National Evaluation Series™ Profile: Biology (818)

Descriptive Statements:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the structure of DNA, genes, and chromosomes and of the process of DNA replication.
• Apply knowledge of the process of protein synthesis, including transcription, translation, and the structure and function of mRNA and tRNA.
• Demonstrate knowledge of how gene expression is influenced by environmental factors (e.g., ultraviolet radiation exposure and cancer, pH and flower color).
• Apply knowledge of the types and causes of different types of mutations.
• Apply knowledge of basic methods of genetic engineering (e.g., transformation, cloning) in various areas, including medicine and agriculture.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the applications of biotechnology (e.g., PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA fingerprinting) in society.
• Apply knowledge of the use of science and engineering practices in exploring and understanding content related to the molecular basis of genetics, such as developing and using models, planning and safely conducting investigations, applying mathematical concepts, and communicating and evaluating data and conclusions.

Sample Item:

Descriptive Statements:

• Apply knowledge of the stages of meiosis to increasing genetic variability and transmitting genetic information.
• Apply knowledge of the processes of mitosis and meiosis to compare the advantages and disadvantages of asexual and sexual reproduction.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the structure and function of chromosomes in the cell and how the behavior of chromosomes during meiosis (e.g., independent assortment, segregation, crossing over, linkage) results in genetic variation.
• Analyze inheritance patterns using various representations, including Punnett squares (i.e., monohybrid and dihybrid crosses) and pedigree charts.
• Apply principles of probability to analyze possible genotype and phenotype combinations in offspring (e.g., dominant–recessive, codominance, incomplete dominance, sex linked, polygenic).
• Apply knowledge of the use of science and engineering practices in exploring and understanding content related to the inheritance and variation of traits, such as developing and using models, planning and safely conducting investigations, applying mathematical concepts, and communicating and evaluating data and conclusions.

Sample Item:

Descriptive Statements:

• Demonstrate knowledge of historical and current evolutionary thought and of the multiple lines of evidence (e.g., endosymbiosis, genetics, amino acid sequences, fossil record, comparative anatomy) that support biological evolution.
• Apply knowledge of the theory of natural selection to adaptation (e.g., antibiotic resistance), speciation, and extinction.
• Apply knowledge of the sources of variation in a population (e.g., recombination, mutation) to variation in a genetic pool.
• Apply knowledge of population genetics and factors that can affect allelic frequencies in a population over time (e.g., genetic drift, selection) and interpret problems related to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
• Analyze how factors (e.g., environmental change, reproductive isolation) affect the rate and extent to which genetic change, speciation, and extinction occur.
• Demonstrate knowledge of key features of viruses to explain their ability to develop adaptations in a wide variety of environments (e.g., high rates of reproduction and mutation).
• Apply knowledge of common ancestry to interpret cladograms and binomial nomenclature.
• Apply knowledge of the use of science and engineering practices in exploring and understanding content related to biological change and the diversity of life, such as developing and using models, planning and safely conducting investigations, applying mathematical concepts, and communicating and evaluating data and conclusions.