NECO Senior School Certificate Examination · Biology and General Science

Cellular Biology, Plant and Animal Physiology

35 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

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Random questions from this topic, one at a time. You see the answer and the explanation straight after each one.

All 35 questions

  1. Which cellular organelle is primarily responsible for aerobic cellular respiration and the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)?
  2. What primary structural difference distinguishes a plant cell from a typical animal cell when examined under a light microscope?
  3. A piece of fresh Irish potato cylinder measuring 50 mm in length is placed in a concentrated sucrose solution for 4 hours. What observable change occurs in the potato cylinder?
  4. During the light-dependent stage of photosynthesis in green plant chloroplasts, what essential process produces gaseous oxygen?
  5. Which vascular plant tissue is responsible for the translocation of manufactured organic sucrose from photosynthetic leaves to sink organs?
  6. What physiological mechanism drives the continuous upward ascent of sap through tall forest trees from roots to canopy foliage?
  7. Which chemical test is used to detect the presence of non-reducing sugars such as sucrose in a plant tissue extract?
  8. What digestive enzyme secreted in human saliva initiates the chemical breakdown of cooked starch into maltose in the oral cavity?
  9. In holozoic animal nutrition, what is the biological function of bile salts secreted by the liver into the duodenum?
  10. Which respiratory adaptation enables bony freshwater fish like tilapia to extract dissolved oxygen efficiently from aquatic habitats?
  11. Why is anaerobic respiration in human skeletal muscle during strenuous exercise characterized by the accumulation of lactic acid?
  12. What is the primary excretory and osmoregulatory organelle found in freshwater unicellular protozoans like Amoeba proteus?
  13. In insect physiology, what specialized excretory tubules absorb nitrogenous waste from the hemolymph and discharge it as solid uric acid into the hindgut?
  14. Which plant hormone (phytohormone) promotes cell elongation and is responsible for phototropic bending of shoots toward unidirectional light?
  15. What physiological change occurs in human blood vessels near the skin surface during thermoregulatory cooling in hot tropical environments?
  16. During which phase of somatic mitotic cell division do sister chromatids separate at the centromere and migrate to opposite cellular poles?
  17. Why is the biological process of meiosis described as a reduction division?
  18. According to the lock-and-key model of enzyme action, why does heating an enzyme solution above 60°C result in permanent loss of catalytic activity?
  19. Why do green photosynthetic plant leaves appear predominantly green to the human eye under natural white sunlight?
  20. What characteristic deficiency symptom appears in maize plants grown in agricultural soil severely lacking available nitrogen?
  21. Why do carnivorous insectivorous plants like pitcher plants (Nepenthes) and sundews (Drosera) trap and digest insects in their natural habitats?
  22. What physiological change in leaf stomatal guard cells triggers the opening of the stomatal pore during daylight?
  23. Through which specialized raised pores in the cork layer of mature woody stems does gaseous exchange occur between living internal tissues and the atmosphere?
  24. What primary skeletal support mechanism enables non-woody herbaceous plants like waterleaf (Talinum triangulare) to remain upright?
  25. What type of skeletal system provides structural support and locomotion in the common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris)?
  26. What is the standard permanent adult human dental formula representing one quadrant of the jaw (or one half of the upper and lower jaws)?
  27. What anatomical feature characterizes the dentition of herbivorous grazing mammals such as cattle and sheep?
  28. In which chamber of the four-compartment ruminant stomach does true enzymatic digestion by hydrochloric acid and gastric enzymes take place?
  29. Which segmented excretory organs extract metabolic coelomic waste in annelid earthworms through ciliated nephrostome funnels?
  30. What specialized ciliated excretory cells maintain osmoregulation and excretion in platyhelminth flatworms like Planaria?
  31. Which vital metabolic function is carried out by the mammalian liver when excess dietary amino acids cannot be stored in the body?
  32. When a seedling is placed horizontally in the dark, its primary root curves downwards toward gravity. What directional growth response does this demonstrate?
  33. What type of directional plant growth curvature is exhibited when a growing pollen tube elongates down the style toward ovule chemical secretions?
  34. What rapid botanical response causes the leaflets of the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) to collapse and fold inwards within seconds of being touched?
  35. Which eye structure undergoes involuntary accommodation adjustments by ciliary muscles to focus visual images of near and distant objects onto the retina?

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