRIUM
Survival and stability require that living things maintain biological balance at all levels.

AREAS OF FOCUS
Cells
• Cell structures and organelles (including nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell wall, chloroplasts,
lysosome, Golgi, endoplasmic reticulum, vacuoles, ribosomes, and mitochondria) interact as a system
to maintain homeostasis. (SB1a)
• Cellular transport (i.e., active, passive, and osmosis) plays an important role in maintaining
homeostasis. (SB1d)

Ecology
• Environmental change impacts the stability of an ecosystem. (SB5c)
• Human activities such as chemical use, consumption of natural resources, introduction of nonnative
species, and greenhouse gas production have a negative impact on the environment. (SB5d)
• Organisms are limited in their ability to survive within a changing environment (e.g., temperature, pH,
drought, fire). (SB5e)

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 Unit 4: Equilibrium

KEY IDEAS
The Importance of Homeostasis
Organisms maintain their internal equilibrium by responding and adjusting to environmental stressors. For
example, aquatic organisms must respond to changes in water temperature, sunlight, chemicals, and other
organisms. All organisms must adjust and respond to changes in their environment. Failure to do so may
result in death.
Living cells maintain a balance between materials entering and exiting the cell. Their ability to maintain
this balance is called homeostasis. It is important for a cell to control internal concentrations of water,
glucose, and other nutrients while also eliminating cellular wastes.

Cell Membrane
One function of the cell membrane is to control what comes into and goes out of a cell. In this way, the
cell membrane helps maintain the proper concentrations of substances inside the cell.
Selective permeability is the property of the membrane that allows certain materials to pass through the
cell while keeping others out. It also allows different cells to perform different activities within the same
organism. An example of this is the nerve cell. Nerve cells respond to a certain chemical that is present in
the bloodstream. Other cells are exposed to this chemical but are not affected by it.

Passive/Active Transport
There are various mechanisms that transport materials into and out of the cell. Passive transport is the
movement of materials across the cell membrane without the use of the cell’s energy. Different types of
passive transport are shown in the box below.

Diffusion: the movement of substances across the cell membrane from an area of
high concentration to an area of lower concentration
Osmosis: the diffusion of water molecules through a selectively permeable
membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute
concentration
Facilitated transport (facilitated diffusion): occurs when a carrier molecule
embedded in the cell membrane transports a substance across the membrane by
means of diffusion

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Unit 4: Equilibrium

Active transport, including endocytosis and exocytosis, is a process that uses energy to transport materials
into or out of the cell. Active transport is the process by which materials are transported through the
cell membrane against a concentration gradient, as in the sodium-potassium pump. Endocytosis and
exocytosis move large particles into or out of the cell as described in the box below.

Active transport: a process that drives molecules across the cell membrane from a
region of lower concentration to a region of higher concentration
Endocytosis: a process in which a cell surrounds and takes in material from its
environment
Exocytosis: a process in which a cell surrounds and removes materials from inside
the cell
• ALL REQUIRE ENERGY •

STRATEGY BOX––Word Parts

Studying the following word parts will help you determine the meanings of certain
words you will come across on the Biology EOC assessment.
BIO—“life” LOGY—“study of”
ENDO—“inside” CYTO—“cell”
EXO—“outside” OSIS—“process or action”

Relate Plant Adaptations, Including Tropisms, to the Ability to Survive Stressful

Environmental Conditions
Even though plants do not have nervous systems, they do possess mechanisms that enable them to
respond to their environment. These responses are known as tropisms. It is a Greek word that means “to
turn.” Plants will shift the positions of their roots, stems, leaves, and flowers in response to environmental
conditions such as sunlight, temperature, water, and gravity. There are several types of tropisms.
Gravitropism is the response of seedlings to the force of gravity. It is important when seeds are sprouting.
Gravitropism causes the roots to grow downward and the stems to grow upward, no matter what the
position of the seed when it is planted. Phototropism is the ability of the plant to respond to light. If
a plant is placed near a window or another light source, the plant will grow in the direction of the light
source. A phototropic response can happen so quickly that even a seedling will respond within a few hours.
Thigmotropism is the response of a plant to touch. Climbing plants, ivy, and vines use thigmotropism in
order to find their way up or around a solid object for support. It is also used by some plants for protection.
Some plants respond to other stimuli from the environment, such as length of night (photoperiodism) and
the seasons. Some flowers bloom once a year, while some others, like some cacti, bloom at night.

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Examples of Adaptations
Seeds of many plants will go dormant in unfavorable conditions. In a drought period, many will lay dormant
until the rains come. Then they will sprout. Roots and stems are modified in many plants into storage
organs in order to survive through winter or drought underground. Tulips, daffodils, and crocuses are
examples. Many trees drop their leaves and go dormant for the winter. The leaves of conifers have a waxy
coating over them to reduce evaporation and to conserve water. The bark on conifers is thick, helping
to insulate the tissues from fire. The branches of conifers are flexible, allowing them to bend instead of
breaking under the weight of ice and snow. These adaptations help plants survive adverse conditions in
their environment.
Plants also have adaptations for reproduction. For example, flowers can be pollinated in many ways,
including wind, insects, birds, or other animals. Maple trees produce seeds that are shaped like wings
and are carried over long distances by the wind. Some plants produce seeds that have hooks or barbs
on them that attach to the fur of passing animals. These have the nickname “hitchhikers.” Many flowers
are brightly colored and fragrant to draw the attention of insects that aid in pollination. Pollen will rub off
on the insect and then will be carried to another flower. The coconuts from palm trees float, which allows
seeds to travel from one island to another.
A mechanical defense is incorporated into the physical structure of the organism. Plants have mechanical
defenses. Many have thorns, spines, and stiff hair that repel a predator. Some grasses in the African
savannas have a thick deposit of silica that wears away the teeth of grazing animals. However, some
of these grazing animals have counter-adapted and have developed large, hard molars that resist the
abrasive action of the mineral. A chemical defense occurs when a plant produces stinging sensations,
paralysis, poisoning, or just a bad taste.
Remember to review your textbook for further study of plant adaptations to environmental conditions.
Questions on the Biology EOC assessment may ask you to describe and identify certain characteristics of
adaptations that plants have undergone in order to survive.

Relate Animal Adaptations, Including Behaviors, to the Ability to Survive Stressful

Environmental Conditions
Inherited Behavior
Inheritance plays an important role in an animal’s behavior. An animal’s genetic composition determines
how it responds to stimuli. An animal’s hormonal balance, in combination with its nervous system, affects
how sensitive an animal is to stimuli. Inherited behavior of animals is also known as innate behavior.
It includes both automatic responses and instinctive behaviors. When people touch hot surfaces, they
automatically withdraw their hands from the source of heat. Eyes automatically blink in bright lights. Such
reflex behaviors are simple, automatic responses that require no thinking at all.
Instincts are a complex pattern of innate behaviors. Reflexes can happen within a second. Instinctive
behaviors may take longer and may be a combination of behaviors. For example, an animal’s courtship
behavior is instinctive. Animals will recognize certain behaviors exhibited by members of the same species.
Each species has its own specific courtship behaviors. The male and female black-headed gull dance in
unison side by side and turn their heads away from each other. The female taps the male’s bill and he
gives her a regurgitated fish. Then the courtship is over and the pair mate. Different species of fireflies
flash distinctive patterns of light. The female responds only to the male that exhibits the species-correct
flashes.

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Unit 4: Equilibrium

Migration
Migration is the instinctive seasonal movement of a species. Over half of the birds that nest in the United
States fly south for the winter. Many head to South America, where food is more abundant during the
winter months. Then they fly north in the spring to breed. Arctic terns migrate between the Arctic Circle and
the Antarctic. Animals use various environmental cues to navigate during migration. Scientists believe that
some species use geographical clues (orientation) such as mountain ranges. Other species use Earth’s
magnetic field (navigation).
Scientists have also found that migration is triggered in part by hormones that are produced in response to
environmental changes, such as changing day length. Migration also takes place in response to changing
environmental conditions, such as overcrowding or reduced food supplies.
Many animals that do not migrate undergo physiological changes that reduce their need for energy. Some
animals and birds hibernate during cold winter months. Hibernation is a condition in which the animal’s
body temperature drops, oxygen consumption decreases, and breathing rates decrease to just a few
breaths per minute. Estivation is a condition in which animals reduce the rate of their metabolism due to
extreme heat, lack of food, or long periods of drought.

Adaptations for Defense

Most species of animals have adaptations that serve as defenses against a predator. They fall into two
categories: mechanical defenses and chemical defenses.
• A mechanical defense is incorporated into the physical structure of the organism.
• A chemical defense occurs when the animal produces stinging sensations, paralysis, poisoning, or just
a bad taste.

Mechanical Defenses
Many animal defenses are physical structures such as claws, sharp tusks, stingers, and shells. Octopuses
squirt a liquid ink that darkens the water and allows them to escape predators. An animal’s size is
sometimes enough to deter a predator from attacking.
Another defense is camouflage. It involves colors and patterns that enable the organism to blend into
its environment or appear to be something it is not. Cryptic coloration is when an organism has the
same color or pattern as its background. Gecko lizards, tree frogs, and leafhoppers are examples.
Disruptive coloration is another example in which an organism’s silhouette is broken up by color patterns.
Countershading is when an organism is two-toned. Light and dark colors reduce visual cues to predators.
Many ocean fish are dark on top and light on the bottom. Predators on top can’t see the fish against the
dark waters below, and predators underneath can’t see the fish against the light sky above. Fish and some
mammals form large groups (schools and herds) to confuse predators and make choosing one individual
more difficult.

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Chemical Defenses
Chemical defenses are used in a variety of strategies for deterring predators. Many marine organisms
have neurotoxins in their tissues that attack the nervous system of their attackers. Bombardier beetles
shoot out a boiling-hot chemical to irritate would-be predators. Other chemical defenses include poisons
and venoms, which are used by snakes, toads, and stinging bees and wasps. Some animals take on the
chemical defenses of other species. The monarch butterfly is an example. As larvae, monarchs feed on
milkweed plants, which contain compounds that are poisonous to vertebrates and many insects. After
pupation, the tissues of the adult monarch are saturated with the milkweed’s poison. Birds that eat the
monarch will vomit violently and learn to avoid the monarch’s bright coloration.
Chemical defenses are also used in plants. Some plants contain chemical compounds that taste bad,
while others contain sap that is an irritant or poison. Another defense is nutrient exclusion. Some plants
aren’t worth eating because their tissues are lacking a sufficient amount of nutrients.
We have covered a lot of information on plant and animal adaptations. Remember to review your textbook
for further study.
On the Biology EOC assessment, you may be asked to identify and describe certain behaviors or
characteristics of plant tropisms, animal behavior, and survival strategies of organisms as they relate to
their environment.

Species Evolve over Time by Natural Selection

Charles Darwin
When Charles Darwin set sail in 1831 on the HMS Beagle, he carried with him Charles Lyell’s Principles
of Geology, published in 1830. While on the Beagle, Darwin read Lyell’s proposal that plant and animal
species had arisen, had developed variations, and then had become extinct over time. Lyell also believed
that Earth’s physical landscape had changed over a long period of time. Darwin also read an essay written
in 1798 by Thomas Malthus called An Essay on the Principle of Population. In his essay, Malthus proposed
that populations outgrew their food supplies, causing competition between organisms and a struggle for
one species to survive against another. But the most important impact on Darwin was his 40,000-mile
trip on the Beagle. Darwin found a vast treasure of fossilized bones of extinct sloths and giant armadillos
in Patagonia. He saw a variety of plants and animals that were very different due to their geographical
location.
In the Galápagos Islands, Darwin found many species specific to the various islands. He saw large iguanas
swimming in the ocean and eating seaweed. He also found giant tortoises with carvings on their backs
from whalers who had passed through a hundred years before. From all the information gathered by
Darwin, two central concepts emerged to form the basis of his theory of evolution.
First, Darwin observed that variations within a species were dependent on the environment. Adaptations
are genetically coded traits that occur in organisms and enable them to be more successful in their
environment. Darwin reasoned that the purpose of these adaptations is to ensure the survival through
reproduction of that species. Successful adaptations help organisms to both survive and reproduce so that
these advantageous adaptations are passed on to future generations. Natural selection is a mechanism
that explains changes in a population that occur when organisms with favorable variations for that
particular environment survive, reproduce, and pass on these variations to the next generation.

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Unit 4: Equilibrium

Second, the organisms on the Galápagos Islands had become geographically separated from one another.
This resulted in reproductive isolation. There is no interbreeding between organisms of the same species
that are located on different islands. For example, finches on one island could not cross the ocean to mate
with finches of the same species on another island. Darwin theorized that within a population of a species,
adaptations would arise due to reproductive isolation. The organisms would develop adaptations to their
specific environment over time that would result in significant differences between the same species on
different islands.
While Darwin was composing a theory of evolution, another man, Alfred Russel Wallace, was also
formulating his own theory of evolution. He studied plants and animals in Brazil and in Southeast Asia.
Wallace’s emphasis was on the idea of competition for resources as the main force in natural selection.
Darwin focused on reproductive success. It was the tremendous amount of data gathered by Darwin
that supported his idea, and the comprehensive explanation that he put together became the dominant
evolutionary theory.
Darwin knew nothing about genes or principles of heredity. Mendel’s work was not published until 1866,
and it wasn’t appreciated for decades. It wasn’t until the rediscovery of Mendel’s work that scientists were
able to put together the concepts of natural selection with genetics. This opened the door for scientists to
account for phenotypic variations in populations. It is where scientists derive the term population genetics.
It is an area of biology in which researchers use mathematical descriptions of genetic phenomena to help
them trace evolutionary trends within populations.

Explain the History of Life in Terms of Biodiversity, Ancestry, and the Rates
of Evolution
In theory, DNA changes should occur at a constant rate. In reality, it is complicated by a number of factors.
Different positions in DNA sequences acquire mutations faster than others. Different organisms acquire
mutations at different rates. Some genes are under a more intense pressure from natural selection not
to change. So, in order for researchers to time recent evolutionary events, they must use “time clocks”
that tick fairly quickly. But to estimate how long ago there was a shared ancestry, they must use clocks
that tick very slowly. Molecular clocks are proteins that have changed very slowly and are shared by many
species.
Whether the rate of evolution occurs slowly over long periods of time or rapidly, the debate will continue as
new evidence is compiled and alternative theories are brought to light. It is the nature of science to modify
theories as new evidence becomes available.
For the Biology EOC assessment, it is important to review your textbook in order for you to understand
and explain the history of the evolutionary theory. Also review terms and definitions that will help you in
understanding this concept.
You may also be asked to identify and describe historical ideas that led to modern thinking on theories of
origin. Remember that scientific theories are subject to change as new information becomes available.
Keep in mind that technological advances are taking us places we have not been before. Marine biologists
have discovered gigantic tubeworms near the deep-sea vents in the Marianas Trench. Paleontologists are
uncovering fossils never seen before in Montana.

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Relate Natural Selection to Changes in Organisms

Remember that the key to Darwin’s theory of evolution came from the concept that some organisms
have an advantage over others. This advantage increases the organism’s survival rate and increases the
chances that this favorable advantage will be passed on to the next generation. Within each species is
a vast array of phenotypic differences. Natural selection acts on an organism’s phenotype and indirectly
on its genotype. Natural selection results in adaptations that allow populations to survive in their
environments.

Fitness
Geneticists define the term fitness as the relative reproductive efficiency of various individuals or
genotypes in a population. The fitness of an individual depends on the probability that the individual will
both survive and reproduce successfully. It is not necessarily the strongest, biggest, or most aggressive
animal that has the highest fitness rating. It is a measure of how well the organism’s structure, physiology,
biochemistry, and behavior allow the organism to survive and reproduce in its environment. When a
population has a variety of phenotypes and biological capabilities, it enables the population to survive
under a wide range of environmental factors.
Environment plays an important role in determining which alleles are optimum for a population’s survival.
Natural selection does not always increase the complexity of an organism’s structures or behaviors. Also,
natural selection does not produce new genotypes and phenotypes, but it eliminates the less fit, leaving
the more fit to reproduce and ensure the species’ survival. If environmental conditions change so that a
population lacks alleles for survival, the population (and possibly the species) goes extinct.

Relationships among Organisms, Populations, Communities, Ecosystems, and Biomes

When you watch the news or read a newspaper, it seems that not a day goes by without a story on the
environment: “El Niño,” “American Songbirds Vanish,” “Coral Reef Dies in the Virgin Islands.” These are
just a few of the headlines that you might have seen. The single thread that connects these very different
environments is called ecology. Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between different kinds
of living things and their environment. The word ecology comes from the Greek word oikos, which means
“house.” Ecology is the study of our house, our planet––Earth. An ecologist is a scientist who studies
ecology.
The term biosphere includes all organisms and the environments in Some Examples of
which they live (biotic and abiotic factors). Organisms adapt to survive Environmental Factors
in particular environments. Penguins are adapted to live in cold water,
and ostriches are adapted to live on dry savannas. Organisms have Biotic Abiotic
adaptations for obtaining food, for protecting themselves, and for Plants Climate
reproducing.
Animals Light
Within an ecosystem, two types of environmental factors can be found:
Bacteria Soil
biotic factors and abiotic factors. All the living organisms in an ecosystem
are known as biotic factors, while the nonliving factors are known as Water
abiotic factors. On the Biology EOC assessment, you may be asked to
identify biotic and abiotic factors and describe how they interact within an
ecosystem.

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Organization of Life
Ecologists study the interactions of organisms at five main levels of organization. Yet all the levels are
interdependent. To study only one level would not give the ecologist the whole picture.

Organisms: Ecologists study the daily movements, feeding, and general behavior
of individual organisms.
Populations: A population includes all the organisms in the same species in
a given area. Ecologists study the relationships between populations and the
environment, focusing on population size, density, and rate of growth.
Communities: A community is a collection of populations that interact with each
other in a given area. Ecologists study the interactions among the different
populations in a community and the impact of additions to or losses of species
within communities.
Ecosystems: An ecosystem includes all biotic and abiotic factors in a given area.
Ecologists study interactions of the biotic and abiotic factors of an ecosystem
with emphasis on factors that may disrupt an ecosystem. Earth supports a diverse
range of ecosystems. The type of ecosystem in a particular part of the world
largely depends on the climate of that region. Ecosystems are identified by their
climax communities. Terrestrial ecosystems are those found on land. Aquatic
ecosystems are in either fresh or salt water. Saltwater ecosystems are also called
marine ecosystems.
Biomes: A biome is a group of ecosystems in the same region having similar types
of vegetation governed by similar climatic conditions. Ecologists study biomes
such as tropical rainforests, prairies, and deserts.

Within each community, particular species have particular jobs to help maintain balance. An example
would be a forest community. On a forest floor, fungi have the job of breaking down the organic material
from a decaying log. Underneath the log are worms, centipedes, and beetles also at work. At first glance,
it looks like they are all competing for food. But a closer look reveals that they are feeding on different
things, in different ways, and at different times. The role that a species plays in its community is called
its niche. A niche includes not only what an organism eats but also where it feeds and how it affects the
energy flow in an ecosystem. The place where the organism lives is called its habitat. Even though several
species may share a habitat, the food, shelter, and other resources of that habitat can be divided into
several niches.

Assess and Explain Human Activities That Influence and Modify the Environment
In today’s world, there is high demand for resources. There are natural resources that humans use every
day. When we turn on a light to read a book that is made from paper, we are using natural resources. They
include soil, plants, water, crops, animals, gas, and oil. A natural resource that is replaced or replenished
by natural processes within a human life span is known as a renewable resource.

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 Unit 4: Equilibrium

Nonrenewable resources are those that are available only in limited amounts. Once they are gone, they
are gone! Metals such as tin, silver, gold, uranium, and copper are some examples of nonrenewable
resources. Minerals, such as phosphorus, are recycled so slowly in the environment that they are
considered nonrenewable. Topsoil is also considered a nonrenewable resource because it takes hundreds
of years to develop from decomposed plant material. Fossil fuels are always being formed, but they too
are considered nonrenewable because they form slowly over long periods of time. Humans use them faster
than they are replaced.
One of the major ways humans affect the environment is pollution. Pollution is the contamination of soil,
water, or air and is a result of human activity. Although pollution has been around for many years, it has
increased worldwide as countries have become more industrialized. Pollution affects living organisms,
including humans, as well as the physical environment. Cow and horse manure can be considered a good
plant fertilizer. But if too much manure is produced due to overcrowding and the decomposers cannot
break the manure down as fast as it is produced, large amounts of nitrogen run off into waterways. This
nitrogen will increase the growth rate of algae in water systems, causing a decrease in the amount of
oxygen in the water. This can result in the death of the fish, insects, and other animals in the water.
Air pollution is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels to produce electricity. However, the burning
of fuel for other activities such as driving cars, heating homes, and flying planes has also contributed to air
pollution. Examples of air pollutants include dust, smoke, ash, carbon monoxide, and sulfur oxides. Smoke
that is released by burning fuels contains gases and particulates. These are solid particles of soot that can
harm living organisms now or have an impact later in life. Workers in coal mines can develop black lung
disease from breathing in the dust from the coal. A combination of smoke, gases, and fog is called smog.
Smog containing sulfur oxides reacts with water vapor in the atmosphere to produce sulfuric acid. This
sulfuric acid falls to the ground as acid rain, which damages crops, kills organisms in aquatic ecosystems,
and erodes buildings and monuments. Acid precipitation leaches calcium, potassium, and other valuable
nutrients from the soil, making the soil less fertile. This causes a decrease in the number of living things
that can grow (e.g., plants, trees, ferns). It also has a great effect on lake ecosystems by causing a
decrease in the pH level. This excess acidity disrupts the natural balance of the organisms living there.
Another form of air pollution is the increased production of carbon dioxide. When fossil fuels such as oil,
coal, and natural gas are burned, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Excess carbon dioxide
in the air can contribute to the greenhouse effect, which is believed to cause global warming. Gases in the
atmosphere trap much of the radiant energy from the Sun that reaches the surface of Earth. The surface
of Earth heats up and radiates heat back into the atmosphere. The atmosphere prevents much of this heat
from escaping. This is known as the greenhouse effect. If this process did not occur, Earth would be too
cold for any living thing to survive. All the Sun’s energy would be radiated back into space. The ozone layer
that surrounds Earth prevents lethal doses of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun from reaching organisms
here on Earth. Scientists discovered that the ozone layer is thinning because of the release of CFCs
(chlorofluorocarbons) into the atmosphere. CFCs were manufactured for coolants in refrigerators and air
conditioners as well as for making disposable foam products.
Water pollution is caused by contaminants from sewers, industries, farms, and homes entering water
sources such as lakes, rivers, groundwater, and oceans. Sewage, chemical wastes, fertilizer, and dirty wash
water can enter lakes, streams, rivers, and eventually oceans. Pollutants that trickle down through the soil
can make their way to the underlying groundwater, which is the source of drinking water for some people.
Humans are, however, becoming more aware of the possible negative effects they have had on the
environment and are trying to offset past damage. As a result, greater efforts are being made to conserve
energy resources, to protect and conserve material resources, and to control pollution. For example,
wildlife conservation efforts protect species from habitat loss, overhunting, and pollution.

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Unit 4: Equilibrium

People are making an effort to conserve energy by limiting the use of energy resources, such as fossil
fuels, through the increased use of public transportation and carpooling. Another way energy resources are
being conserved is by reducing energy waste by making homes and buildings more energy efficient. Using
alternative forms of energy can also conserve energy resources. For example, solar energy and wind energy
provide an unlimited supply of energy with minimal impact on the environment.
You’ve probably heard of the “three Rs” of conservation: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reducing, reusing,
and recycling resources can decrease the amount of new material taken from Earth. For example, buying
products in recyclable packages, or products that can be recycled helps conserve material resources.
Another way to conserve material resources is to reuse materials instead of throwing them away.
What happens to the materials that are not recycled or cannot be recycled or reused? They probably end
up in the garbage, which is hauled to a landfill to be buried underground. In a sanitary landfill, layers of
compacted garbage are spread between layers of soil and eventually covered with grass and other plants.
New techniques of sanitation and waste disposal are also being developed.

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 Unit 4: Equilibrium

SAMPLE ITEMS
Item 17
Selected-Response
The diagram represents a model of how bacteria become resistant to an antibiotic, allowing bacteria
to survive treatment.

Which BEST explains how the indicated step in the model allows bacteria to develop resistance?

A. Genetic mutations that promote resistance occur.

B. The bacteria are infected by viruses that confer resistance.
C. Alleles for antibiotic resistance become dominant over recessive alleles.
D. A portion of the genetic material is re-replicated, allowing for resistance.

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Unit 4: Equilibrium

Item 18
Drag-and-Drop Technology-Enhanced

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to move a description into the box under “dialysis bag”
and to move a description into the box under “beaker.” Then, move an arrow into the box under
“direction.” Each option can be used once. Some options will not be needed.

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 Unit 4: Equilibrium

Item 19
Drag-and-Drop Technology-Enhanced

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to move the phrases below the chart into the boxes. Each
phrase can be used once. Some phrases will not be needed.

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Unit 4: Equilibrium

Item 20
Selected-Response
Geographic isolation caused the separation of rainforest frog populations into a population in the
north and a population in the south. The separated populations later reconnected because the
climate became wetter and warmer, causing the rainforest to expand. When males from the north
mated with females from the south, the offspring failed to develop past the tadpole stage. When
males from the south mated with females from the north, the offspring developed more slowly than
the offspring of pairs of northern frogs. Based on these data, which event occurred while the two
populations of frogs were separated?

A. The two populations developed into new species.

B. The two populations mated with other species of frogs.
C. The two populations began a new method of reproduction.
D. The two populations had fewer offspring than before the separation.

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 Unit 4: Equilibrium

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Unit 4: Equilibrium

Item 21
Drag-and-Drop Multi-Part Technology-Enhanced

Part A

 Due to the size of the response area, this item has a “Click To Respond” button on the screen.
Clicking this button will bring up the response area at full size.

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to move the components below the chart into the boxes.
Each component can be used once.
Go on to the next page to finish item 21.
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 Unit 4: Equilibrium

Item 21. Continued.

Part B

 Due to the size of the response area, this item has a “Click To Respond” button on the screen.
Clicking this button will bring up the response area at full size.

 Use a mouse, touchpad, or touchscreen to move the solutions below the chart into the boxes. Each
solution can be used once. Some solutions will not be needed.

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Additional Sample Item Keys

ADDITIONAL SAMPLE ITEM KEYS

Standard/ DOK Correct

Item Explanation
Element Level Answer

The correct answer is choice (C). Choice (A) is incorrect

because the organisms are not equally related. Choice (B) is
1 SB4b 1 C
incorrect because one ciliate is duplicated in the cladogram.
Choice (D) is incorrect because one ciliate is omitted.
The correct answer is choice (B) Every organism possesses in
its ribosome a protein that is similar to rpl4. This protein has
an amino acid sequence that is similar to the sequence of
E. coli’s rpl4. Choice (A) is incorrect because just the fact
2 SB6c 2 B that all organisms make proteins does not support a common
ancestor. Choice (C) is incorrect because sharing ribosomes
does not indicate a common ancestor. Choice (D) is incorrect
because having common amino acids is not support for a
common ancestor.
3 SB6a 2 N/A See scoring rubric and exemplar response on page 81.
4 SB6d 2 N/A See scoring rubric and exemplar response on page 82.
5 SB6b 2 N/A See scoring rubric and exemplar response on page 83.
6 SB4a 2 N/A See scoring rubric and exemplar response on page 84.
The correct answer is choice (C) Structural changes of
hemoglobin affect its ability to carry oxygen indicating that
the shape of a protein is important to its function. Choice (A)
is incorrect because nothing in the information indicates
7 SB1c 2 C the ability or inability of the altered hemoglobin to carry
carbon dioxide. Choice (B) is incorrect because nothing in
the information indicates whether the molecule is simple or
complex. Choice (D) is incorrect because hemoglobin changes
shape not size.
The correct answer choices are choice (E) Does
photosynthesis performed by elodea remove CO2 from the
water?
and choice (F) Does cellular respiration occur at a higher rate
than photosynthesis in the tube with only elodea?
8 SB1e 3 E, F Choice (A) is incorrect because the amount of oxygen present
or missing from the test tubes cannot be measured with
this setup. Choice (B) is incorrect because there is no way
to measure oxygen with this setup. Choice (C) is incorrect
because there is no way to measure this and because the rate
of respiration should not vary. Choice (D) is incorrect because
this question cannot be answered using this investigation.

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 Additional Sample Item Keys

Standard/ DOK Correct

Item Explanation
Element Level Answer

The correct answer is choice (B) Finding a sufficient supply

of flowering plants, flowering trees, and insects is the most
important task for the hummingbirds because they need food
to survive. Choice (A) is incorrect because most of the south will
have adequate places and materials for nesting, although there
9 SB5e 3 B might be some areas with sparse vegetation, the birds would
be able to winter in wooded areas, marshes, citrus groves, etc.
Choice (C) is incorrect because they do not need to drink water,
which contains no calories, since they get the water they need
from nectar. Choice (D) is incorrect because finding a mate is
not as important as finding food and shelter.
The correct answer is choice (A) Can furred mice produce
10 SB3a 2 A furless mice? Choices (B), (C), and (D) are incorrect because
the question cannot be answered using the Punnett square.

See scoring rubric and exemplar response beginning on

11 SB3b 3 N/A
page 86.
The correct answer is choice (A) The tRNA delivers amino
acids to the ribosome so that they can be added to the
developing peptide. Choice (B) is incorrect because the tRNA
12 SB2a 1 A does not recognize the stop codon. Choice (C) is incorrect
because tRNA is not responsible for releasing the polypeptide.
Choice (D) is incorrect because quality control is not a
function of tRNA.
The correct answer is choice (B) A nondisjunction mutation
was caused by the improper separation of the genetic material
during meiosis, allowing the gamete of one parent to donate two
copies of chromosome 18 to the child. Choice (A) is incorrect
13 SB2b 2 B because crossing over does not cause a chromosome to
replicate. Choice (C) is incorrect because an extra chromosome
is not the result of a substitution mutation. Choice (D) is
incorrect because an insertion mutation does not result in extra
chromosomes.
14 SB3b 2 N/A See scoring rubric and exemplar response on page 88.

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Additional Sample Item Keys

Standard/ DOK Correct

Item Explanation
Element Level Answer

The correct answer for Part A is choice (C) The lack of genetic
variability among clones puts the whole species at increased
risk of extinction through a catastrophic disease or pest.
Choice (A) is incorrect because Cavendish bananas do not
produce seeds. Choice (B) is incorrect because cloned plants
are very consistent. Choice (D) is incorrect because cloned
organisms do not increase homologous chromosomes.
15 SB3c 3 C, D The correct answer for Part B is choice (D) The bananas
produced maintain consistent characteristics in quality,
taste, and appearance from one crop of clones to the next.
Choice (A) is incorrect because cloned plants can be damaged
by disease and pests. Choice (B) is incorrect because
cloned organisms are identical to parents. Choice (C) is
incorrect because limited genetic variety does not encourage
adaptation.
16 SB2b 3 N/A See scoring rubric and exemplar response on page 89.
The correct answer is choice (A) Genetic mutations that
promote resistance occur. Choice (B) is incorrect because no
viruses are present. Choice (C) is incorrect because survival
17 SB6e 2 A and reproduction of the mutated bacteria is responsible for
resistance in a population, not the dominance of the alleles.
Choice (D) is incorrect because replication of genetic material
on its own is not enough to confer resistance.
18 SB1d 2 N/A See scoring rubric and exemplar response on page 90.
19 SB5e 2 N/A See scoring rubric and exemplar response on page 91.
The correct answer is choice (A) The two populations
developed into new species. Choice (B) is incorrect because
hybridization would not have resulted in new species.
20 SB6b 2 A
Choice (C) is incorrect because the frogs reproduced as
they always had. Choice (D) is incorrect because there is no
indication that population sizes were reduced.
See scoring rubric and exemplar response beginning on
21 SB5d 3 N/A
page 92.

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 Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

SCORING RUBRICS AND EXEMPLAR RESPONSES

Item 3
Scoring Rubric

Points Description
2 The student correctly selects the drop-down menu options for both Part A and Part B.
1 The student correctly selects the drop-down menu options for either Part A or Part B.
0 The student does not correctly select the drop-down menu options for either part.

Exemplar Response
Part A
The correct response is shown below.

“Proteins” is the correct response for the first drop-down menu because most genes contain the coded
information needed to make functional molecules called proteins. “Development” is the correct response
for the second drop-down menu because offspring receive genetic material from each parent during sexual
reproduction, and the unique combination of genes inherited by each offspring directs the development of
that individual’s physical traits.

Part B

“How species are related to each other” is the correct response for the third drop-down menu because
comparing the complete genome (set of genes) for an individual or a species allows scientists to better
understand how individuals or species are related to each other.

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Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

Item 4
Scoring Rubric

Points Description
2 The student correctly selects the drop-down menu options for both paragraphs.
1 The student correctly selects the drop-down menu options for one paragraph.
0 The student does not correctly select the drop-down menu options for either paragraph.

Exemplar Response
The correct response is shown below.

“Red-backed shrike” is the correct response for the first drop-down menu, “highly” is the correct response
for the second drop-down menu, and “highest” is the correct response for the third drop-down menu
because red-backed shrikes have a high egg recognition rate and the highest cuckoo rejection rate when
compared to other species in the table. The evolution of highly recognizable egg patterns and a high
success rate of rejecting the eggs of nest parasites indicates that red-backed shrikes have experienced
these selective pressures over a longer period than other species with less recognizable eggs and lower
rates of nest parasite rejection.

“Natural selection” is the correct response for the fourth drop-down menu and “increasing” is the correct
response for the fifth drop-down menu because individuals of a host species that are more successful at
distinguishing between their own eggs and those of nest parasites are more likely to pass their genetic
traits to offspring, ultimately increasing the frequency of that beneficial trait in the population over time.
As the complexity of host species’ egg patterns increases in response to selective pressures from nest
parasites, in turn, the selective pressure on nest parasites to mimic those complex egg patterns also
increases, resulting in coevolution.

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 Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

Item 5
Scoring Rubric

Points Description
2 The student places all three correct statements in the box in any order.
1 The student places two correct statements in the box in any order.
0 The student does not place at least two correct statements in the box.

Exemplar Response
The correct response is shown below.

The correct statements shown are best because they support the idea that tropical regions have
consistent climate patterns between seasons. This means that these regions will have more consistent
temperatures and more rainfall throughout the entire year. These factors allow plants to grow better all
year long in the tropics, which leads to biodiversity.
Although temperate regions do have more water from snowmelt and species that are better adapted to
extreme weather, these factors do not support the finding that greater biodiversity can be found in the
tropics. The statement about less land in temperate and polar regions is inaccurate.

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Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

Item 6
Scoring Rubric

Points Description
1 The student correctly selects both drop-down menu options.
0 The student does not correctly select both drop-down menu options.

Exemplar Response
The correct response is shown below.

“B” is the correct response for the first drop-down menu and “after” is the correct response for the second
drop-down menu because the worm does not have legs, the spider has eight legs, and all the organisms
on the cladogram after B have six legs, a key trait distinguishing between arachnids and insects. In this
cladogram, all the organisms are related because they all possess a segmented body. They must be
further distinguished from each other by other distinctive traits. The development of the trait for six legs
occurred after the evolution of spiders and before the evolution of ants.

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 Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

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Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

Item 11
Scoring Rubric

Points Description
2 The student correctly answers both Part A and Part B.
1 The student correctly answers either Part A OR Part B.
0 The student does not correctly answer either part.

Exemplar Response
Part A
The correct response is shown below.

Individual II1 must be a male and must have the trait (shaded) since he has offspring with the trait and the
female II2 does not have the trait.
Individual II8 must be a female and must have the trait (shaded) since she has offspring with the trait and
the male II7 does not have the trait.
Individual II4 must be a female without the trait because the offspring do not have the trait.
Individual III4 must be the remaining male without the trait. This is confirmed since neither of his parents
have the trait.
A correct arrangement of the symbols would result in 1 point. Since this item is scored 1 point for Part A
and 1 point for Part B, any other arrangement in Part A will receive 0 points.
Go on to the next page to finish item 11.

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 Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

Item 11
Part B
The correct response is shown below.

Each parent has two copies of each gene, but only one copy is passed on to the offspring. Because the
other parent also has two copies and passes only one copy, there are four arrangements possible for each
offspring. The dominant trait will show up in two of the four arrangements, which is 50 percent.

The genotype of an individual is the specific set of traits inherited, known as alleles, and is shown with
either uppercase or lowercase letters or both. The only way to be unaffected in this scenario is to not
have an uppercase G, which removes options “GG” and “Gg.” Only individuals with “gg” alleles would
be unaffected by the trait. Since this item is scored 1 point for Part A and 1 point for Part B, any other
arrangement in Part B will receive 0 points.

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Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

Item 14
Scoring Rubric

Points Description
1 The student correctly selects all three drop-down menu options.
0 The student does not correctly select all three drop-down menu options.

Exemplar Response
The correct response is shown below.

“Incomplete dominance” is the correct response for the first drop-down menu and “partly expressed” is
the correct response for the second drop-down menu because when different alleles for the flower-color
gene are only partially expressed, they result in a blended flower color, which is pink in this case. If the
alleles demonstrated complete dominance, both colors would be completely expressed in the same flower,
resulting in a pattern of red and white. “Heterozygous” is the correct response for the third drop-down
menu because two different alleles must be present to result in conflicting instructions for the expression
of the genetic trait. When an offspring inherits two of the same alleles, there is no conflict in instructions,
and therefore, the trait is fully expressed.

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 Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

Item 16
Scoring Rubric

Points Description
2 The student places both statements in the correct table for each claim. Statement order
within each table does not matter.
1 The student places both correct statements in Claim 1, OR places both correct statements
in Claim 2. Statement order within each table does not matter.
0 The student gives a response that does not meet the criteria to receive 1 or 2 points.

Exemplar Response
The correct response is shown below.

Nondisjunction is an error resulting from genetic material unevenly or incorrectly separating during meiosis.
Claim 1 is supported by the observations that the daughter cells shown in example 1 have unequal
amounts of genetic material in their cells, as well as having more (n + 1) or less (n - 1) than half of the
original amount (2n).
Crossing over results when genetic material recombines to make new arrangements in the chromosomes.
Claim 2 is supported by the observation that the daughter cells resulting from example 2 all have
the same amount of genetic material in their cells, which is half (n) of the original amount (2n). The
chromosome patterns in the genetic material are different across the daughter cells, which is evidence of
an exchange of material during meiosis.

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Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

Item 18
Scoring Rubric

Points Description
1 The student correctly fills in all boxes.
0 The student does not correctly fill in all boxes.

Exemplar Response
The correct response is shown below.

This is the correct response because during osmosis, water moves from an area of lower solute
concentration to an area of higher solute concentration. The membrane of the dialysis bag is
semipermeable, allowing water to pass through without allowing solute to pass through. Since the solution
in the dialysis bag has a lower concentration of solute than the solution in the beaker, the solution in the
dialysis bag is “hypotonic” compared to the “hypertonic” solution in the beaker. As a result, water will
move out of the dialysis bag into the beaker.

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 Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

Item 19
Scoring Rubric

Points Description
2 The student fills in all three correct descriptions in any order.
1 The student fills in two of the three correct descriptions in any order.
0 The student does not fill in at least two correct descriptions in the box.

Exemplar Response
The correct response is shown below.

Drought survival is increased in tree species that have thick bark, deep roots, and leaves reduced to
needles. These features would help the plant reduce water loss, find water below ground, and efficiently
photosynthesize without losing much water.
Drought survival is decreased in tree species that have large leaves, produce fleshy fruits, and lose and
grow leaves each year. These features cause water loss and require a lot of water to produce the physical
structures. These would be harmful during a dry period.

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Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

Item 21
Scoring Rubric

Points Description
2 The student correctly answers both Part A and Part B.
1 The student correctly answers either Part A OR Part B.
0 The student does not correctly answer either part.

Exemplar Response
Part A
The correct response is shown below.

Humans can have an effect on water bodies by adding excess nutrients. They can also increase the
temperature of water bodies by adding warm wastewater. Humans are unlikely to have an effect on the
presence of algae or have a direct impact on wind or water currents. The order within each column does
not matter.
Go on to the next page to finish item 21.

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 Scoring Rubrics and Exemplar Responses

Item 21
Part B
The correct response is shown below.

Reducing fertilizer runoff and reducing the temperature of wastewater are the only two solutions that
directly relate to the four main components necessary for an algae bloom and can be directly impacted by
human activities. The order of the responses does not matter.

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Study/Resource
Guide for Students
and Parents
Biology
End-of-Course