GENERAL BIOLOGY FINAL
EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2024/2025
A scientist observes that when she opens the back door of her house to let her cat out, the songs of a
certain species of bird abruptly change. She wants to follow up on her observations with an informal
experiment. Which of the following is the best hypothesis for explaining the birds' song changes?
A) The scientist is mistaken and the songs do not change.
B) The bird species has a variety of songs that it sings, regardless of what is happening is its environment.
C) The bird species switches from song to warning call whenever it sees a potential predator. - ANS >>C)
The bird species switches from song to warning call whenever it sees a potential predator.
A scientist wants to test the hypothesis that a certain bird species in her back yard changes its songs to
warning calls whenever it detects the presence of a potential predator. Which of the following most
likely describes her initial observations?
A) The scientist noticed that whenever she opened a door to her house, she heard birds beginning to
sing.
B) The scientist noticed that the birds only appeared at a certain times of the day, always singing the
same song during those times.
C) Each time the scientist let her cat outside, the birds abruptly changed their songs. - ANS >>C) Each
time the scientist let her cat outside, the birds abruptly changed their songs.
A scientist wishes to test a new antibiotic's ability to treat stubborn bacterial infections. He tests his
hypothesis that the antibiotic works better than existing treatments by giving bacterial infections to mice
and treating them with the antibiotic. He then determines how many of the mice recover from their
infections. What is missing from his experimental design?
A) He is missing a control group of mice that received a half dose of the new antibiotic.
B) Nothing is missing—he has done everything he needs to do for this to be successful experiment.
C) He is missing a control group of mice that did not receive the new antibiotic. - ANS >>C) He is missing
a control group of mice that did not receive the new antibiotic.
The smallest unit of biological structure that meets the functional requirements of "living" is the
A) macromolecule
,B) organ
C) cell
D) organelle - ANS >>C) cell
Which of the following sequences represents the hierarchy of biological organization from the most
complex to the least complex level?
A) organ, organism, tissue, organelle, molecule
B) organelle, tissue, biosphere, ecosystem, population
C) organism, community, biosphere, molecule, tissue, organ
D) biosphere, ecosystem, community, population, organism - ANS >>D) biosphere, ecosystem,
community, population, organism
A suggested and testable explanation for an event is called a ________.
A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) variable
D) control - ANS >>B) hypothesis
The type of logical thinking that uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion is called
________.
A) the scientific method
B) deductive reasoning
C) hypothesis-based science
D) inductive reasoning - ANS >>D) inductive reasoning
Magnesium has an atomic number of 12. Which of the following statements is true of a neutral
magnesium atom?
A) It has 12 protons, 12 electrons, and 12 neutrons.
B) It has 12 protons, 12 electrons, and six neutrons.
C) It has six protons, six electrons, and no neutrons.
, D) It has six protons, six electrons, and six neutrons. - ANS >>A) It has 12 protons, 12 electrons, and 12
neutrons.
An isotope of sodium (Na) has a mass number of 22. How many neutrons does it have?
A) 44
B) 11
C) 22
D) 12 - ANS >>B) 11
Which of the following statements is not true?
A) Water stabilizes temperature.
B) Water is essential for life.
C) Water is polar.
D) Water is the most abundant atom in Earth's atmosphere. - ANS >>D) Water is the most abundant
atom in Earth's atmosphere.
Using a pH meter, you find the pH of an unknown solution to be 8.0. How would you describe this
solution?
A) strongly acidic
B) weakly basic
C) strongly basic
D) weakly acidic - ANS >>B) weakly basic
An example of a monosaccharide is ________.
A) glucose
B) galactose
C) fructose
D) all of the above - ANS >>D) all of the above
Phospholipids are important components of __________.
EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2024/2025
A scientist observes that when she opens the back door of her house to let her cat out, the songs of a
certain species of bird abruptly change. She wants to follow up on her observations with an informal
experiment. Which of the following is the best hypothesis for explaining the birds' song changes?
A) The scientist is mistaken and the songs do not change.
B) The bird species has a variety of songs that it sings, regardless of what is happening is its environment.
C) The bird species switches from song to warning call whenever it sees a potential predator. - ANS >>C)
The bird species switches from song to warning call whenever it sees a potential predator.
A scientist wants to test the hypothesis that a certain bird species in her back yard changes its songs to
warning calls whenever it detects the presence of a potential predator. Which of the following most
likely describes her initial observations?
A) The scientist noticed that whenever she opened a door to her house, she heard birds beginning to
sing.
B) The scientist noticed that the birds only appeared at a certain times of the day, always singing the
same song during those times.
C) Each time the scientist let her cat outside, the birds abruptly changed their songs. - ANS >>C) Each
time the scientist let her cat outside, the birds abruptly changed their songs.
A scientist wishes to test a new antibiotic's ability to treat stubborn bacterial infections. He tests his
hypothesis that the antibiotic works better than existing treatments by giving bacterial infections to mice
and treating them with the antibiotic. He then determines how many of the mice recover from their
infections. What is missing from his experimental design?
A) He is missing a control group of mice that received a half dose of the new antibiotic.
B) Nothing is missing—he has done everything he needs to do for this to be successful experiment.
C) He is missing a control group of mice that did not receive the new antibiotic. - ANS >>C) He is missing
a control group of mice that did not receive the new antibiotic.
The smallest unit of biological structure that meets the functional requirements of "living" is the
A) macromolecule
,B) organ
C) cell
D) organelle - ANS >>C) cell
Which of the following sequences represents the hierarchy of biological organization from the most
complex to the least complex level?
A) organ, organism, tissue, organelle, molecule
B) organelle, tissue, biosphere, ecosystem, population
C) organism, community, biosphere, molecule, tissue, organ
D) biosphere, ecosystem, community, population, organism - ANS >>D) biosphere, ecosystem,
community, population, organism
A suggested and testable explanation for an event is called a ________.
A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) variable
D) control - ANS >>B) hypothesis
The type of logical thinking that uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion is called
________.
A) the scientific method
B) deductive reasoning
C) hypothesis-based science
D) inductive reasoning - ANS >>D) inductive reasoning
Magnesium has an atomic number of 12. Which of the following statements is true of a neutral
magnesium atom?
A) It has 12 protons, 12 electrons, and 12 neutrons.
B) It has 12 protons, 12 electrons, and six neutrons.
C) It has six protons, six electrons, and no neutrons.
, D) It has six protons, six electrons, and six neutrons. - ANS >>A) It has 12 protons, 12 electrons, and 12
neutrons.
An isotope of sodium (Na) has a mass number of 22. How many neutrons does it have?
A) 44
B) 11
C) 22
D) 12 - ANS >>B) 11
Which of the following statements is not true?
A) Water stabilizes temperature.
B) Water is essential for life.
C) Water is polar.
D) Water is the most abundant atom in Earth's atmosphere. - ANS >>D) Water is the most abundant
atom in Earth's atmosphere.
Using a pH meter, you find the pH of an unknown solution to be 8.0. How would you describe this
solution?
A) strongly acidic
B) weakly basic
C) strongly basic
D) weakly acidic - ANS >>B) weakly basic
An example of a monosaccharide is ________.
A) glucose
B) galactose
C) fructose
D) all of the above - ANS >>D) all of the above
Phospholipids are important components of __________.
