MCAS Biology case studies
MCAS Biology · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The MCAS Biology test is the high school science component of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, the statewide standardized testing program run by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Science MCAS testing occurs in grades 5 and 8 and in one high school grade, usually grade 9 or 10, so most students meet the biology test in their first or second year of high school. The MCAS Biology case studies are 5 cases and about 3,028 words.
1Catalase Activity and the Limits of Denaturation
During a unit on enzymes, students use potato tissue as a source of catalase, which breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. They place 2.0 g of fresh potato in a flask with 20 mL of 1.0% H2O2 and record the volume of O2 collected per minute.
635 words, about 3 min2Two Tomato Crosses: Independent Assortment or Linkage?
A tomato breeder has two true-breeding lines: one is tall with red fruit, the other is short with yellow fruit. A cross of these lines produces F1 plants that are all tall with red fruit.
599 words, about 3 min3Deer, Shrubs, and a Severe Winter on an Island
Wildlife biologists monitor a deer herd on a 50 km² island with no predators. From 2000 to 2010, they estimate population size each spring and record winter severity.
587 words, about 3 min4Potato Cores in Sucrose: Osmosis or Active Transport?
Students cut six potato cores of equal size and mass (5.0 g) from the same potato. They blot each core, record its mass, and place it in a labeled beaker containing 50 mL of sucrose solution for 30 minutes.
618 words, about 3 min5Antibiotic Resistance in a Hospital and in the Lab
A city hospital tracks Escherichia coli infections from 2015 to 2020. coli isolates were resistant to antibiotic X; by 2020, 78% were resistant.
589 words, about 3 min