WAEC Biology 2002 past questions

Checked by the Skolra question team · Last updated 15 October 2026

Ten questions from the 2002 WAEC Biology paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 53 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Biology 2002 questions and answers

1.Which of the following will cause wilting in plants?
1. A
  Placing the plant in a concentrated salt solution
  Correct
2. B
  Placing the plant roots in distilled water
3. C
  Exposing the plant to bright sunlight
4. D
  Watering the plant with a dilute fertilizer solution
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Answer: A
Wilting occurs when plant cells lose their turgidity. Placing a plant in a concentrated (hypertonic) salt solution causes water to move out of the root cells by osmosis into the surrounding solution (plasmolysis), leading to a loss of turgor pressure and wilting. Distilled water and dilute solutions would maintain or increase turgor, preventing wilting.
2.The concave shape of a bird's wing during flight ensures that the greater air pressure under the wings will
1. A
  push the bird downwards, keeping it grounded
2. B
  slow the bird's forward movement
3. C
  push the bird upwards, providing lift
  Correct
4. D
  increase air resistance on the bird's body
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Answer: C
The concave (curved) underside of a bird's wing during flight creates an asymmetry in airflow. Air moving over the convex upper surface travels faster, producing lower pressure above the wing (Bernoulli's principle). Air below the concave surface moves more slowly, producing higher pressure. This pressure difference — greater pressure below, lower pressure above — generates an upward force called lift, which keeps the bird airborne. The angle and curvature of the wing are precisely adapted for efficient flight.
3.Which of the following can be considered as a direct evidence of evolution?
1. A
  Comparative anatomy of living organisms
2. B
  Geographical distribution of species
3. C
  Vestigial organs in modern animals
4. D
  Fossil records preserved in sedimentary rocks
  Correct
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Answer: D
Fossil records are considered direct evidence of evolution because they are the actual preserved remains or impressions of organisms that lived in the past. They provide a chronological record showing how organisms have changed over geological time, the sequence of appearance of different life forms, and transitional forms that link ancestral and descendant species. Comparative anatomy, vestigial organs, and geographical distribution are indirect (circumstantial) evidence — they support the theory of evolution but do not show the organisms themselves.
4.Which of the following definitions best describes excretion? The
1. A
  absorption of digested food molecules into the bloodstream
2. B
  removal of the waste products of metabolism from the body
  Correct
3. C
  removal of undigested food from the body through defaecation
4. D
  breakdown of food substances in the alimentary canal
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Answer: B
Excretion is defined as the removal of the waste products of metabolism from the body. These metabolic waste products include carbon dioxide (from respiration), urea (from deamination of amino acids), and excess water and salts. This is distinct from egestion, which is the removal of undigested food.
5.
When Mendel crossed round seeds with wrinkled seeds of Pea Plant, what was the ratio of wrinkled seeds
To round seeds in the F₂ plants?
1. A
  1 : 1
2. B
  1 : 3
  Correct
3. C
  3 : 1
4. D
  2 : 1
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Answer: B
When Mendel crossed pure round (RR) with pure wrinkled (rr) seeds, all F₁ plants were round (Rr), since round is dominant. Crossing F₁ × F₁ (Rr × Rr) gives F₂ genotypes: RR, Rr, Rr, rr — phenotype ratio 3 round : 1 wrinkled. The question asks for the ratio of wrinkled to round, which is 1 : 3. Only one quarter of the F₂ offspring display the recessive wrinkled phenotype.
6.Wildlife conservation is enhanced by
1. A
  clearing forests to expand farmland
2. B
  establishment of game reserves, national parks, and wildlife sanctuaries
  Correct
3. C
  encouraging indiscriminate hunting of wild animals
4. D
  introducing exotic species into natural habitats
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Answer: B
Wildlife conservation is best enhanced by the establishment of game reserves, national parks, and wildlife sanctuaries, where animals are legally protected from poaching, habitat destruction, and human disturbance. These protected areas provide safe habitats for breeding and feeding. Additional conservation measures include anti-poaching laws, captive breeding programmes, and public education. Deforestation, hunting, and introducing exotic species all threaten biodiversity rather than conserving it.
7.Which part of part of plant cell contains cellulose?
1. A
  Nucleus
2. B
  Cytoplasm
3. C
  Cell membrane
4. D
  Cell wall
  Correct
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Answer: D
Cellulose is found in the cell wall of plant cells. It forms long, unbranched chains that provide structural rigidity and strength to the plant cell. Animal cells lack this cellulose cell wall, which is one of the key differences between plant and animal cells.
8.The structure of the ear that is responsible for balancing is the
1. A
  Cochlea
2. B
  Semi-circular canals
  Correct
3. C
  Eustachian tube
4. D
  Tympanic membrane
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Answer: B
The semi-circular canals (together with the utricle and saccule) are the structures in the inner ear responsible for balance and detecting rotational movement. They contain endolymph fluid and hair cells (cristae); when the head moves, the fluid moves and stimulates the hair cells, sending signals to the brain. The cochlea is for hearing; the Eustachian tube equalises pressure; the tympanic membrane transmits sound vibrations.
9.A vegetable farmer will benefit from a cattle rearer if
1. A
  the cattle are kept far away from the farm at all times
2. B
  the cattle rearer charges the farmer for services rendered
3. C
  the cattle graze on and destroy the vegetables
4. D
  the cattle dung is collected and applied as organic manure to the vegetable farm
  Correct
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Answer: D
A vegetable farmer benefits from a cattle rearer when cattle dung (manure) is used as organic fertilizer on the vegetable farm. Cattle manure is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other minerals that improve soil fertility and structure, promoting healthy crop growth. This is a classic example of a mutually beneficial relationship in mixed farming: the cattle rearer provides manure, and the farmer may supply crop residues as cattle feed.
10.The following are methods of measuring plant growth except
1. A
  Measuring increase in dry weight
2. B
  Measuring increase in temperature
  Correct
3. C
  Measuring increase in height of the shoot
4. D
  Measuring increase in total leaf area
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Answer: B
Measuring increase in temperature is NOT a method of measuring plant growth. Plant growth is measured using parameters that reflect an increase in mass or size, such as increase in height, increase in leaf area, increase in fresh weight, increase in dry weight, or increase in the number of leaves. Temperature is an environmental factor that affects growth rate, not a direct measurement of growth itself.

The questions come from past JAMB, WAEC and NECO papers. We use software to help write the answer options and explanations, and every answer is checked twice before it goes on the site. How we check

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WAEC Biology 2002 past questions

WAEC Biology 2002 questions and answers

Practise all 53 questions we hold from the 2002 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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