Teachers' Professional License – Subject Test: Biology: free practice test

Past exam question Unit: History and Nature of Biology and Its Links to Other Sciences

1. ABeing open to modification when new evidence appears

   Openness to modification is an essential trait of science, so it is part of its nature.

2. BRelying on sensory evidence that can be observed

   Relying on evidence perceived through the senses or measuring tools is part of the nature of science.

3. CConclusions being shaped by the researcher's personal opinion ✓ Correct answer

   Science aims at neutrality; conclusions are based on evidence others can verify, not on personal opinion.

4. DBeing able to repeat an experiment and verify its results

   Repeatability and verifiability of results are part of the nature of science, and conclusions are accepted through them.

Reference: ETEC Biology Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.8.1 (nature of science and the history of biology), indicator 1, p. 8

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Past exam question Unit: Structural and Functional Organisation of Living Things

1. AHydrophobic heads face inward and hydrophilic tails face outward

   This reverses the true arrangement, since the heads are the hydrophilic part.

2. BHydrophobic heads face outward and hydrophilic tails face inward

   Heads are hydrophilic, not hydrophobic, so this arrangement is wrong.

3. CHeads and tails are all hydrophilic and face outward

   The fatty tails are hydrophobic and do not face the watery medium.

4. DHydrophilic heads face outward and hydrophobic tails face inward ✓ Correct answer

   Heads face the watery surroundings inside and outside the cell, and tails cluster away from water in the interior.

Reference: ETEC Biology Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.8.4 (structural and functional organization of the cell), indicator 3, p. 9

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Past exam question Unit: Structural and Functional Organisation of Living Things

1. AActive transport ✓ Correct answer

   The pump moves ions against their concentration gradient using ATP.

2. BSimple diffusion

   Simple diffusion needs no energy and no pump proteins.

3. CFacilitated diffusion

   Facilitated diffusion follows the concentration gradient without energy.

4. DOsmosis

   Osmosis is the movement of water, not ions, and uses no energy.

Reference: ETEC Biology Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.8.4 (structural and functional organization of the cell), indicator 3, p. 9

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Past exam question Unit: Classification of Living Things

1. AAngiosperm – conifer

   Juniper makes no flowers and no fruit around its seeds, so it is not an angiosperm.

2. BAngiosperm – ginkgo group

   Juniper is neither a ginkgo nor an angiosperm, since its seeds are not enclosed in a fruit.

3. CGymnosperm – ginkgo group

   Juniper is a gymnosperm, but it belongs to the conifers; the ginkgo group is a separate lineage represented by ginkgo.

4. DGymnosperm – conifer ✓ Correct answer

   Juniper is a conifer whose seeds are not enclosed in a true fruit, so it is a gymnosperm of the conifer group.

Reference: ETEC Biology Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.8.5 (principles of the classification of living things), indicator 3, p. 9

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Past exam question Unit: Ecology and Biodiversity

1. ANitrogen compounds fixed by bacteria in the clover roots ✓ Correct answer

   Clover is a legume, and bacteria in its root nodules fix N₂ into compounds that neighbouring wheat can use.

2. BPhosphorus that clover roots release from soil rock

   Clover roots do not release phosphorus from rock, and this is not why it is planted with wheat.

3. COxygen that clover roots produce in the soil

   Roots consume oxygen in respiration and do not produce it.

4. DWater that clover roots capture from the atmosphere

   Roots do not capture water from the air; they absorb it from the soil.

Reference: ETEC Biology Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.8.9 (ecology, ecosystems and animal behaviour), indicator 5, p. 10

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Past exam question Unit: Life Processes, Immunity and Disease

1. AThe outer membrane

   The outer membrane is smooth and does not bear the cristae that increase the surface area.

2. BThe inner membrane ✓ Correct answer

   The inner membrane folds into cristae, holding more electron transport chain complexes and ATP synthase.

3. CThe matrix

   The matrix is the inner fluid where the Krebs cycle runs; it is not a folded membrane.

4. DThe intermembrane space

   The intermembrane space is a gap where H⁺ accumulates; it does not increase surface area itself.

Reference: ETEC Biology Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.8.6 (life processes inside living things), indicator 2, p. 9

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Past exam question Unit: Life Processes, Immunity and Disease

1. APhospholipids

   Phospholipids build cell membranes; they are not what antibodies are made of.

2. BComplex carbohydrates

   Complex carbohydrates such as starch store energy and do not form antibodies.

3. CNucleic acids

   Nucleic acids carry genetic information; antibodies are made using that information but are not made of nucleic acids.

4. DProteins ✓ Correct answer

   Correct: antibodies are globular proteins secreted by plasma cells that arise from B cells.

Reference: ETEC Biology Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.8.7 (immunity and its relation to disease), indicator 1, p. 9

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Past exam question Unit: Genetics

1. AA or AB

   Group AB needs both Iᴬ and Iᴮ, and the O parent carries neither.

2. BB or O

   Group O needs ii, and the AB parent has no i allele, so O cannot appear.

3. CA or B ✓ Correct answer

   The O parent is ii and the AB parent is IᴬIᴮ, so the offspring are Iᴬi (group A) or Iᴮi (group B).

4. DAB or O

   Neither AB nor O appears, because every child gets i from the O parent and one allele from the AB parent.

Reference: ETEC Biology Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.8.8 (principles of genetics), indicator 2, p. 10; ii × IᴬIᴮ gives Iᴬi and Iᴮi

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Past exam question Unit: Genetics

1. AChromatid → gene → chromosome → genome

   A gene is part of a chromatid, so the chromatid cannot be smaller.

2. BGene → chromosome → chromatid → genome

   A chromatid is one half of a replicated chromosome, so it is smaller, not larger.

3. CChromosome → gene → genome → chromatid

   A gene is smaller than the chromosome carrying it, and a chromatid is part of a chromosome, not larger than the genome.

4. DGene → chromatid → chromosome → genome ✓ Correct answer

   A gene is a part of a chromatid, a replicated chromosome is made of two chromatids, and the genome is all the chromosomes together.

Reference: ETEC Biology Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.8.8 (principles of genetics), indicator 3, p. 10

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Past exam question Unit: Teaching Biology and Laboratory Safety

1. AWearing open shoes during experiments

   Open shoes leave the feet exposed to spills and broken glass; closed shoes are required.

2. BWearing protective goggles ✓ Correct answer

   Goggles protect the eyes from splashes, fragments and fumes, and are basic personal protective equipment.

3. CWearing loose clothing near a flame

   Loose clothing can catch fire or snag on equipment; fitted clothing is required.

4. DDrawing liquids into a pipette by mouth

   Mouth pipetting can lead to swallowing toxic or contaminated liquids; a mechanical pipette filler is used instead.

Reference: ETEC Biology Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.8.3 (practical work and laboratory safety), indicator 1, p. 8

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