WAEC Biology 2010 past questions

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

Ten questions from the 2010 WAEC Biology paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 66 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Biology 2010 questions and answers

1. 1.

   (a) List four characteristics which can be genetically transmitted in humans.

   (b)(i) Name two sites each in plants and animals where meiosis occurs.
   (ii) State two differences between meiosis and mitosis

   (c) A woman with blood group 'A' (heterozygous) claimed that her son who has blood group '0' was fathered by Mr. James who has blood group 'A' (homozygous). With the aid of suitable genetic diagrams
   (i) prove or disprove the woman's claim
   (ii) give reasons to support your answer.

   1. A
      Acquired skills, educational achievements, language ability, and physical fitness are genetically transmitted
   2. B
      Body weight, emotional responses, language learning, and acquired immunity are purely genetic traits
   3. C
      Muscle strength, bone density, intelligence quotient, and athletic performance are all genetically determined without environmental influence
   4. D
      Blood group, skin colour, height, and hair texture are examples of genetically transmitted characteristics
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Genetically transmitted characteristics are those encoded in the DNA and passed from parents to offspring through gametes. Examples include blood group, skin colour, height, hair texture, sickle-cell trait, and haemophilia. Acquired skills and educational achievements are not genetic; they result from experience and environment. In the blood group cross, Mr. James (I^A I^A) crossed with the woman (I^A i) can only produce I^A I^A and I^A i offspring — never ii (blood group O) — which disproves the woman's claim.

2. 2.The bacterium in a mutualistic association with legumes converts
   1. A
      dead organic matter in the soil into humus to improve soil fertility
   2. B
      soil oxygen into nitrate ions that the plant root absorbs directly
   3. C
      atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia and nitrates that the plant can absorb
      Correct
   4. D
      carbon dioxide from the air into organic carbon compounds the plant uses
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   Answer: C

   Rhizobium bacteria live in root nodules of leguminous plants (such as beans and groundnuts) in a mutualistic relationship. These bacteria possess the enzyme nitrogenase, which fixes atmospheric nitrogen gas (N₂) into ammonia (NH₃), which is then converted to nitrates that the plant uses to synthesize proteins and nucleic acids. The plant in turn supplies the bacteria with carbohydrates. This process is called biological nitrogen fixation and is crucial to the nitrogen cycle. Decomposers, not Rhizobium, break down organic matter into humus.

3. 3.Rural-urban migration in developing countries can be prevented by
   1. A
      increasing urban housing capacity to absorb more migrants from rural communities
   2. B
      relocating all industrial activities from urban centres to rural areas without other support
   3. C
      provision of basic amenities, employment opportunities, and improved infrastructure in rural areas
      Correct
   4. D
      enacting legislation that legally restricts movement between rural and urban areas
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   Answer: C

   Rural-urban migration occurs primarily because people seek better economic opportunities, healthcare, education, and infrastructure in cities. The most effective prevention is to improve rural living conditions by providing electricity, clean water, good roads, schools, hospitals, and job creation through agriculture and light industry. Restricting movement is impractical and violates freedom of movement rights. Simply relocating industry without supporting amenities fails to address all motivating factors. Increasing urban housing only accommodates migrants and does not prevent migration.

4. 4.The following are the major reasons why the butterfly lays eggs under the surface of a leaf except to
   1. A
      enable the eggs to be fertilized after they are laid on the leaf
      Correct
   2. B
      conceal the eggs from predators and parasitoids
   3. C
      provide the hatching larvae with an immediate food source on the leaf
   4. D
      protect the eggs from direct sunlight and desiccation
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   Answer: A

   Butterflies lay eggs on leaves for several key reasons: the underside of leaves offers shade and moisture, protecting eggs from desiccation; the eggs are hidden from predators and parasitic insects; and the leaf serves as an immediate food source for newly hatched caterpillars (larvae). Fertilization in butterflies occurs internally before the eggs are laid — the female stores sperm in a structure called the spermatheca. Laying eggs on leaves has no role in fertilization, which is already complete at the time of laying.

5. 5.Which of the following processes involves diffusion?
   1. A
      gaseous exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide across the alveolar wall
      Correct
   2. B
      active transport of glucose across the intestinal epithelium
   3. C
      engulfment of large particles by a white blood cell through endocytosis
   4. D
      movement of water molecules across a semi-permeable membrane by osmosis
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   Answer: A

   Diffusion is the movement of molecules from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration along a concentration gradient, requiring no energy. Gaseous exchange in the alveoli — where oxygen moves from air into the blood and carbon dioxide moves from blood into the air — occurs purely by diffusion down concentration gradients. Active transport requires ATP and moves substances against the gradient. Osmosis is the specific diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane and is not referred to as simple diffusion. Endocytosis is an energy-requiring engulfment process.

6. 6.The speed of wind is measured using the
   1. A
      barometer
   2. B
      thermometer
   3. C
      hygrometer
   4. D
      anemometer
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   An anemometer is the instrument used to measure wind speed (and sometimes wind direction). The most common type has rotating cups whose speed of rotation is proportional to wind speed. A hygrometer measures relative humidity or moisture content of the air. A barometer measures atmospheric pressure. A thermometer measures temperature. In ecological fieldwork, anemometers are used to study the effects of wind on transpiration, pollination, and seed dispersal in a habitat.

7. 7.The excretory system in mammals consists of the following parts except
   1. A
      skin
   2. B
      spleen
      Correct
   3. C
      lungs
   4. D
      kidneys
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   Answer: B

   The excretory organs in mammals include the kidneys (excrete urea, water, and salts), the lungs (excrete carbon dioxide and water vapour), and the skin (excretes water, salts, and small amounts of urea through sweat). The liver also plays a role by converting ammonia to urea. The spleen is not an excretory organ; its functions include filtering old red blood cells from the blood, serving as a reservoir of blood, and playing a role in immune responses.

8. 8.The organelle which eliminates water from the body of a protozoan is the
   1. A
      contractile vacuole
      Correct
   2. B
      Golgi apparatus
   3. C
      cell membrane
   4. D
      nucleus
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   Answer: A

   The contractile vacuole is a specialized organelle found in freshwater protozoans such as Paramecium and Amoeba. Because the cell is in a hypotonic environment, water continuously enters by osmosis. The contractile vacuole collects this excess water and periodically contracts to expel it from the cell, maintaining osmoregulation. The cell membrane is permeable and cannot pump water out by itself; the Golgi apparatus handles protein modification and secretion; the nucleus controls cell activities.

9. 9.A moss plant can withstand drought by means of its
   1. A
      succulent stem that stores large quantities of water for dry periods
   2. B
      deep extensive root system that reaches underground water reserves
   3. C
      ability to lose almost all its water and revive when water becomes available again
      Correct
   4. D
      thick waxy cuticle that covers the entire surface to prevent water loss
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   Answer: C

   Mosses are poikilohydric organisms — they lack a waxy cuticle, true roots, and water-storing tissues. Instead, they survive drought by desiccation tolerance: they can lose nearly all their cellular water, entering a dormant state in which metabolic activity virtually ceases. When water becomes available, the cells rehydrate and the moss resumes normal activity. This remarkable ability to tolerate extreme water loss and recover is called anhydrobiosis. It is the moss's primary survival mechanism during drought, unlike succulents or deep-rooted plants.

10. 10.In cellular respiration energy is made available to organisms by
    1. A
       the direct combustion of glucose molecules inside the cytoplasm
    2. B
       the absorption of light energy by mitochondrial membranes
    3. C
       the breakdown of ATP to ADP, releasing stored chemical energy for cell use
       Correct
    4. D
       the synthesis of glucose from carbon dioxide and water in mitochondria
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    Answer: C

    During cellular respiration, glucose is broken down in a series of controlled steps to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate). When cells need energy, ATP is hydrolyzed to ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and inorganic phosphate, releasing energy that powers cellular processes. Combustion is an uncontrolled process that would damage cells; light is the energy source for photosynthesis, not respiration; and glucose synthesis describes photosynthesis. ATP is often called the universal energy currency of the cell.

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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