Biology URT EXAM (Released items for 2019-2020)

Directions
This booklet contains Science 2 (Earth Science and Biology) test. There are 25 questions in Earth
Science and 25 questions in Biology. This test measures skills and abilities highly related to
course works completed in Grades 1, 2, and 3 STEM schools.

The questions in the test are numbered, and the suggested answers for each question are lettered
(A, B, C, and D). On the answer document, the rows of ovals are numbered to match the
questions, and the ovals in each row are lettered to correspond to the suggested answers.

For each question, first decide which answer is best. Next, locate on the answer document the
row of ovals numbered the same as the question. Then, locate the oval in that row lettered the
same as your answer. Finally, fill in the oval completely. Use a soft lead pencil and make your
marks heavy and black (see below an example). DO NOT USE A PEN.

A B C D

Mark only one answer to each question. If you change your mind about an answer, erase your
first mark thoroughly before marking your new answer. For each question, make certain that you
mark in the row of ovals with the same number as the question.

Only responses marked on your answer document will be scored. Your score on each test will be
based only on the number of questions you answer correctly during the time allowed for that test.
You will NOT be penalized for guessing. IT IS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE TO ANSWER
EVERY QUESTION EVEN IF YOU MUST GUESS.

If you finish a test before time is called for that test, you should use the time remaining to
reconsider questions you are uncertain about in that test.

Lay your pencil down immediately when time is called at the end of the test. You may NOT for
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disqualify you from the examination. Do not fold or tear the pages of your test booklet.

DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOKLET UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO.

 Biology URT EXAM (Released items for 2019-2020)

Passage I
Gastrulation is one of the most dramatic and crucial stages of vertebrate
embryogenesis. The embryo, at first is simply a hollow ball of cells, undergoes a
transformation into a multilayered structure with a central gut tube and bilateral
symmetry.

The outer layer of cells formed during gastrulation is considered as ectoderm, the
middle layer is considered mesoderm, and inner layer is considered as endoderm.
Since interactions between these three cell layers will determine the further
developmental fate of the embryo, the events occuring during gastrulation are vital
for the proper development of the organism.
Gastrulation begins when cells around the embryonic blastopore begin to
invaginate, or move towards the inside of the embryo. The site where this
invagination initiates is referred to as the dorsal lip of the blastopore which acts as
an organizer, inducing the tissue directly around it to begin invagination while
triggering tissue further away to adopt other specific cell fates.
It was later found that the cells of the dorsal lip secrete a diffusible signalling
substance that slowly degrades after its secretion. The result is a concentration
gradient of the substance, with higher concentrations existing closer to the source
of the secretion. Cells at different distances from the dorsal lip are exposed to
different concentrations of the substance, leading to the signalling of different
behaviors. Due to its effect on morphogenesis (the "shaping" of the embryo), this
substance was referred to as a morphogen (morphogen is defined as a diffusible
substance between cells).

Question numbers (1) to (31) are related to Passage I

 Biology URT EXAM (Released items for 2019-2020)

1. If the mesodermal cell layer is improperly (not correctly) formed during

gastrulation, which of the following later structures would most likely
be affected?
A. Nervous system
B. Heart
C. Stomach lining
D. Liver
2. Which of the following could NOT act as a morphogen?
A. A small, inorganic compounds
B. A steroid hormones
C. A secreted proteins
D. A membrane proteins
3. During invagination, sheets of cells around the blastopore increase in
length and extend themselves into the interior of the embryo. Which of
the following could be responsible for this process of cell sheet
extension?
I. Cell shape changes within the cell sheet.
II. Mitotic division within the cell sheet.
III. Unidirectional migration of every cell in the sheet.
A. I only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. I, II and III
4. In an embryo that is about to undergo gastrulation, the outermost cells
protect more interior cells from the external environment. This is
partially accomplished by tight junctions which form near the outer
surface of these cells. This outer cell layer is most similar in structure and
function to:
A. Epithelial cells.
B. Nerve cells.
C. Smooth muscle cells.
D. Connective tissue cells.
5. The early stages of human embryogenesis look very similar to
comparable stages in the formation of other vertebrate embryos. For
example, human embryos have gill slits and a tail at a certain stage in
development. This observation DOES NOT support which of the
following statements?
A. Humans evolved from lower vertebrates.
B. Vertebrates embryos should not have gill slits.
C. Vertebrates may share a common ancestor.
 Biology URT EXAM (Released items for 2019-2020)

D. There is little selective advantage in altering these stages of

embryogenesis.

Passage II

In the 1940s, scientists thought all genetic material was contained in structures called
chromosomes and that chromosomes had been found only in the nucleus of a cell (not in the
cytoplasm):

Chromosomes are composed of 2 types of molecules, proteins and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
Proteins are composed of subunits called amino acids. DNA consists of chains of subunits called
nucleotides. The parts of that responsible for the transmission of genetic information are called
genes.
Two scientists in the 1940s debate whether genes are made of proteins or DNA.
Protein Hypothesis
Genes are made only of proteins. Proteins make up 50% or more of a cell’s dry weight. Cells
contain 20 different amino acids that can be arranged in a virtually infinite number of ways to
make different proteins. The number and arrangement of different amino acids within a protein
form the codes that contain hereditary information. In contrast, only 4 different nucleotides make
up the DNA found in cells, and they are believed to form chains only in certain ratios. As a
result, the number of different combinations that DNA can carry is much smaller than the
number that proteins can carry.
DNA Hypothesis
Genes are made only of DNA. DNA is found exclusively in the cell’s nucleus, whereas proteins
are found throughout the nucleus and cytoplasm. Additionally, the amount of protein in a cell
varies from cell type to cell type, even within the same animal. Though DNA is less abundant
than proteins, the amount is consistent from cell type to cell type within the same animal, except
for the gametes (the reproductive cells). Gametes have half the amount of as other cells in the
body. Gametes also have half the typical number of chromosomes. Thus, the amount of DNA in
cell is correlated with the number of chromosomes in the cell. No such correlation is found for
proteins.
Question numbers 6 to 12 are related to this Passage II.
6. Which of the following statements is most consistent with the DNA Hypothesis? The
amount of DNA will generally increase from cell type to cell type as the number of:
 Biology URT EXAM (Released items for 2019-2020)

A. Amino acids in the nucleus increases from cell type to cell type.
B. Amino acids in the nucleus increases from cell type to cell type.
C. Chromosomes in the nucleus increases from cell type to cell type.
D. Chromosomes in the nucleus increases from cell type to cell type.

7. By referring to the observation that DNA is found exclusively in the nucleus while
proteins are found throughout the cell, the scientist supporting the DNA Hypothesis
implies that genes are made only of DNA because which of the following are also found
only in the nucleus?
A. Chromosomes
B. Gametes
C. Vitamins
D. Fatty acids
8. According to the passage, a difference between DNA and proteins is that both types of
molecules:
A. Proteins are found only in gametes while DNA is not.
B. Proteins and DNA are abundant in the cytoplasm.
C. Proteins contain 20 different amino acids while DNA contain 4 types of nucleotides.
D. Protein contain nitrogen base while DNA contain peptides.
9. According to the Protein Hypothesis, which of the following observations provides the
strongest evidence that genes are composed of proteins?
A. Proteins composed of 20 amino acids.
B. Protein is composed of smaller subunits than are DNA.
C. Proteins are abundant in the nucleus only.
D. The concentration of proteins is generally consistent from cell to cell.

10. Mitochondria are organelles located in the cytoplasm that are responsible for energy
transformation in a cell. After the 1940s, it was observed that mitochondria contain their
own genes. This observation contradicts evidence stated in which hypothesis?
A. The Protein Hypothesis, because if genes are made of proteins, the observation would
show that proteins are present inside the nucleus.
B. The DNA Hypothesis, because if genes are made of DNA, the observation would show
that DNA is present outside the nucleus.
C. The DNA Hypothesis, because if genes are made of DNA, the observation would show
that DNA is present inside the nucleus.
D. The Protein Hypothesis, because if genes are made of proteins, the observation would
show that proteins are present outside the nucleus.

11. The scientist who describes the DNA Hypothesis implies that the Protein Hypothesis is
weakened by which of the following observations?
A. Proteins are found only in the nucleus.
B. Protein molecules are composed of many subunits.
C. For a man, the amount of protein in different types of cells is not the same.
D. For a man, the amount of protein in the gametes is half that found in other types of cells.
 Biology URT EXAM (Released items for 2019-2020)

12. Which of the following illustrations of a portion of a protein molecule is consistent with
the description in the passage?

Passage III
Urease is an enzyme used by plants to break down urea (a nitrogen-containing compound) into
carbon dioxide and ammonia. Plants need nitrogen to grow and can obtain it from ammonia, but
not from urea. In soybean plants there are 2 different kinds of urease, one produced in the seeds
and the other produced in the leaves of the plant. Mutations in the chromosomes of the soybean
can stop production of either enzyme. In the following experiments, 3 types of soybean plants
were used: normal soybeans and 2 mutant strains, 1 lacking the seed urease (Strain 1) and 1
lacking the leaf urease (Strain 2).

Experiment 1
Separate areas in a field were planted with normal, Strain 1, and Strain 2 soybeans. All types of
soybeans appeared to grow, flower, and produce seeds equally well. There were no externally
detectable differences among the strains.

Experiment 2
Small pieces of plant tissue of equal weight were obtained from each type of soybean plant and
separately placed on media in culture dishes. Tissue growing in this way will become an
unorganized clump of cells referred to as callus. To provide a controlled nitrogen source, half the
tissue samples of each type were placed on media containing urea, and the other half of the
samples were placed on media containing ammonia. After 30 days, the weight gain for each of
the callus samples was determined. Results are shown in the table below.

Weight gain (mg)

Plant type Urea Ammonia
 Biology URT EXAM (Released items for 2019-2020)

Normal 150 180

Strain 1 155 160
Strain 2 50 170
Question numbers 13 to 17 are related to this Passage III.
13. Which of the following not describes the role of urease in the plants grown in the field?
A. Urease activity in leaves is not essential for soybean growth.
B. Urease activity in seeds is not essential for soybean growth.
C. Urease breaks down into carbon dioxide and ammonia.
D. Urease is essential to the growth of soybeans.

14. Which of the nitrogen sources in Experiment 2 served as the control group?
A. Urea, because it cannot be used by Strain 2.
B. Urea, because it can be broken down by urease.
C. Ammonia, because it will inhibit the effects of urease.
D. Ammonia, because all 3 strains of soybeans can use it.

15. Mutant strains are most useful in experiments like those in the passage because they:
A. Can be modified to suit almost any type of research.
B. Differ from normal strains in unknown, unpredictable ways.
C. Provide a natural, noninvasive way to vary a characteristic.
D. May produce unexpected results.

16. In studying the metabolic needs of the soybean strains, Experiment 2 was probably more
accurate than Experiment 1 because in Experiment 2 the:
A. Nitrogen source in the media were more controlled.
B. Nutrients in the soil could not be measured.
C. Nutrients in the soil were more controlled.
D. Callus was much different from the plants.

17. Suppose a third strain were found that was unable to produce either form of urease. If
this strain were subjected to the same procedures as those in the passage, what would be
the expected results?
A. Callus would not grow on urea or on ammonia; the plant would not grow in the field.
B. Callus would not grow on urea but would grow on ammonia; the plant would grow in the
field.
C. Callus would not grow on urea but would grow on ammonia; the plant would not grow in
the field.
D. Callus would grow on urea and on ammonia; the plant would grow in the field.