Download Life Science Practice Questions

11/14/13
Practice Test Item
Question 1
Which interaction between organisms would be described as parasitic?
A. a mosquito feeding on the blood of a dog
B. a bee gathering nectar and pollen from a flower
C. a cleaner shrimp picking dead skin off a large fish
D. a nonpoisonous snake mimicking a poisonous snake
Question 2
A park is home to a large number of robins, squirrels and rabbits. The robins and squirrels live in the park’s trees.
The robins feed on earthworms and insects that live on the ground. The squirrels eat the acorns produced by the
park’s oak trees. The rabbits hide in the bushes and feed on the grass.
Which factor would directly limit the number of rabbits that could live in this park?
A. number of robins
B. number of bushes
C. number of acorns
D. number of squirrels
Question 3
In which environment is white fur color an advantage for survival?
A. desert
B. grassland
C. arctic tundra
D. temperate forest
Question 4
Which cell structure carries out a function for a cell that is similar to the function that bark carries out for a tree?
A. cell wall
B. nucleus
C. chloroplast
D. mitochondrion
Passage (click here to show all)
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Use the information below to answer questions #-##.
The diagram below represents a cross section of a lagoon and some of its aquatic organisms. A magnified
view (400X magnification) of each organism is shown.
Lagoon
Question 5
Choose one of the organisms in the diagram.
In your Answer Document, identify two nonliving resources the organism needs to live.
Explain how the organism uses each of the two nonliving resources. (2 points)
Question 6
Paramecia usually reproduce asexually. Fish reproduce sexually. Suppose the environmental conditions in the
lagoon change.
What advantage will the fish population have over the paramecium population?
A. Sexual reproduction produces offspring that are identical to the parents.
B. Sexual reproduction decreases the genetic variability in the fish populations.
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C. Sexual reproduction limits the spread of harmful characteristics in fish populations.
D. Sexual reproduction allows populations to adapt to new conditions over fewer generations.
Question 7
Structure Z serves the same function in each of the organisms.
What is the function of structure Z in the water lily, fish and paramecium cells?
A. to move the cells
B. to control cellular activities
C. to carry out photosynthesis
D. to allow nutrients to enter and exit the cells
Question 8
Use the diagram showing a cross section of a hill and the information below to answer question #.
Scientists see three layers of rock exposed on the side of a hill. The bottom layer is sandstone with fossils of a
certain species of reptile found only in this geographic location. The middle layer is volcanic ash. The top layer is
mud stone (shale) with fossils of a different species of reptile.
The fossil evidence supports which hypothesis about the extinction of the older reptile species?
A. The older reptile species went extinct because sea levels rose and flooded its habitat.
B. The older reptile species went extinct because a predator was introduced into the environment.
C. The older reptile species went extinct because it could not compete with the younger reptile species.
D. The older reptile species went extinct because a volcanic eruption caused the environment to change.
Question 9
Use the diagrams and information below to answer question #.
The diagrams below show the digestive systems of an earthworm and a bird.
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Earthworms and birds have strong muscular gizzards. The gizzard grinds food into small bits before it passes on to
the intestine. Mammals, in contrast, do not have gizzards.
Why do earthworms and birds need to have gizzards but mammals do not?
A. Earthworms and birds are not equipped to chew food.
B. Earthworms and birds eat food that is difficult to digest.
C. Earthworms and birds have intestines that work inefficiently.
D. Earthworms and birds do not have stomachs to mix moistened food.
Question 10
Use the information and diagram below to answer question #.
Male mussels release sperm into the water. Female mussels take the sperm into their gill chambers where
fertilization occurs. Young mussel larvae are released into the water where they float freely until they attach to the gill
of a host fish. After a few weeks, they reach the juvenile stage and drop off. After the juvenile drops off the fish gill, it
burrows into the river bed and begins the life cycle all over again.
The parasitic behavior of the larvae benefits the mussel in two ways. One benefit is that the fish provides nutrition for
the larvae when they are attached to its gill.
What is the second way this behavior enhances the survival of the mussel species?
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A. The large size of the fish provides the mussel larvae with plenty of room to grow.
B. The parasitism increases the opportunity for the mussels to mate with other mussel species.
C. The mobility of the fish spreads the mussels to areas they would otherwise be unable to reach.
D. The location of the larvae on the gills of fish reduces the exposure of the larvae to oxygen-rich water.
Question 11
Which is an example of a group of cells with a common structure and function?
A. stomach
B. muscle tissue
C. mitochondria
D. digestive system
Question 12
Use the following pictures to answer question #.
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The reproductive success of an organism depends in part on the ability of the organism to survive.
How does the physical appearance of these organisms help them survive?
A. Their physical appearance helps them find a habitat.
B. Their physical appearance helps them resist parasites.
C. Their physical appearance helps them avoid predators.
D. Their physical appearance helps them defend a territory.
Question 13
Termites eat wood but cannot digest it. Protozoans live in the termites’ stomachs and use enzymes to break down
the wood. The digested wood provides nutrition for both the termites and the protozoans.
What type of relationship is this?
A. mutualism
B. parasitism
C. predation
D. commensalism
Question 14
Use the diagrams and information below to answer question #.
Monte Bolca is located high in the mountains of northern Italy. This site is one of the world’s largest deposits of coral
reef fish fossils. There are fossils of more than 160 fish species dating back 49 million years.
These fossils provide evidence of the environment in which the coral fish lived and died.
Which statement is consistent with this evidence and explains how ancient coral reef fossils can be found high in
the mountains far from any sea?
A. A huge tidal wave pushed marine life up into the mountains.
B. Prehistoric man carried fish into the mountains from the sea.
C. Fish were thrown into the mountains by a tremendous volcanic explosion.
D. Land that was uplifted to form the mountains was once covered by the sea.
Question 15
What is the relationship between tissues and organs?
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A. Organs are made from one type of tissue.
B. Tissues are made from one type of organ.
C. Tissues are made from different types of organs.
D. Organs are made from different types of tissues.
Question 16
The food web shows the interactions between organisms in a meadow ecosystem.
Which organism gets food energy directly from both plants and animals?
A. fox
B. grass
C. grasshopper
D. snake
Question 17
Use the following information to answer question #.
The illustration below shows how a strawberry plant reproduces by asexual reproduction to form a new plant.
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In your Answer Document, describe how the new plant compares genetically with the parent plant.
Describe one advantage that asexual reproduction might offer the strawberry plant. (2 points)
Question 18
Use the information below to answer question #.
Fossils of the Coelacanth (sØ' lŒkanth') fish occur in the fossil record from 410 to 65 million years ago. The lack of
more recent fossils led scientists to conclude that the fish went extinct along with the dinosaurs. In 1938, a
fisherman caught a living Coelacanth. More than 200 of them have been caught on the deep reefs in the Indian
Ocean. This fish has been called a “living fossil” because its body plan is nearly identical to the 400-million-year-old
fossils.
This structural similarity, as evidenced by the fossil record, supports which statement?
A. The environment of the deep sea has changed little over millions of years.
B. The amount of salt in the deep sea has varied greatly over millions of years.
C. The oceans have completely dried up multiple times during the past 400 million years.
D. The oceans have been continuously repopulated by freshwater fish species over millions of years.
Question 19
What is the role of the mitochondrion in cells?
A. It converts sunlight to energy.
B. It controls all functions of the cell.
C. It transports water throughout the cell.
D. It breaks down sugar to release energy.
Question 20
Bass tapeworms attach to the gills and intestines of bass fish. These worms survive by taking nutrients from the
bass.
What type of relationship does this represent?
A. predation
B. parasitism
C. mutualism
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D. commensalism
Question 21
Fungi recycle leaves in forests. Fungi release chemicals onto the leaves to break them down into smaller particles.
The fungi use the small particles for growth.
Which process allows fungi to obtain the nutrients they need from dead leaves?
A. circulation
B. digestion
C. reproduction
D. respiration
Question 22
Aphids are small insects that sometimes live near ants. The ants protect the aphids from predators. The aphids
produce a sweet substance that the ants eat.
Which statement describes the relationship between ants and aphids?
A. Both ants and aphids benefit.
B. Both ants and aphids are unaffected.
C. The ants benefit and the aphids are harmed.
D. The aphids benefit and the ants are unaffected.
Question 23
Which two plant cell structures are responsible for storing energy from sunlight and later releasing it for cells to use?
A. chloroplast and mitochondrion
B. mitochondrion and cell wall
C. chloroplast and nucleus
D. nucleus and cell wall
Question 24
Use the following information and food web to answer question 38.
Sea otters are marine mammals that live in giant kelp forests along the Pacific coast of North America. Sea otters
have an important role in the food web of this ecosystem. When sea otters are removed from the giant kelp forest,
the kelp also begins to disappear.
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In your Answer Document, explain why the absence of sea otters would lead to a decrease in the giant kelp.
Then, choose another organism in the food web and explain why the decreasing amount of giant kelp would affect
that organism. (2 points)
Question 25
Aphids are a common plant-pest insect. They alternate between asexual and sexual reproduction. During the
summer, aphid populations grow quickly by asexual reproduction. As winter approaches, aphids switch to sexual
reproduction.
What advantage does the switch to sexual reproduction give the aphids?
A. Sexual reproduction maintains a constant level of variation in the population and requires less energy.
B. Sexual reproduction decreases variation in the population and prevents the spread of harmful mutations.
C. Sexual reproduction increases variation in the population and provides for adaptability in a changing
environment.
D. Sexual reproduction produces individuals that are clones and allows rapid population growth under stable
environmental conditions.
Question 26
Aphids, ants and plants interact with one another through symbiotic relationships. Aphids are small insects that
poke holes in plants and suck out sap. Aphids may cause the plant’s leaves to wilt and curl. Ants protect aphids and
eat the sugary liquid that aphids produce.
In your Answer Document, choose two of the organisms in this symbiosis. Describe the relationship between the
two organisms in terms of the benefit or harm to each organism. (2 points)
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Question 27
A student has four microscope slides of cells from four different organisms. He must match the slides of cells with
the correct organism tissue listed in the table.
He observes chloroplasts in the cells on one of the slides.
Which slide is he observing?
A. Slide P
B. Slide Q
C. Slide R
D. Slide S
Question 28
Which sequence correctly shows the order from simplest to most complex in multicellular organisms?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Question 29
The shape of an animal’s body is related to where it lives and how it feeds.
Which fish has a body shape that is best suited for feeding at the bottom of a lake?
A.
B.
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C.
D.
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