Biology, GRE

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GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATIONS
®
Practice Book
This practice book contains
test-taking strategies
Become familiar with
test instructions and answering procedures
Compare your practice test results with the performance of those who
took the test at a GRE administration.
Visit GRE Online at www.gre.org
Listening.
Learning.
Leading.
This book is provided
FREE
with test registration by the Graduate Record Examinations Board.
Biology Test
one actual full-length GRE Biology Test
test structure and content
Note to Test Takers: Keep this practice book until you receive your score report.
The book contains important information about content specifications and scoring.
2001 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved.
EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE, ETS, the ETS logos, GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATIONS,
and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service.
Copyright ©
Table of Contents
The GRE Board recommends that scores on the
Subject Tests be considered in conjunction with
other relevant information about applicants. Because
numerous factors influence success in graduate
school, reliance on a single measure to predict
success is not advisable. Other indicators of compe-
tence typically include undergraduate transcripts
showing courses taken and grades earned, letters of
recommendation, the GRE Writing Assessment
score, and GRE General Test scores. For information
about the appropriate use of GRE scores, write to
GRE Program, Educational Testing Service, Mail
Stop 57-L, Princeton, NJ 08541, or visit our Web site
at www.gre.org/codelst.html.
Purpose of the GRE Subject Tests ........................ 3
Development of the Subject Tests ....................... 3
Content of the Biology Test ................................. 4
Preparing for a Subject Test ................................. 7
Test-Taking Strategies .......................................... 7
What Your Scores Mean ...................................... 8
Practice Biology Test .......................................... 11
Scoring Your Subject Test .................................. 65
Evaluating Your Performance ............................. 68
Answer Sheet ..................................................... 69
Development of the
Subject Tests
Purpose of the GRE
Subject Tests
Each new edition of a Subject Test is developed by
a committee of examiners composed of professors in
the subject who are on undergraduate and graduate
faculties in different types of institutions and in
different regions of the United States and Canada.
In selecting members for each committee, the GRE
Program seeks the advice of the appropriate profes-
sional associations in the subject.
The content and scope of each test are specified
and reviewed periodically by the committee of
examiners. Test questions are written by the com-
mittee and by other faculty who are also subject-
matter specialists and by subject-matter specialists
at ETS. All questions proposed for the test are
reviewed by the committee and revised as necessary.
The accepted questions are assembled into a test in
accordance with the content specifications devel-
oped by the committee to ensure adequate coverage
of the various aspects of the field and, at the same
time, to prevent overemphasis on any single topic.
The entire test is then reviewed and approved by
the committee.
The GRE Subject Tests are designed to help gradu-
ate school admission committees and fellowship
sponsors assess the qualifications of applicants in
specific fields of study. The tests also provide you
with an assessment of your own qualifications.
Scores on the tests are intended to indicate
knowledge of the subject matter emphasized in
many undergraduate programs as preparation for
graduate study. Because past achievement is usually
a good indicator of future performance, the scores
are helpful in predicting success in graduate study.
Because the tests are standardized, the test scores
permit comparison of students from different
institutions with different undergraduate programs.
For some Subject Tests, subscores are provided in
addition to the total score; these subscores indicate
the strengths and weaknesses of your preparation,
and they may help you plan future studies.
BIOLOGY TEST
PRACTICE BOOK
3
Subject-matter and measurement specialists
on the ETS staff assist the committee, providing
information and advice about methods of test con-
struction and helping to prepare the questions and
assemble the test. In addition, each test question is
reviewed to eliminate language, symbols, or content
considered potentially offensive, inappropriate for
major subgroups of the test-taking population, or
likely to perpetuate any negative attitude that may be
conveyed to these subgroups. The test as a whole is
also reviewed to ensure that the test questions, where
applicable, include an appropriate balance of people
in different groups and different roles.
Because of the diversity of undergraduate cur-
ricula, it is not possible for a single test to cover all
the material you may have studied. The examiners,
therefore, select questions that test the basic knowl-
edge and skills most important for successful graduate
study in the particular field. The committee keeps the
test up-to-date by regularly developing new editions
and revising existing editions. In this way, the test
content changes steadily but gradually, much like
most curricula. In addition, curriculum surveys are
conducted periodically to ensure that the content of
a test reflects what is currently being taught in the
undergraduate curriculum.
After a new edition of a Subject Test is first
administered, examinees’ responses to each test
question are analyzed in a variety of ways to deter-
mine whether each question functioned as expected.
These analyses may reveal that a question is ambigu-
ous, requires knowledge beyond the scope of the test,
or is inappropriate for the total group or a particular
subgroup of examinees taking the test. Answers to
such questions are not used in computing scores.
Following this analysis, the new test edition is
equated to an existing test edition. In the equating
process, statistical methods are used to assess the
difficulty of the new test. Then scores are adjusted so
that examinees who took a difficult edition of the test
are not penalized, and examinees who took an easier
edition of the test do not have an advantage. Varia-
tions in the number of questions in the different
editions of the test are also taken into account in
this process.
Scores on the Subject Tests are reported as three-
digit scaled scores with the third digit always zero.
The maximum possible range for all Subject Test
total scores is from 200 to 990. The actual range of
scores for a particular Subject Test, however, may be
smaller. The maximum possible range of Subject
Test subscores is 20 to 99; however, the actual range
of subscores for any test or test edition may be
smaller than 20 to 99. Subject Test score interpre-
tive information is provided in
Interpreting Your
GRE Scores,
which you will receive with your
GRE score report, and on the GRE Web site at
www.gre.org/codelst.html.
Content of the Biology Test
The test contains about 200 five-choice questions, a
number of which are grouped in sets toward the end
of the test and are based on descriptions of laboratory
and field situations, diagrams, or experimental results.
To cover the broad field of the biological sciences,
the subject matter on which the students are tested is
organized into three major areas: cellular and molecu-
lar biology; organismal biology; and ecology and
evolution. Approximately equal weight is given to
each of these three areas. However, subject area
subdivisions indicated by Arabic numerals may not
contain equal numbers of questions.
The approximate distribution of questions by
content category is shown below.
I. Cellular and Molecular Biology
33-34%
Fundamentals of cellular biology, genetics, and
molecular biology are addressed. Major topics in
cellular structure and function include metabolic
pathways and their regulation, membrane dynamics,
cell surfaces, organelles, cytoskeleton, and cell cycle.
Major areas in genetics and molecular biology include
chromatin and chromosomal structure, genomic
organization and maintenance, and the regulation of
gene expression. The cellular basis of immunity, the
mechanisms of antigen-antibody interactions, and
cell-pathogen interactions are included. Distinctions
between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells are consid-
ered where appropriate. Attention is also given to
experimental methodology.
4
BIOLOGY TEST
PRACTICE BOOK
A. Cellular Structure and Function
16-17%
6. Gene expression and regulation: effects
Control of normal development; Cancer
and oncogenes
Signaling mechanisms in cells
7. Immunobiology
Cellular basis of immunity; Antibody
diversity and synthesis
Antigen-antibody interactions
8. Bacteriophages, animal viruses, and plant viruses
Viral genomes, replication, and assembly
Virus-host cell interactions
9. Recombinant DNA methodology
Restriction endonucleases; Blotting and
hybridization
Restriction fragment length polymorphisms;
DNA cloning, sequencing, and analysis;
Polymerase chain reaction
1. Biological compounds
Macromolecular structure and bonding
Abiotic origin of biological molecules
2. Enzyme activity, receptor binding, and regulation
3. Major metabolic pathways and regulation
Respiration, fermentation, and photosynthesis
Synthesis and degradation of macromolecules
Hormonal control and intracellular messengers
4. Membrane dynamics and cell surfaces
Transport, endocytosis, and exocytosis
Electrical potentials and neurotransmitters
Mechanisms of cell recognition, cell junctions,
and plasmodesmata
Cell wall and extracellular matrix
5. Organelles: structure, function, and targeting
6. Cytoskeleton, motility, and shape
Actin-based systems
Microtubule-based systems
Intermediate filaments
Bacterial flagella and movement
7. Cell cycle, growth, division, and regulation
B. Genetics and Molecular Biology
16-17%
II. Organismal Biology
33-34%
The structure, physiology, behavior, and develop-
ment of plants and animals are addressed. Topics
covered include nutrient procurement and processing,
gas exchange, internal transport, regulation of fluids,
control mechanisms and effectors, and reproduction in
autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms. Examples of
developmental phemonena range from fertilization
through differentiation and morphogenesis. Percep-
tions and responses to environmental stimuli are
examined as they pertain to both plants and animals.
Major distinguishing characteristics and phylogenetic
relationships of selected groups from the various
kingdoms are also covered.
A. Animal Structure, Function, and
Organization
1. Genetic foundations
Mendelian inheritance; Pedigree analysis
Prokaryotic genetics (transformation,
transduction, and conjugation)
Genetic mapping
2. Chromatin and chromosomes
Nucleosomes
Karyotypes
Chromosomal aberrations
Polytene chromosomes
3. Genome sequence organization
Introns and exons; Single-copy and
repetitive DNA
Transposable elements
4. Genome maintenance
DNA replication; DNA mutation and repair
5. Gene expression and regulation in prokaryotes
and eukaryotes: mechanisms
The operon; Promoters and enhancers;
Transcription factors; RNA and protein
synthesis; Processing and modifications
of both RNA and protein
9-10%
1. Exchange with environment
Nutrient, salt, and water exchange
Gas exchange; Energy
2. Internal transport and exchange
Circulatory, gastrovascular, and
digestive systems
3. Support and movement
Support systems (external, internal,
and hydrostatic)
Movement systems (flagellar, ciliary,
and muscular)
4. Integration and control mechanisms
Nervous and endocrine systems
BIOLOGY TEST
PRACTICE BOOK
5
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