JAMB Biology Past Questions (2012)
Q1. Counter shading is an adaptive feature that enables animals to
A. flight enemies
B. remain undetected
C. warn enemies
D. attract mates
Answer: B
Q2. The correct base pairing for DNA is
A. adenine _ thymine and guanine_ cytosine
B. adenine_ guanine and thymine_ cytosine
C. adenine_ cytosine and guanine_ thymine
D. adenine_ adenine and cytosine_cytosine
Answer: A
Q3. Which of the following is a polysaccharide?
A. Glucose
B. sucrose
C. Maltose
D. Cellulose
Answer: D
Q4. Plant growth can be artificially stimulated by the addition of
A. gibberellin
B. kinin
C. abscisic acid
D. ethylene
Answer: A
Q5. Which of the following animals an exist solely on the water they get from food and metabolic reactions?
A. Forest arboreal dwellers
B. Desert dwellers
C. forest ground dwellers
D. rainforest dwellers
Answer: B
Q6. Which of the following plant structures lacks a waterproof of cuticle?
A. leaf
B. stem
C. root
D. shoot
Answer: C
Q7. An indigenous method of renewing and maintaining soil fertility is by
A. clearing farms a by burning
B. planting one crop type
C. adding inorganic fertilizers yearly
D. crop rotation and shifting cultivation
Answer: D
Q8. The abiotic factors that control human population include
A. disease and famine
B. space and rainfall
C. flooding and earthquake
D. temperature
Answer: A
Q9. A function of the hydrochloric acid produced in the human stomach during digestion is to
A. neutralize the effect of bile
B. coagulate milk protein and emulsify fats
C. stop the action of ptyalin
D. break up food into smaller particles
Answer: C
Q10. An animal body that can be cut along its axis in any plane to give two identical parts is said to be
A. radically symmetrical
B. bilaterally symmetrical
C. asymmetrical
D. symmetrical
Answer: A
Q11. Which of the following is true in blood transfusion?
A. a person of blood group AB can donate blood only to another person of blood group AB
B. Persons of blood groups A and B can donate or receive blood from each other
C. A person of blood group AB can receive blood only from persons of blood group A or B
D. A person of blood group O can donate only to a person of blood group O.
Answer: A
Q12. Plants of temperate origin can be grown in tropical areas in the vegetation zones of the
A. rain forest
B. Guinea savanna
C. Sudan savanna
D. montane forest
Answer: D
Q13. The most likely first colonizers of a bare rock are
A. mosses
B. ferns
C. lichen
D. fungi
Answer: C
Q14. The presence of stilt roots, pneumatophores, sunken stomata and salt glands are adaptive features of plants found in the
A. tropical rainforest
B. mangrove swamps
C. grassland
D. montane forest
Answer: B
Q15. Which of the following organisms is both parasitic and autotrophic?
A. Sundew
B. Loranthus
C. Rhizopus
D. tapeworm
Answer: A
Q16. Which of the following is involved1 in secondary thickening in plants?
A. collenchyma and xylem cells
B. Vascular cambium and collenchyma’s cells
C. vascular cambium and cork cambium
D. Cork cambium and sclerenchyma
Answer: C
Q17. Plants that show secondary growth are usually found among the
A. thallophytes
B. pteridophytes
C. monocotyledons
D. dicotyledons
Answer: D
Q18. The significance of a very large number of termites involved in nuptial swarming is to
A. provide birds with plenty of food
B. ensure their perpetuation despite predatory pressure
C. search for a favourable place to breed
D. ensure that every individual gets a mate.
Answer: C
Q19. In the kidney of mammals, the site of ultra filtration is the
A. urinferous tuble
B. Bowman capsule
C. loop of Henle
D. renal tuble
Answer: B
Q20. From his study of Galapagos finches, Darwin derived his theory of evolution from
A. comparative anatomy
B. comparative physiology
C. fossil remains
D. comparative embryology.
Answer: A
Q21. In the mammalian male reproductive system, the part that serves as a passage for both urine and semen is the
A. urethra
B. ureter
C. bladder
D. seminal vesicle
Answer: A
Q22. The use and disuse of body parts and the inheritance of acquired traits were used to explain
A. Darwin’s theory
B. Lamarck’s theory
C. genetic drift
D. gene flow
Answer: B
Q23. In plants, which of the following is required in minute quantities for growth?
A. copper
B. potassium
C. phosphorous
D. sodium
Answer: A
Q24. The fungi are a distinct group of eukaryotes mainly because they have
A. spores
B. no chlorophyll
C. many fruiting bodies
D. sexual and asexual reproduction
Answer: D
Q25. The basking of Agama lizards in the sun is to
A. chance the colour of their body
B. raise their body temperature to become active
C. fight to defend their territories
D. attract the female for courtship
Answer: B
Q26. The carrying capacity of a habitat is reached when the population growth begins to
A. increase slowly
B. increase exponentially
C. slow down
D. remain steady
Answer: D
Q27. The autonomic nervous system consists of neurons that control the
A. voluntary muscle
B. heart beat
C. tongue
D. hands
Answer: B
Q28. Which of the following is most advanced in the evolutionary trend of animals?
A. Liver fluke
B. Earthworm
C. Snail
D. cockroach
Answer: D
Q29. When a colour blind man marries a carrier woman. What is the probability of their offspring being colorblind?
A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 75%
D. 100%
Answer: C
Q30. An arthropod that is destructive at the early stage of its life cycle is
A. butterfly
B. mosquito
C. bee
D. millipede
Answer: A
Q31. An example of a fruit that develops from a single carpel is
A. (a)okro
B. tomato
C. bean
D. orange
Answer: C
Q32. The disease caused by water-brone pathogen include
A. gonrrhoea and poliomyelitis
B. typhoid and syphilis
C. tuberculosis and cholera
D. typhoid and cholera
Answer: D
Q33. Which of the following is the lowest category of classification?
A. Class
B. species
C. Family
D. Genus
Answer: B
Q34. A yellow maize is planted and all the fruits obtained are of yellow seeds. When they are cross bred, yellow seeds and white seeds are obtained in a ratio 3:1. The yellow seed is said to be
A. non heritable
B. sex linked
C. a recessive trait
D. a dominant trait
Answer: D
Q35. The short thick beak in birds is an adaptation for
A. crushing seeds
B. sucking nectar
C. tearing flesh
D. straining mud
Answer: A
Q36. Organisms living in an estuarine habitat are adapted to
A. withstand wide fluctuations in temperature
B. survive only in water with low salinity
C. withstand wide fluctuations in salinity
D. feed only on phytoplankton and dead organic matter.
Answer: C
Q37. Which of the following possesses mammary gland?
A. Dogfish
B. Whale
C. Shark
D. Catfish
Answer: B