WAEC Biology 2014 past questions

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

Ten questions from the 2014 WAEC Biology paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 52 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Biology 2014 questions and answers

1. 1.l. Fertilizer II. Insecticides III. Sewage IV. Crude oil V. Sulphur dioxide. The atmosphere can polluted by
   1. A
      I, III and IV only
   2. B
      II and V only
      Correct
   3. C
      I, II and III only
   4. D
      III, IV and V only
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   Answer: B

   From the listed substances, the ones that directly pollute the atmosphere are insecticides (II), which are often sprayed as aerosols and release volatile organic compounds into the air, and sulphur dioxide (V), a gaseous air pollutant produced by burning fossil fuels and industrial processes that contributes to acid rain. Fertilizers and sewage are primarily soil/water pollutants, and crude oil is mainly a water/soil pollutant. Sulphur dioxide is particularly significant as an atmospheric pollutant in West Africa due to industrial and vehicular emissions.

2. 2.Which of the following diseases can be inherited?
   1. A
      sickle cell anaemia
      Correct
   2. B
      malaria
   3. C
      tuberculosis
   4. D
      cholera
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   Answer: A

   Sickle cell anaemia is an inherited genetic disorder caused by a mutation in the gene encoding the beta-globin chain of haemoglobin. It is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait: an individual must inherit two copies of the sickle allele (HbS HbS) to be affected. Malaria, tuberculosis, and cholera are all infectious diseases caused by pathogens (Plasmodium parasite, Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, and Vibrio cholerae bacteria respectively) and are not passed from parent to offspring through genetic inheritance.

3. 3.Which of the following traits is not a morphological variation in humans?
   1. A
      blood group
      Correct
   2. B
      eye colour
   3. C
      earlobe attachment (free or attached earlobes)
   4. D
      skin colour
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   Answer: A

   Morphological variation refers to differences in the observable physical structure of organisms. Eye colour, skin colour, and earlobe attachment are all visible structural (morphological) features. Blood group, however, is a biochemical variation — it is determined by the presence of specific antigens (glycoproteins) on the surface of red blood cells and cannot be seen with the naked eye. Blood group difference is therefore a physiological/biochemical characteristic, not a morphological one, even though it is genetically determined.

4. 4.The legs of an accident victim with a fractured vertebral column and injured spinal cord could not be raised because
   1. A
      the blood supply to the legs was completely severed by the vertebral injury
   2. B
      nerve impulses could not be transmitted between the brain and the leg muscles due to spinal cord damage
      Correct
   3. C
      the femur bones were fractured at the hip, preventing muscular attachment
   4. D
      the knee joints were permanently dislocated, making voluntary movement mechanically impossible
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   Answer: B

   The spinal cord serves as the main pathway for nerve impulses travelling between the brain and the rest of the body. When the spinal cord is injured, the communication between the brain and the muscles below the injury site is disrupted. Motor commands from the motor cortex in the brain cannot reach the leg muscles via efferent neurons, and sensory information from the legs cannot reach the brain via afferent neurons. This results in paralysis (loss of voluntary movement) and loss of sensation in the affected limbs.

5. 5.The inability to maintain proper balance of the body in humans may be due to a defect in the
   1. A
      hypothalamus, which regulates body temperature and hormonal activity
   2. B
      medulla oblongata, which controls heart rate and breathing
   3. C
      cerebellum, which coordinates muscular activity and maintains body balance
      Correct
   4. D
      cerebrum, the centre for conscious thought and voluntary movement
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   Answer: C

   The cerebellum is the part of the brain primarily responsible for coordination of movement, posture, and balance. It receives sensory information from the vestibular system of the inner ear, proprioceptors in muscles and joints, and the eyes, then coordinates muscular activity to maintain equilibrium. Damage to the cerebellum causes ataxia — loss of coordination and inability to balance. The cerebrum handles conscious thought, the medulla controls autonomic functions like heartbeat, and the hypothalamus regulates homeostasis.

6. 6.In which of the following yam tissues will osmosis occur?
   1. A
      living parenchyma cells with a selectively permeable membrane
      Correct
   2. B
      cork cells with suberised walls
   3. C
      dead xylem vessel elements
   4. D
      sclerenchyma fibres with thick lignified walls
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   Answer: A

   Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a selectively permeable membrane from a region of high water potential to a region of lower water potential. This process can only occur in living cells that possess intact cell membranes acting as selectively permeable barriers. Dead xylem vessels, sclerenchyma fibres, and cork cells are all dead at maturity and lack functional plasma membranes. Only living parenchyma cells retain their plasma membranes, vacuoles, and cytoplasm, making them the sites of osmosis in yam tissue.

7. 7.The purpose of treating poor soil with lime is to increase the quantity of
   1. A
      potassium for improving stomatal function and water retention
   2. B
      calcium and to reduce soil acidity to a pH favourable for plant growth
      Correct
   3. C
      nitrogen available for plant uptake and protein synthesis
   4. D
      phosphorus available for root and flower development
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   Answer: B

   Lime (calcium carbonate or calcium hydroxide) is applied to soils to reduce acidity — a process called liming. Acidic soils have a low pH, which reduces the availability of essential nutrients and may increase toxic elements like aluminium and manganese. Adding lime raises the soil pH by neutralising the excess hydrogen ions and increases the calcium content, an essential plant nutrient. The improved pH promotes microbial activity and makes nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium more readily available for plant uptake.

8. 8.Which of the following statements about chromosomes is correct?
   1. A
      homologous chromosomes carry genes for the same traits at corresponding positions called loci
      Correct
   2. B
      the number of chromosomes in body (somatic) cells is exactly half the number found in gametes
   3. C
      chromosomes are composed entirely of protein with no nucleic acid component
   4. D
      chromosomes are found only in the nucleus during the period of cell division
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   Answer: A

   Homologous chromosomes are pairs of chromosomes (one inherited from each parent) that carry genes controlling the same traits at the same positions, called loci. The alleles at each locus may be identical (homozygous) or different (heterozygous). Chromosomes are present in the nucleus at all times (as chromatin when not dividing), somatic cells contain the diploid number (2n) while gametes contain the haploid number (n) — not the reverse. Chromosomes are composed of both DNA (nucleic acid) and histone proteins, not protein alone.

9. 9.Active transport can be defined as the movement of
   1. A
      water molecules from a region of low water concentration to a region of high water concentration across a semi-permeable membrane
   2. B
      molecules from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration along a concentration gradient
   3. C
      substances against a concentration gradient from low to high concentration, requiring energy in the form of ATP
      Correct
   4. D
      dissolved substances across a membrane from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration without energy expenditure
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   Answer: C

   Active transport is the movement of substances across a cell membrane against the concentration gradient — from a region of lower concentration to a region of higher concentration. This process requires metabolic energy in the form of ATP and involves specific carrier proteins embedded in the membrane. Active transport is essential for processes such as the reabsorption of glucose in kidney tubules and the uptake of mineral ions by root hair cells, where concentrations inside the cell are already higher than outside.

10. 10.Characteristics that exhibit continuous variation are generally controlled by
    1. A
       sex-linked genes located on the X chromosome only
    2. B
       a single pair of alleles without any environmental modification
    3. C
       many genes each with small additive effects, often combined with environmental influence
       Correct
    4. D
       a single gene with complete dominance over the recessive allele
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    Answer: C

    Continuous variation produces a range of phenotypes with no distinct boundaries between classes, as seen in traits like human height, weight, and skin colour. These traits are controlled by polygenes — multiple genes, each contributing a small additive effect to the overall phenotype. The combined influence of many genes produces a normal distribution curve when plotted. Environmental factors such as nutrition, sunlight, and exercise further modify the expression of these polygenic traits, increasing the range of variation observed in the population.

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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