WACE Biology practice questions by topic

Original questions for every topic, with worked explanations and feedback on written answers.

Multiple choice	Worked or timed
Short and extended answers	Calculations and explanations on a stimulus
Written answers	Read against the mark points, with your next step

Try 6 questions

Question 1

In which parts of a cell from a jarrah leaf is DNA found?

Question 2

Offspring of a test cross between a grey, long-winged fruit fly and an ebony, vestigial-winged fly
Body colour	Wings	Number of offspring
grey	long	118
grey	vestigial	124
ebony	long	115
ebony	vestigial	123

In fruit flies, grey body (E) is dominant to ebony (e) and long wings (V) are dominant to vestigial wings (v); the genes are on different chromosomes. A grey, long-winged female was crossed with an ebony, vestigial-winged male. Based on the table of offspring, what was the female's genotype?

Question 3

Band sizes in each lane of a DNA profile gel from a break-in
Lane	Band sizes (bp)
Crime scene	362, 288, 241, 196, 150
Victim	362, 270, 233, 196, 141
Suspect 1	362, 288, 241, 192, 150
Suspect 2	362, 288, 241, 196, 150
Suspect 3	380, 288, 241, 196, 150, 120

Blood left on broken glass at a Fremantle shop was profiled beside the shop owner (the victim) and three suspects. The table gives the band sizes in each lane. Which conclusion does the gel support?

Question 4

Fossils found in five undisturbed rock layers at a quarry, layer 1 at the top
Layer (1 is the top)	Fossils found
1	species R and species S
2	species Q and species R
3	species Q only
4	species P and species Q
5	species P only

A geologist recorded the fossils in five undisturbed sedimentary rock layers at a quarry near Geraldton (table). Based on the table, which conclusion is valid?

Question 5

Two animals, X and Y, were each kept for two hours in a chamber at eight air temperatures, with no shade or shelter to move to, and their body temperatures were measured (graph). Which conclusion is supported by the graph?

Question 6

Features of four pathogens W, X, Y and Z recorded in a laboratory
Pathogen	Nucleus	Cell wall	Ribosomes	Reproduces outside living cells
W	absent	peptidoglycan	present	yes
X	absent	none	absent	no
Y	present	chitin	present	yes
Z	present	cellulose	present	yes

A Perth hospital laboratory recorded some features of four pathogens, W, X, Y and Z (table). Based on the table, which line identifies the group of every pathogen correctly?

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Questions people ask

Are past papers still useful?

Yes, for timing and question style. Check that a question's content is in the current Year 12 syllabus before you rely on it.