Living Environment Part D: Sample Questions

 

Beginning with the June 2004 administration, the Regents Examination in Living Environment will include a new section, Part D. The questions on Part D will consist of a combination of multiple-choice and open-ended questions related to at least three of the four required living environment laboratory activities and will comprise approximately 15% of the examination.

 

These sample questions are provided to help teachers and students become familiar with the format of questions for this part of the examination. They provide examples of ways the required laboratory experiences may be assessed. A rating guide is also included.

 

 

 

 

Sample Items Related to Lab Activity #1: Relationships and Biodiversity

 

 1     In the Relationships and Biodiversity laboratory activity, students were instructed to use a clean dropper to place each of four different samples of plant extracts on the chromatography paper. A student used the same dropper for each sample without cleaning it between each use. State one way this student’s final chromatogram would be different from a chromatogram that resulted from using the correct procedure.   [1]

 

 

 2     State one reason that safety goggles were required during the indicator test for enzyme M.   [1]

 

 


Base your answers to questions 3 through 6 on the information and data table below and on your knowledge of biology.

 

A student was told that three different plant species are very closely related. She was provided with a short segment of the same portion of the DNA molecule that coded for enzyme X from each of the three species.

 

Information Regarding Enzyme X

DNA sequence from plant species A

CAC

GTG

GAC

Amino acid sequence for enzyme X coded for by that DNA

Val

His

Leu

DNA sequence from plant species B

CAT

GTG

CAA

Sequence of bases in mRNA produced by that DNA

_____

_____

_____

Amino acid sequence for enzyme X coded for by the DNA

Val

His

Val

DNA sequence from plant species C

CAG

GTA

CAG

Sequence of bases in mRNA produced by that DNA

GUC

CAU

GUC

Amino acid sequence for enzyme X coded for by the DNA

_____

_____

_____

 

 

 3     The correct sequence of mRNA bases for plant species B is

 

(1)   GUA CAC GUU

(2)   GTA CAC GTT

(3)   CAU GUG CAA

(4)   TCG TGT ACC

 

 

 4     Use the mRNA Codon Chart on the next page to determine the amino acid sequence for enzyme X in plant species C and record the sequence in the appropriate place in the data table.   [1]

 

 

 5     Is it possible to determine whether species B or species C is more closely related to species A by comparing the amino acid sequences that would result from the three given DNA sequences? Support your answer.   [1]

 

 

 6     Determine whether species B or species C appears more closely related to species A. Support your answer with data from the data table. (Base your answer only on the DNA sequences provided for enzyme X in these three plant species.)  [1]

 


Universal Genetic Code Chart

 

Messenger RNA codons and the amino acids they code for.

 

 

SECOND BASE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F

I

R

S

T

 

B

A

S

E

 

 

 

U

C

A

G

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T

H

I

R
D

 

B

A

S

E

 

 

 

U

 

UUU

 

UUC

 

UUA

 

UUG

 

 

}

 

}

 

 

PHE

 

 

 

LEU

 

 

 

UCU

 

UCC

 

UCA

 

UCG

}

 

 

 

 

SER

 

 

 

 

UAU

 

UAC

 

UAA

 

UAG

 

}

 

}

 

 

 

 

TYR

 

 

 

STOP

 

 

UGU

 

UGC

 

UGA

 

UGG

 

}

 

}

 

}

 

 

 

CYS

 

 

STOP

 

TRP

 

U

 

C

 

A

 

G

 

 

 

C

 

CUU

 

CUC

 

CUA

 

CUG

 

}

 

 

 

 

LEU

 

 

 

 

 

CCU

 

CCC

 

CCA

 

CCG

}

 

 

 

 

PRO

 

 

 

 

CAU

 

CAC

 

CAA

 

CAG

 

 

}

 

}

 

 

HIS

 

 

 

GLN

 

 

 

CGU

 

CGC

 

CHA

 

CGG

 

}

 

 

 

 

ARG

 

 

 

 

 

U

 

C

 

A

 

G

 

 

 

A

 

AUU

 

AUC

 

AUA

 

AUG

 

 

}

 

}

 

 

 

 

ILE

 

 

 

MET

or

START

 

 

ACU

 

ACC

 

ACA

 

ACG

 

}

 

 

 

 

THR

 

 

 

 

 

AAU

 

AAC

 

AAA

 

AAG

 

}

 

}

 

 

ASN

 

 

 

LYS

 

 

AGU

 

AGC

 

AGA

 

AGG

 

 

}

 

}

 

 

SER

 

 

 

ARG

 

 

 

U

 

C

 

A

 

G

 

 

 

G

 

GUU

 

GUC

 

GUA

 

GUG

 

}

 

 

 

 

VAL

 

 

 

 

GCU

 

GCC

 

GCA

 

GCG

}

 

 

 

 

ALA

 

 

 

 

GAU

 

GAC

 

GAA

 

GAG

 

}

 

}

 

 

ASP

 

 

 

GLU

 

 

GGU

 

GGC

 

GGA

 

GGG

}

 

 

 

 

GLY

 

 

 

 

U

 

C

 

A

 

G

 

 

                                   

 


Sample Items Related to Lab Activity #2: Making Connections

 

Base your answers to questions 7 through 9 on the information and data table below and on your knowledge of biology.

 

In the Making Connections laboratory activity, a group of students obtained the following data:

 

Student
Tested

Pulse Rate
at Rest

Pulse Rate After
Exercising

1

70

97

2

75

106

3

84

120

4

60

91

5

78