WAEC Biology 2013 Past Questions

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In which of the following levels of classification are the members most similar?

A.Order
B.Genus
C.Species
D.Phylum

(a) (i) What is respiration?
(ii) In a tabular form, state four differences between gaseous exchange and aerobic respiration

(b)(i) Explain the term residual air.
(ii) What is the importance of residula air to mammals?

(c) State four characteristic features associated with respiratory structures.

(d)(i) What is oxygen debt?
(ii) Outline three activities that can result in oxygen debt.

Spirogyra is regarded as a multicellular plant because

A.the cylindrical cells are linked end to end
B.its cells are linked together by cytoplasmic strands
C.its cells are large
D.it is an algae containing a large vacuole

(a) What is photosynthesis?

(b) List: (i) four external factors
(ii) two internal factors; that affect the rate of photosynthesis.

(c)(i)List the major products of the light dependent stage of photosynthesis.
(ii)State the importance of each of the products listed in (c)(i) above.

(d)(i) Explain why there are no green plants at the lower depths of some lakes.
(ii) State why decomposers are important to flowering plants.

Which of the following pairs of structures in living organisms do not perform similar functions?

A.Lungs and spiracles
B.Root hairs and mammalian hairs
C.Feathers and scales
D.Contractile vacuole and Kidneys

(a)(i) What is ecological succession?
(ii) Describe the process of ecological succession on a bare plot of land.

(b) Explain the following terms:
(i) biosphere
(ii)population
(iii)community
(iv)ecosystem.

(c) Name one instrument each used for measuring:
(i) relative humidity
(ii) wind speed

Which of the following sequences is the correct arrangement of tissues in the anatomy of a young dicotyledonous stem from the inside to the outside ?

A.pith , phloem, cambium, xylem, parenchyma, collenchyma and epidermis
B.Xylem, phloem, cambium, cortex, endodermis, collenchyma and epidermis
C.Pith,xylem, cmbium,phloem,, collenchyma, parenchyma and epidermis
D.phloem, xylem, cambium, cortex, endodermis, collenchyma and epidermis

(a)(i) What is conservation?
(ii) State six factors responsible for the decline of the abundance and variety of wildlife.

(b) Outline six ways in which the government can improve the situation in (a)(ii) above.

(c)(i) What is Eutrophication?
(ii) State two causes of eutrophication.

An animal which possesses scales nares and a backbone is likely to be a

A.toad
B.lizard
C.rat
D.bat

(a) Describe the carbon cycle.

(b) State the functions of:
(i) nitrogen fixing bacteria
(ii) nitrifying bacteria
(iii) denitrifying bacteria; in nature.

The opening of the guard cells of the epidermis in plants is by the process of

A.osmosis
B.diffusion
C.active transport
D.transpiration

(a)(i) What is excretion?
(ii) List the excretory organs in humans and name one waste product excreted by each organ

(B) Name the excretory organs in:
(i) insects
(ii) earthworms.

What happens to a plant if the shoot tip is cut off and replaced by an agar block containing auxin? it will

A.stop growing
B.grow rapidly
C.continue to grow normally
D.die completely

Anaerobic respiration results in the production of

A.more energy than aerobic respiration
B.no energy
C.an equal amont of energy to aerobic respiration
D.less energy than aerobic respiration

Which of the following is not a skeletal tissue?

A.Plasma
B.Chitin
C.Cartilage
D.Bone

Which of the following statements is not correct about the mammalian heart?

A.Oxygenated blood enters the left auricle from the pilmonary vein
B.the walls of the ventricle are thicker than those of the auricle
C.blood passes from of blood into the right ventricle to the left auricle through the aorta
D.the tricuspid valve prevents the back flow of blood into the right auricle

Which of the following organs are used for gaseous exchange in a mature toad?

A.Gills, lungs and eardrum
B.Lungs, mouth and eardrum
C.Mouth, skin and gils
D.Skin, lungs and mouth

Which of the following statements about the diaphragm of a mammal is not correct? it

A.separates the thorax and the abdomen
B.is a thick layer of muscle
C.is made of epithelial cells
D.is part of the human respiratory apparatus

Which of the following structures is used for respiration in insects?

A.Lungs
B.Thorax
C.Cuticle
D.Spiracles

A substance present in the glomerular filtrate in the mammalian Kidney is

A.glucose
B.fibrinogen
C.albumen
D.blood platelets

In humans, excretion of hypertonic urine is associated with the

A.distal convoluted tubule
B.loop of Henle
C.bowman's capsule
D.proximal convoluted tubule

The maintenance of a stable internal environment within the body of a mammal is known as

A.osmosis
B.plasmolysis
C.homeostasis
D.excretion

Which part of the nephron is associated with ultra-filtration?

A.Distal convoluted tubule
B.Proximal convoluted tubule
C.Collecting duct
D.Bowman's capsule

Which of the following conditions would result result in a decrease in the production of antidiuretic hormone?

A.Abnormally high blood sugar level
B.Drinking large quantities of water
C.Increase in osmotic pressure of blood
D.Period of strenuous exercise

Which of the following structures is not essential in a wind pollinated flower?

A.Anther
B.Ovary
C.Stigma
D.Petal

The resolution of a microscope refers to its power to

A.increase an object's apparent size
B.distinguish clearly between two objects
C.scan the surface of an object
D.focus on an object

The process by which plants manufacture food from carbon dioxide and water using energy from the sun is called

A.chemosynthesis
B.photosynthesis
C.anabolism
D.catabolism

Conduction of water and mineral salts through the xylem vessels is enhanced because the xylem cells are

A.thickened with lignin
B.long, narrow tubes placed end to end
C.close to the endodermis
D.centrally placed in the roots

Which of the following factors is likely to increase the rate of transpiration in plants?

A.A reduction in the number of stomata per unit surface area
B.Increase in humidity around the leaves of plants
C.An increase in leaf surface area to volume ratio
D.Removal of leaves from plant

The name of the enzyme that catalyses the conversion of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate at the beginning of glycolysis is

A.phospho-fructokinase
B.glucose isomerase
C.hexokinase
D.glucose-6-kinase

The correct arrangement of food classes of the same quantity in the order of magnitude of energy value in animals in descending order is

A.Carbohydrates, fats and oils, water, protein
B.Fats and oils, carbohydrates, protein, water
C.Water, fats and oils, carbohydrates, protein
D.Protein, fats and oils water and carbohydrates

Which of the following substances is not complex carbohydrate?

A.Glycogen
B.Cellulose
C.Starch
D.Glucose

Which of the following associations is an example of epiphytism?

A.Lice in the human hair
B.Mistletoe on citus fruit.
C.Egret on cow
D.Fern on palm tree

Ecology simply means the study of

A.particular species of plants and animals
B.the interrelationship between orgganisms and their environment
C.the properties of a habitat
D.the interrelationship between plants and animals

The maximum size of a population that a given area can support is known as

A.population density
B.carrying capacity
C.population growth
D.maximum population

The producers in a food chain in an aquatic environment are

A.birds
B.phytoplankton
C.zooplankton
D.fishes

The frog is considered a better swimmer than the toad because it

A.has more pronounced webbed digits
B.has much longer and stronger hind limbs
C.lives in water most of the time
D.is more streamlined than the toad

The bacteria that reduce nitrates in the soil into gaseous nitrogen are referred to as

A.nitrifying bacteria
B.denitrifying bacteria
C.putrefying bacteria
D.saprophytic bacteria

A pyramid of numbers is constructed by

A.comparing living and non-living things
B.measuring productivity
C.conducting census
D.labelling the living organisms

The main reason for immunizing children is to

A.destroy pathogens in their bodies
B.increase the production of white blood cells
C.stimulate the production of antibodies
D.simulate the production of antigens

Rhizobium which lives in the root nodules of leguminous plants is an example of the association known as

A.commensalism
B.epiphytism
C.mutualism
D.saprophytism

Ascaris lumbricoides is a parasitic

A.flat worm
B.round worm
C.arthropod
D.elastic worm

The following organisms are pests of plants except

A.birds
B.nematodes
C.bacteria
D.rodents

The absence of alimentary canal in the parasitic flatworm can be attributed to the fact that

A.its body does not feed
B.it has no enzymes
C.its body absorbs digested food
D.it has suckers on the scolex

Which of the following human activities would help prevent endangered species from extinction?

A.Uncontrolled killing of species
B.Regular clearing of the forest vegetation
C.Temporary maintenance of species in zoological gardens
D.Regular irrigation of their natural habitats

Which of the following statements is not a reason for conserving wildlife?

A.Attraction of tourists into the country
B.Serving as a source of food
C.Serving as a source of income
D.increasing the amount of rainfall

In genetics, linkages refer to the linking of genes of the

A.same chromosomes
B.different chromosomes
C.same nucleus
D.different nuclei

A man's blood group is AB. What is the probability of the man giving birth to a child with blood group O?

A.0%
B.25%
C.50%
D.100%

When a man who is Rh-positive marries a woman who is Rh-negative, there will be incidence of

A.still births
B.sicklers
C.albinos
D.living children

The gene that is only located on X-choromosome is said to be

A.expressed in females only
B.defective
C.sex-linked
D.expressed in males only