JAMB Biology 1982 past questions and answers

A population is defined as the collection of

1. A.similar organisms that are found in the same habitat
2. B.similar organisms that breed in the same habitat
3. C.similar organisms that interbreed freely in the same habitat
4. D.similar organisms that eat the same food
5. E.different organisms in the same habitat.

Which of these combinations is common to plant and animal cells?

1. A.Centriole, middle lamella, Golgi bodies, mitochondrion
2. B.Cytoplasm, sap vacuole, starch grains, leucoplasts
3. C.Plasma membranes, chromosomes, mitochondria, lysosomes.
4. D.Nucleus, nucleolus, cellulose cell wall, endoplasmic reticulum
5. E.Cytoplasm, centriole, cellulose cell wall, nucleolus.

Some of the major elements required by plants are

1. A.Potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium,calcium
2. B.Nitrogen, phosphorus, molybdenum, sodium, calcium.
3. C.Potassium, phosphorus, molybdenum, sodium, calcium
4. D.Potassium, nitrogen, iron, sodium, calcium
5. E.Potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon, cadmium.

In human reproduction, the zygote formed as a result of fertilization gets attached to the wall of the uterus. The process is called

1. A.sexual reproduction
2. B.cohesion
3. C.pregnancy
4. D.implantation
5. E.viviparity.

Kwashiorkor is caused by severe deficiency of

1. A.water
2. B.oil
3. C.drugs
4. D.proteins
5. E.sugars

An homoiothermic animal kept in a room where the temperature is lower than the body temperature may lose heat by four physical processes. Which of the following processes is NOT connected with body temperature regulation?

1. A.Radiation
2. B.Sweat
3. C.Evaporation
4. D.Conduction
5. E.Convection

If a tall man (TT) marries a dwarf woman (gg) and they have four male children, the offspring will be

1. A.all short
2. B.three short and one tall
3. C.two short and two tall
4. D.one short and three tall
5. E.all tall.

A married couple have 10 children and they are all girls. Which of the following is the CORRECT explanation?

1. A.The woman is incapable of producing male children
2. B.The man's sperms are very weak
3. C.The man is not athletic enough
4. D.The Y component of the man's sex chromosomes was always involved.
5. E.The X component of the man's sex chromosomes was always involved.

If a 26 year old blind man married a young one-eyed woman and they had four children, how many of them would be blind like their father?

1. A.All
2. B.3
3. C.2
4. D.1
5. E.None

The glottis is the opening which leads to the

1. A.oesophagus
2. B.larynx
3. C.nostrils
4. D.pharynx
5. E.mouth.

A tapeworm has no alimentary canal bacause

1. A.it is autotrophic
2. B.it does not feed
3. C.it has no enzymes
4. D.its body absorbs digested food
5. E.the suckers on the scolex suck blood.

A grasshopper respires by means of its

1. A.lung-books
2. B.gills
3. C.lungs
4. D.antennae
5. E.tracheal tubes.

An onion bulb stores its food in the

1. A.stem
2. B.leaves
3. C.roots
4. D.cotyledon
5. E.branches

Roots of plants are normally

1. A.positively phototropic
2. B.negatively geotropic
3. C.negatively hydrotropic
4. D.positively hydrotropic
5. E.negatively chemotropic.

The main function of the swim-bladder is for

1. A.swimming
2. B.detecting sound
3. C.buoyancy
4. D.breathing
5. E.reproduction.

Which of the following pairs are the products of sucrose hydrolysis?

1. A.Glucose+ glucose
2. B.Fructose+ fructose
3. C.Glucose + fructose
4. D.Galactose + glucose
5. E.Fructose + galactose

Which vertebra has a projection called odontoid process?

1. A.Atlas
2. B.Axis
3. C.Thoracic
4. D.Lumbar
5. E.Caudal.

Refrigeneration, as a method of food preservation, has ONE of the following characteristics:

1. A.kills all the bacteria
2. B.kills most of the bacteria
3. C.makes the bacteria inactive
4. D.dries food
5. E.hydrolyses food.

Treatment of a poor soil with lime supplies

1. A.sulphur
2. B.calcium
3. C.phosphorus
4. D.sodium
5. E.nitrogen

In the enzymic reactions starch → (amylase) sugar, starch is referred to as the

1. A.substrate
2. B.product
3. C.enzyme
4. D.enzyme-substrate complex
5. E.reaction mixture.

ONE of the major causes of haemophilia is lack of

1. A.fibrinogen
2. B.amylase
3. C.white blood corpuscles
4. D.red blood corpuscles
5. E.plasma

In man identical twins occur when

1. A.an ovum is fertilized by a sperm and then divides into two each forming a separate embryo
2. B.an ovum is fertilized by two sperms and then divides into two, each forming an embryo
3. C.two ova are fertilized at the same time each forming an embryo
4. D.two ova are fertilized by a single sperm each forming an embryo after fertilization
5. E.one ovum first divides into two and each half is fertilized by a sperm before developing into an embryo.

The parts of the mammalian eye that strongly bend light rays are the

1. A.cornea and the lens
2. B.cornea and aqueous humour
3. C.cornea and vitreous humour
4. D.lens and aqueous humour
5. E.lens and vitreous humour.

Which of these statements is NOT true of insects?

1. A.They are arthropods
2. B.Their body is divided into three distinct regions of head, thorax and abdomen
3. C.Their thorax comprises three segments, only two of which bear a pair of appendages each
4. D.Respiration is by means of trachea
5. E.They undergo metamorphosis.

When an operculate fish breathes it takes in water through the

1. A.mouth and passes it out through the same way
2. B.mouth and passes it out through the operculum
3. C.operculum and passes it out through the mouth
4. D.operculum and passes it out through the nostrils
5. E.nostrils and passes it out through the operculum.

Which of the following tissues are made up of dead cells?

1. A.Meristematic
2. B.Xylem vessels
3. C.Cambium
4. D.Mesophyll
5. E.Palisade.

External ears of mammals consist of

1. A.pinna and tympanum
2. B.pinna only
3. C.auditory meatus only
4. D.auditory meatus and pinna
5. E.auditory meatus and tympanum

Any dry fruit which can break into several parts each containing one seed is a

1. A.capsule
2. B.aggregate fruit
3. C.legume
4. D.schizocarp
5. E.follicle

Which of the following is NOT a function of mammalian blood?

1. A.Engulfing bacteria
2. B.Production of hormones
3. C.Transporting urea
4. D.Distribution of heat
5. E.Transporting glucose

The maize grain is regarded as a fruit and not a seed because

1. A.it has a coleorhiza
2. B.it has a coleoptile
3. C.of the relatively large endosperm
4. D.there is the remains of a style
5. E.of the relatively small scutellum.

Which of these parts of the mammalian ear is directly concerned with the sense of balance?

1. A.Cochlea
2. B.Eustachian tube
3. C.Ear-drum
4. D.Pinna
5. E.Semicircular canals.

When freshly tapped palm wine was kept overnight it was found to be more alcoholic. This effect must have been due to

1. A.the addition of saccharin
2. B.the addition of sugar
3. C.the addition of whisky or local gin
4. D.some complex hydrolytic reactions
5. E.anaerobic respiration of an organism.

If a farmer left his land uncultivated for five years before returning to it, he must be practising

1. A.modern agriculture
2. B.strip cropping
3. C.contour ridging
4. D.crop rotation
5. E.the bush fallow system

A pyramid of numbers can be defined as

1. A.the number of plants and animals in an ecosystem
2. B.an arrangement of organisms according to their habitats
3. C.the numerical relationships of a food chain
4. D.the number of plants and animals in a population
5. E.the total number of species and general in a community.

In man, spermatozoa are never found in the

1. A.testis
2. B.urethra
3. C.epididymis
4. D.prostate gland
5. E.vas deferens.

Which of the following statements is TRUE of inhalation of air by man?

1. A.The ribs are not raised
2. B.Diaphragm is raised
3. C.Intercostal muscles relax
4. D.Pressure of the thoracic cavity increases
5. E.Size of thoracic cavity increases.

If the gall bladder of a man is removed by surgery, which of the following processes will be most seriously affected?

1. A.Digestion of fats and oils
2. B.Formation of urea
3. C.Digestion of starch
4. D.Conversion of proteins
5. E.Storage and release of urine.

Flatworms and roundworms are said to be invertebrates because

1. A.they are small animals
2. B.they can live inside the vertebrates
3. C.some of them are unicellular
4. D.they have no backbones
5. E.they are parasitic.

Where is energy produced in a cell?

1. A.Nucleus
2. B.Nucleolus
3. C.Lysosomes
4. D.Chloroplast
5. E.Mitochondria.

Which of the following is NOT associated with excretion in mammals?

1. A.Glomerulus
2. B.Urea
3. C.Faeces
4. D.Carbondioxide
5. E.Bowman's capsule

The three blood vessels that supply the mammalian alimentary canals are

1. A.segmented artery, hepatic artery and coeliac artery
2. B.coeliac artery, anterior mesenteric artery and posterior mesenteric artery
3. C.coeliac artery, segmental artery and hepatic artery
4. D.hepatic artery, anterior mesenteric artery and posterior mesenteric artery
5. E.hepatic portal vein,anterior mesenteric artery and posterior mesenteric artery.

In Fig. 1, the structure labelled X is the

1. A.cellulose cell wall
2. B.plasma membrane
3. C.nuclear membrane
4. D.mucilage wall
5. E.ectoplasm.

Fig. 2: Cervical vertebra
Which of the parts are used to recognize the bone in Fig. 2?

1. A.1 and 4
2. B.2 and 3
3. C.3 and 5
4. D.1,2 and 6
5. E.4 and 5.

In an epigeal germination, it is the

1. A.epicotyl that elongates fast
2. B.hypocotyl that elongates fast
3. C.hypogeal that elongates fast
4. D.plumule that elongates fast
5. E.roots that elongate fast.

The mammalian pancreas is involved with the

1. A.digestion of food only
2. B.digestion and absorption of food
3. C.digestion of food and regulation of blood sugar
4. D.digestion of food, production of hormone and the regulation of blood sugar
5. E.digestion of food, and the production of insulin.

When a person with blood belonging to group O has lost much blood due to an accident, he can be given blood from persons who have blood belonging to

1. A.group O only
2. B.group A only
3. C.group AB only
4. D.groups A and O
5. E.groups AB and O.

The absence of stomata shows that a leaf may be

1. A.from a floating plant
2. B.from a submerged plant
3. C.variegated
4. D.from a terrestrial plant
5. E.from a parasitic green plant.