2018 WASSCE BIOLOGY PAPER 1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
2018 WASSCE BIOLOGY PAPER 1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
QUESTIONS
1. The scientist who introduced binomial nomenclature in the classification of organisms was
A. Carolus Linnaeus.
B. John Ray.
C. Charles Darwin.
D. Louis Pasteur.
2. Which of the following statements is true about arthropods?
A. Prothorax bears only, wings
B. Prothorax bears only legs
C. Metathorax bears only wings
D. Mesothorax bears only legs
3. What level of organization is Spirogyra?
A. Tissue
B. Organ
C. Organ system
D. Cell
4. The streaming movement of cytoplasm within Paramecium is known as
A. transpiration.
B. cyclosis.
C. osmosis.
D. digestion.
5. Which of the following organelles is found only in plant cells?
A. Lysosomes
B. Ribosomes
C. Plastids
D. Mitochondria
6. Active transport differs from diffusion in that active transport
A. takes place in both light and dark reactions of photosynthesis.
B. is a very fast process.
C. allows the movement of substances against concentration gradient.
D. occurs in both plant and animal tissues.
The diagrams below are illustrations of an experimental set-up to demonstrate a type of tropic response in plants. Study them and answer questions 7 to 8.
7. The type of response demonstrated is
A. phototropism.
B. thigmotropism.
C. geotropism.
D. hydrotropism.
8. The conclusion drawn from the experiment is that
A. leaves of plants are positively phototropic.
B. shoots of plants are negatively geotropic.
C. roots of plants are positively hydrotropic.
D. shoots of plants are negatively thigmotropic.
9. The odontoid process is found on the
A. sacral vertebra
B. axis vertebra.
C. thoracic vertebra.
D. atlas vertebra.
10. A seedling was made to stand in a solution of red ink for three hours and a transverse section of the stem was examined under the microscope. The process being investigated was
A. ascent of water through the xylem.
B. diffusion of coloured substances.
C. the importance of microelements to plants.
D. distribution of food in plants.
11. Which of the following structures would carry out respiration? A
A. dry leaf
B. germinating cowpea
C. decolorized leaf
D. boiled cow pea
12. Which of the following substances is not an excretory product of animals?
A. Carbon dioxide
B. Sweat
C. Oxygen
D. Urea
13. An example of homeostasis in living organisms is
A. root hairs of a plant growing towards a source of light.
B. the release of phosphorous into the phloem of a plant growing in a phosphorus-deficient soil.
C. changing of the body colour of chameleon to match the colour of the foliage on which it is resting.
D. cooling effect resulting from evaporation of water from the body surface.
15. The thyroid gland is located at the base of the
A. neck.
B. midbrain.
C. kidney.
D. liver.
16. Which of the following statements about the response of neurones to stimulus is correct? The
A. intensity of stimulus must reach a threshold value before the neurone can be excited.
B. neurones respond to stimuli of any strength.
C. neurones respond more rapidly during the absolute refractory period.
D. neurones respond to all stimuli applied in rapid succession.
17. Which of the following practices may lead to infection of the eye? Use of
A. concave lenses
B. contact lenses
C. biconcave lenses
D. convex lenses
18. The structures for gaseous exchange in breathing roots are
A. lenticels.
B. mitochondria.
C. cuticle.
D. stomata.
The diagram below is an illustration of the life cycle of an insect. Study it and answer questions 19 and 20.
19. The adult insect in this life cycle is
A. housefly.
B. mosquito.
C. butterfly.
D. cockroach.
20. The larva is also known as
A. maggot.
B. caterpillar.
C. nymph.
D. chrysalis.
21. The source of energy required by plants during food production is
A. chlorophyll.
B. sunlight.
C. photosynthesis.
D. microorganisms.
22. One major difference between plant and animal nutrition is the ability of plants to synthesize
A. water for animals.
B. water for plants.
C. food for plants only.
D. food for plants and animals.
23. By what process is starch converted into maltose?
A. Photosynthesis
B. Condensation
C. Hydrolysis
D. Translocation
24. The ascent of water in tall trees is mainly due to
A. adhesive forces.
B. cohesion forces of water molecules.
C. transpiration pull.
D. root pressure.
25. The duodenum of a person was surgically removed. Which of the following food substances would have their digestion affected?
A. Starch, protein and lipids
B. Starch and protein only
C. Starch, peptones and maltose
D. Starch and lipids
26. Which of the following dental formulae represents the dentition in rabbits?
The diagram below is an illustration of an experimental set-up to demonstrate a property of soil. Study it and answer questions 27 and 28.
27. The property of soil demonstrated is
A. colour.
B. particle size.
C. capillarity.
D. texture.
28. Which of the following statements would be a correct observation at the end of the experiment? Water moves
A. highest in clayey soil.
B. lowest in loamy soil
C. highest in sandy soil.
D. to the same level in all soil types
29. The most important factor(s) that influence(s) the ecological niche of an organism is/are the
A. physical environment.
B. food and water availability.
C. competition for food and space.
D. water, light and predator-prey relationship.
30. The diagram below is an illustration of organisms in an air-tight aquarium. The most important factor needed by the organisms is
A. oxygen
B. light energy.
C. low humidity.
D. nitrate.
31. Which of the following instruments is used to determine the turbidity of water?
A. Secchi disc
B. Hygrometer
C. Hydrometer
D. Rain gauge
32. In an ecosystem, the least efficient energy transfer link is from the
A. producer to primary consumers.
B. secondary consumers to decomposers.
C. primary consumers to secondary consumers.
D. sun to producers.
33. Xerophytes have the following characteristics aimed at conserving water except
A. thick cuticle
B. broad leaf surfaces.
C. sunken stomata
D. waxy cuticle.
34. An association between living organisms in which one lives on and feeds at the expense of the other is known as
A. parasitism.
B. commensalism.
C. predation.
D. mutualism.
35. When large numbers of organisms share limited space and resources: the immediate result is
A. immigration.
B. emigration.
C. extinction.
D. competition.
36. Which of the following diseases is caused by a bacterium?
A. Ringworm
B. Syphilis
C. Malaria
D. Poliomyelitis
37. Conservation of wildlife is necessary mainly because
A. wild species cannot resist diseases better than their domesticated species.
B. many people derive pleasure from observing wild animals.
C. many predator wild animals help in the control of pests.
D. it prevents the extinction of species.
Two unconscious patients X and Y whose blood genotypes are AO and AB respectively were transfused with blood from the same donor. Patient X immediately showed signs of difficulty in breathing while patient Y showed no negative reaction. Use the information above to answer questions 38 and 39
38. Patients X and V were likely transfused with blood of genotype
A. BO.
B. AO.
C. AA.
D. OO.
39. What should the hospital have done to prevent patient X from showing the symptom described above? Patient X should have
A. been asked for the blood group.
B. been screened for HIV.
C. undergone an agglutination test.
D. undergone malaria test.
40. The greatest contribution to genetic studies was made by
A. Thomas Morgan.
B. Robert Hooke
A. Charles Darwin.
B. Gregor Mendel.
41. The exchange of genes between homologous chromosomes is called
A. test cross.
B. back cross.
C. mutation.
D. crossing over.
The diagrams below are illustrations of the inheritance of coat colour in mice. J, K, L, M and N are parents. The cross between two parent mice gave rise to offspring P, Q, R and S. Study the diagrams and answer questions 42 and 43.
42. Which parent mouse is heterozygous for coat colour?
A. M
B. K
C. L
D. J
43. Which of the offspring are all homozygous?
A. S
B. Q
C. R
D. P
44. Genes that remain linked are those
A. close to each other on the chromosomes.
B. on the same locus on the chromosomes.
C. on the homologous chromosomes.
D. which are allelic pair.
45. A plant cell has 14 chromosomes prior to mitosis. What is the number of chromosomes in the daughter cells?
A. 56
B. 28
C. 14
D. 7
46. The chemical bond that holds the bases of the two strands of DNA together is
A. electrovalent bond.
B. oxygen bond.
C. hydrogen bond.
D. covalent bond.
The diagram below is an illustration of one the theories of evolution. Study it and answer questions 47 and 48.
47. Who proposed the theory in the illustration?
A. Louis Pasteur
B. Robert Hooke
C. Jean Lamarck
D. Gregor Mendel
48. The theory supports
A. natural selection.
B. the use and disuse of body parts.
C. independent assortment.
D. struggle for survival.
49. In evolution, fossils are naturally preserved in
A. chemicals.
B. rocks.
C. water.
D. trees.
50. Which of the following insects is not a social insect?
A. Ant
B. Termite
C. Honeybee
D. Housefly
ANSWERS
1. A. Carolus Linnaeus.
2. B. Prothorax bears only legs
3. D. Cell
4. B. cyclosis.
5. C. Plastids
6. C. allows the movement of substances against concentration gradient.
7. D. hydrotropism.
8. C. roots of plants are positively hydrotropic.
9. B. axis vertebra.
10. B. diffusion of coloured substances.
11. B. germinating cowpea
12. C. Oxygen
13. B. the release of phosphorous into the phloem of a plant growing in a phosphorus- deficient soil.
14. C. Bowman’s capsule.
15. A. neck.
16. A. intensity of stimulus must reach a threshold value before the neurone can be excited.
17. B. contact lenses
18. A. lenticels.
19. C. butterfly.
20. B. caterpillar.
21. B. sunlight.
22. D. food for plants and animals.
23. C. Hydrolysis
24. C. transpiration pull.
25. A. Starch, protein and lipids
26.
27. C. capillarity.
28. A. highest in clayey soil.
29. C. competition for food and space.
30. B. light energy.
31. A. Secchi disc
32. B. secondary consumers to decomposers.
33. B. broad leaf surfaces.
34. A. parasitism.
35. D. competition.
36. B. Syphilis
37. D. it prevents the extinction of species.
38. A. BO
39. C. undergone an agglutination test.40. B. Gregor Mendel.
41. D. J
42. D. crossing over.
43. A. S
44. A. close to each other on the chromosomes.
45. C. 14
46. C. hydrogen bond.
47. C. Jean Lamarck
48. B. the use and disuse of body parts.
49. B. rocks.
50. D. Housefly
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