JAMB Biology Questions 2026/2027 | How to Pass JAMB Biology | JAMB Biology Likely Questions This Year | Biology Questions and Answers for JAMB UTME
Introduction: Why Biology is Your Best Friend in JAMB 2026/2027
Biology is the science of life, and for JAMB 2026/2027 candidates in the sciences, it is one of the most straightforward subjects to score high in if you are well prepared. Unlike Physics and Chemistry, Biology has fewer complex mathematical calculations. Instead, it rewards students who understand processes, can identify organisms, and grasp the interconnectedness of living systems.
Students targeting Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, and related programs must take Biology as a core subject. It is also one of the subjects where a student with focused study can move from a moderate score to an excellent one in a relatively short period.
This section covers 50 predicted JAMB Biology questions and comprehensive answers modeled on the JAMB syllabus and years of past question patterns. Topics ranging from cell biology and genetics to ecology and evolution are represented here. Understand each answer deeply, not just the words, and your Biology score will significantly improve.
JAMB Biology Syllabus Overview
The JAMB Biology syllabus covers: Living Organisms and Their Environment (ecology, adaptation, food chains), Cell Biology (structure, organelles, division), Plant Biology (photosynthesis, transpiration, reproduction), Animal Biology (nutrition, respiration, circulation, excretion, nervous and hormonal systems), Genetics and Evolution (Mendel’s laws, DNA, mutation, natural selection), and Microbiology/Biotechnology. Ecology and Genetics are among the heaviest-tested sections.
50 Predicted JAMB 2026/2027 Biology Questions and Answers
Q1. What is the basic unit of life?
Answer: The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all living organisms.
Q2. Define ‘photosynthesis’.
Answer: Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and other autotrophs use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen. 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + light energy → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂.
Q3. What is the difference between ‘mitosis’ and ‘meiosis’?
Answer: Mitosis produces two genetically identical daughter cells (used for growth and repair). Meiosis produces four genetically distinct daughter cells with half the chromosome number (used in sexual reproduction).
Q4. Define ‘osmosis’.
Answer: The movement of water molecules from a region of higher water potential (lower solute concentration) to a region of lower water potential (higher solute concentration) through a selectively permeable membrane.
Q5. What is ‘active transport’?
Answer: The movement of substances across a cell membrane from a region of low concentration to high concentration, against the concentration gradient, using energy (ATP).
Q6. What is the function of mitochondria?
Answer: Mitochondria are the ‘powerhouse of the cell,’ responsible for cellular respiration and the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) energy.
Q7. Define ‘DNA’.
Answer: Deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is the molecule that carries the genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth, and reproduction of all living organisms and many viruses.
Q8. What is ‘natural selection’?
Answer: The process by which organisms with traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more successfully, passing advantageous traits to offspring. Darwin’s mechanism of evolution.
Q9. What is the role of the ribosomes?
Answer: Ribosomes are organelles responsible for protein synthesis. They translate mRNA into polypeptide chains (proteins).
Q10. Define ‘ecosystem’.
Answer: An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with each other and with their non-living environment (water, soil, air, sunlight) as a system.
Q11. What is ‘transpiration’ in plants?
Answer: The process by which water is absorbed by plant roots, transported through the plant, and released as water vapor through tiny pores (stomata) in the leaves.
Q12. Differentiate between ‘aerobic’ and ‘anaerobic’ respiration.
Answer: Aerobic respiration uses oxygen to completely break down glucose, producing CO₂, water, and 36-38 ATP molecules. Anaerobic respiration occurs without oxygen, producing lactic acid (in animals) or ethanol and CO₂ (in plants/yeast), and only 2 ATP molecules.
Q13. What is ‘Mendelian inheritance’?
Answer: The pattern of heredity described by Gregor Mendel, based on his two laws: the Law of Segregation (alleles separate during gamete formation) and the Law of Independent Assortment (different gene pairs assort independently).
Q14. Define ‘symbiosis’.
Answer: A close, long-term biological interaction between two different organisms. It includes mutualism (both benefit), commensalism (one benefits, other is unaffected), and parasitism (one benefits, other is harmed).
Q15. What is the function of the kidney?
Answer: The kidney filters blood to remove waste products (especially urea), excess water, and salts, regulates blood pressure, and maintains electrolyte and pH balance. The waste is excreted as urine.
Q16. What is a ‘virus’ and how does it differ from a bacterium?
Answer: Viruses are non-cellular infectious agents that can only replicate inside living host cells. Bacteria are single-celled prokaryotic organisms capable of independent reproduction. Viruses are much smaller than bacteria.
Q17. Define ‘food chain’ and give an example.
Answer: A food chain shows the linear flow of energy from producers to consumers. Example: Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Eagle.
Q18. What is ‘tropism’ in plants?
Answer: The directional growth response of a plant toward or away from an external stimulus. Phototropism: response to light. Geotropism/Gravitropism: response to gravity. Hydrotropism: response to water.
Q19. Define ‘mutation’.
Answer: A permanent change in the DNA sequence of a gene or chromosome, which may be inherited. Mutations can be caused by radiation, chemicals, or errors in DNA replication.
Q20. What is the difference between ‘herbivores,’ ‘carnivores,’ and ‘omnivores’?
Answer: Herbivores eat only plants. Carnivores eat only animals. Omnivores eat both plants and animals.
Q21. What is ‘homeostasis’?
Answer: The ability of an organism to maintain a stable internal environment (e.g., body temperature, blood glucose level, water balance) despite changes in external conditions.
Q22. Define ‘pollination’.
Answer: The transfer of pollen grains from the anther (male part) to the stigma (female part) of a flower, enabling fertilization. It can be by wind, insects, water, or animals.
Q23. What are ‘chromosomes’?
Answer: Thread-like structures found in the nucleus of cells, made of DNA and proteins. They carry genes and transmit hereditary information. Humans have 46 chromosomes (23 pairs).
Q24. What is ‘excretion’ and how does it differ from ‘egestion’?
Answer: Excretion is the removal of metabolic waste products produced by the body’s chemical reactions (e.g., urea, CO₂). Egestion is the removal of undigested food material (feces) from the alimentary canal.
Q25. Define ‘immunity’.
Answer: The ability of an organism to resist disease, typically through the action of the immune system (white blood cells, antibodies). Immunity can be active (natural infection or vaccination) or passive (transferred antibodies).
Q26. What is the function of the chloroplast?
Answer: Chloroplasts are organelles in plant cells that contain chlorophyll and carry out photosynthesis, converting light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose.
Q27. What is ‘fermentation’?
Answer: A type of anaerobic respiration in which microorganisms (yeast, bacteria) convert sugars into simpler compounds such as ethanol and CO₂ (alcoholic fermentation) or lactic acid. Used in bread, beer, and yogurt production.
Q28. Define ‘gene’.
Answer: A gene is a specific sequence of DNA that codes for a particular protein or functional RNA molecule and determines a specific trait or characteristic of an organism.
Q29. What is ‘diffusion’?
Answer: The net movement of particles (molecules or ions) from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration, down a concentration gradient, without energy.
Q30. What is the function of the liver?
Answer: The liver detoxifies blood, produces bile for fat digestion, stores glycogen, regulates blood glucose, synthesizes proteins (including clotting factors), and metabolizes fats and amino acids.
Q31. Define ‘biodiversity’.
Answer: The variety of life in a particular habitat or on Earth as a whole, including genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
Q32. What is ‘the nitrogen cycle’?
Answer: The biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of nitrogen through the atmosphere, soil, water, plants, and animals via processes of nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, and denitrification.
Q33. What is ‘antibody’?
Answer: A protein produced by B-lymphocytes (B-cells) in response to an antigen (foreign substance). Antibodies bind specifically to antigens, neutralizing or marking them for destruction.
Q34. What is the role of enzymes in digestion?
Answer: Enzymes are biological catalysts that break down large food molecules into smaller absorbable units. Amylase breaks down starch to maltose; protease breaks proteins to amino acids; lipase breaks fats to fatty acids and glycerol.
Q35. Define ‘ecological succession’.
Answer: The process of change in species structure of a community over time, from a pioneer community to a stable climax community.
Q36. What is ‘blood type’ and how is it inherited?
Answer: Blood type is determined by antigens on red blood cells. The ABO system includes A, B, AB, and O. It is inherited according to Mendelian principles with IA, IB codominant and i recessive alleles.
Q37. What is ‘decomposition’ in ecology?
Answer: The breakdown of dead organic matter by decomposers (fungi and bacteria) into simpler inorganic compounds, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
Q38. Define ‘hormone’.
Answer: A chemical messenger produced by endocrine glands and transported in the blood to target organs where it regulates specific physiological processes. Examples: insulin (pancreas), adrenaline (adrenal gland).
Q39. What is ‘the cell cycle’?
Answer: The sequence of events in a cell’s life from one division to the next, including interphase (G1, S, G2 phases) and mitosis (cell division), culminating in the production of two daughter cells.
Q40. What is the importance of water to living organisms?
Answer: Water is a solvent for biochemical reactions, a transport medium (blood), a reactant in photosynthesis and hydrolysis, a temperature regulator, and provides structure (turgidity in plants).
Q41. Define ‘adaptation’ in biology.
Answer: A structural, physiological, or behavioral feature of an organism that increases its fitness (ability to survive and reproduce) in a particular environment.
Q42. What is ‘plasmolysis’?
Answer: The shrinkage of a plant cell’s cytoplasm away from its cell wall due to loss of water by osmosis when the cell is placed in a hypertonic (concentrated) solution.
Q43. What is ‘biomass’?
Answer: The total mass of living matter in a given area or of a given species, or the organic material derived from organisms. In ecology, it measures the amount of energy stored at each trophic level.
Q44. Define ‘reflex action’.
Answer: A rapid, automatic, involuntary response to a stimulus that bypasses the brain and is coordinated by the spinal cord (reflex arc: receptor → sensory neuron → relay neuron → motor neuron → effector).
Q45. What is ‘genetic engineering’?
Answer: The direct manipulation of an organism’s genes using biotechnology, including techniques like recombinant DNA technology, CRISPR-Cas9, and gene cloning, to produce desired traits.
Q46. What is ‘the water cycle’ (hydrological cycle)?
Answer: The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration, and runoff between the Earth’s surface, atmosphere, and oceans.
Q47. Define ‘trophic level’.
Answer: A position in a food chain or food web, defined by the number of energy transfer steps from the primary producer. Level 1: producers; Level 2: primary consumers; Level 3: secondary consumers, etc.
Q48. What is ‘antibiotic resistance’?
Answer: The ability of bacteria to survive and multiply in the presence of antibiotic drugs, resulting from natural selection of resistant mutations. It is a major global public health challenge.
Q49. Define ‘asexual reproduction’ and give two examples.
Answer: Asexual reproduction produces offspring from a single parent without the fusion of gametes, resulting in genetically identical offspring (clones). Examples: binary fission (bacteria), budding (yeast), vegetative propagation (plants).
Q50. What is the function of white blood cells (leucocytes)?
Answer: White blood cells are part of the immune system. They defend the body against infections and foreign substances through phagocytosis (engulfing pathogens) and antibody production.
CBT Tips for JAMB Biology
Learn diagrams actively. In your physical preparation, draw and label diagrams of cells, the heart, the kidney, the brain, and plant organs. Even on the CBT, visual memory helps when reading options. For ecology questions, understand the relationships between organisms rather than memorizing isolated facts. For genetics questions, practice solving crosses (Punnett squares) until they become automatic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the most important topics in JAMB Biology 2026/2027?
A: Cell biology, genetics (Mendelian inheritance, DNA), ecology (food chains, cycles), photosynthesis and respiration, plant and animal nutrition, and evolution (natural selection, adaptation) are consistently the heaviest-tested topics.
Q: How many questions does JAMB set for Biology?
A: JAMB sets 40 questions for Biology in the UTME examination.
Q: Do I need to memorize the entire JAMB Biology syllabus?
A: Not every detail, but you need a solid understanding of all the major topics. Focus on concepts you can explain and apply. Use past questions to identify the most frequently tested areas and prioritize them.
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