Science Assessment ~ Items ~ EM051002

Lactase is an enzyme that helps digest milk. All human infants make lactase, but some individuals make less of it by the time they reach adolescence. A person’s lactase activity is measured in units (U).

Below is a graph that shows the lactase activity of adults in a population.

Which of the following claims is supported by this graph?

Lactase activity is changing over time in the population.
Lactase activity varies among individuals in the population.
Lactase activity is undergoing natural selection in the population.
Lactase activity is the same throughout the population.

Details
Performance
NGSS

Topic: Evolution and Natural Selection
Correct Answer: B
Misconceptions

Pre-Test

Pre-Test

Post-Test (Control)

Post-Test (Control)

Post-Test (Treatment)

Post-Test (Treatment)

Distribution of Responses

Chart showing distrubtion of responses for Item EN051002

Points Earned

Group	Correct	Total	Percent
Overall	406	580	70%
Grades
6–8	16	25	64%
9–12	362	514	70%
Gender
Male	170	254	67%
Female	210	286	73%
Primary Language
English	371	526	71%
Other	6	13	46%

View data table

Distribution of Responses

Points Earned

Group	Correct	Total	Percent
Overall	173	255	68%
Grades
6–8	8	15	53%
9–12	137	195	70%
Gender
Male	66	97	68%
Female	82	119	69%
Primary Language
English	143	205	70%
Other	1	6	17%

View data table

Distribution of Responses

Points Earned

Group	Correct	Total	Percent
Overall	225	301	75%
Grades
6–8	8	8	100%
9–12	202	274	74%
Gender
Male	99	134	74%
Female	112	150	75%
Primary Language
English	203	274	74%
Other	8	9	89%

View data table

Science and Engineering Practices: SEP4 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena.
Disciplinary Core Ideas: LS3.B Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal are recognizable as similar but can also vary in many ways.

Science Assessment

Item EM051002: Lactase activity varies among individuals in the population. (Recognize a graph that represents that variability.)