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Grade 12 Biology entrance exam, 2017 E.C. (2025), version 2

Real questions from the Grade 12 university entrance exam in Biology, as students sat it in 2017 E.C. Every question comes with the correct answer and a worked explanation. The 2017 E.C. exam went out in several versions. This page holds version 2; the others are listed further down.

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  • Natural science stream

    Who sits it

  • 2017 E.C. (2025), version 2

    Exam year

  • 96 questions with answers

    In this set

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Answer each question yourself before opening the answer. The explanations point to the exact place in the textbook, so you know which page to reread when you miss one.

Question 1

The vaccine against terrible cattle disease rind pest was made by __________.

  1. A.Prof. Beyene Petros
  2. B.Prof. Tilahun Yilma
  3. C.Dr. Alipurduar Lemma
  4. D.Dr. Gebissa Ejetta
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B Prof. Tilahun Yilma

Why

Rinderpest was the cattle plague that wiped out herds across Ethiopia and the rest of Africa. Professor Tilahun Yilma, an Ethiopian veterinary microbiologist, used genetic engineering to build a vaccine on a vaccinia virus carrier, and it stayed stable in heat so it could travel to villages without a cold chain. Dr Aklilu Lemma is the tempting answer because he is the best known Ethiopian name in disease control, but his discovery was endod against the snails that carry bilharzia, not a cattle vaccine.

Question 2

Which of the following Ethiopian Biologist has been honored by developing high yielding strains of sorghum?

  1. A.Dr. Tsehaynesh Meselle
  2. B.Dr. Birhane Asfaw
  3. C.Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged
  4. D.Dr. Gebissa Ejetta
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: D Dr. Gebissa Ejetta

Why

Dr Gebisa Ejeta is a plant breeder. He developed sorghum varieties that survive drought and resist the parasitic weed striga, which raised harvests for farmers in Ethiopia and across the Sahel, and he received the World Food Prize for that work. Dr Berhane Asfaw is the tempting choice because he is also a famous Ethiopian scientist, but his field is human fossils, not crop breeding.

Question 3

Ethiopian Biologist who worked on effects of chemical pesticides on human is ___________.

  1. A.Prof. Sebsibie Demisew
  2. B.Prof. Legesse Negash
  3. C.Prof. Yealemtsehay Mekonnen
  4. D.Prof. Mogessie Ashenafi
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C Prof. Yealemtsehay Mekonnen

Why

Professor Yalemtsehay Mekonnen studied how the chemical pesticides sprayed on farms and flower farms affect the health of the people who handle them. Her work is in human physiology and toxicology. Professor Legesse Negash is the tempting answer because he also works with plants, but his research is on growing and saving indigenous Ethiopian trees.

Question 4

Ethiopian Biologist who has made a soap berry to eradicate snail which is intermediate host of bilharzia:

  1. A.Dr. Melaku Werede
  2. B.Dr. Gebissa Ejetta
  3. C.Dr. Birhane Asfaw
  4. D.Dr. Aklilu Lemma
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: D Dr. Aklilu Lemma

Why

Bilharzia is spread by a worm that must pass part of its life inside a freshwater snail, so killing the snail breaks the chain of infection. Dr Aklilu Lemma noticed that water downstream of places where people washed clothes with endod berries, the soap berry, had dead snails in it, and he developed endod as a snail killer. Dr Melaku Worede is the tempting choice, but his contribution was the national gene bank and the saving of farmers' seed varieties.

Question 5

Among the following renowned Ethiopian Biologists who discover two 160,000 years old human skulls which have a big impact on the study of human evolution?

  1. A.Dr. Berhane Asfaw
  2. B.Dr. Tsehaynesh Meselle
  3. C.Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged
  4. D.Dr. Melaku Werede
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: A Dr. Berhane Asfaw

Why

The two skulls found at Herto in the Middle Awash are about 160,000 years old and are among the earliest known remains of our own species. Dr Berhane Asfaw was a co-leader of the team that found and described them. Dr Zeresenay Alemseged is the tempting answer, but his famous find is Selam, the child from Dikika, who belongs to Australopithecus afarensis and is more than 3 million years old.

Question 6

All are the major research areas of EHNRI except:

  1. A.HIV vaccine trial
  2. B.Forestry
  3. C.Battle against TB
  4. D.Nutritional state of mothers and baby
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B Forestry

Why

EHNRI is the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute, so everything it works on is health or nutrition: vaccine trials, communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, and the nutritional state of mothers and their babies. Forestry is a plant and land science and belongs to the agriculture and biodiversity institutes. Tuberculosis is the tempting answer because it sits next to two nutrition items, but disease research is the core work of a health institute.

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The other Biology papers of 2017 E.C.

2017 E.C. (2025)2017 E.C. (2025), version 1

Biology papers from other years

2018 E.C. (2026)2018 E.C. (2026), round 12018 E.C. (2026), version 12016 E.C. (2024)2016 E.C. model exam2015 E.C. (2023)2014 E.C. (2022)2013 E.C. (2021)2012 E.C. (2020)2011 E.C. (2019)2010 E.C. (2018)2009 E.C. (2017)2008 E.C. (2016)2007 E.C. (2015)2006 E.C. (2014)2005 E.C. (2013)1996 E.C. (2004)

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Are these the real 2017 E.C. Biology entrance exam questions?

Yes. They come from the national university entrance exam in Biology that students sat in 2017 E.C. (2025). Our set holds 96 of its questions, each with its answer and an explanation that points back to the textbook.

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Can I download the Biology 2017 E.C. paper as a PDF?

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