8th Grade-Biology
Characteristics of living Things
1.
Which is the correct hierarchy of life from simple to complex?
a. cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism
b. DNA, cell, organ, organ system, organism
c. organism, organ system, organ, tissue, cell
d. bacteria, cell, tissue, organ, organ system
2. A person sweating on a hot day would most likely be an example of what biological process?
a. digestion
b. respiration
c. homeostasis
d. gametogenesis
3. When referring to any taxonomically classified organism, scientists use only those categories
that differentiate an organism from any other, such as Ursus horribilis (grizzly bear). Thus,
scientists refer to an organism by its
a. order and family.
b. family and genus.
c. species and order.
d. genus and species.
4. How many pairs of chromosomes are in human cell?
a. 23 pairs of chromosomes
b. 26 pairs of chromosomes
c. 44 pairs of chromosomes
d. 46 pairs of chromosomes
5.
Why is mitosis important to the life of an organism?
a. It controls the cell activity.
b. It produces new, identical cells.
c. It provides energy for the cell.
d. It regulates feedback.
6.
Why are scientists able to study and compare different insects?
a. Because all insect species have been identified.
b. Because there are 1,000 species of insects.
c. Because all insects eat the same food.
d. Because they are classified into groups.
7. What is the action of an organism as the result of a stimulus?
a. Inherited behavior
b. Response
c. Conditioning
d. Instinct
8.
The observable physical expression of a gene is called its
a. genotype.
b. phenotype.
c. heterozygous nature.
d. allele.
9. Which of the following best describes the classification of organisms?
a. Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Organism, Family, Genus, Species
b. Domain, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
c. Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
d. Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
10. The basic structure of DNA molecule is
a. a double helix.
b. a single helix.
c. a mitotic spindle.
d. membrane bound.
e. a single strand.
11. Which of the following is a correct pairing of nucleic acid bases in a DNA molecule?
a. A:G, T:C
b. A:T, G:C
c. A:C, T:G
d. A:U, G:C
12. What is the basic unit of structure and function in an organism?
a. Tissue
b. Organ
c. Cell
d. System
13. The cell theory states all of the following EXCEPT:
a. All living things evolve and change over time.
b. All living things are composed of cells.
c. Cells are the basic of structure and function in living things.
d. All cells are produced from other cells.
14. What is the scientific study of the classification of living things?
a. Biology
b. Domain
c. Mitosis
d. Taxonomy
15. Which of the following is true about binomial nomenclature?
a. It is a one-part scientific name, including Species
b. It is a two-part scientific name, including Species and Domain
c. It is a one-part scientific name, including Genus
d. It is a two-part scientific name, including Genus and Species
16. “That boy shot up five inches in only one year.” This is an example of which characteristic of
life?
a. Reproduction
b. Movement
c. Elimination of waste
d. Growth
17. A gene mutation is believed to involve
a. replacing deoxyribose with glucose.
b. the substitution of a nitrogen base.
c. hydrolysis of strong Hydrogen bonds.
d. replacing a phosphate with a nitrate.
18. A change in the normal nitrogenous base sequence of a DNA molecule is known as a
a. gene mutation.
b. nondisjunction.
c. hybridization.
d. segregation.
19. Which compound is not part of a DNA molecule?
a. Adenine
b. Ribose
c. Thymine
d. Deoxyribose
20. Which group of terms is in the correct order from most general to most specific?
a. Species, phylum, Genus, Kingdom
b. Kingdom, Phylum, Genus, Species
c. Genus, Species, Kingdom, Phylum
d. Phylum, Kingdom, Species, Genus
21. In a modern system of classification, two organisms would be most closely related if they were
classified in the same
a. Kingdom
b. Phylum
c. Genus
d. Species
22. The scientific name of a common houseful is Musca domestica. This name indicates the
housefly’s
a. Genus and Species
b. Phylum and Genus
c. Kingdom and Phylum
d. Kingdom and Species
23. Most cells in the body of a fruit fly contain 8 chromosomes. How many of these chromosomes
were contributed by each parent of the fruit fly?
a. 8
b. 2
c. 16
d. 4
24. Why do biologists have taxonomic systems?
a. To provide descriptive Latin names.
b. To maintain a small number of taxa.
c. To provide consistent ways to identify and classify organisms as they are being studies.
d. To construct a family tree that predicts how many species may be discovered in the future.
25. Which taxonomic system was developed by Carl Linnaeus in the 1750s and is used today?
a. Cladistics
b. Taxonomic phylogeny
c. The polynomial system
d. Binomial Nomenclature
26. Chargaff’s data on nitrogenous bases
a. suggested that DNA bases are paired.
b. suggested that DNA is a tightly coiled helix.
c. suggested that certain bases are found in equal amounts in DNA.
d. proved that DNA’s structure is similar to a twisted ladder.
27. Which part of the nucleotide contains genetic information?
a. Sugar molecules
b. Nitrogen base pairs
c. Phosphate molecules
d. Deoxyribose molecules
Extended Response
We know that DNA is the blueprint of all living things. Although DNA is a simple structure, it contains all
genetic material.
A.
DNA bases pair up in a particular order. Which scientists receives the fame and glor for this
“pairing rule”?
B. How do the bases pair in a DNA molecule?
C. If a DNA strand has the nucleotide sequence of CGGTCATTG, what is the nucleotide of the
complementary strand?
D.