Free Practice Questions for Balearic PAU Biology

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Key Facts: Balearic PAU Biology Exam

90 Minutes

Exam time duration

UIB PAU Commission

EUR 69.21

Ordinary registration fee for Access Phase

UIB 2026 Fees

0–10 Scale

Grading scale for Bachillerato and PAU exams

Spanish Ministry of Education

5 Core Blocks

Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Metabolism, Genetics, Microbiology & Immunology

UIB Syllabus

100 Questions

Practice bank size in OpenExamPrep

OpenExamPrep

Balearic Islands PAU Biology (UIB 2026) is a 90-minute university entrance exam assessing 2º Bachillerato Biology across 5 core subject blocks.

Sample Balearic PAU Biology Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Balearic PAU Biology exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which physicochemical property of water accounts for its high specific heat capacity and high heat of vaporization?

A.Extensive hydrogen bonding between polar water molecules

B.The presence of covalent hydrogen-carbon bonds throughout the liquid matrix

C.The low dielectric constant preventing ionic dissociation

D.Van der Waals dispersion forces between nonpolar oxygen atoms

Explanation: Water molecules form a dense network of hydrogen bonds due to the strong dipole moment resulting from the electronegativity difference between oxygen and hydrogen. Breaking these bonds requires substantial thermal energy, giving water a high specific heat capacity and high heat of vaporization.

2Which group of chemical elements constitutes over 96% of total living organism mass (primary bioelements)?

A.Iron, Iodine, Zinc, and Copper

B.Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur

C.Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, and Chlorine

D.Silicon, Aluminum, Titanium, and Boron

Explanation: Primary bioelements (C, H, O, N, P, S) form covalent bonds easily and make up more than 96% of the dry weight of living organisms, providing the backbone for all major biological macromolecules.

3D-Glucose and D-Galactose differ in configuration only at carbon-4 (C-4). What type of isomers are they?

A.Enantiomers

B.Anomers

C.Epimers

D.Structural chain isomers

Explanation: Epimers are stereoisomers that differ in absolute configuration at only one specific chiral center. Since D-glucose and D-galactose differ solely at C-4, they are C-4 epimers.

4Maltose is a disaccharide produced during starch digestion. Which glycosidic linkage connects its two D-glucose units?

A.beta(1->6) glycosidic bond

B.beta(1->4) glycosidic bond

C.alpha(1->2) glycosidic bond

D.alpha(1->4) glycosidic bond

Explanation: Maltose consists of two D-glucopyranose units joined by an alpha(1->4) glycosidic bond formed between the anomeric C-1 hydroxyl group in the alpha position of the first glucose and the C-4 hydroxyl group of the second glucose.

5Which polysaccharide serves as the principal energy storage molecule in animal liver and muscle tissue?

A.Glycogen

B.Amylose

C.Cellulose

D.Chitin

Explanation: Glycogen is a highly branched homopolysaccharide of glucose linked by alpha(1->4) chains with alpha(1->6) branches every 8-12 glucose residues, serving as the main glucose storage reserve in animal liver and skeletal muscle.

6Why do unsaturated fatty acids with cis double bonds have lower melting points than saturated fatty acids of equivalent chain length?

A.Unsaturated fatty acids form stronger covalent cross-links that destabilize membrane lipids

B.Cis double bonds create a rigid bend in the hydrocarbon tail, preventing tight crystalline packing

C.Saturated fatty acids contain polar carboxyl groups that lower their melting temperature

D.Cis double bonds increase overall molecular mass, reducing intermolecular kinetic energy

Explanation: The cis double bond introduces a 30-degree kink in the hydrocarbon chain. This structural bend disrupts linear hydrophobic alignment and prevents close packing into a solid crystal lattice, resulting in lower melting points and liquid state at room temperature.

7What products are generated when a triacylglycerol undergoes alkaline hydrolysis (saponification) with sodium hydroxide (NaOH)?

A.Sphingosine, phosphate, and choline

B.Three free fatty acids and ethanol

C.Glycerol and three sodium salts of fatty acids (soaps)

D.Glycerol-3-phosphate and three fatty alcohols

Explanation: Saponification is the base-catalyzed ester hydrolysis of triacylglycerols. Treatment with NaOH cleaves the three ester bonds, yielding one molecule of glycerol (propan-1,2,3-triol) and three sodium fatty acid carboxylate salts (soaps).

8What physical drive causes glycerophospholipids to spontaneously assemble into lipid bilayers in an aqueous environment?

A.Ionic repulsions between nonpolar hydrocarbon tails and water dipoles

B.Formation of covalent disulfide linkages between adjacent fatty acyl chains

C.Active ATP-dependent transport by membrane-bound translocases

D.Hydrophobic effect driven by the increase in entropy of surrounding water molecules

Explanation: The hydrophobic effect drives lipid bilayer self-assembly. Nonpolar fatty acyl tails force surrounding water molecules into ordered clathrate structures. Aggregation of nonpolar tails sequesters them from water, releasing caged water molecules into bulk solution and increasing overall thermodynamic entropy (Delta S > 0).

9How does cholesterol modulate cell membrane fluidity across varying temperature regimes?

A.It acts as a fluidity buffer: restricting phospholipid movement at high temperatures and preventing tail packing at low temperatures

B.It covalently cross-links phospholipids to permanently freeze the membrane in a gel phase

C.It enzymatically desaturates fatty acid tails when temperatures drop below freezing

D.It dissolves integral membrane proteins to increase lateral diffusion rates indiscriminately

Explanation: Cholesterol acts as a membrane fluidity buffer. At warm temperatures, its rigid steroid ring system interferes with phospholipid acyl chain movement, reducing fluidity. At cold temperatures, it inserts between acyl tails, preventing close packing and crystallization.

10An amino acid with a non-ionizable side chain (like alanine) reaches its isoelectric point (pI). What is its net electrical charge at this pH?

A.+2

B.0 (Zwitterion)

C.+1

D.-1

Explanation: At the isoelectric point (pI), the amino acid exists predominantly as a dipolar zwitterion with a protonated positively charged amino group (-NH3+) and a deprotonated negatively charged carboxyl group (-COO-), yielding a net electric charge of zero.

About the Balearic PAU Biology Exam

The Balearic Islands PAU Biology examination (Proves d'Accés a la Universitat, UIB 2026) is the official standardized assessment for 2º Bachillerato students seeking university entry in Spain. The exam assesses student mastery across five key biological domains: Biochemistry & Biomolecules, Cell Biology & Division, Metabolism & Energetics, Molecular Genetics & Evolution, and Microbiology & Immunology. This practice bank provides 100 high-quality questions with comprehensive explanations for all options.

Exam sponsor: PAU Organising Commission of the Balearic Islands / UIB. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Written 90-minute standardized exam evaluating Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Metabolism, Genetics, and Microbiology/Immunology. Local practice items are an English-language MCQ study adaptation of the official open/semi-constructed Balearic Islands PAU paper, not an official translation or format simulation.

Time Limit

90 minutes (1.5 hours)

Passing Score

Marked on a 0–10 scale. Minimum 4.0 required in Access Phase to combine with Bachillerato GPA (60% Bachillerato + 40% PAU >= 5.0 to pass).

Exam / Certification Fees

EUR 69.21 ordinary registration fee (Access Phase); EUR 13.85 per additional Admission Phase subject paper (UIB 2026)

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

UIB - Proves d'Accés a la Universitat (PAU) Biologia

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

20%

Biochemistry & Biomolecules

Chemical composition of living organisms, bioelements, water, inorganic salts, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, enzymes, and nucleic acids.

20%

Cell Biology & Division

Cell theory, eukaryotic vs prokaryotic cell structure, plasma membrane, transport mechanisms, endomembrane system, organelles, cell cycle, mitosis, and meiosis.

20%

Metabolism & Energetics

Anabolism and catabolism, enzymatic regulation, glycolysis, fermentation, Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and light/dark reactions of photosynthesis.

20%

Molecular Genetics & Evolution

DNA replication, transcription, RNA processing, genetic code, translation, gene expression regulation, mutations, recombinant DNA, and molecular evolution.

20%

Microbiology & Immunology

Microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions), biotechnology, innate and adaptive immunity, antigens, immunoglobulins, humoral vs cellular responses, and vaccines.

Preparing for the Balearic PAU Biology Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Marked on a 0–10 scale. Minimum 4.0 required in Access Phase to combine with Bachillerato GPA (60% Bachillerato + 40% PAU >= 5.0 to pass).
Assessment: Written 90-minute standardized exam evaluating Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Metabolism, Genetics, and Microbiology/Immunology. Local practice items are an English-language MCQ study adaptation of the official open/semi-constructed Balearic Islands PAU paper, not an official translation or format simulation.
Time limit: 90 minutes (1.5 hours)
Exam / certification fees: EUR 69.21 ordinary registration fee (Access Phase); EUR 13.85 per additional Admission Phase subject paper (UIB 2026) Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

Work through all 100 available questions
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Balearic PAU Biology: Suggested Study Strategy

1Master biomodule structures and linkages, such as glycosidic, ester, peptide, and phosphodiester bonds.

2Understand metabolic pathways and their intracellular locations (e.g. glycolysis in cytosol, Krebs cycle in mitochondrial matrix).

3Trace genetic information flow (central dogma) and practice codon chart translation.

4Differentiate between humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, antibody structure, and primary vs secondary responses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these official Balearic Islands PAU exam questions?

Local practice items are an English-language MCQ study adaptation of the official open/semi-constructed Balearic Islands PAU paper, not an official translation or format simulation. Use official UIB past papers and subject matrices for open-response, listening, graphic, and performance practice.

What is the format of the official Balearic Islands PAU exam?

The official PAU exam administered by UIB is a 90-minute written examination. Practice questions provided here offer MCQ practice for core topics.

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