Semester 1 Biology Common Assessment

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

1. A snake that eats a frog that has eaten an insect that fed on a plant is a
a. second-level producer. c. third-level consumer.
b. first-level consumer. d. first-level producer.
2. An endangered species is
a. a diseased animal.
b. a dangerous predator.
c. all organisms at the top of a food chain.
d. a group of organisms near extinction.
3. Green plants are
a. herbivores. c. consumers.
b. omnivores. d. producers.
4. One of the goals of conservation biology is to
a. enforce environmental laws.
b. manage natural resources.
c. protect habitats.
d. all of the above
5. The sulfur and nitrogen compounds in smog combine with water to form
a. chlorofluorocarbons. c. ammonia.
b. ozone. d. acid rain.
6. The repeated movement of water between Earth’s surface and the atmosphere is called
a. the condensation cycle. c. precipitation.
b. evaporation. d. the water cycle.
7. Information gathered in an experiment is called
a. hypotheses. c. inferences.
b. variables. d. data.
8. Some scientists think that global warming is
a. melting the polar ice caps.
b. a result of human activity.
c. a natural variation in climate.
d. all of the above
9. What animals eat both producers and consumers?
a. autotrophs c. omnivores
b. chemotrophs d. herbivores
10. Organisms need nutrients in order to
a. carry out nitrogen fixation. c. carry out essential life functions.
b. recycle chemical compounds. d. utilize hydrogen and oxygen.
11. A controlled experiment allows the scientist to isolate and test
a. a single variable. c. several variables.
b. a conclusion. d. a mass of information.
12. Earth has three main climate zones because of the differences in latitude and
a. ocean currents. c. prevailing winds.
b. amount of solar energy received. d. angle of heating.
 Figure 3-1

13. The algae at the beginning of the food chain in Figure 3-1 are
a. heterotrophs. c. decomposers.
b. producers. d. consumers.
14. Which type of pyramid shows the amount of living tissue at each trophic level in an ecosystem?
a. an energy pyramid c. a biomass pyramid
b. a food pyramid d. a numbers pyramid
15. What is an organism that feeds only on plants called?
a. detritivore c. carnivore
b. omnivore d. herbivore
16. An organism that uses energy to produce its own food supply from inorganic compounds is called a(an)
a. consumer. c. detritivore.
b. heterotroph. d. autotroph.
17. An organism’s niche is
a. all the physical factors in the organism’s environment.
b. a full description of the place an organism lives.
c. the way the organism uses the range of physical and biological conditions in which it
lives.
d. the range of temperatures that the organism needs to survive.
18. A well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations is a(an)
a. controlled experiment. c. inference.
b. hypothesis. d. theory.
19. What is the process by which bacteria convert nitrogen gas in the air to ammonia?
a. nitrogen fixation c. excretion
b. decomposition d. denitrification
20. Scientific hypotheses must be proposed in a way that
a. doesn’t contradict previous hypotheses.
b. enables them to be proved valid.
c. ensures that an experiment will be valid.
d. enables them to be tested.
21. What is the original source of almost all the energy in most ecosystems?
a. carbohydrates c. carbon
b. sunlight d. water
22. Different species can share the same habitat, but competition among them is reduced if they
a. reproduce at different times. c. eat less.
b. occupy different niches. d. increase their populations.
23. Demographic transition is change from high birthrates and high death rates to
a. exponential growth.
b. indefinite growth.
c. a low birthrate and a low death rate.
 d. a low birthrate and a high death rate.
24. Which is a way to limit deforestation?
a. fertilize the soil
b. increase carbon dioxide levels
c. use more wood products
d. plant and harvest trees on tree farms
25. Any factor in the environment that causes population growth to decrease is a
a. limiting nutrient. c. growth factor.
b. carrying capacity. d. limiting factor.
26. The basic unit of mass in the International System of Units, or SI, is the
a. ounce. c. gram.
b. liter. d. meter.
27. Which two biomes have the least amount of precipitation?
a. tropical savanna and tropical dry forest
b. boreal forest and temperate woodland and shrubland
c. tundra and desert
d. tropical rain forest and temperate grassland
28. All of the following are characteristics of all living things EXCEPT
a. reproduction. c. movement.
b. use of energy. d. growth.
29. Demography is the scientific study of
a. modernized countries. c. parasitism and disease.
b. economic transitions. d. human populations.
30. The symbiotic relationship between a flower and the insect that feeds on its nectar is an example of
a. commensalism because the insect doesn’t harm the flower, and the flower doesn’t benefit
from the relationship.
b. mutualism because the flower provides the insect with food, and the insect pollinates the
flower.
c. parasitism because the insect lives off the nectar from the flower.
d. predation because the insect feeds on the flower.
31. Temperatures on Earth remain within a suitable range for life because of the
a. radiation of sunlight back into the atmosphere.
b. loss of heat to space.
c. unequal heating of Earth’s surface.
d. greenhouse effect.
32. The work of scientists begins with
a. careful observations. c. testing a hypothesis.
b. creating experiments. d. drawing conclusions.
33. The unequal heating of Earth’s surface
a. causes winds that transport heat throughout the biosphere.
b. drives wind and ocean currents.
c. has important effects on Earth’s climate regions.
d. all of the above
34. What is the combined portions of Earth called in which all living things exist?
a. ecosystem c. community
b. biome d. biosphere
35. As resources in a population become less available, population growth
a. enters a phase of exponential growth.
 b. becomes negative.
c. increases slowly.
d. reaches carrying capacity.
36. The ability to reproduce results is an important part of any
a. hypothesis. c. theory.
b. experiment. d. law.
37. All the interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem make up a food
a. chain. c. web.
b. network. d. interaction.
38. Biology is the study of
a. living things.
b. the environment.
c. the land, water, and air on Earth.
d. animals and plants only.
39. Which of the following describes the largest number of individuals that an environment can support?
a. carrying capacity. c. immigration.
b. emigration. d. exponential growth.
40. Which of the following descriptions about the organization of an ecosystem is correct?
a. Species make up communities, which make up populations.
b. Species are grouped in populations, which make up communities.
c. Communities make up species, which make up populations.
d. Populations make up species, which make up communities.
41. Nitrogen fixation is carried out primarily by
a. plants. c. bacteria.
b. consumers. d. humans.
42. There are 150 Saguaro cacti plants per square kilometer in a certain area of Arizona desert. To which popula-
tion characteristic does this information refer?
a. age structure c. population density
b. growth rate d. geographic distribution
43. Which is a biotic factor that affects the size of a population in a specific ecosystem?
a. number and kinds of predators in the ecosystem
b. type of soil in the ecosystem
c. average temperature of the ecosystem
d. concentration of oxygen in the ecosystem
44. Carbon cycles through the biosphere in all of the following processes EXCEPT
a. transpiration. c. respiration.
b. decomposition. d. photosynthesis.
45. Organisms that obtain nutrients by breaking down dead and decaying plants and animals are called
a. omnivores. c. producers.
b. decomposers. d. autotrophs.
46. What is the term for a group of organisms of one type living in the same place?
a. ecosystem c. environment
b. biosphere d. population
47. The major cause of ozone depletion is
a. nitric acid. c. ultraviolet light.
b. chlorofluorocarbons. d. sulfuric acid.
48. Only 10 percent of the energy stored in an organism can be passed on to the next trophic level. Of the remain-
ing energy, some is used for the organism’s life processes, and the rest is
 a. eliminated as heat. c. stored as body tissue.
b. stored as fat. d. used in reproduction.
49. The average year-after-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region is the region’s
a. weather. c. ecosystem.
b. climate. d. latitude.
50. What can cause a population to grow?
a. The birthrate and the death rate remain the same.
b. The birthrate stays the same, and the death rate increases.
c. The birthrate becomes higher than the death rate.
d. The birthrate becomes lower than the death rate.
51. Which density-dependent factors, other than the predator/prey relationship, affected the populations of moose
and wolves on Isle Royale?
a. a hurricane followed by drought for both moose and wolves
b. extreme temperatures for the moose and flooding for the wolves
c. parasitic wasps for the wolves and clear-cut forest for the moose
d. food availability for the moose and disease for the wolf
52. The process by which organisms keep their internal conditions fairly constant is called
a. metabolism c. homeostasis.
b. evolution. d. photosynthesis.
53. An organism that cannot make its own food is called a(an)
a. heterotroph. c. producer.
b. autotroph. d. chemotroph.
54. The goals of conservation biology include all of the following EXCEPT
a. preservation of habitats and wildlife.
b. wise management of natural resources.
c. protection and management of individual species.
d. introducing foreign species into new environments.
55. As DDT moves up the trophic levels in food chains, its concentration
a. decreases. c. increases.
b. is eliminated. d. stays the same.
56. Overexposure to UV radiation can
a. decrease organisms’ resistance to disease.
b. damage eyes.
c. cause cancer.
d. all of the above
57. The branch of biology dealing with interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environ-
ment is called
a. ecology. c. recycling.
b. economy. d. modeling.
58. Which is NOT a unit of measurement in the International System of Units, or SI?
a. gram c. meter
b. ounce d. liter
59. The total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level is called the
a. biomass. c. trophic mass.
b. organic mass. d. energy mass.
60. Symbiosis in which both species benefit is called
a. mutualism. c. commensalism.
b. parasitism. d. predation.
61. A theory
a. may be revised or replaced.
b. is always true.
c. is a problem to be solved.
d. is the opening statement of an experiment.
62. Biodiversity is important to human society because it
a. provides food and goods. c. provides medicines.
b. is a natural resource. d. all of the above
63. The movement of organisms into a given area from another area is called
a. population shift. c. carrying capacity.
b. emigration. d. immigration.
64. The wearing away of surface soil by water and wind is known as
a. desertification. c. soil erosion.
b. deforestation. d. overgrazing.
65. Several species of cardinal can live in the same oak tree ONLY because they
a. can find different temperatures within the tree.
b. have different habitats within the tree.
c. occupy different niches within the tree.
d. eat different foods within the tree.
66. Biodiversity is valuable in the biosphere because it
a. provides humans with resistance to disease.
b. tells us about many other species.
c. is the biological life-support system of our planet.
d. gives us interesting things to look at.
67. Which would be least likely to be affected by a density-dependent limiting factor?
a. a small, scattered population
b. a population with a high immigration rate
c. a population with a high birthrate
d. a large, dense population
68. If a population grows larger than the carrying capacity of the environment, the
a. death rate may rise. c. birthrate may rise.
b. carrying capacity will change. d. population will grow faster.
69. An increase in Earth’s average temperature from the buildup of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmo-
sphere is called
a. global warming.
b. the greenhouse effect.
c. particulate dispersal.
d. ozone depletion.
70. The loss of heat to space is slowed by
a. atmospheric gases. c. the biosphere.
b. radiation entering the atmosphere. d. solar energy.
71. Aquatic ecosystems are classified by all of the following EXCEPT
a. temperature of the water. c. chemistry of the water.
b. organisms that live there. d. depth and flow of the water.
72. In the metric system, the basic unit of length is the
a. centimeter. c. kilometer.
b. millimeter. d. meter.
73. Which biome is characterized by very low temperatures, little precipitation, and permafrost?
 a. tropical dry forest c. temperate forest
b. tundra d. desert
74. Each of the following is an abiotic factor in the environment EXCEPT
a. rainfall. c. temperature.
b. plant life. d. soil type.
75. Hypotheses may arise from
a. prior knowledge. c. logical inferences.
b. imaginative guesses. d. all of the above
 Semester 1 Biology Common Assessment
Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. REF: p. 70
2. REF: p. 151
3. REF: p. 67
4. REF: p. 154
5. REF: p. 148
6. REF: p. 75
7. REF: p. 4
8. REF: p. 159
9. REF: p. 69
10. REF: p. 76
11. REF: p. 9
12. REF: p. 88
13. REF: p. 67
14. REF: p. 72
15. REF: p. 69
16. REF: p. 67
17. REF: p. 91
18. REF: p. 14
19. REF: p. 78
20. REF: p. 5
21. REF: p. 67
22. REF: p. 92
23. REF: p. 130
24. REF: p. 146
25. REF: p. 124
26. REF: p. 24
27. REF: p. 101 | p. 104
28. REF: p. 16
29. REF: p. 130
30. REF: p. 93
31. REF: p. 88
32. REF: p. 4
33. REF: p. 89
34. REF: p. 63
35. REF: p. 122
36. REF: p. 10
37. REF: p. 70
38. REF: p. 16
39. REF: p. 122
40. REF: p. 64
41. REF: p. 78
42. REF: p. 119
43. REF: p. 90
44. REF: p. 76 | p. 77
45. REF: p. 69
46. REF: p. 21
47. REF: p. 157
48. REF: p. 72
49. REF: p. 87
50. REF: p. 120
51. REF: p. 126
52. REF: p. 19
53. REF: p. 68
54. REF: p. 154
55. REF: p. 152
56. REF: p. 157
57. REF: p. 63
58. REF: p. 24
59. REF: p. 72
60. REF: p. 93
61. REF: p. 15
62. REF: p. 150
63. REF: p. 120
64. REF: p. 145
65. REF: p. 92
66. REF: p. 150
67. REF: p. 125
68. REF: p. 122
69. REF: p. 157
70. REF: p. 87 | p. 88
71. REF: p. 106
72. REF: p. 24
73. REF: p. 104
74. REF: p. 90
75. REF: p. 5