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2013 Spring Break Packet (2013SpringBreakPacket)
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1. The figures below represent two chromosomes from an animal.
Using the table below that describes the traits carried on Chromosome #6, which trait can the animal inherit only
from its mother?
A. long hair
B. black hair
C. white hair
D. short hair
This online assessment item contains material that has been released to the public by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
2. Which biome is characterized by low temperatures and low amounts of rainfall?
A. tundra
B. desert
C. temperate deciduous forest
D. tropical rain forest
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3. Which of the following symbiotic relationships is considered parasitic?
A. ticks feeding on a dog
B. bees transporting pollen from flowers
C. pilotfish swimming under sharks
D. birds eating the insects from the back of a hippopotamus
This online assessment item contains material that has been released to the public by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
4. Single-celled organisms can reproduce and create cells exactly like themselves without combining genes from two
different parent cells. When they do this, they use a type of
A. asexual reproduction.
B. gamete formation.
C. natural selection.
D. sexual reproduction.
This online assessment item contains material that has been released to the public by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
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5. The diagram below shows some of the feeding relationships in a desert food web.
Which of the following trophic levels is not shown in this diagram?
A. producers
B. decomposers
C. primary consumers
D. secondary consumers
This online assessment item contains material that has been released to the public by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
6. Which body system's primary function is the continuation of the species?
A. digestive
B. nervous
C. excretory
D. reproductive
This online assessment item contains material that has been released to the public by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
7. Which is an adaptation that makes it possible for the animal to survive in a cold climate?
A. tail on a lizard
B. scales on a fish
C. stripes on a tiger
D. fur on a bear
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8. Which characteristic distinguishes Monerans from all other kingdoms of life?
A. They are always unicellular.
B. They have single cells without a nucleus.
C. They move by waving their flagella.
D. They can make their own food.
9.
Use the picture of a family tree below to answer this question.
This family tree shows the relationship among certain primates based on the chemical composition of a protein in
their blood. According to this tree, which pair is most closely related?
A. spider monkeys and colobus monkeys
B. baboons and gorillas
C. owl monkeys and spider monkeys
D. gorillas and chimps
10.
Use the list below to answer this question.
What class of animals has the characteristics shown in the list?
A. fish
B. amphibians
C. reptiles
D. birds
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11. The following are adaptations in amphibians to live on land except
A. strong bones and muscles.
B. skin that stays moist.
C. gills for breathing.
D. a complete digestive system.
12. Which group needs an aquatic environment to reproduce?
A. amphibians
B. birds
C. mammals
D. reptiles
13. Which organism's body form is best described as a "tube within a tube"?
A. sponge
B. jellyfish
C. earthworm
D. clam
14. A vertebrate with a skeleton made up of cartilage would belong in which class?
A. Fish
B. Reptile
C. Bird
D. Amphibian
15. The primary cause of an infectious disease is
A. lack of vitamins and minerals.
B. damage to a body tissue or organ.
C. other organisms that enter the body.
D. harmful chemicals or radiation.
16. Which of the following is the best way to investigate the effect of fertilizers on potato plants?
A. Put several potato plants outdoors and several potato plants indoors and give both groups different amounts of
fertilizer.
B. Add fertilizer to several potato plants.
C. Grow several potato plants under the same conditions but vary the amount of fertilizer added to each.
D. Grow several potato plants under various temperature conditions.
17. A scientist is studying the effect of acid rain on oak trees. Of the numbers below, which would be the number of
oak trees the scientist should use to obtain the most reliable data?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 20
D. 200
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18. Which trash is the least biodegradable?
A. orange peel
B. chewing gum
C. plastic wrapper
D. apple core
19. Fossils of animals the size of goats were dated at 5 million years old. Similarly, fossils of larger animals were
dated at 3 million years old. Both animals were similar in body structure to today's horses. Using these data, which
inference can scientists make?
A. The animals were probably ancestors of today's horses.
B. The animals had no relationship to one another.
C. Today's horses and these animals probably lived together at some time in the past.
D. Today's horses are faster than these animals were.
20. A lab report for a plant experiment contained the four statements below. Which statement is an inference rather
than an observation?
A. Lack of light caused the plants to grow at a slower rate.
B. All of the plants bent toward the small light source.
C. Each of the plants grew less than 2 centimeters.
D. Several of the plants have yellow leaves.
21. Photosynthesis is the way plants make food. Which of the following are always needed for photosynthesis?
A. water, light, chlorophyll, carbon dioxide
B. water, light, flowers, oxygen
C. water, roots, stems, leaves
D. water, light, fertilizer, oxygen
22. On a cold day, snakes usually lie very still and eat little or nothing while birds usually move around and eat a lot
of food. Which statement explains this?
A. Both animals are cold-blooded, but without feathers to keep them warm, snakes get too cold to move.
B. Unlike birds, snakes are warm-blooded and must hibernate during cold weather.
C. Unlike snakes, birds are cold-blooded and are less affected by the cold than snakes.
D. Unlike snakes, birds are warm-blooded and must eat food to maintain a constant temperature.
23. Messages are carried from the eyes to the brain by
A. bones.
B. muscles.
C. nerves.
D. blood vessels.
24. In the presence of sunlight green plants give off
A. oxygen.
B. carbon dioxide.
C. nitrogen.
D. hydrogen.
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25.
Why might you become ill after visiting a friend who is sick with the flu?
A. The room your friend was in was too warm.
B. You ate the same kind of food your friend ate.
C. You did not dress properly.
D. The virus that causes the flu entered your body.
26. What is the MOST important gas taken into the lungs during breathing?
A. carbon monoxide
B. carbon dioxide
C. oxygen
D. hydrogen
27. A dog would be classified as
A. a mammal.
B. a reptile.
C. an amphibian.
D. an invertebrate.
28. Animal fossils are more plentiful than plant fossils because animals contain
A. hard parts such as bones, teeth, and shells.
B. soft parts such as flesh and hair.
C. large amounts of water.
D. small amounts of chemicals.
29. Reptiles become more active as the day gets warmer. This is because
A. they have scaly skin.
B. their body temperature changes with the environment.
C. their body temperature stays at a constant level.
D. they have slimy skin.
30.
Which is NOT a reflex action?
A. closing your eyes when something is about to hit them
B. falling or tripping over a stone
C. pulling your hand away when you accidentally touch a hot stove
D. jerking your leg when the doctor taps your knee
31. Which of the following helps our sense organs work together?
A. nerves
B. muscles
C. blood vessels
D. skin
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32. Many people are infected by a tropical disease that is carried by a certain type of insect. What should biologists
attacking the problem do first?
A. destroy all of those insects
B. predict what may happen if all of those insects were destroyed
C. not worry, because there are no tropical diseases in this country
D. leave all of the insects alone
33.
When a cell of a plant stem divides, each new cell has
A. half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell.
B. the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell.
C. twice the number of chromosomes as the parent cell.
D. four times the number of chromosomes as the parent cell.
34. Which adaptation allows giraffes to feed on a diet of leaves from treetops?
A. type of skin covering
B. body structure
C. body markings
D. visual ability
35. Which group of invertebrates uses stinging cells to capture food?
A. clams, oysters, and scallops
B. lobsters, shrimp, and crabs
C. hydras, jellyfishes, and sea anemones
D. squids, seahorses, and sponges
36. A person's heart is about the same size as his or her
A. fist.
B. thumbnail.
C. head.
D. eye.
37. When you are hot, the skin helps cool you off by
A. tanning.
B. shivering.
C. peeling.
D. sweating.
38. The way a plant or animal species adjusts to the environment is known as
A. variation.
B. behavior.
C. adaptation.
D. existence.
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39. One characteristic feature of tundra is that only the surface thaws in the summer and refreezes in the winter,
leaving a layer of permanently frozen subsoil. This characteristic is known as
A. hoarfrost.
B. glaciation.
C. permafrost.
D. crystallization.
40. Groves of trees that are 20 meters tall and have many leafy branches would be a characteristic of which region?
A. tropical latitudes
B. tall grass prairies
C. alpine tundras
D. dry shrublands
41. Some fossils are shaped like the clams that are alive today. This tells us that
A. clams turn into fossils very quickly.
B. other living things can look like clams.
C. clams became extinct, and then new ones grew.
D. clams have been on Earth for a very long time.
42. Nonvascular plants include
A. mosses and algae.
B. liverworts and fungi.
C. algae and fungi.
D. liverworts and mosses.
43. Fungi are characterized by having
A. almost all of their body above ground.
B. roots that provide water and minerals.
C. long tube-like filaments that contain a nucleus.
D. single cells that contain chlorophyll.
44. Clams, conchs, oysters, snails, slugs, and squids all have
A. a mantle.
B. an outer shell.
C. good eyesight.
D. the ability to make pearls.
45. Flowering plants are also known as
A. echinosperms.
B. gymnosperms.
C. angiosperms.
D. seed ferns.
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46. Which substance is used by producers to make food?
A. nitrogen
B. oxygen
C. silicon
D. water
47. The process by which producers make their own food is called
A. diffusion.
B. photosynthesis.
C. respiration.
D. reproduction.
48. Taiga is a biome consisting of evergreen trees (conifers). Where is taiga found?
A. northern parts of Mexico
B. midwestern states such as Kansas
C. northeastern states such as Massachusetts
D. southwestern parts of Canada
49. Grasslands and savannas are biomes that are very valuable as areas for farming and grazing livestock. In the
United States, these biomes are mostly found in the
A. Southeast.
B. Midwest.
C. Northwest.
D. Southwest.
50. Which two factors are most responsible for the difference between temperate forest biomes and taiga biomes?
A. rainfall and prevailing winds
B. longitude and ocean currents
C. jet streams and cyclones
D. altitude and latitude
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51. Look at the food web below.
What would MOST LIKELY happen in the ecosystem if the population of maned geese greatly increased?
A. The lizards would have less competition.
B. The kookaburras would have more competition.
C. The amount of available food for the frogs would increase.
D. The amount of available food for the insects would decrease.
52. Which of these BEST explains why predators need plants, such as grass, in their ecosystems?
A. Plants are a large part of their diets.
B. Plants provide safety for the predators.
C. Plants break down the organisms that the predators eat.
D. Plants provide food for the animals that the predators eat.
53. Which of these BEST explains how the cell membrane helps animal cells grow and divide?
A. It transports enzymes.
B. It stores genetic information.
C. It supplies the cell with energy.
D. It controls materials that enter and exit the cell.
54. Which cell structure is responsible for supplying energy in both plant and animal cells?
A. chloroplast
B. mitochondrion
C. nucleus
D. ribosome
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55. The human body has several systems that remove waste from the body. The respiratory system is responsible for
removing which of these from the body?
A. urea
B. feces
C. oxygen
D. carbon dioxide
56. Which of these describes a mutually beneficial relationship between two organisms?
A. a dog with worms in its intestines
B. a turtle and a snail that both eat grass live in a river
C. a honeybee pollinating a plant and receiving nectar for food
D. a small fish attached to a shark, eating tiny pieces of the shark's food as it floats by
57. One of Earth's biomes receives 0 to 25 centimeters of rain per year, has a temperature range of 0° to 50° Celsius,
has poor soil, and is home to lizards, scorpions, and snakes. What is the name of this biome?
A. desert
B. mountain
C. taiga
D. tundra
58. Polar bears and brown bears are related. Over time, polar bears and brown bears have developed different
appearances. Which of these MOST LIKELY caused the difference in fur color between the two species?
A. Polar bears ate less and lost fur color.
B. Brown bears ate food that caused their fur to be brown.
C. Brown bears benefited by growing thicker fur to keep them warm.
D. Polar bears benefited from lighter colored fur and passed it on to their offspring.
59. Two species of butterfly look almost identical, even though they are not related. One of the species is poisonous
to birds, causing them to become ill, while the other species is not poisonous. What is the MOST LIKELY reason that
the two species of butterfly look so similar?
A. The two butterfly species have adapted to look like each other so that they could breed.
B. Over time the two butterfly species have adapted to look like each other because they eat the same food.
C. Over time the non-poisonous butterfly has adapted to look like the poisonous butterfly to help protect it from
predators.
D. The poisonous butterfly has adapted to look like the non-poisonous butterfly so that it can live in the same
environment.
60. A scientist found a fish fossil while digging in sedimentary rock. She carefully dug deeper and found a second
fish fossil that had a slightly different skeletal structure than the first. What is the MOST LIKELY explanation for
these slight differences?
A. The fish species adapted over time.
B. The fossils were buried at the same time.
C. The first fossil was more damaged over time.
D. One of the fossils was damaged during the dig.
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61. Which would be the order of climates as you move from the equator to the North Pole?
A. tropic, temperate, arctic
B. temperate, arctic, tropic
C. arctic, tropic, temperate
D. tropic, arctic, temperate
62. Bacteria cause many skin infections. To which group do bacteria belong?
A. plant
B. protist
C. fungus
D. moneran
63. Which BEST describes a bird laying eggs?
A. breathing
B. reproducing
C. digesting food
D. excreting waste
64.
Brown eyes are dominant to blue eyes. Both of Donna's parents have brown eyes, but Donna has blue eyes. What is
the BEST explanation for why Donna has blue eyes?
A. All of Donna's grandparents must have had blue eyes.
B. Both of Donna's parents carry a gene for blue eyes.
C. Donna's mother probably carries the gene for blue eyes.
D. Donna's father probably carries the gene for blue eyes.
65.
Mike and his three brothers all have brown hair. Mike's father has brown hair, too. Mike's mother, however, is the
only family member that has red hair color. What conclusion can you draw about the gene for hair color?
A. The gene for red hair is dominant over the gene for brown hair.
B. The gene for brown hair is dominant over the gene for red hair.
C. Neither brown nor red are dominant since they both occur in the same family.
D. Red and brown genes are co-dominant.
66.
All of the following are contained within one human body system: spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes, thymus gland,
and white blood cells circulating in the blood. What human body system contains all of these components?
A. the circulatory system
B. the endocrine system
C. the immune system
D. the excretory system
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67.
What pair of cell structures are found in plant cells, function in protecting the cell and making food, and are not found
in animal cells?
A. cell membrane and ribosomes
B. cell wall and chloroplasts
C. mitochondria and a nucleus
D. flagella and Golgi bodies
68.
Assume a normal body cell continues to repeatedly grow and divide. Which process would not be required for
continued growth and division?
A. mitosis
B. evolution
C. digestion
D. respiration
69.
Rudy has blue eyes, while Gertrude has brown eyes. What causes them to have different eye colors?
A. They have different chromosomes for the two eye colors.
B. Rudy has a different number of chromosomes than Gertrude.
C. They have different combinations of the genes for eye color.
D. Rudy's mother must have had blue eyes, because you only get blue eyes from your mother.
70.
Brian owns a peacock farm. One day, a large batch of eggs hatch and Brian discovers that a few of the chicks are
white instead of blue. White chicks can be sold for $100 each, instead of the $50 that people pay for blue chicks. If
Brian wants to raise more white peacocks in order to make more money, what should he do?
A. He should continue breeding the peacocks the same way.
B. He should always be sure to cross blue peacocks with white peacocks.
C. He should isolate the white peacocks and allow them only to breed with each other.
D. He should bleach the feathers of the blue peacocks before allowing them to breed with any white peacocks.
71.
What is the correct series of steps for the movement of energy in a food chain?
A. producers consumers scavengers and recyclers sun
B. sun consumers producers scavengers and recyclers
C. sun producers scavengers and recyclers consumers
D. sun producers consumers scavengers and recyclers
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72.
What type of cell MUST take up carbon dioxide in order to stay alive?
A. plant cell
B. animal cell
C. fungal cell
D. yeast cell
73.
In pea plants, purple flowers are dominant to white flowers. Suppose a purple-flowered plant with genotype Pp is
crossed with another purple-flowered plant with the same Pp genotype. What percentage of offspring will also have
purple flowers?
A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 75%
D. 100%
74.
Western swallowtail butterflies come in two colors, black or yellow. Because swallowtails are eaten by a number of
bird species, they usually try to escape by camouflaging themselves against objects in their environment.
What would happen to a local butterfly population if farmers began planting large fields of yellow sunflowers?
A. Both black and yellow butterflies would become more common.
B. Both black and yellow butterflies would become less common.
C. Black butterflies would become less common, while yellow butterflies became more common.
D. Yellow butterflies would become less common, while black butterflies became more common.
75.
Rank the biomes in the order of lowest average annual precipitation to highest average annual precipitation.
1: Tropical rainforest
2: Temperate forest
3: Desert
4: Tundra
A. 3, 4, 2, 1
B. 3, 4, 1, 2
C. 4, 3, 1, 2
D. 4, 3, 2, 1
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76.
The peppered moth was originally light colored with some dark spots. It was well camouflaged from birds and bats
on light colored trees. Over time, the light colored trees were covered in a layer of black soot due to industrial
pollution. What happened to the peppered moth population?
A. The moths were not affected by the change to the trees.
B. The number of white spots on the moths increased.
C. The number of black spots on the moths increased.
D. The moths migrated to areas with less pollution.
77.
Suppose that a small species of flowering plant lives in a desert area. Over many thousands of years, the area changes
to a forest. The plant remains small in size, but undergoes other changes to adapt to the new environment which
allows less light to the developing plant. Which of these changes is likely?
A. development of deeper roots
B. development of thick cuticle
C. development of thorns
D. development of larger and broader leaves
78.
Food webs in the rainforests of Asia contain thousands of species of animals and support many large, predatory
animals. Others biomes, such as the taiga of Northern Europe, contain less than 100 animal species and have only a
few large predators. What factor is the most important in determining the overall size of a food web?
A. number of producers
B. number of herbivores
C. number of carnivores
D. number of decomposers
79.
Which of these factors is likely to affect the survival of an entire SPECIES of tree frog?
A. an overpopulation of predatory birds
B. an abundance of a poisonous grass
C. spraying of pesticides
D. habitat destruction
80.
In his observations of the finches in the Galapagos Islands, Darwin stated that we could never "watch" natural
selection in action. Why did Darwin believe this?
A. Natural selection happens so quickly, it is difficult to see.
B. Natural selection is an internal process that can not be outwardly observed.
C. Natural selection occurs over so many generations, it is impossible to see changes occur.
D. Natural selection is a process that occurs randomly, and it is unlikely that a human would be present when it
occurs.
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81.
Roberto feeds his pet iguana a mixture of salad greens, carrots, squash, crickets, and worms as part of his regular diet.
What type of consumer is the iguana?
A. herbivore
B. carnivore
C. omnivore
D. detritivore
82.
Coyotes and bobcats are natural competitors in many ecosystems in the United States. In the desert regions of the
American Southwest, jackrabbits are the primary prey of both animals. What type of relationship does the jackrabbit
population have to coyotes and bobcats?
A. It is an abiotic factor.
B. It is a competitor.
C. It is a limiting factor.
D. It is the carrying capacity.
83.
Karl describes an ecosystem that he visits frequently. The plant life in the ecosystem is mostly grass, about 3 feet tall.
The grass is in a muddy area that floods each afternoon with a mix of freshwater and saltwater. There is a small river
present. Karl likes to catch crabs there and often sees baby fish. What type of ecosystem is Karl describing?
A. estuary ecosystem
B. shoreline ocean ecosystem
C. freshwater river ecosystem
D. coral reef ocean ecosystem
84.
Absent-minded Ernie has taken his field notebook to a prairie ecosystem. Ernie was supposed to have totaled up the
number of producers, first-order consumers, second-order consumers, and third-order consumers present. Ernie DID
record the NUMBER of species he saw along with some examples, but he accidentally erased their categories. Help
Ernie classify these by line.
Line 1: ________________; 1 species; mountain lion
Line 2: ________________; 27 species; prairie grass
Line 3: ________________; 7 species; field mice
Line 4: ________________; 3 species; skunks
In this order, what did Ernie see?
A. producers, third-order consumers, second-order consumers, first-order consumers
B. second-order consumers, producers, third-order consumers, first-order consumers
C. first-order consumers, producers, second-order consumers, third-order consumers
D. third-order consumers, producers, first-order consumers, second-order consumers
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85.
What do the appendix and wisdom teeth of adult humans have in common with the wings of an ostrich?
A. They are adaptive structures that aid in survival.
B. They are homologous structures that evolved from a common ancestor.
C. They are selective structures that evolved when the environment changed.
D. They are vestigial structures that are no longer required for survival.
86.
Where might an albino animal have a selective advantage over an animal with a brown coat?
A. taiga
B. tundra
C. ocean shoreline
D. temperate forest
87.
Anole lizards live throughout the Bahamas. They are small, fast running lizards with long legs. Visitors to the islands
introduced a predator of the anoles. The predator is a large lizard that can also run very fast. Over the years, the
anoles that survived were short-legged tree climbers. Today, throughout the Bahamas, the anoles are short-legged and
live in trees.
Scientists explain this evolutionary shift in the anole lizard population as an example of
A. genetic mutation.
B. natural selection.
C. selective breeding.
D. artificial selection.
88. Northern garter snakes exhibit a unique behavior in which they gather in deep dens by the hundreds or
thousands. They then coil together in a huge ball. This behavior could help to —
A. reduce heat loss
B. increase camouflage
C. locate food sources
D. increase oxygen consumption
Permission has been granted for reproduction by the Virginia Department of Education
© Virginia Department of Education
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89. The black widow spider is common to Virginia's ledges, rocks, and plants. Why are these spiders important
to the balance in nature?
A. They poison other animals.
B. They are harmless to people.
C. They eat plants.
D. They help control some insects.
Permission has been granted for reproduction by the Virginia Department of Education
© Virginia Department of Education
90.
In the food web shown, which of the following consumers eats only producers?
A. Hawk
B. Owl
C. Fox
D. Mouse
Permission has been granted for reproduction by the Virginia Department of Education
© Virginia Department of Education
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91. Which biome contains large populations of grazing herbivores, few species of birds, and deep, rich soil?
A. A taiga
B. A tundra
C. A deciduous forest
D. A grassland
Permission has been granted for reproduction by the Virginia Department of Education
© Virginia Department of Education
92.
What is next in this series?
A. Habitats
B. Organisms
C. Systems
D. Organelles
Permission has been granted for reproduction by the Virginia Department of Education
© Virginia Department of Education
93. Ranchers historically have used genetics to produce new varieties of cattle. Buffalo can tolerate both hot
and cold temperatures but have meat that is not as tasty and tender as beef. Cattle that are subjected to severe
temperature extremes produce meat that is neither tender nor good-tasting.
What good qualities might a "beefalo" (cross between cattle and buffalo) possess?
A. Animals that tolerate heat and cold but do not have good-tasting meat
B. Animals with good-tasting meat but not tolerance to heat
C. Animals that tolerate heat and cold and have good-tasting meat
D. Animals that tolerate cold but do not have good-tasting meat
Permission has been granted for reproduction by the Virginia Department of Education
© Virginia Department of Education
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94.
Four disinfectants were tested in two trials, each for their effectiveness in controlling bacterial growth. The
table shows the bacterial growth in each trial after four days. Which of the following conclusions is best
supported by the results of this study?
A. Disinfectants kill most bacteria on contact.
B. Strong concentrations of disinfectants can be harmful.
C. Some disinfectants are more effective than others.
D. Disinfectants cannot be used to control bacterial infections.
Permission has been granted for reproduction by the Virginia Department of Education
© Virginia Department of Education
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95.
Pollen is produced in the —
A. ovary.
B. pistil.
C. petal.
D. stamen.
Permission has been granted for reproduction by the Virginia Department of Education
© Virginia Department of Education
96. Organisms that absorb nutrients from dead plants and animals are called —
A. carnivores.
B. decomposers.
C. herbivores.
D. producers.
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© Virginia Department of Education
97. Which is a hypothesis?
A. Five earthworms died when the soil became too dry.
B. Earthworms have a mucous-covered outer surface.
C. Heavy rain causes earthworms to move above ground.
D. What will happen if an earthworm is cut in two?
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98. Plasma makes up more than half of the volume of human blood. Plasma mainly consists of
A. protein.
B. salt.
C. sugar.
D. water.
99. Which activity is most harmful to the environment?
A. watering the garden
B. cutting the grass
C. installing a wooden fence
D. fertilizing the lawn
100. A sample of bone initially contains 8 grams of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope. The table below shows the
amount of carbon-14 remaining after certain elapsed times.
Amount of
Time Elapsed
Carbon-14 (grams)
(years)
8
0
4
5,730
2
11,460
1
17,190
0.5
22,920
What is the half-life of carbon-14?
A. 5,730 years
B. 11,460 years
C. 17,190 years
D. 22,920 years
101. Which explains why the light-colored Himalayan rabbit can survive in the snowy mountains while dark-colored
rabbits cannot?
A. The light-colored Himalayan rabbit has no predators in the mountains.
B. Dark-colored rabbits taste better than light-colored rabbits to the wolves that eat them.
C. Light-colored rabbits absorb more heat and stay warmer in the winter than the dark-colored rabbits.
D. Predators can readily locate dark-colored rabbits in the snow but not light-colored rabbits.
102. Which of the following types of organisms would benefit most directly from the products of decomposer
organisms?
A. the decomposers themselves
B. the primary consumers
C. the secondary consumers
D. the producers
103. Which animal is probably well adapted to a hot, dry environment?
A. a rabbit with small ears and fur that is brown in summer and white in winter
B. a rodent that sleeps underground during the day
C. a white fox with long fur, small ears, and a bulky body
D. a long-legged bird that has dark feathers and eats snails and small fish
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2013 Spring Break Packet (2013SpringBreakPacket)
104.
The process in which green plants convert energy from the Sun into energy stored in carbon-containing
molecules is called
A. respiration.
B. combustion.
C. digestion.
D. photosynthesis.
105. A snake is classified as
A. a mammal.
B. a reptile.
C. an amphibian.
D. an invertebrate.
106. Oxygen is released into the air by
A. the Sun.
B. animals.
C. volcanoes.
D. plants.
107. A giraffe's long neck helps it to survive because giraffes can
A. eat leaves in the high branches of trees.
B. eat grass in the fields.
C. run away from lions.
D. hide from tigers and other predators.
108. The students in Mr. Smith's class wanted to learn about the ducks in a pond near their school. Which question
could the class answer by making observations at the pond?
A. Where do the ducks go when they migrate?
B. Which part of the pond do the ducks use for feeding?
C. How many ducks were there last May?
D. How many years have pairs of ducks been together?
109. During photosynthesis, green plants remove a substance from the air. The substance is
A. water.
B. oxygen.
C. sulfur dioxide.
D. carbon dioxide.
110. Bacteria can cause you to have
A. an infection.
B. sunburn.
C. a headache.
D. a bruise.
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2013 Spring Break Packet (2013SpringBreakPacket)
111.
To prevent disease, the human body naturally produces
A. enzymes.
B. antibodies.
C. toxins.
D. viruses.
112. Athlete's foot and ringworm are skin infections caused by organisms belonging to which kingdom?
A. Monerans
B. Protists
C. Fungi
D. Plants
113. Which type of organism is classified as a seedless vascular plant that reproduces by spreading spores?
A. ferns
B. molds
C. yeasts
D. mosses
114. Invertebrates such as grasshoppers, which need to molt their exoskeletons as they grow, belong to which
phylum?
A. segmented worms
B. arthropods
C. echinoderms
D. mollusks
115. Which part of a plant cell controls the activities of all other cell parts?
A. cell membrane
B. cell wall
C. vacuole
D. nucleus
116. Which biome, because of its climate, has the largest number of species of plants and animals?
A. tundra
B. desert
C. rain forest
D. pine forest
117. Which of the following is produced by photosynthesis?
A. light
B. heat
C. protein
D. sugar
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2013 Spring Break Packet (2013SpringBreakPacket)
118. Which is least important for most kinds of bacteria to grow?
A. warmth
B. light
C. food
D. water
119. Which statement is true about the relationship between bacteria and humans?
A. All bacteria are harmful to humans.
B. Some bacteria are harmful to humans and other bacteria are helpful.
C. All bacteria are helpful to humans.
D. Bacteria are neither helpful nor harmful to humans.
120. Which ocean organism is considered a producer?
A. phytoplankton
B. zooplankton
C. small fish
D. whales
121. The fungi kingdom would include which organisms?
A. mold, mushrooms, yeast
B. euglena, paramecium, volvox
C. fish, birds, reptiles
D. round, rod, spiral bacteria
122. The scientific name for bread mold is Rhizopus stonifer. Which classification group is Rhizopus?
A. genus
B. class
C. phylum
D. species
123. In which kingdom are yeast and molds classified?
A. Plants
B. Protists
C. Monerans
D. Fungi
124. Farmers who grow corn plants want the plants that produce the most ears of corn and are most resistant to
insects and disease. What process would a farmer use to produce corn plants with these desired traits?
A. crop rotation
B. natural selection
C. selective breeding
D. asexual reproduction
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2013 Spring Break Packet (2013SpringBreakPacket)
125. Thad is a potato farmer who is trying to produce potatoes that are large and resistant to fungus. Which of these
would be BEST for him to use to produce only large, fungus-free potatoes?
A. budding
B. fertilizers
C. irrigation system
D. selective breeding
126. Jenna's class studied a forest food web. Which of these organisms can BEST turn dead plant and animal matter
into substances that can be reused by the ecosystem?
A. bacteria
B. birds
C. mice
D. plants
127. The number of spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest has decreased dramatically over the last twenty years.
Which of these changes MOST LIKELY caused this decrease in the population size of the species?
A. Rainfall has greatly increased in this area.
B. A new ranger station was built in this area.
C. A communications tower was put up in this area.
D. Old-growth forests have been cut down in this area.
128. During a drought in a grassland, the amount of grass that grows is limited. Which of these organisms would
MOST immediately be affected?
A. mice
B. owls
C. snakes
D. toads
129. Maria and her classmates are observing animals at the pond. They notice that wood storks and ibises both feed
on fish. Which of these describes the relationship between these two birds?
A. parasitism
B. competition
C. predator and prey
D. producer and consumer
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130. Adam's class performed an experiment about mold growth on bread.
Which conclusion can they make from observing the mold?
A. Temperature has no effect on mold growth.
B. Colder temperatures decrease mold growth.
C. Warmer temperatures decrease mold growth.
D. Colder temperatures increase mold growth.
131. In humans, having bushy eyebrows is a trait that is dominant over having thin eyebrows. Two parents with
bushy eyebrows are going to have a baby. What can be predicted about how the baby's eyebrows will develop?
A. The baby definitely will have bushy eyebrows.
B. The baby most likely will have bushy eyebrows.
C. The baby will not have bushy eyebrows.
D. There is not enough information given.
132.
Which of the following habitats probably has the greatest number of plant and animal species?
A. the African savanna
B. a rainforest in Brazil
C. a temperate forest in China
D. a temperate grassland in Kansas
133.
What is the major purpose of the endocrine system?
A. It is involved with the digestion of food.
B. It sends oxygen and nutrients around the body.
C. It releases hormones and controls other organs.
D. It provides protection against germs and other invaders.
134.
What is the primary purpose of mitochondria in a cell?
A. They store genetic information.
B. They convert food molecules into energy the cell can use.
C. They trap sunlight and use the energy to make food.
D. They ship proteins and other substances across the cell membrane.
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135. Which of these is a decomposer?
A. Mouse
B. Mushroom
C. Tree
D. Fox
Permission has been granted for reproduction by the Virginia Department of Education
© Virginia Department of Education
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