Lesson Worksheet: Variation Biology
In this worksheet, we will practice recalling examples of genetic and environmental variation and distinguishing between characteristics that show continuous or discontinuous variation.
Q1:
The graph shows the percentage of a population of plants with a given number of flowers. What type of variation is the number of flowers?
- AContinuous
- BDiscontinuous
Q2:
A group of scientists want to investigate the effect of different soil conditions on plant growth. They cloned a plant to get a total of 7 plants and grew them in different nitrate concentrations for 14 days. They then repeated this with a different species of plant. The table given shows their results.
| Nitrate Concentration (ppm) | Overall Plant Growth (mm) Species 1 | Overall Plant Growth (mm) Species 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 16 | 24 |
| 10 | 18 | 28 |
| 15 | 20 | 31 |
| 20 | 22 | 36 |
| 25 | 26 | 39 |
| 30 | 28 | 42 |
| 35 | 30 | 44 |
The scientists cloned the plants so they were genetically identical. Which of the following best explains why this was important?
- ABecause the plants would all grow the same amount
- BBecause any changes in growth would be due to environmental variation alone
- CBecause any changes in growth would be due to genetic variation alone
- DBecause the plants all looked the same
Which of the following conclusions is correct, based on the data given?
- APlant growth is due to genetic and environmental factors.
- BPlant growth is due to environmental factors alone.
- CPlants of the same species will grow the same amount, no matter where they are grown.
- DPlant growth is due to genetic factors alone.
Is plant growth an example of continuous or discontinuous variation?
- ADiscontinuous
- BContinuous
Q3:
What is the correct key term for the variation that is caused by where an organism lives and what it interacts with?
- AEnvironmental variation
- BGenetic variation
- CEpidemic variation
- DExternal variation
Q4:
Give the correct key term for the differences in the characteristics of organisms.
- AVariation
- BPhenotypes
- CGenotypes
- DSymptoms
- EDifferentiation
Q5:
Give the correct key term for the variation that is caused by differences in alleles that are inherited or caused by mutations.
- AGenetic variation
- BGeneric variation
- CEnvironmental variation
- DMutagenic variation
Q6:
Give the correct key term for the physical characteristics of an organism.
- AGenotype
- BGenome
- CVariation
- DMorphology
- EPhenotype
Q7:
The graph given shows the frequency of different stem lengths in a population of plants.
What type of variation does this graph show?
- AContinuous
- BDiscontinuous
Which of the following best explains how this graph shows a normal distribution?
- AThe mean is the same as the median and the mode.
- BThe mean, median, and mode are all different values.
- CThe mean is larger than the median.
- DThe mode is smaller than the median.
Variations in the stem length can be caused by mutations. Which of the following correctly defines mutations?
- AChanges in the sugar–phosphate backbone of DNA
- BChanges in the phenotype
- CA section of DNA that codes for a protein
- DChanges in the DNA base sequence
Q8:
Variation can be grouped into two types: continuous and discontinuous. For the following statements, choose the correct type of variation to fill the gap.
variation is when the data can only take a limited set of values.
- AContinuous
- BDiscontinuous
variation is when the data can be any value within a given range.
- ADiscontinuous
- BContinuous
variation is controlled by genetic and environmental factors.
- ADiscontinuous
- BContinuous
variation is usually controlled by genetic factors alone.
- ADiscontinuous
- BContinuous
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