Science 9 Practice Questions – Biology
ANSWER KEY
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. The function of the nucleolus is
C. to make ribosomes
2. Which of the following organelles does not have a membrane?
D. ribosome
3. Which one of the following statements is not true?
B. All the genes within the nucleus of a cell will be copied to make a protein at some
time in the life cycle of a cell.
4. The function of the Golgi body is
A. to receive vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum
Note: this really is not a good description of the golgi. Its purpose is to modify and package
proteins that it gets from the endoplasmic reticulum
5. Which of the following steps for the production of a protein is incorrect?
D. DNA leaves through the nuclear pore.
6. Chromatin is
B. a substance within the nucleus that contains DNA and proteins
7. A gene mutation is
A. a change in the specific order of the A, G, C, and T bases that make up a particular
protein
8. Gene therapy is not used as frequently as drug therapy or surgical therapies because
A. the technique is too expensive
B. viruses for the procedure are not easily available
C. healthy genes are not easily available
D. the healthy gene must be switched on in the correct cells
9. Cystic fibrosis is
C. an example of a negative mutation
10. The white coat of the Spirit Bear is because of a
B. neutral mutation
Match the Term on the left with the best Descriptor on the right.
Each Descriptor may be used only once.
_D___ 11. mitochondria
A. sorts and packages proteins for transport
_C____ 12. chloroplast
B. ribosomes attach here
_F____ 13. nucleus
C. produces sugar for cell
_E____ 14. nucleolus
D. changes sugar into useful energy for cell
_A____ 15. golgi body
E. ribosomes made here
_B____ 16. Endoplasmic reticulum
F. contains information to make proteins
G. surrounds the cell membrane
17. Explain how the nucleus controls the activities within a cell.
____Nucleus contains DNA which contains genes. Every gene is responsible for some protein
that allows your cells to do what they are supposed to do.
18. What are three causes of gene mutations?
_________Addition of a base, deletion of a base, or substitution of the wrong base____
19. Construct a flow chart that outlines how a protein is made. Use the terms below. Use
additional words to connect the terms.
DNA, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi body, nuclear pore, ribosomes, RNA, vesicle
DNA contains genes
Gene gets transcribed into RNA
RNA leaves nucleus through the nuclear pore
RNA goes to ribosome where it is made into a protein (ribosomes may be attached to the endoplasmic
reticulum
Proteins are packaged into vesicles and sent to the golgi to be modified and packaged
Then they are transported in vesicles to some place in the cell, or to the cell membrane
Match the Statements on the left with the correct Phase on the right.
Each Phase may be used more than once.
__D___ 1. nucleolus appears within each new nucleus
__C___ 2. centromeres divide
__A___ 3. chromosomes become visible
__A___ 4. spindle fibres begin to form
__E___ 5. DNA replicates
__C___ 6. replicated strands move toward opposite poles
__B___ 7. chromosomes form a line across the middle of the cell
__D___ 8. nuclear membrane forms around each set of
chromosomes
___E__ 9. cell grows
A. prophase
B. metaphase
C. anaphase
D. telophase
E. interphase
Write the name of the stage of the cell cycle that corresponds to each event described below.
1. Centromeres divide. ____Interphase____________
2. Centrioles move to opposite ends of the cell. _____Prophase___________
3. Nuclear membranes form around each mass of chromosomes. ____Telophase____________
4. Chromosome strands separate and move toward opposite ends of the cell. ____Anaphase_________
5. A copy of each chromosome is made. _____Interphase___________
6. Cell membrane pinches together and the cytoplasm of the cell divides. _____Cytokinesis__________
7. The nuclear membrane disappears. ____Prophase____________
8. Daughter cells form. ____Cytokinesis_______________
9. Double-stranded chromosomes line up in the centre of the cell. ______metaphase__________
10. It makes up most of a cell’s life. ____Interphase_____________
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. The three stages of the cell cycle in order are
B. interphase, replication and cytokinesis
2. The purpose of DNA replication is to
D. make an identical copy of the DNA
3. Which of the following is the correct order of the stages of mitosis?
D. prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase
4. How does the cell cycle differ in plants and animals?
B. In plants, a cell plate forms between the daughter cells.
5. Which of the following descriptions does not describe cancer cell growth?
A. Cancer cell growth is highly controlled.
7. If one cell divided once every hour, how many cells would be produced after eight hours?
A. 16
OOPS! 10 was not supposed to be there. It is
B. 32
the number to the next question
Answer is 256
C. 64
D. 25610.
Which of the following are the correct steps in DNA replication?
A. 1, 2, 3, 4
C. 3, 2, 4, 1
B. 2, 4, 1, 3
D. 4, 2, 1, 3
Match each Term on the left with the best Descriptor on the right.
Each Descriptor may be used only once.
Terms Descriptors
__D___ 11. prophase
A. nuclear membrane forms around
_ A___ 12. telophase
chromosomes
___F__ 13. anaphase
B. chromosomes form a single line at cell
___C__ 14. cytokinesis
equator
___B__ 15. metaphase
C. the two nuclei separate
___E__ 16. Interphase
D. chromosomes attach to spindle fibres at their
centromeres
E. DNA replicates
F. sister chromatids move to opposite poles of
the cell
G. the chromosomes dissolve
17. What are three requirements which must be met before a cell continues through the
cell cycle?
__________________enough nutrients, DNA has been copied, DNA is not damaged
In the spaces provided, write the term from the list below that best completes the sentence.
Terms may be used more than once. You will not need to use every term.
body cells, chromosomes, crossing over, egg cells, gametes, meiosis, mitosis, sperm cells
1. Organisms produce ____body cells_______________________ through mitosis.
2. The main job of _____gametes___________________ is to join together to produce a new organism.
3. In humans, ______body cells___________________ have 46 chromosomes.
4. Gametes are the only cells that are not produced by ________mitosis___________________.
5. _______egg cells_________________________ are the female gametes.
6. ______sperm cells__________________________ are the male gametes.
7. ________chromosomes_________ contain the instructions that tell a cell how to develop.
6. Compare the location and arrangement of chromosomes in the cell during metaphase I in
meiosis and metaphase in mitosis.
_________In metaphase I, the homologous pairs are side by side in the middle of the cell. In
metaphase in mitosis, they are lined up single file in the middle of the cell
7. Compare the location and arrangement of chromosomes in the cell during anaphase I in
meiosis and anaphase in mitosis.
_________In anaphase I, the pairs do not split but go together to opposite sides of the cell. In
anaphase in mitosis, the pairs are split at the centromere and separate._______
8. How do the end results of meiosis and mitosis differ?
_____________mitosis produces 2 identical cells whereas meiosis produces four non-identical
haploid cells
9. Predict what would happen if gametes were produced by mitosis rather than meiosis.
___________Gametes would have too many chromosomes and after fertilization the zygote would
have double the normal number. Also, there would be no genetic variation because the cells
would be exactly the same
Short Answer
8. Use “haploid” and “diploid” to compare the end products of meiosis with the end
products of mitosis. How do they differ?
________In meiosis the cells produced are haploid (have half as many chromosome – only one
set). In mitosis, the cells are diploid, meaning they have two of each chromosome___
Read the statements given below. If the statement is true, write “T” on the line in front of the
statement. If it is false, write “F” and rewrite the statement to make it true.
__F__ 1. Gametes have twice as many chromosomes as other cells.
_____________________half as many_____________________________________________
__T__ 2. Zygotes are produced by the union of sperm and egg cells.
_________________________________________________________________________________
__T__ 3. Meiosis may form egg cells.
_________________________________________________________________________________
__F__ 4. Gametes are formed during mitosis.
_____________________meiosis____________________________________________________
__T__ 5. Only a diploid zygote can function as the offspring’s first body cell.
_________________________________________________________________________________
__T__ 6. Four new cells are formed from each parent cell in meiosis.
_________________________________________________________________________________
__F__ 7. There are two cell divisions during mitosis.
________________________There is only one division in mitosis, there are two in meiosis_____
__T__ 8. Haploid refers to the gametes of a cell with only one set of chromosomes.
_________________________________________________________________________________
__T__ 9. If a cell with six chromosomes undergoes mitosis, each new cell will also have six
chromosomes.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. Which of the following is the correct order in sexual reproduction?
A. meiosis, gamete, fertilization, embryo
2. Mitosis is similar to meiosis II because
C. in both processes, sister chromatids separate and move to opposite poles
3. Which of the following events occurs in mitosis only?
D. produces genetically identical cells
4. Gamete formation in males is different than in females because
A. in males, meiosis begins before birth and stops until puberty
B. in males, meiosis II occurs before meiosis I
C. in males, there is equal distribution of cytoplasm into four cells
D. in males, there is unequal distribution of cytoplasm into four cells
5. The difference between gene mutations and chromosomal mutations is that
D. chromosomal mutations can affect many genes in the chromosomes
6. A mutation that would be inherited must occur in a
B. egg cell
7. Cow body cells have 60 chromosomes. How many chromosomes will be in a sperm cell
following meiosis II?
A. 30
Match each Term on the left with the best Descriptor on the right. Each Descriptor
may be used only once.
_D__ 11. prophase I
A. the chromosomes form a single line at the
_E__ 12. telophase II
equator
_F__ 13. anaphase I
B. sister chromatids move to opposite poles of the
_A__ 14. metaphase II
cell
_B__ 15. anaphase II
C. there is one chromosome of the homologous
_C__ 16. prophase II
pair in each cell
D. homologous chromosomes pair up and nonsister
chromatids exchange genetic material
E. a nuclear membrane forms around each set of
chromosomes
F. independent assortment of chromosome pairs
occurs
G. DNA replicates
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. A skin cell functions differently than a muscle cell because
C. different proteins are made in each cell
2. RNA is an important molecule in the cell because it
D. carries information from the nucleus to the cytoplasm
3. If one side of a DNA molecule had the bases ACGTTGACT, the order of the bases on the
other side of the strand would be
B. TGCAACTGA
5. Which of the following is not a step in DNA replication?
C. The RNA is copied from the DNA molecule.
6. In the DNA sequence GACTGACTGACT, a mutation occurred and the piece of DNA
then contained the letters GACTTGACTGACT. What type of mutation is this an
example of?
B. addition
9. Which event in prophase of mitosis is incorrect?
B. Centromeres pull apart.
10. Which of the following best describes the events of anaphase 1?
D. Homologous chromosomes attached to centromeres separate and are pulled to opposite
poles by the spindle fibres.
Match each Term on the left with the best Descriptor on the right. Each Descriptor
may be used only once.
_E__ 11. gametes
A. two sets of chromosomes
_F__ 12. Mitosis
B. formed from the process of fertilization
___ 13. Ectoderm - ignore
C. produces genetically different offspring
_I__ 14. stem cells
D. these cells will form the lungs and liver
_B__ 15. zygote
E. specialized cells needed for reproduction
_J__ 16. meiosis
F. the process where duplicated chromosomes
_A__ 17. diploid
divide in two daughter cells
_C__ 18. sexual reproduction
G. produces variation
___ 19. Endoderm - ignore
H. these cells will form the brain
_G__ 20. independent
I. have the potential to become any type of cell
assortment
J. process that produces gametes
K. only one parent is required to produce offspring
22. Explain how the gene message creates a protein in the cell.
___Gene segment of DNA is copied into a strand of RNA which travels from the nucleus to the
ribosome to be made into a protein
23. Why is interphase important for the cell and cell cycle?
______This is the time when a cell grows, repairs, duplicates it DNA in preparation for the next
division and also the time when it carries out its cell functions.
26. (a) What are mutations?
_____Any change to the sequence of bases in DNA___________________________________
(b) How are mutations caused?
______mistakes in copying the DNA during replication – such as deletions, addition and
substitutions. Also, chromosomal mutations can result from chromosomes not separating
properly during cell division_______________________________