Kramizo
Log inSign up free
Home › US Common Core Common Core US Biology › Practice Paper
US Common Core · Common Core · US Biology

Free US Common Core Common Core US Biology
Practice Paper

8 mixed-difficulty practice questions in the style of real US Common Core Common Core papers — answers, mark-scheme-style explanations, and the official exam structure all on one page.

Take a Mini Mock →

What the real US Common Core Common Core US Biology paper looks like

Paper 1
Objective and short-answer questions covering the breadth of the specification.
Paper 2
Structured and extended-response questions testing depth of understanding.
Total exam time varies by board and tier — typically 2.5 to 3.5 hours.
Grading: See the official board specification for the current grading scale.

Mini practice paper: 8 questions

Mixed-difficulty questions from across the US Biology syllabus. Tap "Show answer" after each to check yourself.

Q1 · Difficulty 1/3

What is the function of the mitochondria?

  1. Photosynthesis
  2. DNA replication
  3. Protein synthesis
  4. Cellular respiration — producing ATP from glucose
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: D — Cellular respiration — producing ATP from glucose
Mitochondria are the "powerhouses of the cell." They carry out aerobic respiration, breaking down glucose to produce ATP energy.
Q2 · Difficulty 1/3

What is photosynthesis?

  1. Decomposing dead organisms
  2. Cellular respiration
  3. Breaking down glucose for energy
  4. Using light energy to convert CO₂ and water into glucose and oxygen
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: D — Using light energy to convert CO₂ and water into glucose and oxygen
Photosynthesis: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + light energy → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂. It occurs in chloroplasts and converts light energy to chemical energy.
Q3 · Difficulty 1/3

What is a food web?

  1. A network of interconnected food chains showing energy flow in an ecosystem
  2. A type of organism
  3. A diagram of a cell
  4. A single food chain
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — A network of interconnected food chains showing energy flow in an ecosystem
A food web shows the complex feeding relationships in an ecosystem, with multiple interconnected food chains. Energy flows from producers to primary to secondary consumers.
Q4 · Difficulty 2/3

What are the phases of the cell cycle?

  1. Only mitosis
  2. Interphase (G1, S, G2) and Mitotic phase (mitosis + cytokinesis)
  3. Only meiosis
  4. G1 and G2 only
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Interphase (G1, S, G2) and Mitotic phase (mitosis + cytokinesis)
The cell cycle: Interphase (cell grows, DNA replicates) takes ~90% of the cycle, then the Mitotic phase (nuclear division + cell division). Together they produce two identical cells.
Q5 · Difficulty 2/3

What is the nitrogen cycle?

  1. How organisms breathe nitrogen
  2. The process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms as it circulates through the atmosphere, soil, and organisms
  3. Nitrogen being produced by factories
  4. The decay of nitrogen compounds
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — The process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms as it circulates through the atmosphere, soil, and organisms
Nitrogen gas (N₂) is fixed by bacteria into usable forms (NH₃, NO₃⁻), absorbed by plants, passed through food chains, and returned to the atmosphere by denitrifying bacteria.
Q6 · Difficulty 2/3

What is the function of lysosomes?

  1. DNA storage
  2. Energy production
  3. Membrane-bound organelles containing digestive enzymes that break down waste, old organelles, and foreign material
  4. Protein synthesis
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — Membrane-bound organelles containing digestive enzymes that break down waste, old organelles, and foreign material
Lysosomes are the cell's recycling centre. They contain hydrolytic enzymes that digest worn-out organelles, food particles, and engulfed bacteria.
Q7 · Difficulty 2/3

What is the Golgi apparatus?

  1. Part of the cytoplasm
  2. A microscope
  3. An organelle that packages, modifies, and ships proteins to their destinations
  4. The nucleus
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — An organelle that packages, modifies, and ships proteins to their destinations
The Golgi apparatus receives proteins from the ER, modifies them, packages them into vesicles, and sends them to their destinations (secretion, lysosomes, cell membrane).
Q8 · Difficulty 2/3

What is the endoplasmic reticulum?

  1. A network of membranes that transports materials within the cell; rough ER has ribosomes, smooth ER does not
  2. A type of cell
  3. The cell wall
  4. Part of the nucleus
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — A network of membranes that transports materials within the cell; rough ER has ribosomes, smooth ER does not
Rough ER (with ribosomes): transports proteins. Smooth ER: makes lipids and detoxifies chemicals. Both are membrane networks connected to the nucleus.
Build a 30-question timed mock →
Free · No signup · Instant marking

US Common Core Common Core US Biology FAQ

What does the US Common Core Common Core US Biology exam look like?
The US Common Core Common Core US Biology exam is structured across 2 components. Paper 1: Objective and short-answer questions covering the breadth of the specification. Paper 2: Structured and extended-response questions testing depth of understanding. Total exam time varies by board and tier — typically 2.5 to 3.5 hours.
Can I download a free US Common Core Common Core US Biology past paper?
Real US Common Core past papers are published directly by US Common Core on their official website. Kramizo doesn't redistribute copyrighted past papers, but we do generate free AI-written practice papers in the exact same style — same command words, same difficulty tier, same mark conventions. Use this practice paper as warm-up, then time yourself on official past papers before exam day.
How is US Common Core Common Core US Biology graded?
See the official board specification for the current grading scale. Kramizo's practice questions are tagged with difficulty 1-3 mapping roughly to the lower, middle, and top grade boundaries you'll encounter in the real exam.