JAMB Biology CBT Practice Test

Practise UTME Biology on a computer-based test that works like the real one: timed questions, a navigator to jump between them, and a full review with the correct answer and an explanation for every question.

About these JAMB Biology questions

There are 45 questions in this biology bank, written by StudentToolsNG to the topics in the JAMB UTME Biology syllabus and at the level of the exam. They are original practice questions, not copies of JAMB past papers, so you can practise without memorising old answers.

Each test picks questions at random and shuffles the options, so the answer to a question is not always in the same position. You get 40 seconds a question, the same pace as the UTME, where 180 questions are answered in 2 hours.

Topics covered

The questions cover 14 topics from the syllabus:

• The cell (3 questions)
• Cell and its environment (2 questions)
• Classification (3 questions)
• Variety of organisms (2 questions)
• Nutrition (5 questions)
• Transport (4 questions)
• Respiration (2 questions)
• Excretion (2 questions)
• Support and movement (2 questions)
• Reproduction (3 questions)
• Co-ordination (5 questions)
• Ecology (6 questions)
• Heredity and variation (4 questions)
• Evolution (2 questions)

Tips for JAMB Biology

• Read every option. Biology questions often hinge on one word, such as the pulmonary vein (oxygenated) versus the pulmonary artery (deoxygenated).
• Learn the classic pairs that get swapped: tendon and ligament, xylem and phloem, rods and cones, insulin and glucagon, mitosis and meiosis.
• Practise genetic crosses until they are automatic. Monohybrid ratios (3 : 1 and 1 : 2 : 1) and AS × AS crosses come up every year.
• Ecology carries a lot of marks: food chains and trophic levels, the nitrogen and carbon cycles, sampling tools and Nigeria's vegetation zones.

Sample JAMB Biology questions with answers

Question 1: Which organelle is the main site of aerobic respiration?

A. Ribosome B. Mitochondrion C. Nucleus D. Golgi apparatus

Answer: B (Mitochondrion). Aerobic respiration releases energy (as ATP) in the mitochondria. Ribosomes make proteins, and the nucleus holds the genetic material.

Question 2: Osmosis is the movement of

A. water molecules from a dilute to a more concentrated solution through a selectively permeable membrane B. solute molecules from a concentrated to a dilute solution C. water against a concentration gradient, using energy D. any molecule from high to low concentration without a membrane

Answer: A (water molecules from a dilute to a more concentrated solution through a selectively permeable membrane). Osmosis is a special case of diffusion: water moves across a selectively permeable membrane from a region of high water concentration (dilute) to low (concentrated).

Question 3: In the scientific name Homo sapiens, the word Homo is the

A. species B. family C. genus D. order

Answer: C (genus). Binomial nomenclature gives the genus first (with a capital letter) and the species second.

Question 4: A food sample turns blue-black when iodine solution is added. The food contains

A. protein B. starch C. reducing sugar D. fat

Answer: B (starch). Iodine turns blue-black with starch. Protein gives purple with Biuret reagent, reducing sugar gives brick-red with Benedict's solution and fat leaves a translucent spot on paper.

Question 5: Which blood vessel carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart?

A. Pulmonary artery B. Vena cava C. Pulmonary vein D. Aorta

Answer: C (Pulmonary vein). The pulmonary vein is the only vein that carries oxygenated blood. The pulmonary artery is the only artery that carries deoxygenated blood (from the heart to the lungs).

Question 6: Which conditions increase the rate of transpiration?

A. High humidity and still air B. Darkness C. Cold, still air D. Warm, dry and windy air

Answer: D (Warm, dry and windy air). Warmth speeds evaporation, dry air keeps the water-vapour gradient steep and wind removes moist air from the leaf surface. In darkness most stomata close.

Question 7: In mammals, urea is made in the

A. kidney B. bladder C. liver D. pancreas

Answer: C (liver). The liver breaks down excess amino acids (deamination) and turns the ammonia into urea. The kidneys only remove urea from the blood.

Question 8: In humans, fertilisation normally takes place in the

A. uterus B. ovary C. vagina D. oviduct

Answer: D (oviduct). The sperm meets the egg in the oviduct (fallopian tube). The fertilised egg then moves to the uterus, where it implants.

Question 9: In a reflex arc, which is the correct order?

A. Receptor → sensory neurone → relay neurone → motor neurone → effector B. Receptor → motor neurone → relay neurone → sensory neurone → effector C. Effector → sensory neurone → relay neurone → motor neurone → receptor D. Receptor → relay neurone → sensory neurone → motor neurone → effector

Answer: A (Receptor → sensory neurone → relay neurone → motor neurone → effector). The receptor detects the stimulus, the sensory neurone carries the impulse to the spinal cord, the relay neurone passes it on, and the motor neurone carries it to the effector (a muscle or gland).

Question 10: In the food chain grass → grasshopper → frog → snake, the frog is a

A. producer B. primary consumer C. secondary consumer D. tertiary consumer

Answer: C (secondary consumer). Grass is the producer, the grasshopper (eats grass) is the primary consumer, the frog (eats the grasshopper) is the secondary consumer and the snake is the tertiary consumer.

Question 11: Which instrument is used to estimate the population of plants in an area?

A. Pooter B. Sweep net C. Quadrat D. Tullgren funnel

Answer: C (Quadrat). A quadrat (usually a 1 m square frame) is placed at random and the plants inside are counted. A pooter collects small insects and a Tullgren funnel extracts soil organisms.

Question 12: In humans, the sex of a child is determined by

A. the mother's egg B. the father's sperm C. both parents equally D. the environment

Answer: B (the father's sperm). Every egg carries an X chromosome. A sperm carries either X (giving a girl, XX) or Y (giving a boy, XY), so the father's sperm decides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these JAMB Biology past questions?

No. They are original questions written to the JAMB Biology syllabus in the same style and at the same level as the UTME. Practising on new questions shows whether you understand a topic rather than whether you remember an old answer.

How many questions are in the JAMB Biology paper?

Each of your three other subjects has 40 questions in the UTME, and Use of English has 60, making 180 questions in 2 hours. That is about 40 seconds a question, which is the pace this practice test uses.

How is JAMB Biology scored?

Each subject is scored out of 100 and the four subjects add up to your UTME score out of 400. The percentage you get in this practice test is a rough guide to your score out of 100 in biology.

Can I practise without a time limit?

Yes. Choose Study mode to see the correct answer and the explanation as soon as you pick an option, with no timer. Switch to the timed test once you are ready to practise at exam pace.

Other subjects

JAMB Mathematics CBT practice · JAMB Physics CBT practice · JAMB Chemistry CBT practice