Regents Living Environment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which process allows plants to convert light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose?
- Cellular respiration
- Photosynthesis (Correct answer)
- Fermentation
- Transpiration
Correct answer: Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis uses light energy, water, and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen in chloroplasts.
Question 2: A mutation in a gene that codes for a digestive enzyme causes the enzyme to lose function. Which level of biological organization is most directly affected first?
- Organ system
- Cell
- Molecule (Correct answer)
- Tissue
Correct answer: Molecule
A gene mutation directly alters the molecular structure of the protein (enzyme) it encodes.
Question 3: Which term describes the variety of different species living within a single ecosystem?
- Genetic diversity
- Biodiversity (Correct answer)
- Population density
- Ecological succession
Correct answer: Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the number and variety of different species found in a given area or ecosystem.
Question 4: A student observes that a bacterial culture doubles in size every 20 minutes. After 1 hour starting with 100 bacteria, how many bacteria are present?
- 400
- 600
- 800 (Correct answer)
- 1200
Correct answer: 800
In 60 minutes there are 3 doubling periods: 100 → 200 → 400 → 800.
Question 5: Which structure in the cell is responsible for producing ATP through aerobic cellular respiration?
- Ribosome
- Nucleus
- Mitochondrion (Correct answer)
- Vacuole
Correct answer: Mitochondrion
The mitochondrion is the site of aerobic cellular respiration, producing most of the cell's ATP.
Question 6: A deer population in a forest increases rapidly when wolves are removed. This best illustrates the concept of:
- Mutualism
- Carrying capacity
- Predator-prey relationships (Correct answer)
- Parasitism
Correct answer: Predator-prey relationships
Removing predators (wolves) allows the prey population (deer) to grow unchecked, demonstrating how predator-prey relationships regulate populations.
Question 7: During meiosis, crossing over between homologous chromosomes results in:
- Reduced genetic variation
- New gene mutations
- Increased genetic variation in gametes (Correct answer)
- Identical daughter cells
Correct answer: Increased genetic variation in gametes
Crossing over exchanges segments of DNA between homologous chromosomes, producing new combinations of alleles and increasing genetic variation in gametes.
Regents Living Environment 2
Which process allows plants to convert light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose?