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NECO SSCE Biology 2013 past questions and answers

This 2013 NECO SSCE Biology set has 40 practice questions. Try these 5 free sample questions, tap a question to reveal the answer and explanation. Then practise the whole 2013 set with instant marking.

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Sample NECO SSCE Biology 2013 questions

1. Bare rock exposed after a landslide is gradually colonized by lichens before grasses and shrubs appear; the lichens are best described as
  1. climax organisms
  2. pioneer organisms
  3. primary consumers
  4. decomposers only

Answer: B. pioneer organisms

Lichens can establish on bare rock and begin soil formation, making them pioneer organisms in primary succession.

2. If plants in a food chain store 10,000 kJ of energy and about 10% passes to each next trophic level, approximately how much energy reaches tertiary consumers?
  1. 1,000 kJ
  2. 100 kJ
  3. 10 kJ
  4. 0.1 kJ

Answer: C. 10 kJ

Energy falls from 10,000 kJ in producers to 1,000, 100, and then 10 kJ at the tertiary-consumer level.

3. A single large tree supports hundreds of caterpillars and other insects; which ecological pyramid is likely to be inverted at its base?
  1. Pyramid of numbers
  2. Pyramid of energy
  3. Pyramid of biomass in an aquatic habitat
  4. Pyramid of productivity

Answer: A. Pyramid of numbers

The one tree represents fewer individual producers than the many insects it supports, so the pyramid of numbers can be inverted.

4. Fertilizer washed from farmland into a lake causes rapid algal growth; which later change is most likely as the algae die and decompose?
  1. The lake water becomes permanently sterile
  2. Dissolved oxygen rises because decomposers photosynthesize
  3. The water loses all mineral salts immediately
  4. Dissolved oxygen falls as decomposers break down dead algae

Answer: D. Dissolved oxygen falls as decomposers break down dead algae

Decomposers use dissolved oxygen while breaking down the large mass of dead algae, which can suffocate aquatic organisms.

5. A student estimates the abundance of a grass species across a field using quadrats; which procedure gives the least biased estimate?
  1. Place every quadrat beside the path
  2. Choose quadrat positions using random coordinates
  3. Place quadrats only where the grass is densest
  4. Use one quadrat and assume it represents the whole field

Answer: B. Choose quadrat positions using random coordinates

Random placement reduces selection bias and makes the quadrat sample more representative of the field.

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