{"id":14660,"date":"2020-03-24T09:49:02","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T14:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=14660"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:40:03","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T20:40:03","slug":"ap-biology-stand-alone-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/ap-biology\/ap-biology-stand-alone-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"AP Biology: Stand-Alone Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p2\">Stand-Alones comprise a large portion of Section I of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/ap-biology\/whats-tested-on-ap-biology-5-things-to-know\/\">AP Biology test<\/a>, in which you must answer 60 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes. Section management may not come to mind when you think about Biology, but taking control of the test is crucial to achieve a good score.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">\n<article  class=\"iconbox iconbox_left_content    avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first  \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class=\"iconbox_icon heading-color\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue83f' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  ><\/div><div class=\"iconbox_content\"><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h3 class='iconbox_content_title  '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >KEY TAKE AWAY<\/h3><\/header><div class='iconbox_content_container  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p class=\"p5\">You don\u2019t need to get every multiple-choice question right on the AP Biology exam. To get a 4 or 5, you need to get a large portion, but not all, of the questions right. If you don\u2019t have enough time to get to every question, make sure that the questions you skip are the longest, most involved ones. That\u2019s a great use of your limited resource: time.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">There\u2019s more to it than just tackling questions in the right order, however. The more you know about the question types, the better equipped you will be to handle them.<\/span><\/p>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_icon_box  el_before_av_icon_box  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Stand-Alones<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s easier to talk about what isn\u2019t in the Stand-Alone questions than what is there.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">There\u2019s no order of difficulty; that is, questions don\u2019t start out easy and gradually become tougher.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">There are no two questions connected to each other in any way.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">There\u2019s no pattern as to what biology concepts appear when.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"s1\"> The Stand-Alones look like a bunch of disconnected biology questions, one following another, and that\u2019s just what they are. A genetics question may follow a taxonomy question, which may follow a question about the Krebs cycle.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">There\u2019s no overall pattern, so don\u2019t bother looking for one. Nevertheless, just because the section is randomly ordered doesn\u2019t mean you have to approach it on the same random terms. Instead, draw two lists. Label one list \u201cConcepts I Enjoy and Know\u201d and label the other list \u201cConcepts that Are Not My Strong Points.\u201d Organize chapters or concepts from your textbook or <a href=\"\/\/www.amazon.com\/Kaplan-Biology-2016-Test-Prep\/dp\/1625231466\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1489513249&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=ap+biology+2016+kaplan&amp;linkCode=ll1&amp;tag=studyall-20&amp;linkId=d247ca4473a8e882f01181b429f4c6fa\">Kaplan&#8217;s AP Biology book <\/a>in your lists.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">When you get ready to tackle the Stand-Alones, keep these two lists in mind. On your first pass through the section, answer all the questions that deal with concepts you like and know a lot about. Quickly glance over any tables, figures or images and look for terminology in the question stem to\u00a0<\/span>clue you into the concept being tested. It should not take very long for you to figure out whether or not you have the factual chops needed to answer it. If you do, answer that problem and move on. If the question is on a subject that\u2019s not one of your strong points, skip it and come back later.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">The overarching goal is to answer correctly the greatest possible number of questions in the time available. To do this, focus on your strengths during the first pass through the section. Some questions might be very difficult, even in a subject you\u2019re familiar with. Take a minute or so on a tough question, and if you can\u2019t come up with an answer, make a mark by the question number in your test booklet and move on. The first pass is about picking up easy points.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Once you\u2019ve swept through and snagged all the easy questions, take a second pass and try the tougher ones. These tougher questions might cover subjects you\u2019re not strong in, or they might just be very difficult questions on subjects you are familiar with. Odds are high that you won\u2019t know the answer to some of these questions, but don\u2019t leave them blank. You should always take a stab at eliminating some answer choices, and then make an educated guess.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">To select the correct answer on the AP Biology exam you will need to know the relevant science, but even if certain facts elude you, you can still increase your odds of choosing correctly by keeping the following two key ideas in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<article  class=\"iconbox iconbox_left_content    avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading  \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class=\"iconbox_icon heading-color\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  ><\/div><div class=\"iconbox_content\"><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h3 class='iconbox_content_title  '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >TAKE AN EDUCATED GUESS<\/h3><\/header><div class='iconbox_content_container  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p class=\"p5\">Many times you can eliminate at least one answer choice from a problem. It may seem insignificant, but it gets you closer to the correct answer and it can significantly increase your chances of guessing correctly. You won\u2019t get every guess right, but over the course of the test, this form of educated guessing will improve your score.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><br \/>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_icon_box  el_before_av_heading  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >The Test Is Comprehensive, Not Sneaky<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Some tests are sneakier than others. They have convoluted writing, questions designed to trip you up mentally, and a host of other little tricks. Students taking a sneaky test often have the proper facts, but get the question wrong because of a trap in the question itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\">Understanding these facts about how the test is designed can help you answer questions on it. The AP Biology exam is comprehensive, not sneaky. You\u2019ve probably taken an AP Biology course, so trust your instincts when guessing. If you think you know the right answer, chances are you dimly remember the topic being discussed in your AP course. The test is about science, not traps, so trusting your instincts will help more often than not.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">You don\u2019t have much time to ponder every tough question, so trusting your instincts can help keep you from getting bogged down and wasting time on a problem. You might not get every educated guess correct, but again, the point isn\u2019t about getting a perfect score. It\u2019s about getting a good score, and surviving hard questions by going with your gut feelings is a good way to achieve this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">On other problems, though, you might have no inkling of what the correct answer should be. In that case, turn to the second key idea.<\/span><\/p>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3    avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_promobox  '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Think <span class='special_amp'>\u201c<\/span>Good Science<span class='special_amp'>\u201d<\/span><\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">The AP Biology test rewards good biologists. The test wants to foster future biologists by covering fundamental topics and sound laboratory procedure. What the test doesn\u2019t want is bad science. It doesn\u2019t want answers that are factually incorrect, too extreme to be true, or irrelevant to the topic at hand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Yet these \u201cbad science\u201d answers invariably appear, because it\u2019s a multiple-choice test and you must have three incorrect answer choices around the one right answer. So, if you don\u2019t know how to answer a question, look at the answer choices and think \u201cgood science.\u201d This may lead you to find some poor answer choices that can be eliminated.<\/span><\/p>\n\t<div   class='av_promobox  avia-button-no   avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_hr '>\t\t<div class='avia-promocontent'><p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">44. AB+energy<\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u2192<\/span><span class=\"s1\">A+B<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Which of the following best characterizes the reaction represented above?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">(A) Anabolism<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s1\">(B) \u00a0Endergonic reaction <\/span><span class=\"s3\"><br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"s1\">(C) \u00a0Exergonic reaction <\/span><span class=\"s3\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">(D) Hydrolysis<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div  style='height:5px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_promobox  el_before_av_icon_box '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Here\u2019s our trusty Stand-Alone question from before. Even if you don\u2019t know what the problem is asking, look at choice (D), <i>hydrolysis<\/i>. The prefix <i>hydro<\/i>&#8211; means \u201cwater.\u201d You don\u2019t even have to be a biologist to know that. Even if you don\u2019t know exactly what hydrolysis is, you should know that it has something to do with water.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Nothing in the question stem has anything to do with water, does it? The AP Biology exam is comprehensive, not sneaky, so how could choice (D) be the correct answer? It just can\u2019t. That makes basic good science sense. Thinking about good science, you can cross out (D). You have a one-in-three shot, so take a guess.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">You would be surprised how many times the correct answer on a multiple-choice question is a simple, blandly worded fact like, \u201cCells come in a variety of sizes and shapes.\u201d No breaking news there, but it is good science: a carefully worded statement that is factually accurate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<article  class=\"iconbox iconbox_left_content    avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_hr  \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class=\"iconbox_icon heading-color\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue803' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  ><\/div><div class=\"iconbox_content\"><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h3 class='iconbox_content_title  '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >THE POWER OF GOOD SCIENCE<\/h3><\/header><div class='iconbox_content_container  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p class=\"p5\">Thinking about good science in terms of the AP Biology exam can help you in two ways:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s1\">1. It helps you cross out extreme answer choices or choices that are untrue or out of place.<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"s1\">2. It can occasionally point you toward the correct answer, because the correct answer will be a factual piece of information sensibly worded.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><br \/>\n<div  style='height:2px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_icon_box  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Neither the \u201cgood science\u201d nor the \u201ccomprehensive, not sneaky\u201d strategy is 100-percent effective every time, but they do help more often than not. On a tough Stand-Alone question, these techniques can make the difference between an unanswered question and a good guess.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stand-Alones comprise a large portion of Section I of the AP Biology test, in which you must answer 60 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes. Section management may not come to mind when you think about Biology, but taking control of the test is crucial to achieve a good score. There\u2019s more to it than just [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29091,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[82],"tags":[81,83],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14660"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14660"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33847,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14660\/revisions\/33847"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}