2010 WAEC (WASSCE) Biology Past Questions & Answers

Question 1

The part labelled III is the

Accepted Answer

D. air space

Answer

A. albumen

Answer

B. chalaza

Answer

C. yolk

Question 2

The following are greenhouse gases except

Accepted Answer

D. oxygen

Answer

A. carbon dioxide

Answer

B. chlorofluorocarbon

Answer

C. methane

Question 3

An example of a saprophytic relationship is a / an

Accepted Answer

B. mushroom growing on decaying vegetation

Answer

A. vulture feeding on decaying meat

Answer

C. boy eating stale bread

Answer

D. earthworm feeding on decaying vegetation.

Question 4

In a particular habitat the role of an organism is referred to as its

Accepted Answer

C. niche

Answer

A. level

Answer

B. biomass

Answer

D. space

Question 5

The percentage probability that a normal male married to a carrier woman would have a haemophilic male child is

Accepted Answer

B. 50%

Answer

A. 35%.

Answer

C. 75%

Answer

D. 100%.

Question 6

The following are the major reasons why the butterfly lays eggs under the surface of a leaf except to

Accepted Answer

D. camouflage the eggs

Answer

A. shade the eggs from the direct rays of the sun.

Answer

B. protect the eggs from predators

Answer

C. protect the eggs from being washed away by rain drops

Question 7

The organ that receives reduced flow of blood during vigorous exercise is the

Accepted Answer

A. brain

Answer

B. heart

Answer

C. lung

Answer

D. limb

Question 8

The excretory system in mammals consists of the following parts except

Accepted Answer

C. two bladders

Answer

A. two kidneys

Answer

B. two ureters

Answer

D. one urethra

Question 9

In which of the following organic compounds is the hydrogen-oxygen ratio equal to 2:1?

Accepted Answer

B. Carbohydrates

Answer

A. Proteins

Answer

C. Lipids

Answer

D. Vitamins

Question 10

The following characteristics are associated with the mammalian lungs except

Accepted Answer

D. highly vascularized

Answer

A. large surface area

Answer

B. expandable lungs

Answer

C. moist surface

Question 11

Which of the following characteristics do fungi share in common with animals?

Accepted Answer

C. Storage of carbohydrates as glycogen

Answer

A. Presence of digestive tract

Answer

B. Movement from one place to another

Answer

D. Movement of centrioles during cell division

Question 12

A man suffering from obesity must avoid meals containing

Accepted Answer

A. margarine and butter

Answer

B. rice and beans

Answer

C. carrots and oranges

Answer

D. beef and fish

Question 13

A moss plant can withstand drought by means of its

Accepted Answer

A. spores

Answer

B. rhizoids

Answer

C. antheridia

Answer

D. achegonia

Question 14

The axial skeleton is composed of the

Accepted Answer

A. skull and vertebral column

Answer

B. limbs and girdles

Answer

C. atlas and axis.

Answer

D. radius and ulna

Question 15

Which of the following pH values is the best for the action of the enzymes - renin and pepsin in the stomach?

Accepted Answer

A. pH2

Answer

B. pH7

Answer

C. pH8

Answer

D. pH9

Question 16

In evolution, analogous structures are significant because they show

Accepted Answer

D. structural diversity

Answer

A. physiological diversity

Answer

B. functional diversity

Answer

C. genetic diversity

Question 17

The distribution of organisms in a fresh water habitat like a stream or pond is determined by the following factors except

Accepted Answer

B. pH of the soil

Answer

A. light penetration

Answer

C. rainfall

Answer

D. temperature

Question 18

Transportation of water in the xylem tissue involves the following except

Accepted Answer

D. translocation

Answer

A. root pressure

Answer

B. capillary action

Answer

C. transpiration pull

Question 19

The relationship between the retina and the brain is similar to that between the

Accepted Answer

B. cochlea and the brain.

Answer

A. cochlea and the auditory nerve

Answer

C. cochlea and the semi-circular canals

Answer

D. eardrum and the brain

Question 20

What would be the phenotypic ratio of the offspring of a cross between a heterozygous dominant parent and a double recessive parent?

Accepted Answer

B. 1 : 1

Answer

A. 1 : 2: 1

Answer

C. 3 :1

Answer

D. 2 : 1

Question 21

The mechanism of opening and closing of stomata in plants is based on

Accepted Answer

B. turgidity and flaccidity

Answer

A. turgidity and diffusion

Answer

C. osmosis and diffusion

Answer

D. diffusion and flaccidity

Question 22

Which if the following organisms is not classified as an animal?

Accepted Answer

C. Euglena

Answer

A. Amoeba

Answer

B. Paramecium

Answer

D. Obelia

Question 23

Which of the following statements about the development of the foetus is not correct?

Accepted Answer

A. The circulatory system of the foetus is directly connected to the maternal blood vessels

Answer

B. The foetus depends on the mothers blood for its food and oxygen

Answer

C. The foetus is surrounded by a water sac

Answer

D. Food and oxygen are carried across the placenta to the embryo’s blood

Question 24

Which of the following statements is correct about the structure of a chromosome? A chromosome consists of

Accepted Answer

A. two chromatids joined at the centromere

Answer

B. Two chromatids joined at the spindle

Answer

C. Two chromatin threads joined at the centrioles

Answer

D. thread-like structures not joined together

Question 25

An herbivore cannot feed on a piece of meat because it has no

Accepted Answer

B. canines to tear up the meat

Answer

A. incisors to out the meat

Answer

C. premolars to grind the meat

Answer

D. molars to mash the meat

Question 26

An organism that operates at the cellular level of organization, carries out its physiological activities by using its

Accepted Answer

B. organelles

Answer

A. cell membrane

Answer

C. small size

Answer

D. cytoplasm

Question 27

The bacterium in a mutualistic association with legumes converts

Accepted Answer

C. nitrogen gas to ammonia

Answer

A. nitrates to ammonia

Answer

B. ammonium compounds to nitrites

Answer

D. nitrites to nitrates

Question 28

A typical plant cell is mainly distinguished from an animal cell by the possession of

Accepted Answer

C. chloroplast and cell wall

Answer

A. chloroplast and nucleus

Answer

B. cell wall and cytoplasm

Answer

D. cell wall and mitochondrion

Question 29

The speed of wind is measured using the

Accepted Answer

B. anemometer

Answer

A. wind vane

Answer

C. photometer

Answer

D. barometer

Question 30

A man heterozygous for albino gene marries a woman who is also heterozygous for the gene. Both have normal skin colour. The probability that they will have an albino child is

Accepted Answer

B. 1/4

Answer

A. 1/3

Answer

C. 4/4

Answer

D. 2/4

Question 31

The inorganic components of bone consist of

Accepted Answer

B. magnesium, phosphorus and calcium

Answer

A. magnesium, sodium and calcium

Answer

C. sodium, phosphorus and calcium,

Answer

D. potassium, magnesium and calcium

Question 32

In a family of eight (8) all the children are girls Which of the following reasons correctly explains this?

Accepted Answer

D. The X component of the man’s sex chromosome was always involved.

Answer

A. The woman cannot produce male children

Answer

B. The man has a low sperm count

Answer

C. The Y component of the man’s sex chromosome was always involved

Question 33

Excretion in Paramecium sp. is by diffusion because

Accepted Answer

C. it has a large surface area to volume ratio.

Answer

A. its habitat is water and moist places

Answer

B. it has simple, small and few internal organs

Answer

D. it has a large efficient meganucleus.

Question 34

Which of the following statements about heredity is not true? In heredity the traits are

Accepted Answer

C. always transmitted by one parent

Answer

A. carried by genes

Answer

B. contained in the ovum and sperm

Answer

D. transmitted from parents to offspring

Question 35

The main reason for the conservation of wildlife is to

Accepted Answer

B. maintain ecological balance in communities

Answer

A. create national parks for recreation

Answer

C. prevent hunters from being 'cruel to animals

Answer

D. save some species from extinction.

Question 36

Which of the following is a biotic component of an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

D. Fungi

Answer

A. Soil

Answer

B. Rainfall

Answer

C. Light

Question 37

Muscles are attached to bones by means of

Accepted Answer

A. tendons

Answer

B. ligaments

Answer

C. cartilage

Answer

D. nerves

Question 38

Fingerprints are useful in crime detection because

Accepted Answer

C. no two people have the same fingerprint

Answer

A. the police have sophisticated fingerprint machines

Answer

B. thieves may leave their prints at the scene of a crime

Answer

D. fingerprints are easy to make

Question 39

The following effects are associated with deforestation except

Accepted Answer

D. increase in rainfall

Answer

A. gully erosion

Answer

B. extinction of plant species

Answer

C. migration of wildlife

Question 40

In a population, food shortage may lead to

Accepted Answer

C. intra-specific competition

Answer

A. an increased survival rate

Answer

B. high reproduction rate

Answer

D. low rate of migration

Question 41

In cellular respiration energy is made available to organisms by

Accepted Answer

B. breaking off a phosphate group from ATP

Answer

A. removal of a phosphate group from ADR

Answer

C. adding a phosphate group to glucose

Answer

D. breaking off a hydrogen ion from NADPH

Question 42

The parts that supply food and water to the developing embryo are labelled

Accepted Answer

C. V and VI

Answer

A. I and II

Answer

B. III and V.

Answer

D. I and III

Question 43

In artificial selection, individuals without desirable traits may be prevented from mating by

Accepted Answer

B. sterilization

Answer

A. outbreeding

Answer

C. inbreeding

Answer

D. genetic engineering

Question 44

A pulse is best described as

Accepted Answer

C. dilation of arteries to accommodate blood rushing through.

Answer

A. contraction of arteries to let out blood.

Answer

B. contraction of veins to allow blood into them

Answer

D. pumping action of the heart to move blood round the body.

Question 45

Which of the following statements ls true about transpiration? It is the

Accepted Answer

A. loss of water in the form of vapour from the surface of the’ leaf

Answer

B. loss of water in the form of vapour from the surface of the root

Answer

C. absorption of water in the form of vapour from the body of the pint

Answer

D. movement of water through the body of the plant.

Question 46

Which of the following animals exhibits territoriality?

Accepted Answer

C. Lizard

Answer

A. Rabbit

Answer

B. Earthworm

Answer

D. Toad

Question 47

Mr. Andrew, his wife and child belong to blood groups A, B and O respectively. The genotypes of both parents are

Accepted Answer

D. IA IO and IB IO.

Answer

A. IA IO and IB IB

Answer

B. IA IA and IB IB

Answer

C. IA IB and IA IO

Question 48

The importance of courtship in animals includes the following except

Accepted Answer

C. protection of territory

Answer

A. ensuring that the female chooses the right male species

Answer

B. arousing both male and female partners

Answer

D. to coincide with the ovulation period and ensure fertilization

Question 49

Rural-urban migration in developing countries can be prevented by

Accepted Answer

D. even distribution of facilities in both regions

Answer

A. increasing the number of years in school

Answer

B. putting up more factories in urban areas

Answer

C. having boarding schools in rural areas

Question 50

The parameters of size, height, weight and colour in a population of living things are examples of

Accepted Answer

C. continuous variations

Answer

A. environmental variation

Answer

B. non-heritable variations

Answer

D. discontinuous variations

Question 51

Which of the following factors is the main problem facing xerophytic plants?

Accepted Answer

D. Lack of adequate water

Answer

A. Competition for sunlight

Answer

B. Conservation of excess water

Answer

C. inadequate roots for water absorption

Question 52

In testing for starch in a leaf, the leaf is first boiled in water for about a minute so that the

Accepted Answer

B. cells are killed

Answer

A. cell walls are hardened

Answer

C. chlorophyll is dissolved out

Answer

D. iodine will penetrate

Question 53

Which of the following food substances is incorrectly linked to its enzyme?

Accepted Answer

C. Sucrose - pepsin

Answer

A. Protein - trypsin

Answer

B. Fat - lipase

Answer

D. Starch - amylase

Question 54

Which of the following is an example of variation?

Accepted Answer

B. Tongue rolling

Answer

A. Blood

Answer

C. Reproduction

Answer

D. Growth

Question 55

Which of the following processes involves diffusion?

Accepted Answer

D. Absorption of digested food into the villi

Answer

A. Opening and closing of stomatal pores

Answer

B. Turgidity of herbaceous plants

Answer

C. Absorption of water through the root hairs

Question 56

The ear pinna is strengthened by

Accepted Answer

B. cartilage

Answer

A. blood pressure.

Answer

C. bone

Answer

D. turgor pressure

Question 57

A person with blood group, O can be given blood from persons who have blood belonging to

Accepted Answer

A. group O only

Answer

B. group A only

Answer

C. groups A and O

Answer

D. groups A, B and O

Question 58

Which of the following cell types has the least number of mitochondria?

Accepted Answer

B. Cells of the cornified layer

Answer

A. Cardiac cells of the heart

Answer

C. Muscle cells of the bladder

Answer

D. Muscle cells of the diaphragm

Question 59

The organelle which eliminates water from the body of a protozoan is the

Accepted Answer

B. contractile vacuole

Answer

A. plasma membrane

Answer

C. nucleus

Answer

D. cell wall

Question 60

Which of the following statements reflects the mechanism of natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A. There are variations within every species

Answer

B. Individuals of every species are genetically identical

Answer

C. No organism in a species dies before sexual maturity

Answer

D. Organisms with selective advantages are less likely to survive

2010 WAEC (WASSCE) Biology Past Questions

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