WAEC Biology 2022 past questions

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

Ten questions from the 2022 WAEC Biology paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 56 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Biology 2022 questions and answers

1. 1.

   which of the following statements about living things is correct?

   1. A
      Specific role and position in ecosystem; mango provides food, shade, oxygen, cycling, habitat
      Correct
   2. B
      Only feeding behavior and predator-prey relationships
   3. C
      Total range of all habitats where species can survive
   4. D
      Only the physical location where organism lives
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   An ecological niche encompasses both habitat (physical location) and functional role (resources used, organism interactions). A mango tree exemplifies this through multiple roles.

2. 2.

   (a)(i) What is an ecological niche?

   (i) State five roles played by a mango tree in its ecological niche.

   (b)i) State two reasons why ecologists use sampling techniques in population studies.

   (i) State four examples of sampling techniques used in population studies.

   (c)Name four types of fingerprints in humans.

   (d)) Name the plant used by Gregor Mendel in his experiment.

   (ii) State two reasons why the plant named in 3(d) was used.

   1. A
      Ecological niche is the total range of all habitats where a species can survive
   2. B
      Ecological niche describes only feeding behavior and predator-prey relationships
   3. C
      Ecological niche refers only to physical location within ecosystem
   4. D
      Ecological niche is an organism's role and position in ecosystem; mango tree provides food, shade, oxygen, nutrient cycling, and animal habitat
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   An ecological niche encompasses both habitat (where an organism lives) and functional role (what resources it uses and how it interacts with others). A mango tree demonstrates this through multiple roles: fruit production, photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, microhabitat creation, and shelter provision.

3. 3.

   Which of the following traits in humans is an example of physiological variation?

   1. A
      Fossil fuels, since lighters use petroleum products
   2. B
      Forests, since lighters eliminate need for wood-based matchsticks
      Correct
   3. C
      Energy, since matchsticks require less processing
   4. D
      Metals, since lighters require aluminum and steel
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   Using lighters instead of matchsticks conserves forests because matchsticks are made from wood. Each matchstick requires timber harvesting, processing, and packaging, consuming forest resources annually.

4. 4.

   A group of organisms of the same species living in a particular place is known as

   1. A
      Poor drainage and waterlogging due to high water retention and low permeability
      Correct
   2. B
      Low nutrient content and inability to support vegetation
   3. C
      High pH and toxicity to most species
   4. D
      Excellent drainage and high oxygen availability for roots
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   Clayey soil's key limiting property is poor drainage and waterlogging. Fine clay particles pack densely, retaining water tightly but allowing very slow water movement, creating anaerobic conditions.

5. 5.

   Which of the following statements about sex linked traits is not correct?

   1. A
      Parent genotypes cannot be determined from F2 data
      Correct
   2. B
      Cross between an individual showing dominant traits with a homozygous recessive to determine the dominant individual's exact genotype
   3. C
      One parent TT, other TT; no F2 can be short
   4. D
      Both parents are homozygous dominant; F2 short plant is a mutation
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   This Mendelian cross shows that both tall parents must be heterozygous (Tt) since F1 (all tall) can produce short F2 offspring. When F1 (Tt) self, the 3:1 ratio produces 1 TT (tall), 2 Tt (tall), 1 tt (short).

6. 6.

   The region of a plant stem in which cells divide to increase its diameter is

   1. A
      Lysosomes
      Correct
   2. B
      Golgi apparatus
   3. C
      Ribosomes
   4. D
      Mitochondria
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   Lysosomes are membrane-bound organelles containing powerful hydrolytic enzymes (proteases, nucleases, lipases) that digest worn organelles, damaged components, and foreign materials. They are called suicidal bags because rupture releases enzymes into the cytoplasm.

7. 7.

   An evidence of the occurrence of photosynthesis in an experiment is the?

   1. A
      P has 23 chromosomes; Q has 46 (reverse of correct answer)
   2. B
      P has 92 chromosomes (doubled); Q has 46
   3. C
      P has 46 chromosomes (diploid); Q has 23 chromosomes (haploid) as a gamete from meiosis
      Correct
   4. D
      Both P and Q have 46 chromosomes
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   P is a somatic cell with 46 chromosomes (diploid, 2n); Q is a gamete with 23 chromosomes (haploid, n). Meiosis reduces chromosome number by half, producing haploid gametes that restore diploidy upon fertilization.

8. 8.

   Use the following processes to answer this question.
   I-Ribs move upward and outward

   II- Diaphragm relaxes

   IIl-Volume of thorax increases

   IV-Air is forced out of the lungs

   Which of the processes take place during inspiration?

   1. A
      X is bird; Y is reptile
   2. B
      X is human (4 caudal vertebrae fused into coccyx); Y is cat or dog (27 caudal vertebrae forming functional tail)
      Correct
   3. C
      X is fish; Y is amphibian
   4. D
      X is whale; Y is primate
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   Caudal (tail) vertebrae number varies dramatically across mammals reflecting evolutionary differences. Humans have 4 caudal vertebrae fused into the coccyx—a vestigial tail remnant.

9. 9.

   In which of the following structures is simple sugar produced?

   1. A
      P is larger than Q because it contains twice the DNA
   2. B
      P is a sperm cell and Q is an egg cell
   3. C
      P is diploid with two chromosome sets; Q is haploid with one set, involved in different gametogenesis stages
      Correct
   4. D
      P and Q have the same chromosome number and are both diploid
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   P (primary germ cell/gametocyte) is diploid (2n=46) with two homologous chromosome sets. Q (gamete) is haploid (n=23) with one set. They represent different gametogenesis stages.

10. 10.

    (a) (i) What is a cell?

    (ii) Name three scientists that are associated with the discovery of the cell.

    (b) (i) Make a diagram, 6cm to 8cm long of a plant cell and label only the organelle responsible for cell production

    (ii) Name one blood cell in humans that does not have the oraganelle labelled in (b)(i).

    (iii) What is the biological implication of the cell named in (b)(i) not possessing the organelle responsible for cell reproduction?

    (c) List six organelles found in a plant cell.

    1. A
       are made entirely of protein molecules
    2. B
       lower activation energy needed for reactions
    3. C
       are specific in action, binding only substrates whose shape fits their active site
       Correct
    4. D
       work fastest at optimum temperature and pH
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer: C

    Enzyme specificity (lock-and-key model) explains selective binding. Protease J has an active site shape complementary to only one substrate among K, L, M, N. This shape-based matching arises from precise amino acid arrangement in the active site.

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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Practise all 56 questions we hold from the 2022 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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